July 30, 2009 - Saloon shoot-outs, riding on horse back, quick-draws at high noon; these were the original shooters. Before space marines were decked out in the latest armors and given the most advanced weapons, it was just about a man, his hat and the horse he rode in on. Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood is a different kind of shooter for this generation of consoles. It is perhaps the best kind of game to get into for an established series. Since it is a prequel to the original game, people who have never heard of the series can see it as the beginning of the story.

The story starts out during the final months of the Civil War. The McCall brothers, Ray and Thomas, are doing their best to hold the line and stop the Union Army from burning the South to the ground, but when their family and homestead are threatened by General Sherman and his men, they decide to abandon their post and try and save their family. When they realize they are too late to save their home, they reunite with their younger brother, William, and decide to look for Aztec Gold and vow to rebuild the life they once had. However, their resolve will be tested when they are confronted with choices of greed, lust and mistrust.

The main story of Bound in Blood is a definite plus for the game. It unfolds rather well thanks to a mix of monologue introductions with each level, Great dialogue delivered by the voice actors and stellar gun battles throughout the entire game. This all combined gives the distinct feeling of taking part in a spaghetti western. It’s filled with tons of action and a lot of drama that embodies the western fill. Ray and Thomas together on the same missions showcase the best the dialogue can offer. Throughout the level, they will be bouncing quips off each other and makes it actually feel these two are brothers. Their timing together is exquisite and it doesn’t feel phoned-in one bit. Perhaps the one character that stands out above the others is Ray McCall portrayed by the wonderful Marc Alaimo. (For all you Trek fans, he starred as Gul Dukat in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.) His voice epitomizes the outlaw style. And with the addition of a good soundtrack, the game sinks in the Wild West aspect of the game. The calming banjo before a mission, the fast paced music during gunfights; it all adds to the feel of the experience.

The controls are also rather easy to use. Anyone that has ever played a Call of Duty game will fill at home with the controls. The player can shoot from the hip by simply pressing the right trigger or can use precise aim with the left trigger before firing. The crosshairs will also lock on if it is close enough to the enemy when precise aiming. There is hardly any learning curve to learn when playing this game.

The two brothers have different styles of gameplays. Ray favors a more up and personal style. He can dual wield pistols, use dynamite and has higher resistance to damage thanks to him wearing body armor. Thomas is the more of the long range shooter. He has a zoom feature when precise aiming with rifles and can use a bow and arrow and knives. Picking the different brothers doesn’t really change the outcome of the game, but just how you play, so depending on what kind of style you favor, one of the brothers will be your preferred pick. Playing with different brothers will however change what events you see through levels. Thomas also has a lasso with him and is more agile than Ray. He can climb to higher places can pull his brother up ledges when the situation calls for it. Since Ray is the stronger of the bunch, he can kick down door to proceed further. They also have different special abilities during Concentration mode. This is when time slows down and the brothers can shoot off many of shots and kill enemies in one hit. Since Ray dual wields his concentration requires the player to move the right stick over targets. He can lock on with a max of 12 markers and unleash an entire clip into opponents. Thomas’ concentration is perhaps the easiest to use. It automatically locks onto all the opponents on the screen and can rapid fire shots from a pistol by simulating flicking back the hammer with the right analog stick.