Call of Juarez: Gunslinger is a remarkable shooter, but not because of
its story, or its visuals, or some innovative new game mechanic. No,
what makes Gunslinger so successful is its focus on delivering some of
the most entertaining shooting around. Each and every bullet fired from
your trusty six-shooter rings out with a booming blast that echoes
around the valleys of the Old West and slams into villainous cowboys
with a thoroughly satisfying splat. It's all so tight, and all so
controlled, that the shorter missions and lack of exploration are easily
overlooked in the pursuit of the perfect combo and the glory of a
leaderboard-topping high score.
With the shooting displaying such finesse, it's a shame that the story
doesn't quite reach the same levels of quality. But that's not to say
it's entirely without merit. There are moments when it's deliciously
sharp and witty, its tongue firmly in cheek as narrator and protagonist
Silas Greaves tells of his adventures through the Old West via a series
of flashbacks, rewriting history in the progress. Famous outlaws like
Butch Cassidy, the Sundance Kid, and Billy the Kid make appearances, and
sometimes disappearances too, as Greaves forgets parts of his stories
and throws outlaws in and out of each of the short levels at will. There
are even a few nods to the dumbness of video game mechanics that raise a
chuckle and let you know that Gunslinger isn't taking itself too
seriously.
Outside of those cheeky moments, some crisp animated cutscenes, and the
hearty Southern drawl of Greaves, the story offers little in the way of
surprises, building as it does to a predictable conclusion. Still, the
onus here is on the shooting, and Gunslinger is an undoubted success in
that regard. Each level is constructed like an old-school pop-up
shooting gallery, with crazed cowboys aplenty for you to take aim at.
The use of cover and height around each level is impressive, not because
it's particularly sophisticated, but because it gels so well with the
fast-paced shooting. You're constantly kept on your toes and behind your
iron sights as you scan behind every rock and up to every water tower
to pick off pesky cowboys.
Do so quickly enough, and you begin to rack up a score multiplier. This
proves to be very compelling, and tons of fun. The satisfaction of
nailing a 10x multiplier with some wonderfully quick shooting as you
dash behind cover cannot be overstated. And Gunslinger just gets better
with each level as enemies move more quickly and rattle off more
bullets, forcing you to up your game and become ever more proficient
with your weapon of choice. By the end, you feel like you've developed
some accomplished six-shooter skills, even if they are limited to the
virtual world. And as an added incentive, in the story mode, any points
you earn are converted to experience points, which you can use to buy
new skills such as quicker reloads or the ability to slow down time when
you look down a gun's iron sight.
There are special, super-shiny guns to unlock too, but the majority of
weapon types can be found in each level. And while the weapon selection
isn't vast, it is sensible, giving you enough variety to fine-tune the
action to your own style. Like to pick off enemies from afar? Arm
yourself with a rifle for long-range shots, and back it up with a
quick-fire six-shooter for closer combat. Like things up close and
personal? Saddle up with a sawed-off shotgun and a pair of powerful
Ranger revolvers for some messy takedowns. Or, if you just feel the need
to blow stuff up, light a few sticks of dynamite and watch your enemies
fly.
The excellent shooting is capped off with the series' trademark
quick-draw duels. The system has been tweaked slightly so that instead
of following the footsteps of your opponent, you have to keep him within
a target reticle to increase focus, while also keeping Greaves' trigger
finger as near to his pistol as possible for a faster draw. It's a
precise, fun system that's a great counterpoint to the fast-paced action
that precedes each duel. If only every boss battle in the game worked
this way. Sadly, there are some frustrating sequences where you're
forced to face off against bosses armed with Gatling guns. Your only
recourse is to spam dynamite at them from behind cover and hope for the
best. Any other move results in a frustrating instant death.
Such frustrations aren't enough to sour Gunslinger, particularly when
they disappear altogether in arcade mode. There, you're treated to
short, timed levels where your goal is to rack up as high a score as
possible as quickly as you can. These are an absolute blast to play
through, distilling everything that's great about Gunslinger's combat
into short bursts of action. And it's their very shortness that makes
them so compelling, letting you quickly replay levels to rack up the
biggest multipliers, and perfect every high-scoring headshot. There's a
similar mode for duels too, where you're judged on the accuracy and
speed of your shots. Both modes link to online leaderboards, so if
you're the competitive type, prepare to sink hours into beating your
friends, or making your way into the top 10.
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