Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood Details
Techland explains why this sequel will top the original.
February 24, 2009 - The Western is a natural inspiration for first-person shooters. Some of America's most famous outlaws and heroes come from the period of western expansion and they all have one thing in common: They lived and died by the gun. Ubisoft and Techland are returning to the Call of Juarez franchise for its first sequel, subtitled Bound in Blood. The game is set to hit store shelves in 2009 for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. Pawel Kopinski, Lead Product Manager at Techland, was kind enough to answer a few questions we had to give you a better idea of what to expect out of the next Call of Juarez game.
IGN: Call of Juarez had some mixed reviews. What are you doing to ensure the sequel is top notch?
Pawel Kopinski: Everyone is going to be pleasantly surprised as we've made huge improvements. We spent a significant amount of time reviewing the feedback and making sure the sequel emphasizes the many positives the first game delivered, while addressing and improving upon its minor flaws. Equipped with this feedback, the sequel is essentially a brand new game, as it is being built from the ground up to ensure a truly original gaming experience!
From a technical point of view, the Chrome Engine is now in its fourth version and we've managed to achieve increased performance allowing for even more polygons on screen and advanced special effects. While we focused on the game's core strength, its shooting mechanics, we're also very proud of the enhanced wide open environments and natural wildlife. Additionally, we stayed true to the two character dynamic and even added the ability to choose between the McCall Brothers before almost every mission.
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IGN: Is the story connected with the original and if so, how?
Pawel Kopinski: Call of Juarez: Bound In Blood is a prequel that takes place 20 years prior to the original. Players will live the first steps of the McCall Brothers in the Old West. Believe it or not, the storyline is even darker and more mature than the first game. You'll experience the twisted relationship between the ruthless McCall Brothers, Ray and Thomas. At the end of the game, you'll discover their unpredictable fate.
IGN: What can we expect when the game takes us down to Mexico?
Pawel Kopinski: Mexico's vibrant natural settings and lawless border towns will set the stage for the final act of the brothers' quest. Expect dramatic showdowns with Mexican bandits and discover the wealth of the Aztecs and the legendary Gold of Juarez.
IGN: Will we see the return of the whip or the bible as weapons?
Pawel Kopinski: Thomas' whip is back in a big way, but as for the bible, you'll just have to wait and see.
Call of Juarez carries a shoot to kill motto.
IGN: Can you explain how the combat system works? What are the "shooting modes" that open up?
Pawel Kopinski: Being the only first person shooter set in the Old West, we've continued to focus on the shooting experience as the core of the game's development. In this sequel, the shooting experience will be even more brutal and visceral. Every time you kill an enemy, you'll fill a gauge on the top right corner of your screen. The more accurate your shots, the faster your gauge will fill up. As soon as your gauge is full, you'll have 60 seconds to unleash a special "Concentration Mode" that demonstrates the lightning quick and deadly accurate shooting skills that the Most Wanted gunslingers of that era possessed.
IGN: Can you do gun stunts, such as shooting a hat off someone and juggling it in the air?
Pawel Kopinski: Though you can indeed shoot someone's hat off, "Shoot to Kill" is the motto we've taken in developing the game. This is something we learned from Clint Eastwood, Sergio Leone, and other spaghetti westerns, that efficiency is more important than aesthetics. We do make one exception in the game though … chickens.
IGN: What are the differences between playing as the different brothers?
Pawel Kopinski: Staying true to the western genre was an important factor throughout the game's development. Just as any great western movie, we wanted to tell an immersive and intriguing story. The McCall Brothers provide exactly that, a pair of ruthless brothers that will shoot down anyone that stands in their way.
Though both McCall Brothers possess a variety of weapons, they each have their own specialty. Ray is deadly from close range with his dual revolvers, while Thomas offers long range sharpshooting expertise. Paired together they're the ultimate tandem that will battle side-by-side throughout the journey.
There isn't traditional co-op, but you will have a partner.
IGN: Why did you choose to make the campaign cooperative and how will that work?
Pawel Kopinski: There is no co-op in the traditional sense. Dual collaborative game play in Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood means that players can switch between two characters before almost every mission, but play alongside each other regardless (if you choose Ray, Thomas will be running alongside you and vice versa).
IGN: There are horses, wagons, etc., to ride. Are these on-rail missions or will you be able to freely roam?
Pawel Kopinski: These missions will indeed be on-rail, because you'll be led by characters that aren't one of the brothers. That makes the brothers' point of view on the events slightly different. Hang onto your hats though, because you never know what's just over the horizon.
IGN: Would you say COJ 2 is a realistic Western or a Spaghetti Western?
Pawel Kopinski: With Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood, we wanted to capture the best of all the western movies we love, so it can't be simply categorized as either a spaghetti Western or a realistic Western. It's a blend of the best elements from both.
IGN: What movie Westerns served as inspiration for the sequel?
Pawel Kopinski: Everybody on the team loves the classics A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, and Once Upon a Time in the West. We've also been inspired by the storyline and treatments of TV series like Deadwood and recent movies like Appaloosa and 3:10 to Yuma.
You'll have to be handy with a section of rope.
IGN: Is it worth the risk of going across the river or should we go around? I don't want my entire family drowning, right?
Pawel Kopinski: If I were you, I'd go where Ray orders you to.
IGN: How has the competitive multiplayer changed from the first game?
Pawel Kopinski: The multiplayer is one of the biggest and best features of this new game. We organized tons of focus groups to analyze the industry's most popular multiplayer titles and the results will be evident in the finished product. Expect a ton of details about this very soon. You won't believe it.
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