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Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood

EMAIL PRINT pc

8.7 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 39 critic reviews
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Based on 57 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Ubisoft

Developer: Techland

Genre(s): First-Person Shooter

Players: 16

ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Release Date: June 30, 2009

Summary

Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood transports players from a ravaged Civil War-era Georgia to the Aztec ruins of Mexico. In the wildest West ever depicted, players can embody both McCall brothers in an intense storyline full of greed, lust and lawlessness that takes place during a legendary period of American history. Become a Gunslinger - Harness a variety of weapons from various revolvers to heavy-caliber cannons and machine guns. Every accurate shot increases concentration, which allows players to unleash deadly shooting modes when outnumbered and even deadlier ones when the brothers work together. Dual Collaborative Gameplay - Players choose to embody Ray or Thomas, each with a distinctive gameplay style (close or long range), specific abilities (lasso, dynamite, etc.) and arsenal of deadly weapons (dual guns, long-range carbine, etc.). Take advantage of each of their strengths and join in the fiercest fights imaginable. Never Before Seen Western Experience - Experience the iconic settings full of outlaws - the West before it was tamed. The McCall brothers face a renegade Apache Chief, a greedy Mexican bandit, a vindictive Colonel, and others, all driven by greed with moral disregard. Enjoy a wide variety of situations, using horses, canoes and wagons to explore the vast natural landscapes of the fabled Wild West and its legendary period. Innovative Online Multiplayer - Developed in unison with the single player mode, multiplayer offers numerous modes and maps, resulting in endless hours of Wild West mayhem. Gunslingers, bandits and marshals struggle online for the bounty. Multiple characters are unlocked for team-based objective modes or the straightforward team death match. With a new Bounty system, players increase the bounty on their head with more kills. Get rid of the deadliest among you to increase your bank roll. [Ubisoft]

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GAMES: Call of Juarez

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Also On The Web: Official Website

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

Cynamite

Outstanding western-shooter, whose love for details, brilliant graphics and great variety make it an instant hit.

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Game Chronicles

Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood is without a doubt one of the best prequels I’ve ever played. Everything just clicks at the end of the adventure for those who played the first Call of Juarez.

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GameShark

From start to finish, the single player campaign of Bound in Blood definitely provides one of the most memorable FPS gaming experiences of the year.

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LEVEL (Czech Republic)

Shoot to kill, kill to survive. Thrilling duels in authentic setting, gripping story and strong characters make you forget that you don’t hold a six-shooter in your hand but only a common mouse. [July 2009]

Cheat Code Central

If you’ve been waiting for a great Western-themed shooter, then look no further than Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood. The gameplay is fun and varied, the story is entertaining, the visuals are well done, the voice acting is terrific, and the game even sports a respectable online offering.

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GameStar

Three Brothers, one woman, one destiny: the tragic story of the McCalls in Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood is one of the best ever told in an action game. If you're looking for a diverse (albeit linear) shooter with a great story, duels and chases, this is the game for you.

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3DJuegos

Bound in Blood is gritty, violent and frantic. A must have for western movies fans, and a videogame with amazing gunfights and eye-catching graphics.

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Computer Games Online RO

Drawing a thin line, Bound in Blood is far from being a perfect game. Fortunately, the story has such a rapid pace and takes you from one area to the other that you won’t really have the time to get frustrated.

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PC Gamer UK

Bound in Blood is a much more enjoyable experience than the first Juarez. It lacks some of the whimsy (such as Ray massacring whole towns while quoting scripture) in favour of focusing on the shooting, but it's a good trade.

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Gamers.at

Whether you liked the first Call of Juarez or not, Bound in Blood offers a great story, a nice multiplayer-component, great graphics and solid gameplay-mechanics. The only real flaw is the missing coop-mode.

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Pelit (Finland)

Good old fashioned western shooter with an excellent story. Too bad you get to spend so little time with the two rough main characters. Coop play would have been nice as the game feels like designed for it. [July 2009]

Worth Playing

Between the fantastic characters, wonderful story and largely entertaining gunplay, this is a title that's worth checking out.

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SpazioGames

Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood is much better than its predecessor in all areas. The gameplay is well balanced, the duality of the gameplay works well and can give you reasons to play the game at least twice. The action is more intense, the scenery changes very frequently, and some sequences differ significantly from competition. Some players will find some choices limiting, such as the inability to use at will the cooperative actions, but we can assure you that the level of quality of the design and pressing action, tend to make you forget the substantial linearity.

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Thunderbolt

With two characters and a fairly lengthy story, Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood is a great game for fans of westerns and fans of shooters alike.

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Gameplanet

It's what the pack shot suggests - an honest paint-by-numbers shooter set in the Old West. The story might be over too soon, but the multiplayer will hold your attention for much longer. A definite improvement over the original Call of Juarez.

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PC Zone UK

Great setting and atmosphere. [Sept 2009, p.68]

Total PC Gaming

An excellent FPS and is easily the best cowboy game on the range. [Issue#22, p.50]

Play Magazine

Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood is a thematic triumph that makes you look past the gameplay lumps. Come for the western fantasy, revel in the visual presentation and get a decent shot of first-person action in between.

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GameSpot

Top production values and exciting gameplay make Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood one call you should definitely heed.

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Vandal Online

It uses many stereotypes, brings them to the maximum and keeps us in a world of political incorrectness, showing us hard environment were life is worth nothing: Wild West from cinema and literature enters Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood, turns into a videogame and is still recognizable in all its elements, making the most of the spectacle of the medium.

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Total Video Games

Bound in Blood is one of those rare games that you'll remember more for what it did right than the many ways it fell short of the mark.

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GameZone

While the game itself is better than the original by far, the western aesthetic isn't as fresh as it once was. If you're not interested in the multiplayer then this game will probably feel short and empty.

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AceGamez

While there is still some room for improvement, Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood is a prime example of what can be achieved with enough care, attention and (dare I say it) love for a shamefully under-appreciated genre.

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Gamers' Temple

If you are looking for a fun western-themed shooter to escape the monotony of Nazis, aliens, zombies, and Nazi-alien-zombies, then Bound in Blood is without a doubt a rental if you can play the console version.

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IGN

The repetitive nature of the missions, coupled with some technical issues, really keeps this title from standing out more.

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1UP

While it doesn't reach the status of a great Western, it's still a marked improvement over its mediocre predecessor.

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InsideGamer.nl

Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood succeeds in bringing a great Western vibe, and we love the amount of action. We are missing a co-op mode and the game is sometimes a little to scripted, but in the end it is a very decent game.

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Game Revolution

The cinematic sequences are easily skipped at the press of a button, and what remains is a tremendously engaging Western romp.

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GamingExcellence

Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood is a good shooter to play. It really makes the player feel they are an outlaw in the Wild West. The story and gameplay drives it all home, but the multiplayer aspect probably won’t make the player stay after one or two playthroughs.

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DarkZero

The best thing about Bound in Blood is that it feels different from all the modern first person shooters on the market.

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PC PowerPlay

More "Young Guns" than "Unforgiven" but still worth it. [Sept 2009, p.64]

Gameplayer Sweden

Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood is a promising western shooter that unfortunately is too short for its own good. Great replay value and excellent multiplayer saves it though and puts the game up there with games like Gun. A great game, especially for western fanatics.

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RealGamer

Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood is a solid shooter that requires players to take a more tactical approach then some other recent releases. However, it can also be an extremely frustrating experience due to the very unforgiving AI which may have the less hardcore shooter fan struggling to stick with it.

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Gamer.nl

Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood has a unique and action packed setting and offers some interesting gameplay mechanics.

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VideoGamer

It's often gorgeous to look at and the story is worth experiencing, but the multiplayer is nothing more than a slight distraction and the lack of co-op is a missed opportunity. Bound in Blood is worth a look, but as a sequel it doesn't take the series on enough.

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Absolute Games

Looks like Bound in Blood is bound for the bargain bin. The six-hour single-player campaign and stock multiplayer modes are so forgettable that one can’t help but wonder what a true sequel to the original Call of Juarez could have been like. At any rate, it would have turned out better than a forced prequel.

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PC Format

A mildly diverting shooter that's more concerned with telling its story than retaining the interesting aspects of the original. [Aug 2009, p.92]

Giant Bomb

Makes for a good diversion. It doesn't last too long, tells a decent story, and offers enough multiplayer to give you something to mess around with when the single-player's done. It certainly isn't the most ambitious game in the world, but if you're looking for a competent western shooter, Juarez fits the bill just fine.

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Destructoid

It literally feels as if Techland studied the original Call of Juarez, identified all the things that made it feel fresh and interesting, and intentionally left them out of the sequel. What was once a franchise of weirdly intoxicating half-successes has been turned into a dull, unsatisfying, originality-devoid shell of its former self.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 8.7 (out of 10) based on 57 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Ediz gave it a7:
Just finished The game. Took me 5 hours and 30 minutes to finish it on easy mode. Personally, easy mode was too easy. There was no challenge. So if you're gonna play it, start with medium mode. The game got ok graphic and the best part, I play the game with highest settings and I've never got any fps lag.

Andy K gave it an8:
Bottom line: this game is fun! The graphics and sound are awesome, and the western atmosphere is as authentic as possible! Everything you would expect from a western is in here: horses, indians, bandits etc On the flip side, its a bit too easy at times, and the end battle isn't as good as I felt it could be..Anyway, I played this wearing a cowboy hat...great!

arma guy gave it an8:
There hasn't been many western games and now there came one.So if you are a fan of western games then this game is a must buy! this game's singleplayer is just like call of duty's and the horse riding is extremely bad those are the bad things but the good things are in the singleplayer that it holds in all the western things and it has a great duel system. the multiplayer is ok it's laggy but you get money for killing and with that you get new classes thats why i gave it an 8.

Zsombor B gave it a9:
At first I felt a bit reluctant towards this game, but when I finally decided on giving it a shot, it extremely surprised me. What I got was a great western experience with all the scenes that a famous western movie would feature. The game's storyline is very well-written, and the dialogues are remarkably well-acted, and after seeing the cutscenes, I thought I'm not even playing but watching. The gameplay itself is keeping up the excitement with ingame plot development and action-packed scenes, like chases, while not being frustratingly hard, and the showdowns are just adding a great deal to experience. The game is easily controllable, and has nice looks, not just because of the great graphics, but the environment is simply well-done. Despite not being an all-time classic, this game is surely worth a play or two.

D. S. gave it a9:
Great classic western story combined with an authentic, great looking, time-accurate setting all together with very polished gunplay makes for one of the most enjoyable experiences of 2009. And to add to all its glory is pitch-perfect voice acting, great sound, (the guns really make a satisfying boom) and incredible attention to enviornmental detail. Although, the game is not perfect. The single player is over all too quickly and, to my surprise, is not as epic as it tries to be, regardless of what other critics said. It just did not have the frantic pacing of COD4 or the feeling of "overwhelming odds" Thats pretty much it for the cons and i must say, multiplayer was surprisingly interesting and fun. What I liked most about multiplayer was the maps. They are quite convoluted, and much to my surprise, almost every building you see is fully interactive and enter-able, so instead of feeling scripted and linear "you must go through here to reach the enemy base", COD4 type maps, they were surprisingly non-linear and added to the multiplayer experience. Overall, though it is short, its a must buy (and worth the $50 price tag) due to the relatively high replay value (there is unlockable content) and interesting multiplayer which serves as a great diversion.

Mark B. gave it a9:
What an absolute surprise. This game is absolutely fantastic. Everything from the dialogue, to the voice acting, to the awesome gun-slinging gameplay is very polished. I have played both the PC and PS3 versions, and it is much better on the PC. Would recommend to all.

Donny D. gave it a1:
Just finished the game and....It's just as boring as the first Call of Juarez, if not more. And most annoying is the narrator, a whiny little kid with an incredibly irritating and boring voice. If this game was more of an open experience like GUN it would probably be allright, but right now it's very scripted, linear and repetitive. And a game featuring horses should atleast have some decent riding mechanics, but riding in this game is a complete horror. I'm sorry but GUN owns this game in every aspect.

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Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood

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