Westerns get a bum deal in games. With countless developers wringing WWII for everything it has, this tremendously violent yet hugely prosperous period of American history remains largely untapped potential. In fact, Activision’s Gun is about the only 360 western to date, but that was complete and utter tosh. Good thing developer Techland decided to bring Call Of Juarez from the PC to the 360, then, as not only is it an excellent port in – and of – itself, it’s also the best damn Wild West videogame ever made.

It kicks off with a suitably actionpacked and over-the-top vignette as Reverend Ray, an exceptional character the game refers to as “the most self-righteous son of a bitch who ever picked up a Bible” emerges in an enemy fort by tram, only to pull away a blanket to reveal a mounted gatling gun turret beneath. Laying waste to a number of enemies as Ray quotes from the Bible, it’s a great introduction to the design duality of Call Of Juarez. You see, after a minute or so, the screen fades to black and the game cuts to two weeks prior to that opening event, as Billy Candle tries to make his way home. Here, Call Of Juarez begins properly, tutoring the player on the various ways they will be interacting with the game world – as well as setting up the story.

As Billy, the game tends to adopt a far more stealthy approach, forcing you into situations where taking your time, concealing yourself in bushes and memorising patrol routes is the key to completing levels. Billy is a young man and more than a little inexperienced with guns, hence the stealth. But good ol’ Reverend Ray is something else entirely. Seeking redemption for his dark and violent history, Ray is now a man of the cloth. Imagine Mickey Rourke as a 70-year-old with a Bible in one hand and a revolver in the other, spreading the word of our good Lord to those who’ll listen, while simultaneously carrying out his self-appointed role of judge, jury and executioner with the other. He truly is an amazing character and it’s partly for this reason that his side of the game tends to be the strongest – that, and because Billy’s side is where Call Of Juarez is usually at its most irksome.

Techland has adopted the ‘kitchen sink’ mentality of trying to fit as much as it possibly can into Call Of Juarez, to ensure it remains diverse throughout. It holds true from start to finish, even when you happen upon the same location you visited earlier as one character, but played differently depending on who it was. However, not all of the ideas work; the whip is a truly cumbersome item, ostensibly letting you interact with the environment that little bit more, but instead annoying the hell out of you most of the time. Some stealth sections, such as one in particular where Billy has to enter someone’s home, take their saddle and steal their horse, is betrayed entirely by your compass giving you no indication of where the damn guy is patrolling outside. It presents a ton of trial-and-error gameplay, which is never fun. As Ray, the fact you have to manually reload can get terribly annoying when you’re in the middle of an intense firefight, and several of the dual challenges are let down by the dual process itself not even working all that well from the beginning.

Generally speaking, Call Of Juarez has loooooong load times too. Sure, characters may narrate over the majority of them, keeping the plot going even when you’re waiting for the next level to load, but when you die mid-level and have to wait an age to restart, it soon gets annoying. Thankfully, the problems end there. Beyond these niggles, Call Of Juarez is one hell of a fine gameplay experience with dozens of incredible set pieces – our favourite being a train stranded out in the middle of nowhere, ambushed by outlaws that you, as the Reverend, have to work your way through. Every time you draw your pistols, the game presents its own mini-set piece too. Holstering your guns, waiting for the enemy, and then unholstering them depicts two aiming reticules on either side of the screen, working their way to the centre. Every time an enemy falls within the reticule it momentarily locks on, letting you fire. And trust us, it’s tons of fun every time.

Quick drawing your pistols and successfully blowing half-a-dozen goons into oblivion never loses its violent charm. But then neither does the game, generally speaking. It might aggravate you at times, but on the whole, Call Of Juarez has more than enough gold littered throughout it.

Craig Gilmore