By Adam Rosenberg
If director Sam Raimi’s classic Western "The Quick & the Dead" can be said to have an analogue in the video game world, it is unquestionably Techland’s "Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood." They both serve up cheeseball stories and feature colorfully one-dimensional characters. Game and film alike also offer a helluva fun ride, building a deeply entertaining experience around the established tropes of the Western genre.
"Bound in Blood" is all the more impressive for being a sequel that completely eclipses its predecessor. The original "Call of Juarez" had its high points, but any fun was marred by a slavish adherence to Techland’s shooter/platformer/stealth vision for the game. "Blood" abandons the latter two gameplay styles, focusing instead on tightening up the core experience of forging a trail across the Wild West with your guns blazing.