Before Red Dead Redemption arrived, very few western games existed, let alone ones that could be enjoyed. Red Dead took it to an entirely different level — something that western fans have been itching to get their hands on for a long while now — but before its arrival only a couple were worth even trying out, including GUN and the duo of Call of Juarez and its prequel, Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood.
The Call of Juarez games and GUN certainly aren’t anything that were bound for video game supremacy, but if you’re as much of a sucker for westerns as I am, they’re a ton of fun. Great western settings, stories, and of course music, were all that was needed to offer up a worthwhile gaming experience in the old west.
When Red Dead did arrive and showed how incredible and magnificent a western game could be, one could have assumed that it would push those planning to make their own western games or sequels to existing franchises such as the ones mentioned above to make the biggest and best games they could make. But is that the case?
It’s been announced that a third title in the Call of Juarez franchise is now officially on the way, but the game, which is titled Call of Juarez: The Cartel (click the image above for full game cover), might not be exactly what fans were hoping they would one day play.
Ubisoft made the announcement of the new game, which is again being developed by the folks over at Techland. But it’s their description of the game that has fans scratching their heads:
Call of Juarez: The Cartel is set in present day and brings the best elements of the Wild West to a new and modern setting. As a first-person shooter with an immersive and mature story, players can expect to embark on a journey like no other – one that will take them from the heart of modern day Los Angeles, California to Juarez, Mexico.
Yeap — you read correctly, Juarez fans. The third chapter will still be a western game, only it’s going to take place in modern day L.A. instead of the mid-to-late 1800s of the last two titles.
It’s unclear how much The Cartel will tie into the storylines of the first two games, but they have a lot of work to do to ensure success here. Going back to Red Dead and a point made above, I’m sure many like myself hoped that Ubisoft and Techland would see the success of Rockstar’s masterpiece and strive to make their third game that much better. Instead, they’re taking the Call of Duty route and going modern on us.
This isn’t to say that it’s guaranteed to fail; movies like Red Hill and TV shows like Justified are two examples of modern day tales with heavy western themes, so who knows.
That said, I personally am not excited by this news. I don’t want cars and technology and all of that crap in my westerns, just the old school styles and settings. I guess we can only wait and see how this one plays out when the new game is released this summer. You can already pre-order over at Ubisoft’s site.
What do you Call of Juarez fans think of the decision to drop the old west and bring their story into the now?
[Source: Game Informer]
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