Call of Juarez: Gunslinger PC Review & Gameplay Footage
We here at LGN have always been big fans of the Wild West setting, one that was sorely underutilised in videogames until Ubisoft and Techland commenced the FPS Call of Juarez series. After the abomination that was Call of Juarez: The Cartel (released back in 2011), which took place in LA (US) and Mexico and revolved around the drug cartel business, the Polish developers are back with Call of Juarez: Gunslinger in the tried and tested Old West theme, and that bodes very well for the future of the franchise. Gunslinger focuses on the exploits of legendary bounty hunter Silas Greaves, and you can read out thoughts on the game as well as watch the first 20 minutes or so of gameplay footage from the PC version below.
First off, there are three modes to choose from at the very onset – Story, Arcade and Duel; the first is how the singleplayer campaign is meant to be played, and revolves around an now-old Greaves in a bar recalling past events which led to him becoming a bounty hunter and his subsequent quest for vengeance. Players get to encounter some very famous/infamous characters such as Jesse James, Billy the Kid, Pat Garrett, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Arcade as it implies is all about shooting people and racking up points via head shots and combo kills, freeing itself from the shackles of cutscenes, narrative and basically anything that resembles a story. Finally, Duel allows you to go toe-to-toe with some of the most infamous outlaws of the time, testing your skills and reflexes. I would strongly recommend that players start with the Story mode, as the way it pans out and Greaves narrative – frequently interrupted by those listening to his story – leads to some very interesting and often funny changes in the environment (abrupt changes in weather/surroundings/pathways suddenly opening up/enemies and alleged allies appearing or disappearing etc) as well as the way events unfold. At the end of the game, players can choose to fulfil their journey for revenge, or set out on a path of redemption.
Moving on to the gameplay, players will be happy to know that Techland have ensured that this is the core of Gunslinger, making every action extremely gratifying. Bullets whizz by at a rapid pace, and the cel-shaded art look makes it all the more appealing instead of detracting from the fun. We used a mouse and keyboard and found this to be the optimal choice of control, making it relatively easy to get those extra experience points via headshots. Duels are tense and one actually feels like reaching for their gun, with a hip perspective showing your hand slowly reaching for your pistol while keeping your opponent in view. Weapons feel strong and just right, and vary from six-shooters, quick shooters and rangers in the pistols to shotguns and rifles. Players can carry one two-handed weapon and two revolvers of the same class, so you might shift from a sawed-off shotgun to a rifle depending on if you are in a cave or on a mountain.
There are three skill trees, each primarily focusing on one class of weapon and playstyle – revolvers for medium-range engagements, shotguns for when you want to get up, close and personal, and rifles for those hawk-eye moments. Killing enemies in various ways earns essential experience, and levelling up earns you a skill point; one can also search for and pick up various secret collectibles, which give XP bonuses as well as interesting lore about life in the Old West and its more infamous inhabitants. The first ability you should procure is Akimbo:Gunslinger, which allows you to dual-wield revolvers. However, we were able to pick up almost all of the skills by the end of the game, even after missing some collectibles, so one doesn’t really have to focus on a singular skill path, and can afford to diversify. There’s also the automatically recharging Sense of Death ability, which allows you to dodge a bullet which might just lead to your untimely demise.
The game ran decently enough at HIGH settings on a 1920X1080 resolution on two test rigs – one a stock E8400 @3.00 Ghz with 4 GB RAM, and the other an i5-2400 at 3.4 Ghz with 8GB RAM – having variants of the same graphics card, the GeForce GTX 560 Ti, and running on a 64-bit Windows 7 OS. Both playthroughs were smooth experiences, without us having to suffer any bugs or crashes.
As I said before, the visuals are appealing and the gameplay is fast-paced; players will not have the luxury to get bored, as you swiftly fill you enemies with holes and move on. The Old West setting has been excellent utilised, with varied landscapes ranging from caves, mountains, riversides, farms, trains and towns providing an extremely immersive experience. While the lack of multiplayer might be missed once you complete the main campaign, the choice of different modes as well as the option of New Game Plus, which allows you to retain your skills acquired in the previous playthrough, all coupled with very lucrative pricing (currently costs around $14.99 via Steam), makes this a must buy whether you are an FPS nut, a fan of the Wild West setting, or someone who just enjoys a good action game.
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