Call of Juarez: Gunslinger is the fourth installment in a series of shooters dedicated to the Far West, developed by the excellent Polish team Techland and distributed by Ubisoft. Well, some may argue it's only the third real Call of Juarez game, since the previous one, Call of Juarez: The Cartel, did have a rather different and more modern-day background. As The Cartel did not get a particularly positive reaction, many thought the series had went off-track. But they were far from the truth: with Gunslinger, Techland has for me made not only the best game in the series, but probable the best Far West-shooter ever. A bold statement, so let me explain in detail.

The concept of the game is original and well thought-off. You play as the bounty-hunter Silas Greaves, who tells his story in a Far West-saloon to a bunch of regular customers. As his story unfolds, it soon becomes clear Silas has a penchant to exagerrate some parts of it, which is why his story is more and more questioned by his audience. This idea of "truth or false" is cleverly catched upon by the collectible items that are to be found throughout the game. These "nuggets of truth" give a fairly detailed amount of information on the history of the Far West, its main protagonists and some lesser-known historical facts. The entire game provides prove of the love of Techland's crew for this setting: every bit of it, from the very easy to manage menu's right up to the credits, bathes in a unique Old West-style. There are countless references to the history of 19th-century America, and to the influence this period had on later arts such as literature and, ofcourse, movies.

As for the actual gameplay: it leans more towards an arcade shooter than towards a tactical or realistic game. There is a fair arsenal of weapony, each with some characteristics of their own, but most enemies go down easily and swiftly. What makes the shooting really fun, is the idea of the "combo": whenever you manage to shoot several enemies in a row, a multiplier comes into play, so that your experience-points go up that much faster. Getting one more kill in a row so becomes a goal of its own. Since experience-points are connected to a clever system of levelling-up and gaining interesting skills, getting longer kill-streaks soons becomes a true challenge. Added to these are two special effects: bullet-time, triggered by special shots like headshots or piercing shots, and the "sense of death", which allows you to dodge bullets at the last moment. Boss fights come in two types: normal ones against more powerful foes, but also as typical Old West-duels, in which a totally different method of playing is needed. These feel a bit trial-and-error at first, but after some practice, still can provide their share of the fun. And they provide great links to several Westerns, starring the great Hollywood-heroes of decades ago.

Graphically, Call of Juarez: Gunslinger is very good-looking. The game uses a comics-style with cel-shaded graphics, loosely comparable to the Borderlands-series. Enemy-animations are fairly standard, and enemies don't come in that much varieties. However, these are minor criticisms, since the game comes at a very acceptable price, although it has the scope and content of a true AAA-title. After finishing the main story (which took me about 8 hours), there's a New Game Plus-mode, very useful to collect the XP needed in order to unlock all of the skills, and a True West-difficulty, in which most of the HUD is disabled.
Very entertaining is the Arcade-mode, in which ten of the games' maps can be replayed with as sole objectivity to get as much points as possible by making very long kill-streaks. Since the Steam-integration also comprises global leaderbords, tihs is great fun as I tried to get up the rankings a bit.

Gameplay: 26/30
Graphics: 17/20
Sound: 8/10
Technical stability: 9/10
Longelivety: 8/10 (thanks to the several difficulty-levels and the Arcade mode)
Steam Integration: 10/10 (really perfectly done, with a great bunch of achievements that let you discover several special aspects of the game - and do try to collect all of the "nuggets of truth"!)
Personal appreciation: 10/10 (I just LOVE this game)

Overall score: 88/100
Call of Juarez: Gunslinger is one the best games I've yet played this year. It's a great, arcade-type shooter, with much more content hidden just below the surface. It's unique low-price makes this a must-buy!

This is an excellent FPS with some fresh ideas, a great story, plenty of replayablility and a great sense of humor. I can't remember the last time I started an FPS and "couldn't put it down" as is the case with this one.

Even the most experienced players will find plenty of fun and challenge here. The role-playing/skill-up elements add to what would otherwise still be a very good FPS, and the "nuggets" of wild west history are just icing on the cake and all interesting reads. I actually couldn't wait to read each one after I found them. Be careful you may end up researching old west history after playing this game.

The boss fights are fought both in traitional fps style, and in old-west style "duels". The "dueling" mechanics are well-done, a nice change of pace for "boss fights" and add a whole new fun element to the "old-west" atmosphere of this title.

All that is available just in "story" mode, but there are 2 separate "arcade/challenge" modes as well in which you compete for scores. In "arcade" mode you get to beome a one-man murder-machine as you blast your way through really fun shortened levels from the story mode, trying to gain as many points as possible. There is a separate XP bank in this mode for each of 3 archetypes you can choose (basically rifle, shotgun or pistol style) and skills in this mode are gained automatically as you complete the challenges, all of which can be replayed infinitely for more xp if you want.
In "duel" mode you are given 5 lives to survive as many duels as possible, all presented in order and taken from story mode.

I'd write more, but I have to get back to the frontier right now pilgrim. Watch your top-knot and keep your powder dry.

mama put my guns in the ground
i can't shoot them anymore
that cold black cloud is comin' down
feels like I'm knockin' on heaven's door

10/10

This is a well done western with good action and a decent story. It flows nicely and doesn't get boring. Although you can beat it in about 5 hours or so, I still I felt satisfied with the length. Recommended.

One of the few first person shooters where I would say that the story and it's presentation far outstrip the gameplay, which is a significant achievement when you consider just how tight it is. The actual story itself is not complicated or morally challenging, but the use of an unreliable narrator combined with how the game itself reacts to when he backtracks to redescribe certain details is both amusing and engrossing. It cannot be overstated just how enjoyable the game is for it's presentation alone.

While the gameplay does not push boundaries it is dependable and will prove both challenging and fun. Essentially there are three gameplay types based both on guns and the skills associated with them: shotguns, pistols and rifles. Skills are attained through scoring points which you obtain by killing enemies: pulling off headshots, performing multiple kills in a row, long distance shots, on the run kills will all net you bonuses which are coupled with your combo meter. Additionally you have access to a concentration meter (aka bullet time) and also a cheat death meter allowing you to dodge a life-threatening bullet. This arcade style action is not revolutionary but is incredibly fun.

The story mode also contains duels which are a point of contention for many players. Thematically they almost seem necessary but mechanically they can be a bit of a nightmare, especially if you intend on winning your duels honourably. You have a focus and arm speed percentage which you want as high as possible before you draw but even with high numbers it can end up being a gamble as to whether you get a decent shot off first. The duels later in the game can be quite infuriating as the target moves around or simply draws with very little delay or room for error.

Just a fantastic game from start to finish, with a new game plus mode to offer even more details to the mysterious story. Personal gripes lie with the last level being obnoxious as you're assaulted on all sides, the rifle build/path not being the best and losing save data related to the alternate modes. Otherwise I cannot recommend this game enough, on sale or not.

In regard to this review, keep in mind that I have not played CoJ: The Cartel. Not that I heard great things about it...
The two other predecessors, however, I have played and finished.

The first thing I would say, if you are a fan of the series, is to divert your expectations. The first two games both were stories that attempted to, and perhaps succeeded, into gripping you into their narrative. A heart clenching story of vengeance and/or a lust for a haunted treasure.

In comparison, Gunslinger's story seems like a mini version of it. A simple adventure about and narrated by Silas Greaves, spoken in the context of a Saloon like he was a Cowboy telling a tall tale.

The interesting thing done here is how the story impacts the game, whereas it's usually vice versa. Your audience at several points takes over the narration for a moment, telling how they heard an event in question went down.
And you play it all out, in a non-forced manner, taking their narrated path through the level. Eventually Silas will cut back in and tell how it really happened, winding back time to let the player cross through the level that way.
It's a very impressive, if not unique way of telling a story in a game.

The story itself, due to this, often comes across as a bit light heartened. It feels like it's lacking that darkness, that grit. But let me tell you, it eventually does come around, as Silas tells the story of his life as a Bounty Hunter in his quest for Revenge, and how he got around on starting in that line of work.

The array of guns may also seem simplified. A total of seven firearms and dynamite as throwables. It seems like that's not much, but for a story of this length, it seems enough. By the time you've gotten well comfortable and skilled, you'll have levelled up plenty and gotten around to a nice build to complement your weapon of choice.

Talking of Levelling, the game makes use of three skilltrees. They mainly befit the Archetypes of Gunslinger, Ranger and Trapper. Which simply means Pistols, Long Range and Shotgun/Dyanimite. Each skilltree awards you with a stat boost and pretty skin of a specific weapon halfway and at the end of the skilltree. Each tree has at least two unique skills that make you an even deadlier man, and the weaker skills tend to have some synergy going with other skills. Again, it's not very extensive, but enough for a game of this length.

Combat wise, it feels pretty good. The guns have weight to them, and fatal hits feel very satisfying. You have regenerating health, but so does the enemy apparently. You can fire two bullets in their chest, but if they find cover, those bullets can be considered wasted.

I played this game on Hard, which especially urged me to make good use of cover. The enemy will not relent, and is quite intelligent compared to some titles. They take cover the moment you are spotted, move to another one if their current one proves not good enough, and they seemingy try to outflank you when they have the numbers. I was kept on my toes quite a bit, and every enemy felt like they could end me very quickly if I didn't pay attention.

Overall, Gunslinger feels like a smaller (not necessarily stripped-down) version of the first game and Bound in Blood. But those were also full titiles, while at the time of writing this game is sold for 15.
So all in all, I would say that, with rational expectations, you'd very well get your money's worth.

Call of Juarez: Gunslinger seems like a pet project treated with the love and magic of a Call of Juarez story, but smaller. If a typical CoJ story you are after, you might have a good time with this 7 hour game.

I don't normally write reviews but this game really deserves one for the hours of fun it's given me. If you liked Call of Juarez (original) or Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood you WILL love this game. Words can't express the adoration I have for this game. The graphics are unique in that they are different from your average FPS, I'd kind of liken them to Borderlands, but even prettier in my honest opinion. The thing that shines most in this game is the replay value, with a great story mode and arcade mode you could play through the story multiple times, (thanks to a simple yet enjoyable leveling and perk system) and have a different experience every time. The gun play is amazing, fast paced, visceral, and adrenaline incuding. Once you've gotten the hang of things and you're popping heads left and right you will almost feel like a badass bounty hunter yourself. Silas Greaves is man of the year, and you get to be that man. 10/10

Call of Juarez Gunslinger, the good, the bad, and the ugly. First off I loved the approach the developers took to the game. Now if you have read my other reviews you will know I'm not a huge fan of first person shooters. I am however a gamer!! So the game play is secondary to this larger-than-life storytelling. So you take on the role of Silas Greaves legendary bounty hunter. The best way I can think to describe the game it your character Silas is telling about his legendary life in a true old west fashion. Its a first person shooter told by yourself in a third person storytelling style. You are Silas Greaves walking into a saloon taking advantage of your bounty hunter status and storytelling ability for some free booze. Are they all big fish story's or true? At a certain point I was thinking the gameplay got in the way of the story. That is how good it is being told. But the game play is basic nothing expectational or revolutionary as far as a video game goes. The duels are probably the best part. They automatic checkpoints will save you from time to time lot of blood shed by Silas as his career as a bounty hunter so dying in the game is expected from time to time. They fast pace of the game is key to survival in my opinion if you take a more reserved approach you will not die as much but miss out on the point of the story because the narrative is bigger then life he didn't stop to cover he went balls to the wall in wild wild west style. But with its lackluster play style they story makes up for it in a tremendously enormous way. Once I started playing I want to see the next chapter from beginning to end. Also this is the fourth installment of Call of Juarez I haven't played the others but I will be looking into them because if the main antagonist in those is anything like Silas and the way they tell story is similar they will be just as fun I would assume. But definitely worth the price steam has on it $14.99 and if its on sale its a MUST BUY.

I had rarely heard good things about the Call of Juarez series until Gunslinger which I never heard anything bad about. After having played it myself, I can safely say that it is a fantastic game and one I've never played anything quite like before.

You play as Silas Greaves, playing through stories of past exploits in the wild west as they are being told by yourself in the present. This is one of the game's greatest strengths, as the storytelling not only perfectly matches the action, but will also change the environment and even make you replay parts of the story in different ways as various people tell how they've heard the story before. It may not sound like the best idea, but it plays excellently and I'd love to see more games done in this style.

The other big strength of the game is the gameplay itself. It does arcade shooting action very well and also includes the ability to avoid death by dodging bullets and slow time down with concentration mode. You gain experience for killing enemies with a combo multiplier increasing the value of each kill and can use this experience to gain new skills. Outside of the regular gameplay there is also a rather unique dueling feature. You will be pitted against a famous outlaw in a wild west duel where you must keep your concentration by keeping a reticule on your enemy while keeping your hand ready to draw. It provides an excellent sense of suspense before shots are fired and tests your reaction time very well.

Graphically the game looks pretty good with a pseudo-comic style lightly outlining objects in the game. Don't expect groundbreaking graphics, however. Sound effects are also quite good and fit the game very well.

On the technical side is the only part of the game I'm disappointed in. Call of Juarez Gunslinger runs on the Chrome engine so like all other Chrome engine games I have played it won't run quite smoothly. It likes to drop frames randomly though it will run quite fast. The game does not respond well to ALT+TAB and will get a visible mouse cursor fairly often when using the Steam overlay. FOV can be changed through a config file as with other Chrome engine games.

Buy this game, you won't regret it!

Very nice story telling and one hell of a shooting experience. Maybe a bit short campaign but very challenging and worth playing. A quite unique FPS to have to your collection.

Well, damn. This game. Exceeded every possible expectation I had, especially after the abysmal "The Cartel," may we never speak of it again. This game is about an old drunk telling tall tales, some of which just so happen to be true. They are all damn good fun to play, with arcade-ish shooting that, existence of cover and regenerating health notwithstanding, brings back fond memories of a time when FPS wasn't synonymous with grimdark or playable cutscene. Just a damn fine experience, and often, a rather pretty one, too.

I'm a huge fan of Western movies. Once Upon a Time in the West, The Man with No Name Trilogy, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Tombstone, The Wild Bunch, True Grit, 3:10 to Yuma, etc. To me, when it comes to a good Western, I'm not too concerned about the tone or style. I'll enjoy 2+ hours of a Western without a single gunshot just as much one where everyone is getting put down like old yeller.

However when it comes to videogames, I want a lot of action. For the longest time Sunset Riders was the only Western game I enjoyed. I guess I never had the patience for titles like Red Dead Redemption* and...uh...okay well there haven't been a lot of Western games period. I never realized just how barren the genre really was until now. It's really quite strange because with a little imagination, you can do anything with a Western-themed videogame.

So let's look at Gunslinger. As the story goes, Silas Greaves is a man seeking vengeance. In his search for his brother's murderers he encounters many of the legends of the West. Billy the Kid, Jesse James, Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid, you get the idea. This can't be just mere coincidence...can it? The storyline is unreliably narrated, with storyline changes affecting progress of the game. Expect to run into situations where you go one way, but then Silas is all "Wait. That's not how it went." and suddenly you're going somewhere else. All told it's very effective and adds a lot to what is a traditional Western storyline.

Speaking of traditional, this game is an arcade shootemup. There are some rare moments of quiet reflection, but you never spend more than a few seconds, not shooting cowboys in the face. The game is divided into several short stages. You run through the various environs, outlaws accost you, you gun them down. Each stage usually ends in a boss-fight. Some of these fights are straight out of Sunset Riders, just in FPS fashion. You've got the guy with the big health meter, he's firing on you from an advantageous position with the assistance of other thugs, oh if only they dropped a memorable one-liner when you dropped them (Bury me with my money...). Stages can also end the old-fashioned way, with a stand-off. In these duels you have to center your sight and steady your hand on your gun. Only the fastest and most accurate draw lives to tell the tale. These are pretty neat, though in the main game there isn't much to set one duel apart from the other. As you progress the outlaws become faster on the draw and move around more to throw off your focus at least.

For the most part, Gunslinger is pretty much a shooting gallery. Surviving dozens of armed bandits is one thing, but killing them stylishly for larger XP bonuses is what it's really all about. The trickier the shot, the more points you receive. Not everyone can ricochet a bullet through a wooden post and into a man's skull in the blink of an eye, but for those that can, it's worth a bunch of points. Trickier shots also reward the player with more concentration. Yes, this is obviously a mechanic with its own gauge at the corner of the screen. Concentration is basically the "slow down..pardner" button. Aside from causing everyone to move at the speed of snail, other benefits such as increased-damage are applied. XP is used to unlock various skills. While they're tied to certain weapons (pistols, rifles, or shotguns) the bonuses are univerally applied.

The first play-through is probably going to take five hours or less. As I said, Gunslinger doesn't fuss around with the details. Multiple difficulties are available, including a bonus "True West" setting. Not only does Silas die a bit easier, he also doesn't get all those helpful UI elements. Even something as simple as a crosshair is straight-up gone. At this point it is definitely to your benefit to take advantage of the New Game + so all of your acculumated skills carry over.

There are two additional modes in Gunslinger. Arcade mode dumps all of the plot, throws in more bad-guys, and changes the skill system. Instead of three sets of skills, you get three classes each with their own set. Getting the high scores practically require that you chain the entire stage. That means knowing where every outlaw is going to appear, reloading at the right moments, and using concentration when absolutely necessary. This mode definitely lives up to its name. It's frenetic and prone to chaos at first, but players will eventually become skilled enough to clear entire levels without wasting a shot. Duel mode is shockingly all about the duels. There are 15 stages and you have a limited number of lives to work with. If you enjoy the duels in the main game, that's plenty reason to consider giving this mode a run-through.

Really though, what I enjoy the most about this game is all the shooting. Actually this game graduates to the level of shootin' game. Gunslinger is at it's best when you're rushing through stages capping everyone with trick shots and looking golden. Unfortunately there isn't the Western equivalent of a "360 no-scope". Still it's one of those shooters that knows how to make a player feel good about killin'. Also I like how there are bonus points for "last-breath" kills. One thing I hate about these checkpoint-based shooters is that they feel the need to obscure the player's vision when they're about to die. Look, it's a videogame, when I'm close to death I want to be able to see everything, not be handicapped. At least Gunslinger gets it right by giving a bonus for shootin' someone while half-blind.

With good story-telling and even better action, Call of Juarez (registered trademark) Gunslinger is definitely worth a look.

*It could be I'm just sour because there's never been a PC port. I really didn't spend much time with RDR on my X360 or PS3.

Call of Juarez is an extremely linear shooter; although, it does hold a solid amount of entertainment. The game-play isn't anything new apart from the duels, but the story and voice acting are both top of the line. The player gets to meet and kill many of the legendary outlaws of wild west, and the way the game-play follows the dialog of the main character can be both fresh and, unfortunately, annoying at times.

The shooting always comes down to the same thing: the player picks his or her semi automatic western influenced weapon of choice, then proceeds to blast heads off of cowboys, outlaws and different Indian tribes while following a set path until the duel at the end of the chapter is reached. The game-play falls short after a short while due to how easy the game is. The player is given a slow-mo ability, but the game is a push over even without it. The fault comes from the lack of aggression in the AI. The bad guys simply stay in the same spot or run back and forth from one of 2 cover points until the player kills them. Only a select few enemies will actually advance on the player's position. Granted, the duels that at the end of most chapters can be a lot of fun and a good challenge. Each one feels a little different from the last, and getting the hang of the dueling controls can take some time to master.

The story is told by the main character as the player progresses, and the ending has a nice and unexpected twist. Something that was not expected from Techland after giving such a bland and unexciting end to Dead Island.

The weapons all feel and sound great, and there was a lot of effort put into the detail; however, there is a lack of options given that the pistols all feel alike -- the same goes for the rifles and shotguns. There were some nice touches, though. For instance, when shooting a double barrel shotgun, each of the hammers have a separate animation and work independently from each other.

If you are looking for five or 6 chill hours of western shooting, this is a fun game. If you are looking for a shooter that is going to keep you on your toes and thinking outside of the box, avoid this game at all costs.

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=319632478

Sometimes you find love where you didn't expect it. I certainly didn't expect much of a game called "Call of Juarez: Gunslinger", or at least not more than a mindelss little trash fest. Actually the only reason I bought this game was because Chris Fanklin said some things about the story telling that sounded interesting - and the game was on sale.

But now that I've finished the game over the last two days I can barely remember the last time I had that much fun with a game. The action is fast and there's enough variety to keep the interest even for someone like me, who usually doesn't like shooters. I played the game with an Xbox controller and it worked fine (even if it wasn't the most easy game for me).

But that's by far not everything. The game's beautiful and it knows that, giving players some rest from time to time to enjoy the view as the sunlight shines through the trees. Even if the game is rather short, it ends it's story in a very satisfying way.

You barely see a game that in manages to intertwine storytelling and gameplay mechanics in a way that both complement each other. Gunslinger does it with an easy that not only impressed me but could also be a textbook example for the whole ego shooter genre, that seems to be stuck in the same tropes since Half-Life was released over a decade ago.

I didn't expect much from Gunslinger and got a game that impressed me with it's perfect execution of a well thought out idea. It might not be as ambitious as Bioshock Infinite, but it's certainly a better game in any regard.

This is easily one the best action FPSs that I have played. It takes what makes action FPSs great and streamlines it. You just run around and shoot things and it is glorious. There is also and XP system so you unlock more abilties later on to the point where you can stay in "focus" mode (slo-mo) forever and it makes you kind of OP but you can always play new game (not plus) where you start over with little to no abilities. The story is a bit on the short side but it is also a budget title and there are extra modes to play beyond the story. If you like running around and shooting things in the face you will love this game. Overall I give it a 5 sheriff's badges out of 5.

Very Nice Game and nice Story i have much fun with this game

Awesome game! Awesome graphics, awesome plot, awesome everything!

The only thing missing from this game is a duel between Blondie and Silas Greaves!!!

Shooting guys in the face...That pretty much sums up the game just fine. This game is one of the best western games that I have ever played. The story is great because it is being told by memory and sometimes he has to go back and change it in order to tell it accurately. I would totally recommend the game to anyone, and it is by far worth the $15 that it costs.

A seriously good game, I thought it was over hyped at first but nope.

-has a really good story

-Fun gameplay

-nobody's probably reading this seeing as though this review is nearly 5 years late.