Of the many themes that are explored in the first-person shooter genre, the western theme is often one of the few that gets the shaft. Not many developers have been able capture the essence of the genre while others avoid it like the black plague due to the popularity barely outreaching the U.S. So with that said, can Techland, a developer from Poland, be able to serve up a quality sequel to their 2007 western-based shooter, Call of Juarez? Well, the answer is halved. On one end, Techland delivers the best western-themed shooter on the Xbox 360; at the other end of the spectrum, Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood isn’t better than your average day shooter. Cowboys and the Wild West are the forefront in Bound in Blood, so let’s take a quick look at the plot that takes place.
Taking place in the American Civil War, Bound in Blood pits players in the position of Ray and Thomas McCall, brothers who are on a quest to find legendary gold after finding their home destroyed by Union soldiers. Greed and lust get in a way of rebuilding their home and with racism, rape, sexual abuse and much more brought up during the story, Bound in Blood is clearly aimed at adults and should only be played by adults. Aside from the matters of purely adult themes, the storyline isn’t riddled with clichés and the dialogue is, at times, humorous. Perhaps the best attribute of Bound in Blood are the environments – they are wildly attractive in comparison to titles in the FPS genre. Maybe it’s the fact that gamers can finally play out the whole “Cowboys vs. Indians” scenario, but Bound in Blood makes for a great looking western. On the other end of the field, the character models aren’t the most exotic looking and many enemies aren’t varied enough.
Bound in Blood doesn’t pave way for innovative gameplay either. With your typical slow-mo shooting and mediocre controls, the game doesn’t stand out from the rest of the pack. Choosing to control between either brother, the single-player campaign lasts anywhere from 6-10 hours depending on how quickly you can adapt to the missions. Sadly, with two playable characters, Bound in Blood doesn’t employ cooperative play – an odd omission for a game that is almost designed around moments that scream for a cooperative mode. The online multiplayer isn’t anywhere near as fun as the single-player campaign, so for players who are looking competitive online play will want to look elsewhere. One team will take up the role as outlaws while the other will step into the position as the sheriffs of the town. There aren’t many maps to play on, so the replay value is very short once you play a few sessions.
Bound in Blood can only go so far with the western theme and interesting locations. I’m not going to judge the team for not including co-op, but it would’ve been a nice addition. The audio isn’t out of this world, but the voice-actors did a superb job with the excellent writing they were provided. Difficulty wise, players shouldn’t have trouble with the normal difficulty level, so it’s recommended they attempt to play the game at the higher levels to get the most excitement out of the combat. Maybe next time the developer can provide much better enemy AI; until then, with the short single-player campaign and limited multiplayer, Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood is a shooter that has the look but doesn’t play the part.
