Western Games are hard to get right, this is the fist one I've bought, but from reviews I've read, I know that only a few good ones have been made. Fortunately, Call of Juarez is in the minority.
Like many good western stories, the tale starts during the civil war. The plot follows three brothers, two playable, gunslinging, badass, fighters, and a priest that is constantly whining. The two brothers you can play as are Ray and Thomas McCall, and the youngest and dumbest is William. In order to rebuild their lives after the war, the three go on a quest to find the legendary gold of Juarez.
My favorite part about Call of Juarez was the weapons, they got it right, not infinite ammo pistoles, but six-shots that took three hours to reload, and this may seem like a bad thing, but you can avoid it very easily by buying better guns. These better guns have acceptable reload speeds and still capture the wild west combat style. Another cool aspect of the combat was the cover system, instead of having to press a button to super glue yourself to a wall, you just ran up beside it, and peaked over/around. It felt very natural, and did not slow you down at all.
One interesting thing that I have taken a neutral standpoint on is the fact that before each level, you can choose to play as Ray or Thomas. Ray can kick down doors, wield two pistoles at once, and throw dynamite. Thomas can use a lasso, clime any object higher than the curb (unlike ray) and can wield knives and a bow. I don't know which one sounds better to you, but I only played as Ray three times in the whole game, twice because the game didn't give me a choice, and once because I couldn't pass one level as Thomas, but every other level was just as easy with Thomas.
One thing I disliked was William, he is the wimpiest brother, and spends the entire game narrating and praying. (sometimes at the same time) William does move the plot along until the end of the game, but before then, he is dead weight on the gameplay, and the plot. He is also a christ analogy, which is the stupidest thing to put in a video game, besides silent protagonists. The one thing I hated about Call of Juarez was how there was no Co-op mode. In every level except for two and a half, you are fighting alongside your brother as a CPU. The game was built for Co-op.
Unfortunately, Call of Juarez is rated M for language, and suggestive themes, so it can't be marketed to anyone below fourteen. Also, the two cool characters have no values beyond family, so they are mean to women, and kill enough people to fill Arlington cemetery twice. I give it 7/10
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