Controls are similarly tight across the rest of the game, although Bound in Blood's auto-cover system does take some getting used to. Simply pushing up against a wall, rock, tree, or crate puts you into cover mode, and for the console versions of the game, pushing the right stick left, right, up, or down leans your character out. On the PC you use the mouse, which feels far more natural than the clunkier Xbox 360 and PS3 controls.

Guns are authentic to the period.

You probably won't even need to use cover a great deal when playing on the game's default medium difficulty, since it's easy to breeze through. Shooter veterans will want to play on hard difficulty straight off, which makes the enemies more accurate and able to deal more damage (and there's the unlockable very hard difficulty to try after that). Even on hard, the game can be quite forgiving, thanks to Bound in Blood's generous checkpoint system and some unsophisticated enemy AI, which sees many of your foes simply standing in the open and not using any flanking or support strategies. Because of this, it never feels like you're fighting a smart, organized force: most of the challenge in the later half of the game comes in trying to spot where well-hidden enemies are shooting from. Fortunately, your brother's AI is significantly better--Ray or Thomas (depending on whom you're controlling at the time) are great companions, able to hold their own against most foes and generally lending strong support throughout the entire campaign.

It's a wonder, then, that a co-op story mode has been omitted from Bound in Blood, since there are two characters going through practically the whole campaign together. The multiplayer is all competitive and can accommodate up to 12 players (both online or hosted locally) in five different modes across eight maps. There's some depth thanks to the many character classes available, each with its own particular strengths, weaknesses, and gear. The miner, for example, starts with a shotgun and explosives, while the native has only a bow but has greater speed. You can switch classes midway through matches, which adds a light layer of strategy to the game as you decide which class is the most advantageous at any given time (you can briefly switch to the sniper, for instance, to get rid of some pesky campers).

Most of these classes are initially locked, and you'll have to earn money through participating in ranked matches in order to buy them. The modes include standard Deathmatch and team-based VIP modes, and all of the games we played ran smoothly and lag-free. The most fun mode is Wild West Legends, which requires a team to complete a set of objectives across a map. Most of these involve blowing stuff up, and it's the opposing team's job to stop that from happening. There are eight scenarios mimicking famous real-life events (such as the gunfight at the O.K. Corral), and these matches can be enjoyable affairs where coordination with teammates is vital. Multiplayer, in fact, is quite strong across the board in Bound in Blood because of its varied modes, and provided that a strong community pops up, it should significantly extend the game's appeal outside of the solo campaign.

Strong gameplay isn't Bound in Blood's only appeal, though, because it also boasts some killer visuals. The Wild West looks stunning, and you'll see a variety of realistic environments, including dilapidated ghost towns, open deserts, lush forests, and dusty Mexican villages. There are some great visual effects at play, too; focusing down your gun's sights will blur the foreground in favor of what you're aiming at in an impressive depth-of-field showcase, while the lighting shifts as you move from blazing sunshine into a shadowy cliffside crevasse. And there are plenty of small details that help immerse you further into the world: a large spider crawling down the side of a tree, vultures casting their shadows as they circle high above, faded "wanted" posters hanging on the walls, and more. Bound in Blood is great to look at, and its visuals are complemented by some outstanding audio. The voice acting is close to pitch perfect, particularly the voices of the brothers McCall (some of the Mexican accents sound too exaggerated at times). You'll get to know the brothers well as they complain, banter, and curse their way through Bound in Blood, and all of it sounds like it could have been lifted directly from a Hollywood Western.

The sheriff. A showdown. You know what to do.

And that film comparison is apt, because this game's strong narrative and high production values make it an almost cinematic experience. Add to that its exciting gameplay, and Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood becomes the ideal sequel--one that is an improvement over the original in almost every way. Though the game is marred by its short length and weak enemy AI, those looking for a fun and different shooter experience shouldn't have any hesitation about biting the bullet and taking a ride with the McCalls.