Call of Juarez 2: Bound in Blood [Download]

by Ubisoft

Product Details

• Downloading: Currently, this item is available only to customers located in the United States and who have a U.S. billing address.
• Note: Gifting is not available for this item.
• ASIN: B0034KYBYY
• Release Date: June 30, 2009
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,476 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #9 in Video Games > PC Games > Games > Action > Fighting

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, but too linear July 5, 2009

By Mark Lahren

Platform for Display:PC

Fun: 5.0 out of 5 stars   

I was a big fan of the original "Call of Juarez" in spite of the fact that it was quite a linear game. Well its sequel is even more linear, much faster-paced, more action-packed, and the stealth missions are gone. These may be good things for most game-players, but I for one miss the more laid-back gameplay of the original.

Some missions give you a choice as to which brother you want to play, which will affect your playing style and weapons. The mechanics of the weapons are similar the first game, however this time, if you want to use the lasso, you've got to twirl your mouse, which works just fine. There are automatic save-points, but the quick-save and quick-load and normal manual saves are present as well.

Yeah, it's not the same game game as the original. In some respects it's better, and in some ways worse. Visually it's awesome. As in the last game, you really feel like you're right there in the wild southwest (aside from the first two Civil War missions, which made me feel like I was playing another History Channel Civil War game). Voicework is once again excellent, and the guy who played Reverend Ray in the original game is back and doing another fine job. Music also excellent, fitting the mood perfectly. In fact, the overall atmosphere is so exactly perfect, it's almost uncanny.

There are secrets and loot to find in every mission, however if you "complete" your objective before you find it all, your brother will go wandering onward without you, and you will instantly die if he gets too far away. There is a bit of leeway, but in my mind, this was totally unnecessary and needlessly aggravating.

As an "experience", Bound In Blood is utterly captivating and very exciting.
But as a "game", I have to dock it a little because of it's relentless linearity, and "insta-fail" possibilities.

It's a very, very fun game, but it could have been legendary if they'd just done 3 things: Put the stealth missions back in (except without the insta-fail mechanic the last game used), make the player less tied to the brother, and allow some freedom for exploration. It's an absolutly gorgeous world they've created. I just wish they'd have allowed me to play it at my own pace.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars BEST WESTERN FIRST-PERSON-SHOOTER YET! July 22, 2009

By David L. Grundvig

Platform for Display:PC

Fun: 5.0 out of 5 stars   

Just completed this Western first-person-shooter in about 10-12 hours of play on easy setting. There aren't very many "cowboy" shooters for the pc but nonetheless I consider this the best yet of the 5-6 I've "played."

This isn't intended as an "after action report/review". Here are some brief comments about the experience:

Pros:
-Worked flawlessly on my Windows XP high end computer with 3.00 ghz dual-core processor, 4gb ram, Geforce Nvidia 280 video card, and Sound Blaster XFI.
-Very good graphics, setting, voice-acting (exceptional), music, and weapon sound effects. In many ways almost like watching a Western movie but with the interactive aspect.
-Nice intriguing storyline (a bit abrupt at the end, however).
-Very beautifully rendered Senorita, Marissa. She's worth saving and appropriating away from evil Juan.
-Choice to play as Ray (better with revolvers, dynamite, shotguns, gatling gun and physically stronger) or Tom (more agile and better with rifles, bow/arrow, knives, and ropes).
-Great variety of settings and scenery.
-Horse mounting and riding worked flawlessly. Nice horse sounds, too. Droppings not included.
-Villains well done and EVIL. They need killin.
-My son indicated that once he installed the game (on his Vista 64bit machine) no game disc was required for play. I always had the disc in when playing so I can't say this will always be the case. Also, although a key code is on the back of the manual we were never asked to provide it. Maybe it's for online game play. Don't know if there is any DRM with this game.

Cons:
-For some reason I couldn't get it to play (locked-up) past the first cut-scene on my Windows Vista (32bit) machine despite closing all other programs and spplying several tweaks. I wanted to utilize Direct X-10 for supposed graphic improvements. Maybe it didn't like my Nvidia Geforce 285 high-end video card. Didn't figure it out.
-Lever action rifles and revolvers not realistic for the Civil War period. The shooting/weapon use for these sections in the game was a bit "clunky" to my liking with unresponsiveness and lack of effect.

Neutrals:
-May need higher-end computer to play well.
-Lots of swearing in dialogue. May not want younger children around while playing. You decide.
-Some religious Bible thumping and Christian talk.
-Bow and arrow and knife throwing more accurate and lethal than one might desire.
-The 6-7 quick-draw duels with villains is quite challenging to master. It took me numerous tries with 4 of the outlaws to put them down. You may do better. It requires accurate timing, fast response/reflexes, and precise trigger pull to succeed. I became frustrated with this at times. Don't give up. If at first you don't succeed....FAIL, FAIL again.
-Quite linear in story and play but it flows quite nicely from one setting to another. Some may not like this and prefer a "sandbox" approach where you can go anywhere and do anything.

Summary:
I don't believe this game intended to be a thoroughly realistic depiction of the Old West. However, I recommend the title highly for the FLAVOR of the Old West it provides with its entertaining, fun, and intriguing storyline and gun-play. It succeeds quite well in providing sufficient enjoyment and play and a change of pace from WW2 and modern warfare. The Wild West has been neglected for far too long and just maybe the success of this title will spawn more offerings in the future.

I didn't complete the first Call of Juarez (gave to girlfriend some time ago) and will now get it back and play it to completion. Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood is actually the prequel to the first and its story explains why Ray comes onto the scene as a pistol toting Bible thumper in the original

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars 3.5 stars to this highly underrated, very short game November 15, 2009

By Jacob Trahan

Platform for Display:PC|Amazon Verified Purchase

Fun: 5.0 out of 5 stars   

I'm really not sure why there aren't more western themed video games, because the setting works very well with the medium. Case in point: Call of Juarez, a ridiculously fun (and disappointingly short) thrill ride through a mythical old west.

PROS
--Excellent story: There are so many games out there that treat stories as optional, and it's nice to see one that's put a lot of effort into creating a compelling narrative. The voice work is fantastic, and the cutscenes are well directed and well written. Not that the story isn't both ridiculous and filled with cliches: it is. But it somehow it manages to pull everything off just the same. There's a certain grimness to the final levels that's rare in video games, and an emotional depth to the main characters, even if they do come across as caricatures sometimes. It worked for me.
--Great shooting: Not only does this game feature *three* types of bullet time, it also makes shooting at a regular pace very fun as well. The weapons (ranging from pistols to rifles to knives to shotguns and more) are all very satisfying to shoot, and the death animations are nicely done. There's also an automatic cover system that comes in handy. Healing is Call of Duty style, so you don't have to worry about annoying health packs.
--Two characters: Most levels let you choose between the two protagonists, Thomas and Ray, and the choice will have an impact on how you play the game. Ray can dual wield pistols, use dynamite, and soak up more damage. Thomas can snipe more accurately, use knives for silent kills, and use his lasso to reach high areas. Adding to the replayability of the game, you'll also play different sections of each level depending on which brother you choose.
--Great environments: The old west has never looked this good. Besides the gorgeous scenery, though, the environments lend themselves well to combat: railings and barrels are shattered and tossed around the environment by gunfire, and the numerous oil lamps lying around mean that you can set much of the scenery on fire as well (either by shooting them or throwing them). The one disappointment: bodies can't be moved or interacted with after death.

CONS
--Short: It took me seven hours and fifteen minutes to beat the game; much less than your average shooter. While there is some argument to be made for playing the game twice, it's still a disappointingly brief experience.
--Open world isn't so open: The game does experiment with open world sections in some cases, but these sequences pretty much only let you do a few optional missions. Granted, said missions are a lot of fun, but it would have been nice to see a Western that gave you more choices as to where to go and what to do there.

In the end, the length prevents me from recommending paying full price for Call of Juarez. But if you can find a copy for $20 or so, it's a fantastic romp through a world all too often neglected by video games.