Reviewed On: Xbox 360

Available For: PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360

Publisher: Ubisoft

Developer: Ubisoft

Genre: First-Person Shooter

Age: 16 (PEGI)

Price: 1,200 MS Points

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The fourth game in the Call of Juarez series steers away from the modern-day settings of The Cartel. The CoJ series has picked up its six shooter, mounted its trusty stead, and moseyed on back to where it belongs - the Wild West.

Available only as a download, Call of Juarez: Gunslinger is split into three sections of gameplay - story, arcade and duel.

Story mode explores the life of bounty hunter Silas Greaves, narrated as he tells his story to townsfolk in a gritty saloon. He's a killer whose path has crossed with legends of the Old West including Billy the Kid and Butch Cassidy.

The tale unfolds without the use of fancy cinematics, it instead takes a more comic book approach by using pictures - an effective and fitting method. The narration to-and-fros in a wistfully joyful way as the conversation flits between the group.

Arcade gives players a faster paced, non-stop action-fest of gun totting fun. Players are encouraged to keep up the pace with, and points available for the chaining together of combos. There's less emphasis on upgrade, and consequently less time spent in menus.

Duel mode is a mini-game made up of the duels experienced throughout the story. These are all about keeping a steady hand, a watchful eye, and having good reactions. Duel mode can grow tiresome without the story in between to help break it up.

In all modes, players receive a ranking after each level, and in doing so are given an extra incentive to play through each again.

Bullet time plays a huge part, either being triggered manually, or at certain trigger points in story mode.

Taking a tip from Borderlands, and keeping in-line with the comic book feel, Gunslingers visuals are cel-shaded in parts. But the aesthetics are a tale of two halves as the colour palette can often be a little too limited, and end up making things confusing and drab.

Whilst Gunslinger is a solid Wild West shooter, it's doesn't do anything particularly new and will therefore not sharpshoot its way to everybody's heart. It like an old nag - reliable but with little flair.

SCORE: 6 / 10

PROS: Great cel-shaded look, variation in gameplay, some sweet bullet time.

CONS: Nothing new, becomes tiresome quickly, palette too limited at times.