First off, a 10 gallon hat off to Silas Greaves' voice actor, John Cygan, a third timer to the Call of Juarez franchise who manages to make bounty hunter Greaves sound just like you'd imagine a bounty hunter in the Old West would.
Actually, come to think about it, Ubisoft got a lot right about this game beyond the gravel throated Greaves. But we'll get to all that in just a moment. The fourth game in the Call of Juarez series, Gunslinger goes back to Juarez's hedyday, the proverbial Old West. No McCalls or Mendozas here, Gunslinger introduces a completely new character, the aforementioned Silas Greaves. As he's not a branch of the McCall family like so many other CoJ characters, Greaves has a different claim to fame, in that he's crossed path with just about every famous desperado in his 30 year tenure, outlaw, marshall, or otherwise. Everyone from Billy the Kid and Butch Cassidy to Jesse James and the Dalton Brothers are there, and more.
The whole story begins with Silas moseying (he's a cowboy, they did that) into a saloon, recounting his experiences as a younger man to the eager eared, and the 30 years that would follow as one of the West's most infamous bounty hunters. Greaves narration continues throughout the entire game, helping to break up the monotony of forever blasting away at countless "sod busters" and guns for hire, and occassionally offering up a tip or two along the way.
There's a bit of a Borderlands vibe with Gunslinger that goes beyond just the visual aesthetic. The cartoonish graphics keep things light, and the upgrade system is similar, but not as deep. Like with a lot of shooters today, players are free to customize Silas with a number of skills that can be earned once you get the right amount of experience, earned by completing objectives and taking out villains. Different kills earn you different amounts of experience; be they from ricochets, headshots, long shots, melee kills, etc. If your skills aren't completely up to spec, feel free to kill some chickens and shoot pumpkins if you're really desperate.
There are three different upgrade chambers for players to work with throughout the game:
- Ranger, for the sharpshooter who likes to keep cattle russlers at a distance
- Trapper, for the up close and personal type
- Gunslinger, for the all around cowboy type that favors a six shooter in each hand
The weapon selection isn't quite varied, with about as much as the Old West had to offer, shotguns, rifles, revolvers and the like. Still, each gun has it's own pros and cons for each situation, and you're not forced to stick with one gun type for too long. The bullet time "concentration" mechanic helps is useful for when things get a bit sticky, letting you slow down time to take out as many cowpokes as need be. There's also some quick time events that works in a similar manner, where you spin round, pressing the right button at the right time to shoot down a gang of thugs in the blink of an eye and a blaze of glory. There's also a quick draw game at the end of each level's boss which is noteworthy, as is the "sense of death" mechanic, handy for last minute dodges to avoid that bullet with your name on it.
Following Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, Ubisoft has provided yet another quality DLC title at a decent price. You'll be able to download this for little more than a fistful of dollars (yes, I'm that cheesey). The only cause for concern is that everything's over far too quick, but it's still worth every penny. You can download it now for PS3, Xbox 360, and PC.
