Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood PC Game Review

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Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood is a 2009 first-person shooter Western video game developed by Techland and published by Ubisoft for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. It is the second game in the Call of Juarez series, and a direct prequel to the original Call of Juarez. Two further Call of Juarez games were made after Bound in Blood; a loose sequel set in contemporary Los Angeles and Mexico (The Cartel), and a narratively unrelated game with similar gameplay (Gunslinger).
Taking place roughly twenty years prior to the first game, Bound in Blood focuses on the McCall brothers; Ray and Thomas. Beginning towards the end of the American Civil War in August 1864, they abandon their post to try to save their family home. Labelled deserters, they go on the run, with their younger brother William, a priest, joining them. Two years later, hiding out in Mexico, they meet the bandit Juan Mendoza and his girlfriend Marisa, and first encounter the legend of the Gold of Juarez. With their army commander still pursuing them, they enter into a dangerous alliance with Mendoza and an Apache tribe in order to find the gold.
Bound in Blood received mainly positive reviews. Most critics praised the plot, the general shooting mechanics, the game's authentic western tone, and the multiplayer mode. Criticism tended to focus on poor enemy AI, repetitive level design, and, especially, the lack of any kind of co-op mode. Some critics also found the single-player mode too short and easy. The game was a commercial success, selling close to one million units worldwide across all systems, considerably more than the first game.

[@robcain8865]

Definitely agree with you here; Bound in Blood was probably one of the most underrated shooters of the last generation. A solid story and many improvements over the original really took the series to a higher point. Too bad they threw all of that out the window with The Cartel a few years later.

[@goopah]

Yeah, totally not understanding how that decision was made.

[@christopherregan1654]

Yeah, Bound In Blood's progression from the first Call Of Juarez was basically the same as the progression made between Red Dead Revolver and Red Dead Redemption, improvements in almost every way to every area!

[@edwars2487]

Coj club Mp mode @Shiki #3124

[@Bladeslingerplays]

Don't worry GGGman, after you play The Cartel you get to play The Gunslinger, which I have heard fantastic things about.

[@Gggmanlives]

Yes, I've played it before it's awesome.

[@phillipallred5172]

Gunslinger strips out all the unnecessary stuff" and gives you all the fun stuff imo

[@BoomShard17]

I knew this guy used to be named GGGman!

[@edwars2487]

Coj club Mp mode @Shiki #3124

[@daddiodizzle8990]

Gave me one of my favorite gunfight moments in gaming. Me, crouched behind a rock in cover, outnumbered, (horse shot?), reloading my rifle, bullets zinging off of the rock, outlaws shouting, when.....a small movement... A tarantula crawls over the top of the rock in front of me! Wtf. I'm not even afraid of spiders, but that made me jump back from the rock. Awesome. Such immersion I still rarely see. I love Techland games.

[@MrSmartDonkeyLP]

Bound in Blood was great, but for me, Gunslinger will remain #1 in the Call of Juarez series, despite it having almost absolutely nothing to do with Call of Juarez. It may as well have been just called Gunslinger. Regardless, it's a great game, and for me, even better than Bound in Blood.

[@jenkemhuffer3841]

Gunslinger has the best gameplay for sure, but it was lacking story and characters that the first 2 had.

[@wes8723]

Well, it has some ties to previous CoJ games, but yeah, nothing really major

[@clashmanthethird]

It has more to do with COJ than cartel.

[@g0atboy207]

I thought the dueling for Gunslinger was such absolute shit I rage quitted that game during the John Wesley Hardin fight. Bound in Blood is awesome though!

[@SomerandomShmuck]

@@g0atboy207 If you are still having trouble with uh. Wesley..just move a or d, or move your joint stick left and right..dodge the bulletts.

[@AlexOlinkiewicz]

Man, Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood is such a great game and I think its an underappreciated gem. Truth be told, I actually enjoyed Bound in Blood & Gunslinger allot more, then I did with Red Dead. Anyway, I personally didn't found the Dueling awful at all and I thought it was very clear on what you needed to do. However, I played the Console version so I probably confirmed your thought. It is also a shame you didn't mention the Multiplayer, but of course that's understandable sense the community is dead. But man COJ:BIB Multiplayer was one of the few Multiplayer modes I actually loved and played allot. Anyway great review as always and I look forward to you burn that POS that is The Cartel

[@peppermillers8361]

Agreed about the multiplayer. WW Legends sounds like fun if I could play it with other people.

[@wes8723]

Those duels in my opinion are far easier with M+K

[@le4-677]

Woah, Call of Jurez is great, but calling it better than rdr is blasphemy!

[@edwars2487]

Coj club Mp mode @Shiki #3124

[@sirderpington7704]

Oh dear god its cartel next. oh sweet mother of mary. well at least the one after that is pretty decent.

[@antoniofagarto2033]

lol... yeah

[@xanzibar]

So fucking true. Nice pic btw.

[@christopherregan1654]

The Cartel is not canon at all. Its a solid trilogy that includes Call Of Juarez, Bound In Blood, and Gunslinger!

[@WopoDeniro]

i feel the fact that both the main antagonists are a bit rough around the edges may also help build realism to growing up in that era and stuff, great review this game has sat in my steam library a long time maybe i should finally play that bad boy

[@Bilaros93]

It's a shame that none of the Red Dead games ever saw a PC release... Oh well. At least we can hope for a remastered Red Dead Redemption release

[@bergonath8851]

I think they recently announced a RDR remaster, but I don't know if there will be a PC version or not.

[@na8291]

Not exactly missing out on anything. Just another third-person, cover-based shooter with regen health.

[@BullworthGraduate]

@ pin09 - It has the best story ever created by Rockstar. Better than any _GTA_ game. Who gives a damn if there's regenerating health in it?

[@solarstrike33]

There's Gun too, which is essentially Read Dead Redemption before it was even a thing.

[@acablikeineedataxi]

Red dead redemption was a coding nightmare and somehow barely came out working. They arent gonna touch that game again.

[@ScateboyIvo]

Nice review man! Keep it up

[@luxslash]

I like how you review older games moite. Keep it up

[@TheAstriius]

Damn it, such a good review! I played this game sooo hard, would play it again one day for sure!

[@flyer95311]

I'm surprised that so many people had some struggles with duels.

[@bielik_2]

you're just fast as fuck boi

[@edwars2487]

Coj club Mp mode @Shiki #3124

[@IncredibleFulk1]

Great review Gggmanlives as always! Only played the demo of this game. I know I've asked before, but I really hope you review the King Kong game before 3/10/17!!!

[@srankedchad8330]

I really like your reviews.

[@videographer1KIK]

VIVA MEXICO - I remember Juarez when I was young one of the most memorable places I ever visited.

[@TheVeganBear]

Nice work as always mate

[@TheRocketLombax]

bound in blood was a childhood favourite of mine its one of the only games i finished more than once

[@CameronB773]

Gunslinger is amazing

[@kloakovalimonada]

I love the first and last even more - the first because it's just so different and interesting and Gunslinger is just a marvel of storytelling and gameplay. Great games.

[@0brinx0]

Can't wait to hear your thoughts on Gunslinger.

[@MADagain]

Nice review man, I always loved this game. I never did finish it though. Oh well time to go back and play it I guess :)

[@lucianonahuelgomez1374]

Hi, I just wanted to say I really like your reviews and thank you for all the work making this videos. I also want to ask you if you are going to make some adventure games reviews (monkey Island, grim fandango, police quest; etc.) and real time strategy games. Thanks again and greetings from Argentina *sorry about my english, it's not that good.

[@asycore]

i love this game. one of the game that manage to get me fully immersed into the story

[@adamfredrick30]

Good review so true I've played this on all platforms only recently getting it for pc

[@officialkidwizard]

Nice review!

[@AldoApachi-]

it seems to me that all the western shooter games take huge inspiration from Gun (2005). It was a great game, a bit short tough...

[@Cr1msnF4dger]

A detail i really like and noticed about the conetration modes is that it will kill a certain amount of enemies, depending on how much bullets you have left in your revolver

[@BojanMitrovicAimbot91]

Nice video man😎

[@STaRgaTeBG]

Almost at 60k jimmy son!

[@LeopardBull5trik3]

awesome review as always. could you do a review of RDR please?

[@sk8erbyern]

I don't understand your problems with duel mechanic? It is not that complicated that you need INSTRUCTIONS yet you sound like it is a damn mini game of it's own. You use mouse to control the hand until you pull out your gun, pretty intuitive and straight forward. So pull towards left-down full-speed when you hear the bell. You move left or right with A and D keys which is the very first thing EVERY SINGLE FPS GAME EVER MADE EVER ALREADY HAS. At the very first duel the game tells you to keep your enemy in sight so you can shoot faster. And you aim for the shot after pulling the gun with the god damn mouse which is another basic FPS thingy. All in all it is the simplest it can be and also still explained before the first duel for people who still cannot grasp the basic of the basics mechanic.

[@Lonate]

Ikr, it's not that difficult to win a duel if you're concentrated enough :P

[@ShawFFA]

One of the best western games I've ever played! 10/10

[@susanna8612]

Are u saying its better than red dead redemption 2?

[@ShawFFA]

@@susanna8612 Yes, I am 🙂

[@detectivelizard9532]

This is the only CoJ game I've played. I enjoyed it but I don't have any friends that have ever played it. I myself bought it on a whim one day. It's good if a bit padded. I still need to get around to playing Gunslinger. That one looks awesome. Great review.

[@darkriff777]

Nice, next stop...Ride to Hell: Retribution (GGGManLives Colourful Review)

[@Prowbar]

Yooo. Haha! The sex scenes in that game are just mindblowing.

[@darkriff777]

Prowbar Hey, dude ;) Everything about that piece of turd was mind-blowing.

[@Zelousmarineinspace]

Love your music dude

[@darkriff777]

Zelousmarineinspace Whats up

[@davidsantiagoalonso]

GGGman.... been following you since you started and I have been loving how you deal with the games that everyone has the same opinion on BUT you actually grave your own views upon those games. So I await your view upon the next game.... the cartel. (I leave that in lower case) Also, I'm glad your channel has grown but more importantly - your subscribers and number of views are constant - so you have LOYAL viewers! (upper case!)

[@Gggmanlives]

Thanks bro!

[@makypine4829]

One of the underrated games, but a really really great storytelling game.

[@paulibciss6853]

The music in this game was great !

[@bakerdoze]

I'd like to hear your thoughts on the Descent and Forsaken games.

[@shamaboy11]

Great Video Gggman. can you review red dead revolver/redemption after you review the cartel and gunslinger.

[@goopah]

@Gggmanlives Thanks dude for the disable second monitor tip.

[@greatmuta2]

Yeah the Dueling was way easier on console it sounds,figured it out fairly quickly and never really had issues with it. You basically just keep the right stick held down lightly and keep the hand near the holster which i imagine is a little tougher with a mouse.

[@TheMetalIsNeon]

God Dammit, why is it that whenever I see a duel I just think of McCree saying "It's HIIIGGGHH NOOOOON"?

[@ozanbozdag6657]

this game was my whole childhood

[@gamingjunkie707]

please reboot this game ubisoft. take a break from assassin creed series and give us an open world wild west adventure. wait I don't think they even listen.

[@lisvender]

I'm with you. I'm so sick of Assassin's Creed.

[@lisvender]

***** That would be fucking awesome.

[@lisvender]

***** I still like it.

[@TheBaioken]

>wanting a reboot from Ubisoft which will probably end up an open world shooter with lots of similar missions, QTE and dragged out gameplay time no thx

[@yarpen26]

Techland reaquired the rights to Call of Juarez from Ubisoft in April so they probably plan on releasing a new installment, although definitely not before Dying Light 2 hits the shelves.

[@robinfuijk]

The only Call of Juarez game I've played is Gunslinger, which I loved. Might pick this one up at some point during a sale, it looks kinda fun. I have it on PS3 though because it was free a few months back.

[@superreuben14]

Can you do a review on project IGI?

[@Gggmanlives]

Maybe.

[@lukasgamcik1614]

That will be good looking forward to Project IGI review too :)

[@superreuben14]

Also Battle for Wesonth...it is one of the most underrated games of our generation

[@Rieman6000]

Love this game. So many memories

[@ilyalead4blade897]

one of my best loved games of all time!

[@Cheesefist]

Hey gggman how did you fix your upside down opening cinematic? I know it's not a game breaking thing, but I'm a bit of a OCD freak so it grids my teeth to a powder to see it

[@Gggmanlives]

I didn't have to fix anything, the game ran without a hitch.

[@Madvillain47]

Will you ever do a review on Red Dead Redemption? One of the best games I've ever played.

[@Gggmanlives]

Probably not.

[@Madvillain47]

Gggmanlives Gotta wait for the PC release for a review? ;)

[@thathorridthing]

good vids man! but what happend to gunslinger?

[@thathorridthing]

aaaah! dident read comments before i wrote. Ignore me. XD

[@andrewnicorn]

Another thing about this game is that it was released at a time where there were very few interesting and meaty FPS campaigns. CoD's influence was in full effect.

[@vortexhddwilliams1020]

you should play and review the dead space games! would love to know your thoughts on he three

[@mrJack-lq8cg]

One of my favourite games

[@Fuzz82]

I actually did like the duels. But I admit they were a bit too frequent. The idea was to keep your characters hand close to the gun, but not too close. The movements were hard to see and it felt like balancing a stick on your hand. But it worked fine for me on PC. It could be different on consoles though.

[@dh872000]

Will you be reviewing Gunslinger? Heard it's pretty good.

[@Gggmanlives]

Yes.

[@civilwarfare101]

I've only played this game and Gunslinger and I massively prefer this game. The duels are certainly annoying. I was surprised how I got some of the later ones on my first attempt lol.

[@cyborgparrot1996]

Can you Review Paladins, it's a New FPS Game by Hi-Rez Studios.

[@monadomaster2182]

I found this really cool rpg/fps game on steam called E.Y.E. Divine Cybermancy and I was wondering if you would ever take a look and review it.

[@xlonely_goatx4623]

Gman have you ever played " Gun " before?

[@Zergosmuahaha]

Gggman, have you tried multiplayer for bound in blood? I think it is the best western themed fps multiplayer that i ever played

[@Gggmanlives]

Nope.

[@Zergosmuahaha]

To be completely honest, i wouldn't say you are missing out, as it is basically the same mechanics as SP campaign with some UT-esque modes, and a nifty multikill system. What makes it good, is that all those elements work surprisingly well together, and overall it feels very polished. Really leaves a good impression. It is what "Fistful of frags" should've been: polished simple fun.

[@FatBoy42069]

The pistol drawing does work better on console ( it’s where I first played it in like grade school) and than again on pc.

[@some1stoleit]

In terms of giving a directed fps campaign Bound in Blood is the best Western game out there. Great gunplay, great pacing and variety, levels scripted enough to give good pacing but open enough that it doesn't feel like your being squeezed through a see through tube. The only thing up there is gunslinger, which falls slightly short in my opinion because of the arcadiness and less gameplay variety. Red Dead is the king of the open world western, but Bound in Blood and Gunslinger have much better gunplay, and arguably better pacing.

[@HorrorUberAlles]

4:52 holy texture popping, Batman! Also, are you still on Win7? Why not Win10, may I ask?

[@farldiemanie8775]

Some older games do not work on windows like halo 2

[@Gggmanlives]

Windows 7.

[@moracomole8090]

3:20 Not Magicaly, he's got a cigar

[@SkrapMetal84]

Bound in Blood i think was one of the first FPS games that had a cover locking system in the game that was a true FPS cover system and not a 3rd person one when ever you entered cover.

[@Extreme96PL]

The duels are good and easy to understand you need to have hand close to revolver but not too close when you hear signal you need to fast move hand to revolver

[@Angsc09]

I wondering are you going to review Sniper: Ghost Warrior series as well? Another game that have sequel and going to trilogy. Despite the establishment keep on hammer it.

[@Gggmanlives]

I haven't played any of them.

[@Angsc09]

Gggmanlives Well, you may tried it someday. Go check it out. It is another game powered by Techland before change to CryEngine.

[@Angsc09]

Gggmanlives In the meantime. I want to see you review Midway games first starting by Psi-Ops and Area 51. Which is by far the best underrated game of all time. That you haven't even knew it. I suppose.

[@MightySavagE]

If by "Area 51" you mean Blacksite: Area 51 then hahah NO - it aint underrated by any stretch of the word. 60% Meta is a very accurate score for this game (you could even argue it's less after almost 10 years). Both Ghost Warriors were low budget sniper games that also had 5-6/10 score well deserved.

[@Angsc09]

+MightySavagE Who maybe guess. We will never know he will be reviewed that. By October he will review Shadow Warrior 2 first and November will be Dishonored 2 later with Killing Floor 2. Also, by the default that Area 51 will be the 2005 one. I wouldn't be surprised that he will reviewed the train wreck of 2007 as well in one just like the FEAR 2 and 3 together.

[@dbsommers1]

Great stuff.

[@darktitan3025]

After starting with Gunslinger I tried Bound in Blood and found it to be a little underwhelming. The FOV made me sick and the only way to increase it was to get a mod that changed some other things as well. Also everything was a lot less colorful compared to Gunslinger. I don't know if that's a stylistic choice, but I personally didn't like it

[@SONYPVM]

MAN I loved this game back when it came out on PC, and yeah fuck those duels

[@grittynerd]

Western shooters are a nice change of pace compared to the more "standard" military/scifi/zombie/post-apocalyptic themes, a bit like fantasy shooters. Unfortunately titles of both seem quite rare :( I really hope Techland will try to do a new Call of Juarez or continuining with Hellraid. Do you plan to review Descent games and alike too? Terminal velocity, Forsaken up to things like Aquanox 2 that focus on shooting mechanics without being simulations.

[@Cr1msnF4dger]

Well I did manage the duels pretty decent, only because I only swiped my mouse so close to the top of my pistol grip and as soon a music que says it I swipe to the pistol until the bell rings and I grabbed the revolver. Sure it's clunky, but it's satisfying to pull it off

[@DiegoAlanTorres96]

goddamnit I thought you were doing Gunslinger next week. fuck

[@TheLaLeeee]

I played RDR but this still remains my favourite western game. I played the demo on xbox so many times, I could have done it with my eyes closed. I don't remember having problems with the controls there, but I didn't have problems with duels on pc either. On the other hand, I still don't know how duels work in RDR.

[@TheLaLeeee]

Also Ubisoft tottaly stole the lasso mechanic for Far Cry 4 (Siniper: Ghost Warrior had it too, altough that used the same engine as well).

[@deathcold_longplaysua4846]

This second game is awsome! I beat it and then i beat it again, just for fun. And there is a pack of official missions that you can access through the menu for the single player mode. And about duels: i had no problem with them. You just have to move your mouse down left so the arm of your character stays close the gun as possible. And when you hear a bell ringing, just move it quickly toward the gun, and when red sight appears on your opponent then you can shoot with left mouse button. It's easy as it can be. And again, i beat the whole game and i had no problems with it at all, despite people complaining about it around the internet. And the game explains to you how to use it, you just need to pay attention to what it says. So stop complaining and learn how to play.

[@SgtxAnus]

do people still play the online modes?

[@jorgehenriq]

this game would be great for some co-op

[@frankiemartinez1755]

This game is on sale now on GOG for 2 bucks

[@Whiffly001]

Thought you said that the COJ series was bad in your 2013 shooter perspective? Overall good review man.

[@Gggmanlives]

It's pretty average overall.

[@yungstrix530]

Do a review on spec of the lines or Medal of Honor warfighter plsss

[@matthewthedark6013]

You should review Descent. I mean Interplay apparently went bankrupt recently and are selling all their assets including that series so it seems like the time.

[@kendonl.taylor5111]

@Gmanlives This game is a prequel, and you forgot to mention Laddergoat.

[@PredalienatorX]

Do you have any plans on upgrading to Windows 10?

[@Gggmanlives]

Nope.

[@darkentity1000]

This game is damn good, just keep in mind if you're gonna play it that the FOV on pc is terrible, its locked at 60 or 75, something like that. Still worth playing though, but it might be helpful if you played it on a TV screen or something.

[@MightBeSmart]

This game have the best story of all games imo. I am looking forward to a game wich will beat this story.

[@BosSupes]

There are many games with a better story

[@randomguy6679]

Many many games with a better story

[@Sinn0100]

Guns, action, a touch of realism, unwavering characters, and lawlessness abound...that's why Westerns are great for gaming. Bullets flying slow doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Yes, they are slower but not enough that you would be able to see it out of the naked eye. I don't know how many revolvers utilizing smokeless powdered cartridges are subsonic but I can't imagine too many of them do.

[@SENATORPAIN1]

i finished this game 3 or 4 times was awesome!!

[@NickJarno]

I played it on the Playstation and I though the dueling worked fairly well, thought it was pretty fun. If you wanna see some bad dueling look no further than Red Dead Revolver, ugh. Have you ever played Gun? That was a pretty good western game as well.

[@lochlannblack7699]

This was my first game on xbox it was pretty good well when i was 8

[@cherminatorDR]

To be honest, I love Ray - he's a dick in completely different ways in the two games, and he's the sole reason why I can't decide which one of the two games is my favorite. I think he's well-written and there are many moments where he shows his human side. But maybe that's because I'm a dick, which makes it easier for me to identify with him.

[@peppermillers8361]

I'm not that much of a dick, but I still loved Rey's character.

[@gilgamesh310]

I think I preferred him in the first game. There's just something appealing, about crusty old badass preacher. There's very few characters of that age in games too. But I think both versions of him combine to form who is easily one of my favourite protagonists in all of gaming. He shits on John Marsten, who I feel is a bit too nice at times, to be believable in his situations.

[@gilgamesh310]

cherminatorDR That's really well put. I agree with everything.

[@piggosalternateaccount4917]

Good review. i haven't played Bound in Blood for years, this review has ensured i will re-purchase it. Your point about the call of duty *BREAK DOWN THIS DOOR SON RIGHT FUCKING NOW!!!!!!!!* thing, i've only just realized. It makes much more sense for a game like this. Time slows down to emphasise the brother's quickdrawing skills, which would explain the slow mo in duels. E.g just like Dead Eye, its the game version of sheer skill. Unlike the soldiers in COD.

[@piggosalternateaccount4917]

OH JESUS YOU HAVE TO DO FUCKING CARTEL NEXT You poor sod

[@becchi2458]

Hey Gggman can you do a review on a game called terrordrome please.

[@PedroElPolako]

Ultima Underworld, it's a great game and it's available on GOG

[@GeneralTantzu]

My second favorite Call Of Juarez game after Gunslinger. The duels where pretty much only thing I didn't like in this game.

[@gilgamesh310]

I found the duels to be annoying alright, but not *that* annoying. This is my favourite western game. I found Red Dead Redemption to be merely decent.

[@mr_dre]

Someone must teach you how to properly play rdr then

[@sirernest546]

there is nothing to teach about that, RDR is boring and Beyond overrated

[@angbandsbane]

Aye. As much as I loved RDR it certainly had some pretty glaring flaws. (The needlessly dark subplots for one, but that might just be me...)

[@Random-bj3gf]

+Sir Ernest no

[@BruceForte]

how about the short and sweet Call of Juarez: Gunslinger

[@skrttskrrt3619]

whats the first game called?

[@kittenMixture]

Wouldn't consider a review of Outlaws (LucasArts, 1997)? (If you already have, apologies)

[@Gggmanlives]

I reviewed it years ago, use the video search feature.

[@GenWorldTV]

Just picked up call of Juarez gunslinger and this is extremely fun, if this one is better than that Im down!