Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood

Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood is a good shooter to play. It really makes the player feel they are an outlaw in the Wild West. The story and gameplay drives it all home, but the multiplayer aspect probably won’t make the player stay after one or two playthroughs.

With detailed attention paid to its more lacking qualities, there's no reason why this couldn't burst into a full-fledged contender in the FPS genre. However, such was also the argument made for its predecessor.

But none of those gripes can compare to the biggest crime committed here: no co-op! In a game that focuses more than a little on the exploits of two seemingly inseparable brothers, why would we not be able to bring a friend down the dusty trail? That absence is completely inexcusable, and the addition of pointless, paint-by-numbers competitive multiplayer only adds insult to injury.

It's often gorgeous to look at and the story is worth experiencing, but the multiplayer is nothing more than a slight distraction and the lack of co-op is a missed opportunity. Bound in Blood is worth a look, but as a sequel it doesn't take the series on enough.

Above all, it's a proper western, set in a tangibly real Wild West, with proper, honest-to-goodness cowboys, Indians and bandits in it. Experience tells us that's harder to pull off in videogames than you might think, and it counts for a lot, no matter where it comes from.

Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood has a unique and action packed setting and offers some interesting gameplay mechanics.

Bound in Blood is a slow but steady cowboy crowd-pleaser which rides close to the beaten track. An excellent story is left to shoulder much of the entertainment value while the gunplay sits back in the saddle. Never less than competent, but not essential.

What it lost in this pursuit of silver-screen-esque mayhem was subtlety and character. It's a solid First-Person-Shooter – one I would recommend to any fan of the genre – but it doesn't quite possess the same diversity as the first – something I never thought I'd miss.

Thanks to a gripping story, furious gunplay and cool multiplayer, Call of Juarez makes for a smart rental.

Far more polished than its ragged forebear. [Aug 2009, p.100]

Atmospheric, technically strong and really rather enjoyable to play, Call Of Juarez: Bound In Blood is every bit the sequel it needed to be. [Aug 2009, p.112]

Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood is a solid shooter that requires players to take a more tactical approach then some other recent releases. However, it can also be an extremely frustrating experience due to the very unforgiving AI which may have the less hardcore shooter fan struggling to stick with it.

For fans of the western genre this is the only option on the market (at least until Rockstar publishes the next entry for the Red Dead Revolver saga).

Will you enjoy it? Yes - when you get the hang of the gunfights and the cover mechanic. Will you play it twice? Not on your life - unless you're a gamerscore-whore. Will you come back if Techland make a threequel? Almost certainly, if only to see if they can finally iron out the little niggles that still manage to hold this game back even after ironing out the little niggles that held back the first one.

Bound in Blood certainly isn’t without its flaws, but for fans of the genre I definitely suggest picking it up and giving it a try.

The best thing about Bound in Blood is that it feels different from all the modern first person shooters on the market.

This is an entertaining shooter with many good points, but nothing's particularly outstanding or original here. Members of the Old West FPS posse should snap it up faster than Doc Holliday could clear leather, but city-slicker varmints oughta just wait till it hits the bargain bin at the local general store.

Bound in Blood is like a Wild West theme park: corny, but at least there's constant gun smoke and plenty of bad guys being put to rights. It's not a must-buy by any stretch, but it is bearable.

Although it means little given the lack of competition this is the best Wild West shooter for years.

Makes for a good diversion. It doesn't last too long, tells a decent story, and offers enough multiplayer to give you something to mess around with when the single-player's done. It certainly isn't the most ambitious game in the world, but if you're looking for a competent western shooter, Juarez fits the bill just fine.