Call of Juarez: The Cartel

Call of Juarez: The Cartel follows an undercover investigative team—featuring LAPD detective Ben McCall, FBI agent Kim Evans, and DEA operative Eddie Guerra—tasked with uncovering the truth behind a deadly bombing of an LAPD facility linked to Mexican cartels. Set across modern-day Los Angeles and Mexico, the trio infiltrates criminal networks, provokes gang wars, and battles corrupt factions using customizable weapons and unique abilities. The game emphasizes cooperative gameplay with optional objectives, car chases, tactical shootouts, and breach-and-clear mechanics while exploring themes of crime and interagency tension.

Call of Juarez: The Cartel: Review

In the annals of video game history, few titles have sparked as much controversy and debate as Call of Juarez: The Cartel. Released in 2011, this third installment in the Call of Juarez series marked a radical departure from its predecessors, shifting the setting from the Wild West to the gritty streets of modern-day Los Angeles and Mexico. Developed by Techland and published by Ubisoft, The Cartel promised a fresh take on the Western genre, blending contemporary crime narratives with the series’ signature gunplay. However, the game’s reception was mixed at best, with critics and fans alike questioning the wisdom of abandoning the franchise’s historical roots. This review aims to provide an exhaustive analysis of Call of Juarez: The Cartel, examining its development history, narrative themes, gameplay mechanics, world-building, and legacy.

Development History & Context

Studio and Creators’ Vision

Techland, the Polish developer behind the Call of Juarez series, had established a reputation for creating immersive and atmospheric Western-themed shooters. The original Call of Juarez and its prequel, Bound in Blood, were praised for their engaging narratives, dual-protagonist gameplay, and authentic Western settings. When Techland announced The Cartel, the decision to relocate the action to the modern day was met with skepticism. Ubisoft’s director of marketing, Adam Novickas, stated that the game would bring the best elements of the Wild West into modern times with a very gritty and relevant plot. This bold move was intended to offer something fresh for the player and give more variety to the shooting experience, as the classical Wild West setting was seen as limiting.

Technological Constraints and Gaming Landscape

The Cartel was developed using the fifth iteration of Techland’s in-house game engine, Chrome. This engine allowed for advanced graphics features such as screen space ambient occlusion, custom anti-aliasing, and anisotropic filtering, which enabled smoother transitions between mipmap levels. The game’s frame rate was capped at 30FPS on consoles, reducing screen tearing and aiding visual consistency. Despite these technological advancements, The Cartel faced significant challenges during development. The decision to shift to a modern setting required a complete overhaul of the game’s aesthetics, mechanics, and narrative themes. This transition proved to be more difficult than anticipated, leading to a rushed release and numerous technical issues.

Fan and Critical Reception

From the moment of its announcement, The Cartel faced criticism from both fans and game journalists. The decision to relocate from the Wild West to the modern day was seen as a risky move, and many questioned whether the game could capture the same magic as its predecessors. Community leaders in El Paso and Juarez criticized the use of real-life violence and tragedy as material for violent entertainment, arguing that seeing the region’s real-life violence depicted as entertainment in a video game would desensitize youths to the horrors of that violence. State legislators in Chihuahua even went so far as to ask the federal government to ban the game entirely. These controversies added to the game’s troubled development and reception.

Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive

Plot and Characters

The Cartel revolves around an interagency task force investigating a powerful Mexican drug cartel after it bombed the DEA’s Los Angeles offices. The team consists of LAPD detective Ben McCall, FBI agent Kim Evans, and DEA agent Eddie Guerra. Each character brings a unique perspective and set of skills to the table, allowing players to experience the story from different angles. The narrative is a complex web of corruption, betrayal, and political conspiracy, as the team uncovers the cartel’s infiltration of the American government.

Dialogue and Themes

The game’s dialogue is often criticized for being clichéd and uninspired, with characters frequently resorting to profanity and stereotypical language. This approach was intended to create a gritty and realistic atmosphere, but it often falls flat, coming across as forced and unnatural. The underlying themes of The Cartel explore the darker side of law enforcement, the corrupting influence of power, and the blurred lines between right and wrong. These themes are woven into the narrative through the characters’ personal struggles and moral dilemmas, as they grapple with the consequences of their actions.

Controversies

The Cartel faced numerous controversies, both before and after its release. The decision to set the game in modern-day Mexico was seen as exploitative by some, as it capitalized on real-life violence and tragedy for entertainment purposes. The game was also criticized for its portrayal of Mexican culture and stereotypes, with some reviewers accusing it of racism and misogyny. These controversies added to the game’s troubled legacy, further tarnishing its reputation in the eyes of critics and fans.

Gameplay Mechanics & Systems

Core Gameplay Loops

The Cartel is a first-person shooter that emphasizes cooperative gameplay, allowing up to three players to team up and complete missions together. The game features a variety of gameplay mechanics, including on-foot shooting, hand-to-hand combat, and occasional vehicle sequences. Players can choose from a wide range of modern firearms, each with its own unique strengths and weaknesses. The game also features a concentration mode, which allows players to slow down time and take out enemies with precision.

Combat and Character Progression

Combat in The Cartel is fast-paced and intense, with players often finding themselves outnumbered and outgunned. The game’s AI can be unpredictable, with enemies sometimes behaving in unrealistic ways. Character progression is handled through an experience points system, which allows players to unlock new weapons and abilities as they level up. However, this system can feel grinding and unfulfilling, as the rewards for leveling up are often underwhelming.

User Interface and Innovative Systems

The game’s user interface is functional but uninspired, with a cluttered HUD that can be difficult to navigate. The Cartel also features a number of innovative systems, such as the secret agenda missions, which task players with retrieving hidden items without being seen by their teammates. These missions add an extra layer of strategy and deception to the gameplay, but they can also be frustrating, as the AI-controlled characters often behave in unpredictable ways.

Flawed Systems

Despite its innovative features, The Cartel suffers from numerous flaws and technical issues. The game is plagued by bugs and glitches, with enemies sometimes appearing out of thin air or getting stuck in animation loops. The AI-controlled characters can also be unpredictable, often failing to provide adequate cover fire or getting in the way of the player’s line of sight. These issues can be frustrating and immersion-breaking, detracting from the overall gameplay experience.

World-Building, Art & Sound

Setting and Atmosphere

The Cartel is set in a gritty and realistic portrayal of modern-day Los Angeles and Mexico, with players navigating a world of crime, corruption, and violence. The game’s setting is a stark contrast to the Wild West of its predecessors, but it is no less immersive. The game’s atmosphere is dark and foreboding, with a constant sense of danger and tension.

Visual Direction

The game’s visual direction is a mixed bag, with some impressive set pieces and environments juxtaposed against bland and repetitive level design. The game’s graphics are generally solid, but they can be marred by technical issues and bugs. The game’s art direction is also a bit of a mixed bag, with some impressive character designs and environments juxtaposed against clichéd and uninspired aesthetics.

Sound Design

The game’s sound design is one of its strongest assets, with a powerful and immersive soundtrack that complements the game’s dark and gritty atmosphere. The game’s voice acting is generally solid, but it can be marred by poor dialogue and clichéd language. The game’s sound effects are also impressive, with a wide range of realistic and immersive sounds that bring the game’s world to life.

Reception & Legacy

Critical and Commercial Reception

The Cartel received generally unfavorable reviews across all systems, with critics praising the game’s cooperative mode and innovative features but ultimately finding it lacking in substance and polish. The game’s Metacritic scores reflect this, with the PC version holding an aggregate score of 51 out of 100, the PlayStation 3 version holding a score of 45 out of 100, and the Xbox 360 version holding a score of 47 out of 100. The game’s commercial performance was also underwhelming, with sales failing to meet expectations.

Influence on Subsequent Games and the Industry

Despite its troubled legacy, The Cartel had a significant impact on the industry, paving the way for other games to experiment with modern settings and cooperative gameplay. The game’s innovative features, such as the secret agenda missions and the concentration mode, have been emulated by other games in the genre. However, the game’s flaws and controversies have also served as a cautionary tale for developers, highlighting the risks of abandoning a franchise’s core identity in pursuit of innovation.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Call of Juarez: The Cartel is a flawed but ambitious attempt to reinvent the Western genre for a modern audience. The game’s shift to a contemporary setting was a bold and risky move, and while it ultimately fell short of expectations, it remains a fascinating and controversial entry in the Call of Juarez series. The game’s narrative themes, gameplay mechanics, and world-building are all worthy of analysis and discussion, and its legacy continues to be felt in the industry today. Despite its flaws, The Cartel is a game that demands to be experienced and understood, and its place in video game history is secure. It is a testament to the power of innovation and the risks of abandoning a franchise’s core identity, and it serves as a reminder that even the most ambitious and controversial games can leave a lasting impact on the industry.