The latest in the series, however, takes places in modern times instead of the 1860s.
Problem is, while Call of Juarez: The Cartel has an interesting story and characters, and some enjoyable action sequences, too, numerous glitches and other issues mar the overall experience.
In Call of Juarez: The Cartel, you play as three members of a U.S.-led task force, determined to bring down a Mexican drug cartel. While the story follows the same path between the three players, each has their own motives, contacts, collectibles and skills: hard-nosed L.A. detective Ben McCall is adept at revolvers and pistols; FBI agent Kim Evans prefers rifles and sniping; and the smooth-talking Eddie Guerra, with the DEA, prefers automatic weapons like submachine guns. The agents don’t exactly trust each other, either, which adds some additional tension to the overall flavor.
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Played from a first-person perspective, the game has you run and gun through multiple environments, whether it be searching for someone on the seedy streets of downtown L.A., raiding a meth lab in the Sequoia National Forest or engaging in an all-out battle against organized crime at the Mendoza Cartel headquarters in Ciudad Jurez. At times you’ll use objects for cover, be it cars and vans in an urban level or trees and rocks in a forest. While it feels awkward, the game also adds first-person fistfights. Car chases are fun, at least, and helps to break up the action.
You can choose to play the main campaign by yourself or cooperatively (co-op) with up to two friends online, the latter of which is preferred due to the fact the computer-controlled characters don’t always act as they should. Plus, the A.I. players won’t pick up collectibles meant for them and character dialogue overlaps so you might miss some key information. The co-op option employs a drop-in/drop-out system, therefore a player can join or leave at any time. The game also includes other cooperative and competitive modes for up to 12 players.
For the most part, Call Of Juarez: The Cartel feels unfinished. Objects and people might pop into view or look like they’re occupying the same space at the same time. Audio might drop in and out, and the game might slow down to a crawl if there’s too much action onscreen (experienced with the PlayStation 3 version). This is all a shame as the game has a lot going for it, too — namely, it’s intriguing story, multiple playable characters and a handful of cooperative and competitive options.
At the very least, shooter fans might consider renting this one over the weekend.
Call of Juarez: The Cartel
Platform: Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony PlayStation 3, PC.
Genre: Shooter.
Developer: Techland.
Publisher: Ubisoft.
Website: callofjuarez.com.
Price: $59.99 ($49.99 for PC).
Rating: “Mature.
Score: 2.5 stars (out of 4).
Contact Saltzman atgnstech@gannett.com
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