December 27, 2009

Indians in Call of Juarez: Bound by Blood

Call of Juarez: Bound by Blood is a Western-themed video game with an Indian subplot. Here's the basic story from the official website and an IGN review:THE OLD WEST, 1864. In order to save their family, the McCall brothers will kill anyone who stands between them and the legendary Gold of Juarez. But when the allure of women and money tests their bond as brothers, will the blood they share prove to be thicker?Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood Review

Blast a bloody path through the Wild West.
Bound in Blood is a rather complex tale that once again raises the specter of revenge and cursed treasure, amongst a backdrop of the western frontier; I'll try to summarize the story without providing any spoilers of any kind. Players are introduced to Ray and Thomas McCall, two brothers in the Confederate army that desert their posts to save their family home from Union soldiers. Seeing the destruction of their land and swearing that they'll rebuild their property one day, the McCalls head west to seek fortune and glory. However, going AWOL infuriates their former commander, who declares that he'll hunt them down to the ends of the earth for their abandonment of the Confederate cause. Fleeing both the Confederate troops on their heels and various lawmen from some of their illegal activities throughout the country, the McCalls eventually connect with the Mexican bandit leader Juan and his concubine Marisa, who has information regarding the treasure of Cortez. The McCalls will also have to deal with the Apache, whose connection with the gold could potentially threaten the entire West.This video gives a more detailed summary of the game, as well as a look at its impressive visual landscapes.



Although they don't appear in the video, Native actor Jay Tavare plays the Apache chief Running River. Dante Basco, a "Filipino American actor, voice actor, dancer, and rapper," plays his half-white son Seeing Farther. That's one casting hit (Tavare is part White Mountain Apache) and one miss.

IGN sums up its review as follows:As a prequel, Bound in Blood does a good job of presenting the characters, their storylines and what eventually leads back into the franchise history. It also packs in a ton of fast action, loads of explosions and a heavy dose of duels against opponents that want to take you to Boot Hill. Unfortunately, the repetitive nature of the missions, coupled with some technical issues, really keeps this title from standing out more.For more on the subject, see Video Games Featuring Indians.

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