How can game designers constantly pass over the western genre in favor of World War II games? It has everything you need to make to make a great shooter: Morally bankrupt enemies, few gun restrictions, and beautiful scenery. Why fire a shoulder mounted rocket launcher when you can hunt for wild animals in the forest? Why kill Nazi's for national pride when you can kill outlaws for fun and profit? Why not create a game which has a logical reason for a mine cart level? Not many recent western games are worth the money invested to play them (aside from the short Gun and Red Dead Revolver). Still, Polish developer Techland stepping up to the plate to hopefully deliver a solid western experience. We recently got our hands on a beta version.

Call of Juarez is actually the story of two people's fates that are intertwined. Billy is a simple farmhand who gets framed for the murder of his mother and stepfather and Ray is an old fashioned preacher who picks up his guns to chase down the murder of his brother. Incase you didn’t make the connection, he is chasing Billy. This leads to some interesting experiences, as you will find yourself stealthily sneaking through one stage as the young Billy, then redo the stage mere minutes later as the expert gunslinger Ray.

Billy is young and not experienced in gun fighting, so he tends to sneak through areas. That’s not to say he will not be shooting Billy has a whip, which has many uses like the movie icon Indiana Jones. Sneaking around and evading the law might be Billy’s cup of tea it sure ain’t Ray’s, dang nab it. Ray is the opposite of Billy. Whereas Billy would sneak through a town to avoid detection, Ray blasts his way in, twin revolvers blazing.

Ray's levels will play out like a western first person shooter should. With that, Ray has a few tricks up his sleeve that make him stand out. If he holsters his guns, you can press LB and RB at the same time to initiate a quick draw minigame. Two reticules pass through the center of the screen, representing the drawing arcs of the twin pistols. These two aim points will converge on the center of the screen and Ray will snap out of this quick draw mode. You can pull the triggers at any time during the draw, but you have to keep in mind each gun's current ammo status and condition. Ray can hit any number of targets during these precious few seconds of time, which makes it possible to survive those four-on-one gunfights. Ray's other big ability comes from the Bible. At any time, Ray can single wield his gun and start quoting scripture at his enemies. This may cause them to freeze up and allow Ray to send them on to their final judgment.

The game itself looks stunning on the 360, and many multi-player games modes are promised. Deathmatch and Capture the flag seem to be variations on the standard theme. “Claim Jumping” has various gold coins scattered around the map. Players run around the map collecting them, but killing a person allows you to steal all the gold they gathered. “Wanted Man” has everyone hunting one player, and the person who gets the final killshot becomes the new “Wanted Man.” The best of these, however, is the co-op missions based on true, historic events. Events like the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid's awesome robbery of a train.

To say we are excited at the prospect of a good Western Shooter is an understatement. Expect us to have more on Call of Juarez when it lands on June 6th.