Call Of Juarez
Xbox 360
Techland/Ubisoft

As with cinema, there's a real distinction that's obvious in games from different regions. American games can often be a little less cerebral, and a lot more focused on visceral thrills, and are generally more freeform. Japanese games tend to be a bit more heavily structured, and offer a more controlled series of events, where the point is for gamers to experience the world precisely in the way the designers intended. And then there are the European games, which tend to be very focused in their goal to meld story and gameplay, but with a looseness in that gameplay that sits more in line with American adventure game design values. First person shooter 'Call Of Juarez', developed by Polish company Techland, is a very, very European game.

Set in the old West, the title is the story of Billy Candle and the Rev. Ray: the former is on the run after being accused of murdering his mother and stepfather, and the latter, who happens to be the brother of Candle's stepfather, is trying to bring him to justice. It's a fairly simple set-up, but the execution is well done, with players taking control of each of the leads alternately throughout the game. Rev. Ray, in particular, is a tremendously interesting character - a gruff, grey haired ex-outlaw who believes himself an instrument of God, chosen to deal out the wrath of the Lord. Good, old fashioned Western material.

The pauses for monologue or dialogue are well integrated into the game, and the pacing is good, but the action will be a little too reliant on manipulating the environment for some. You'll often find yourself having to move around boxes in order to climb up to the next area, for example, and the linearity of the level design means this can become frustrating at times. For anyone looking for fast and furious gameplay, it's going to sit very uneasily.

Similarly, while Rev. Ray's sections are FPS action sequences that bring the environment to life with an incredible sense of atmosphere, Candle's levels are more focused on sneaking and stealth, and feel somewhat pale in comparison. It controls well, though, which makes those moments at least manageable.

It's definitely not perfect, but there are certainly enough interesting elements in the game to make it worth a look, at least. It's admirable, even when it's not entirely successful, and while that won't be enough for some, there are sure to be others who find that 'Call Of Juarez' to be a fascinating title, beneath its flaws.

Alistair Wallis