Call of Juarez: Gunslinger: PS3 Review

Call of Juarez: Gunslinger: PS3 Review

Platform: PS3 - via PSN
Released by UBISOFT

Time to saddle up, gunslinger, with this new PSN title from the Call of Juarez series, the fourth such title.

In it you take on the role of Silas Greaves, a rooting, tooting bounty hunter who moseys into town one day with a series of stories and a thirst for beer in the local saloon. As Silas recounts his story to his spellbound audience, you play through the series of chapters in his life.

Most of those involve shoot-outs in the classic Western settings - and with some familiar faces from infamy.

Call of Juarez: Gunslinger is actually a fun little title to play and an unexpected treat on the gaming front.

Mixing duelling pistols and first person shooter is a great combination - and as you make your way through the game, you get the chance to upgrade your skills and with those, your shooting ability. It's fairly repetitive in terms of game play, and it can be frustrating that sometimes it takes more than a few shots to fell some of the bad guys. But it actually trains you to improve your shooting and aim to not only garner skill points but also quick kills. Add in the chance to avoid being shot by a quick time event and there's a lot to keep your fingers nimble on the draw.

There are also "nuggets of truth" collectibles scattered around the game for collection which each reveal a little something about the people involved. And there's a cartoony, almost pulpy feel to the gameplay and how it's presented, with it feeling a little akin to Robert Rodriguez's new trailer for Machete Kills in many ways.

Once story mode is done, there's an arcade shooter and a duels section to keep you playing on - and in particular the arcade section is very playable and addictive as you blast your way through levels of baddies and take on the other gunslingers.

In all honesty, I'd not been expecting much from Call of Juarez: Gunslinger but it delivers on so many fronts. It makes a downloadable title fun, extremely playable and enjoyable title which has put a bit of life into the overall seriousness of a lot of the first person shooters.

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