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Call of Juarez
Klash
Lost...... in the rainRegistered User regular
Lost...... in the rainRegistered User regular
A series of games made by Techland, a Polish developer staffed by people with name's that can't be humanly pronounced. Techland made their very own engine(s) for the first Call of Juarez, called the Chrome Engine (3 and 4 are used for the Juarez series, so far). An engine notable for being God damned beautiful and running on even the lowliest of machines.
None of that is what matters, though. The important thing is that Techland like ponies, small towns and horrible Aztec curses that are the dreams and nightmares of all wanton men. They took this love and created the Call of Juarez series, a set of Western themed FPS games for the 360, PS3 and PC.
If you like this guy
and wondered what would happen if these two
had a bastard child, then these
are the games for you.
The first, titled Call of Juarez, stars two-main characters, stealthy, brittle as a straw Billy Candle and his abusive step-uncle Reverend Ray, a former gunslinger straight from the depths of Hell. Billy comes back to town one day to find his step-father and biological mother murdered, with the word "JUAREZ", painted in their blood, across the barn. Having been a no goodnick for parts of his life, when Ray see's Billy hunched over the corpses of his brother and sister-in-law, he heads to Church, picks up a bible and a gun and goes to "redeem" Billy. The hunt, and the adventure, are on.
The second in the series, subtitled Bound in Blood, stars a much larger cast. This is a prequel starring the player as either Ray or his brother Thomas (Billy's step-father), but also introduces their brother William (an important figure regarding Ray's status in the first game), the origins of Juan and Billy's mother, Marisa. The story here revolves around the discovery of the Gold of Juarez, and how it drives the brothers apart and their adventures across the West, from civil war desertion to gun smuggling and injun-fightin'.
In terms of mechanics, the games both have a system of broken-guns to kick-ass dead-eye shooters. The first game is a straight forward Western themed shooter with solid gunplay, a couple segments where Billy sneaks around with a bow & arrow (and he climbs around with a whip/lasso). Ray on the other hand is a duel-wielding mean sumuvabitch in a Conquistador breastplate, who is the very Angel of Death. Along the way as either character, you'll pick up better quality guns (the game has a rusted/cracked/etc status-system for its weapons). The player as Ray can also choose to wield multiple one-handed items at a time (e.x. two types of pistols or a pistol and a hatchet, each controlled/fired separately). There is also a revolutionary feature in the game which allows the player, when playing as Ray, to kill with the power of the God. Sometimes you'll ride a horse.
"Guns and stuff."(Sorry, I couldn't find a clip of Ray actually using the bible, but he holds it out, book open, and reads out quotes while you shoot mans in their faces. Otherwise, thats a clip from the end-game, no spoilers in it, that show cases the basic gameplay as Ray.)
The second game has some less linear elements, involving some levels with a wide open plain and a couple missions to pick and take as you will. Like its predecessor, there are two character at play, however, you chose who to play as at the start of each level. Both Ray and Thomas play differently, with Ray being a tank and Thomas being a suave, Han Solo, rustlin' cowboy that isn't stuck with murderous rage. It also introduces a money-based system to buy newer and better weapons. Also introduced is an ambitious, but often wonky, cover mechanic called "dynamic cover". Move up to cover and your character automatically glues to it, by moving your mouse/stick-that-looks-around, you begin to lean out from cover/back in. There is also a bullet-time of shorts, in which after filling bar by murdering desperados, you'll be able to hammer the hammer on your pistols to pick-off the baddies (but it works slightly different for either brother). You'll ride horses a pretty decent bit in this one.
Both games have a boss-mechanic that, can be, some frustratingly horrible bullshit. Most stages end with a duel-at-dawn between you and the Big Bad. You circle each other, hands tensely circling your holster, wait for the bell to toll and BANG (and in the first CoJ, you can lean side to side, and possibly avoid a shot).
"This is a duel from Bound in Blood."
Currently a third installment, called Call of Juarez: The Cartel is in the works, and was just announced officially this week. The only official news is that it's set in modern Juarez in Mexico and Los Angeles in America. There is other... news, but it's all kind of awful sounding, and I'll let you judge for yourself:
No-one bought this at the time, but a site called Gamers accurately reported on The Cartel’s setting switch in December, 2010. According to the now-believable report, The Cartel will feature four-player co-op and a “corruption” mechanic that’ll pit players against each other. The intel (or translation) here is sketchy, but if true, you’ll be able to take side-missions via cell phone that you don’t want your pals to know about.
Among the other things this article confirms: car chase and shooting segments, hacking, and bullet time. I guess you should still take this aside stuff with a grain of salt, but we'll get confirmation soon enough. Said issue of EGM hits on Feb. 9, 2011.
http://www.giantbomb.com/news/call-of-juarez-goes-modern-with-the-cartel/2904/
I'm not entirely sure how they'll work the actual gold of Juarez into things, or even the bloodline of the old cast (which are things I assume, and hope, they'll do). Maybe that the Billy Candle took the gold, started a life in Juarez and eventually his family went broke and his descendants are somehow now involved in Cartel work. All I know is if I can't pull out a Winchester or a quick shooter, I ain't gonna be a happy bandito.
Also, there's some multiplayer in both current iterations, but no one really cares. It's supposed to be pretty nifty, though. If anyone wants to play, I'd be willing to put names in the OP and start a list.
Edit: I did a google search and didn't turn up any CoJ threads here, so I'm hoping this is ok. Also my first ever proper OP, so I hope its not useless crap.
Edit 2: New trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vRJmUz4T2w
We don't even care... whether we care or not...
Klash on
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Then the second game came out and I was surprised at how the podcasts I listened to all really enjoyed it. I was interested enough to give the original CoJ a shot. I can't remember exactly how far I got, but at times it just felt wrong. Mainly the stealth parts. On the other hand, killing dudes with a revolver in one hand and a bible in the other was hilarious.
Anyhow, maybe I should pick up where I left off once I get through some more of my backlog.
My Backloggery
I never found it to be frustrating or overly difficult, but I did have issues with Billy. There was one mission, where you have to climb a mountain to get an Eagle egg or feather. Something. For some Native guy. Finding the right path, branches and way to climb that was awful, took forever, and lead to endless pointless swinging and falling to your death.
Bound in Blood improved roping a huge amount by having that little icon that pops up at the appropriate place to toss your line. Also, by not making you climb up a God damned mountain side.
Its definitely worth playing both of them, once you're in the groove of their respective mechanics, its a real fun time becoming The Stranger With No Name.
I did want to say that I read the news about the new game earlier and was waiting for a thread to be made so I could officially say "What the hell is this bullshit?"
And if you suck with Billy... well, it's possible you just suck.
A third game was just announced too.
It definitely held a great atmosphere. I couldn't help but try to kill everything, despite it not being the thing to do.
When Ray went through the area, with that night time going, only a couple campfires, bible quotes and the flash of rifles... That was one of the best sequences in any FPS.
As for the third game, I have high hopes. I trust Techland, because they've done right so far. Horrible idea, but I trust they'll get the game to feel good.
Info in the OP. :P
I pumped all the shotgun shells I could through that gun during that sequence.
The Cartel sounds terrible, though.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzG0HCgHImo
That scene is badass.
I think my favourite moment would be in the first game, during the mission loading, where Ray reveals how he came to be the bastard he was. That or when a man remarks about having heard stories about a man that wore armour like Ray's, but saying he wasn't no priest, hinting to Ray's past. I just felt like "yeah, you're gonna meet that man soon enough."
Shitty Tumblr:lighthouse1138.tumblr.com
Steam // Secret Satan
All God damned day. If you choose to play as Ray in Bound in Blood and during Ray's segments in the first game.
Nothin' like a set of dual superb quality rangers or superb quality quickshooters and a fistful of dynamite. Feel like Clint Eastwood fused with Stallone.
On the plus side, Cartel supposedly will have co-op.
I've been thinking about Cartel, and I'm surprised they went that way. When I think modern outlaws/cowboys I think bikers gangs. They ride iron horses, still wear leather chaps without any hint of irony, smuggle guns and get into bar fights. I'll be baffled if biker gangs don't play a major role in Cartel.
it was boring.
Everything looked nice, and it played well - and the online was a bundle of fun (headshots felt really, really satisfying) but the single player just dragged its feet forever. I gave up a little more than halfway through due to lack of excitement.
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The only thing missing is the ability to shoot off people's hats.
Looks like we're playing as corrupt cops, and you know what? I'm excited. Gonna be shootin' me some gangsters and stealin' their guns to kill more of 'em.
More specifically it looks like it'll be some form of joint U.S./Mexican cop team up.
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I sure hope it isn't going RDR. I need my six shooter action through a proper set of eyes.
My Backloggery
My Backloggery
Steam // Secret Satan
It's less about the style of gameplay for me and more about the fact that the first one does not run as well as Bound in Blood. A bit of mouse lag. Still, I'll soldier on.
My Backloggery
I'm hoping for some over the top Once Upon a Time in Mexico esque set pieces.
My Backloggery
Nothing like roving the West with a shotgun and a quickshooter, taking jobs for $100 a piece.
My Backloggery
Had a bunch of free rental slots seeing as there's bloody nothing else out right now and apparently it has 3 player co op.
360 here.
negative. To the point of physical aggression.
Why I fear the ocean.
My Backloggery
Chances are I'll buy it on Steam for really, really cheap like I did with Bound in Blood.
My Backloggery
Like it says in the quicklook there are some decent ideas but everything just seems so shoddy and half arsed. Also whoever at Techland thought it was a good idea to have a section where you have to carry a money bag that slows your character to a crawl to a car on the other side of the motorway, which while doing so doesn't allow you to crouch and can only use one magazine of a pistol while facing 30 dudes while your terrible AI partners shoot nothing need to be shot. Also you have to do this three fucking times.
Music is good though when it's western themed, although it kinda just makes me want to play the first Call of Juarez again.
The whole game seems like it needed at least another years development time. Only impressive thing is that seamless drop-out of co-op.