Check out the Video Review.

Compared to other eras in world history, the American Old West, which dates back to the late 1800’s, hasn’t really had too many quality titles. To date, only a few have actually been genuinely entertaining, with Rockstar’s Red Dead Revolver topping the heap. Earlier this generation, both Gun and Call of Juarez were released, neither really capturing the more alluring aspects of the era. With Ubisoft’s Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood, the developer, Techland, is taking another swing at their franchise, hoping to make a fistful of dollars by revising the Old West, and hopefully doing a better job of it.

There’s really no reason the Old West isn’t more popular in gaming. Developers search far and wide for ways to introduce interesting weaponry to their games, and the late 1800’s represents a unique time for firearms. It was before the dawn of handheld semi-automatic weaponry and after the day of Muskets, where weapons could be fired and reloaded quickly, but required precision and reflexes. Bound in Blood takes advantage of that with different types of weapons, each coming in several varieties. Fans of the era will likely find their weapon of choice somewhere on the battlefield, with different types of shotguns, pistols, and rifles. The actual gunplay itself is very polished, making the player feel like a genuine gunslinger. It sells the experience well, and before long it feels plenty natural to be in the boots of the McCall brothers.