Game reviews
Red Dead Redemption
Set in a beautiful open world, this impressive western adventure video game provides players with a truly immersive experience.
James Cameron's Avatar
Not bad if you’re in an undemanding mood and you just can’t shake Avatar fever.
Sherlock Holmes Vs Jack The Ripper
"...for those who like a relaxed pace and a lot of conundrums."
World Of Warcraft
"In the fickle world of gaming, WoW is the consistent achiever."
search the site
newsletter
Enter your email address below to receive the weekly Filmink newsletter
Call Of Jurez (Game)
Distributor: Ubisoft
The Disc: 3.0
First Person Shooters (FPS) have become so ubiquitous in gaming that it's refreshing when a title isn't bound by the conventions of the genre. Call Of Juarez: Bound In Blood goes about halfway to fixing that. Yes, it's an FPS, but it's one that's set in the old west - a setting rarely used well, although Rockstar's upcoming Red Dead Redemption looks set to impress.
Call Of Juarez: Bound In Blood is a prequel to the XBox360 and PC exclusive Call Of Juarez. This time it's available for the PS3 as well, but that's not the only addition. It improves mightily on that rather tepid game by adding interesting gameplay elements. The game takes place during and after The American Civil War. The player can swap around between the brothers McCall, Ray and Thomas. Each brother has different strengths: one is good with explosives, and the other throws a mean knife. The game also segues quite well into mini-games where the player uses cannons, mounted guns or even lassos to take care of obstacles.
Two things, however, mar what could have been a golden classic. (1) The game looks fantastic, but suffers from slow-down because of the fact that it pumps out a beautiful 1080p and (2) it's simply not very long. The experience feels artificially lengthened by a lot of distracting elements, like pointless mini-games and frankly tedious flashbacks. It also feels very on-rails. Yes, you can be either brother, but not all the time. Not only that, but it seems very clear which brother the game wants you to be at any given point. Combine that with occasional glitchy graphics, and you end up with a well-intentioned title that could have used a bit more polish.
Far from bad, Call Of Juarez: Bound In Blood could have simply used a bit more time in development. It's a good gallop ahead of its predecessor though, and while not a classic, it's a fun, albeit inconsistent, good time.