RSS Feeds NGN on Facebook NGN on Twitter NGN on YouTube
Thursday March 28, 2024
Header logo
  1. Index
  2. » Articles
  3. » Reviews
  4. » Call of Juarez: The Gunslinger

Call of Juarez: Gunslinger Review

Regenerates the Old West with combo kills, empowering upgrades and tense duels.

Posted by on

Boss battles are at the opposite end of the satisfaction scale, and the worst Gunslinger has to offer. Bosses can absorb two dozen bullets to the face before dying. One cantankerous boss needed nine sticks of dynamite before slumping over his Gatling gun. Another scurried back and forth on an elevated platform and hurled dynamite. Not only do you need to shoot the dynamite from the air, but you need to shoot him and his lackeys. Boss arenas often contain convenient boulders that help you avoid repeated attacks on your person. Bosses are frustrating due to cheap deaths, constrained arenas or unavoidable attacks. You cannot defeat bosses by being quicker or more accurate, you must duck for cover, reload and chip away at their ridiculous health. Boss battles are ingrained into arcade games, but they do not belong alongside the refined shooting component in Gunslinger.

Call of Juarez: Gunslinger
Curly Bill, boss of the sawmill, has a face that could withstand a pneumatic drill

Arcade mode, separate from the story, compresses the shooting through familiar levels. Small portions of story levels are repacked with outlaws and explosives. Your goal is to get the most points by chaining kills and finishing quickly. Enemies are placed at regular intervals, so it is entirely possible to generate one continuous combination of kills from start to finish. Although enemies spawn in similar places, timing and AI routines will result in different outcomes. These three to five minute jolts of action are addicting as you push for combo perfection. Should you perish, you need to restart the whole sequence again. Screen disruption became grating during this mode. Excessive dirt, blood and artificial bullet holes masked some kills. These screen obstructions, symptomatic of modern shooters, should have been removed along with the archaic boss battles. Even with some visual hindrances, the drive for perfection will have you repeating arcade levels many times.

Gunslinger may not get everything right, but the vital components of an excellent shooter are here. The narration produces some memorable story sequences that could have been pushed further. Boss battles are like eating cowboy spurs; tough, unappetising and likely to cause serious internal damage. Luckily the gun duels and slow-motion effects wash away the bad taste. Once the combat hits its stride, either through the Arcade mode or story segments, there is much satisfaction from gunning down outlaws and dodging bullets. The campaign could have included more frenzied action and increased environmental interaction, but the focus on shooting must be appreciated. Gunslinger twists the franchise just enough and the smooth action makes it one of the best shooters in recent times.

Our ratings for Call of Juarez: The Gunslinger on Xbox 360 out of 100 (Ratings FAQ)
Presentation
84
The levels are not huge, but they are still attractive. The world has a subtle cell shaded look and this makes objects stand out. Slow-motion effects are great and the narration works magic into the world.
Gameplay
85
Gunslinger is not consistent, but the high points of action place it among the best. Moving through slow-motion bullets screams F.E.A.R. and chained combos feel a little like Bulletstorm. Arcade mode demonstrates the proficiency with compressed action.
Single Player
81
Boss battles are the low point of the campaign and sporadic quick time events are a bit of a nuisance. The story takes you across varied locations as Silas narrates his quest for revenge. Campaign will take around six hours to finish.
Multiplayer
NR
None
Performance
85
Chrome Engine 5 rarely struggles to render all the action and environmental detail. Ragdolls occasionally get stuck in strange places. Load times can be a little long but are few and far between.
Overall
83
Western-themed shooting that rivals the best. Chaining kills is addicting and gun duels are better than ever. Minor campaign issues, like the horrendous boss battles, remove some lustre. It offers good value with Arcade mode, duels and new game plus. Gunslinger is a great entry in the franchise.
Comments
Call of Juarez: The Gunslinger
Call of Juarez: The Gunslinger box art Platform:
Xbox 360
Our Review of Call of Juarez: The Gunslinger
83%
Great
The Verdict:
Game Ranking
Call of Juarez: The Gunslinger is ranked #311 out of 1957 total reviewed games. It is ranked #34 out of 158 games reviewed in 2013.
310. Grid 2
PC
311. Call of Juarez: The Gunslinger
Related Games
Dying Light 2 Dying Light 2
Platform: PC
Released: February 2022
Developer: Techland
Dead Island Dead Island
Platform: Xbox 360
Released: September 2011
Developer: Techland
Dead Island: Riptide Dead Island: Riptide
Platform: PC
Released: April 2013
Developer: Techland
Dying Light Dying Light
Platform: PC
Released: January 2015
Developer: Techland
Mad Riders Mad Riders
Platform: Xbox 360
Released: May 2012
Developer: Techland
Call of Juarez: The Cartel Call of Juarez: The Cartel
Platform: Xbox 360
Released: July 2011
Developer: Techland
Screenshots

Call of Juarez: The Gunslinger
22 images added Jun 2, 2013 02:01
Videos
Call of Juarez: The Gunslinger - Reve...
Posted: Mar 17, 2013 13:59
Advertisement ▼
New Game Network NGN Facebook NGN Twitter NGN Youtube NGN RSS