Call of Juarez: The Cartel

Plot synopsis:
The offices of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) are bombed by unknown assailants. Assistant Deputy Director Shane Dickson enlists LAPD detective Ben McCall, along with Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent Kimberly Evans and DEA agent Eddie Guerra to track down the culprits. She informs them of the late Patrick Stone, who was investigating the Cartel up until his death in the bombing. They are also tasked with protecting Stone's only daughter, Jessica. Kim reveals that the Cartel has been purchasing military-grade hardware from an unknown source. During the story, each character illegally interferes with the investigation for various reasons.
The team then storms Mendoza's Hacienda, killing more of his men and finally manage to corner Mendoza, who promptly surrenders. Ben tries to strong-arm him into testifying, only for Mendoza to be killed by an unmanned aircraft drone, which fires upon the rest of the team, who realize that Dickson must've sent the drone after them in order to cover up her tracks, and they take cover to avoid drone fire trying to kill them. Ben says that Alvarez is the only one left who can testify to Dickson's involvement. The team chase him into a cellar, where they split into three paths. Kim and Eddie are contacted by their superiors who encourage them to kill off their teammates, while Dickson orders Ben to walk away, or "things will go badly" for him. The team manages to corner Alvarez, who reveals that Eddie's debts have been paid off in exchange for his agency to hold him responsible for his illegal actions, Kim reveals that Alvarez is a federal informant and was their link to the Cartel. Ben wants to kill Alvarez in retaliation for his crimes, Kim wants Alvarez alive so Dickson and Waters can go to prison and Eddie wants to split the drug money three ways where they can start with a clean slate.
The team engage in a Mexican standoff and the player is presented with a choice to either kill his/her teammates or decide not to fight, choosing to kill your teammates results in Alvarez detonating a grenade and escaping, after which you kill your teammates and get different fates for each character, Ben goes to prison while the United States prepares to go to war with Mexico, Kim slaps Dickson after being awarded a medal, and is apprehended, and Eddie is killed (presumably by the person who was blackmailing him). If you choose not to fight, the team lets Alvarez live. If Alvarez is taken alive, he testifies against Dickson's involvement, resulting in her arrest. Eddie is jailed for his involvement in the murder of Jessica and Kim for killing Donleavy, and Ben is shown placing flowers on Patrick and Jessica's grave, and pulling out a Bible, finally seeking redemption.

Tags: violence

Review:
poor gameolay, clichéd story.. Wow! what a comedown from the first game..its now just a generic shoot-em-up derived from- and inferior to- so many others.Gameplay is awkward. I found the driving levels incredibly irritating and cumbersome.The story is clichéd, the characters are unlikable racial stereotypes and there are just too many cutscenes. Swearing doesn't bother me but if it offends you there is a lot of profanity here.The modern setting adds nothing and merely removes call of juarez of its unique selling point and sense of identity.I did consider buying this but thankfully I rented it first. I definitely won't be buying it.. Mistake with some good stuff. This game did not fulfill my expectations. I don't know what was the idea no more good old western, no more Indians, Mexicans duels good music This is just a FPS with some typical, already used story about FBI, DEA and all that stuff fighting against drug lords and weapon smugglers. There are some tiny references for example, you can find some valuable items you can ride a car and you can choose character, this time, three of them. One of them is Ben McCall, no other than a descendant of Marisa and Thomas and their son Billy. But, he inherited some strong genes that reminds you of Ray McCall. And the guy is pretty the same as Ray, he is tough, hard-nosed, merciless and he cites the bible when he enters a special shooting mode a former Vietnam veteran and a crazy mofo. Eddie is latino-American DEA, not that important, but he can handle rifles pretty good. Kim is a FBI agent skilled with snipers. And they all have pretty interesting connection through the gameplay. But, the game itself doesn't offer you any kind of intensity, energy, atmosphere just running around and shooting at the targets, but it holds some elements from the previous games, like concentration mode shooting and breaking in position at the doors. On occasions, it can be fun, but don't expect too much.. Terrible!. I'm a huge fan of shooter games (anything Rockstar, Stranglehold, Call of Duty 3, The Uncharted series, etc.) so I was excited when I heard positive things about its predecessor. I was absolutely disappointed the moment I pressed the start button.The character development was non-existent, the plot was ridiculous, and the game-play was extremely annoying. There was a level where you have to move drugs from one car to another. You can't shoot anyone while holding items and every single flipping time I did this part, I ALWAYS ended up dying. I was stuck on this mission forever. When playing, in general, it felt as if I was a lab rat trapped in a universe that you can't even explore or get some fresh air. I don't have a problem with linear games but this was poorly executed.Immediately after dying for 50th time in a row, I went to Gamestop sold it for store credit. Those $10 I paid for it were not worth it. Do yourself a favor and avoid this game!