Call of Juarez The Cartel Review
Developer Techland
Publisher Ubisoft
Platform PS3, Xbox360
Release Date Out Now.
The new Wild West? Yes, the franchise that made its name with cowboys and six shooters takes a massive leap to find itself in the modern day, but despite having one of the most enjoyable stories I’ve played in recent times it is a game rife with problems that will test even the most forgiving gamer.
The town of Juarez was once the setting of Sheriff’s and outlaws involved in duals at noon, is now the setting for drug running Mexican cartels, crooked cops and inner city gangsters. Games are running out of interesting plots so it comes as a welcome surprise to finally get something fresh for a story line, and it is strange as to why no one else has tackled this setting as it does offer so much potential.
As the player you have the choice between three different characters from the outset each with their own back story and issues. The old school weathered cop, a FBI agent with a family to be reckoned with and a DEA agent with questions about his own ethics. When a Mexican drug Cartel bomb a US government building the three must team up to carry out a very dangerous mission to bring them to justice by any means necessary.
The story is set up and plays out brilliantly which makes it all the more disappointing that the gameplay is such a clumsy affair. There are problems with the shooting, driving is a nightmare experience and the sound keeps cutting out for a split second but it is enough to take you right out of the experience. Also as a number of set pieces play out they get quite repetitive and boring, a somewhat misguided cover system also make the whole thing a bit of a chore.
Graphically the game is a mixed bag, the back grounds look excellent but some of the characters are really quite poor, with faces and heads looking like that are just not part of the body they are attached to and a very annoying flickering gun almost gave me a head ache.
But if you can battle through the problem there is actually a good game in there somewhere. The Cartel has a story that I was enthralled by, with twists that are brilliantly implemented within the game itself. You are given special secret side missions within each mission. This may be as trivial as getting a hooker her money back to investigating your partners without them finding out but it all adds to the story and the development of the characters.
Overall: Major issues keep this from being a great game but it is the summer it is very quiet, do yourself a favour pick this up for the story alone and you won’t be disappointed. The bonus of 3 player online co-op means you will get a lot of enjoyment out of it with your friends.
SCORE 6/10
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