Call of Juarez: The Cartel is a 2011 first-person shooter that is currently on the list of games that will be played on Butt Spectrum Club. Call of Juarez: The Cartel is the third entry in the Call of Juarez Series, following up Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood, and was followed up by Call of Juarez: Gunslinger.
Game Info[]
Call of Juarez: The Cartel is a first-person shooter developed by Techland and was published by Ubisoft and Techland for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC.
Call of Juarez: The Cartel is a first-person shooter in which the player controls one of three protagonists: Det. Ben McCall (LAPD), Agent Kim Evans (FBI), or Agent Eddie Guerra (DEA). The two characters whom the player does not choose are controlled either by the AI, or by human player(s) in drop-in/drop-out co-op mode. Unlike the original Call of Juarez, which used alternating characters level-by-level, or Bound in Blood, which allowed players to choose which character to play as for each level, in The Cartel, players pick a character before beginning the first level, and are confined to using that character throughout the campaign, unless they start a new game. Irrespective of the player character, each level is played through in the same manner. However, playing as specific characters does often result in different cutscenes and in-game dialogue. For example, in the first level, each of the three characters receive a phone call at different points, but the player can only hear what is said during the player character's conversation; thus, to hear all three phone calls, the player must play through the level three times, using a different character each time.
Each character can wield handguns, rifles, heavy and light machine guns, shotguns, and grenades. Each can interact with certain objects, such as ammo, weaponry, and collectibles. Each can also drive vehicles when available, or ride shotgun if necessary. Each can also avail of "Team Cover", a special game mechanic only available at predetermined points whereby the under-fire player can move from designated cover spot to designated cover spot, with their companions automatically offering covering fire as they move.
The main differences between the three characters pertain to their weaponry. McCall gets a damage bonus when using handguns and heavy machine guns, whilst his speciality skill is rapid reloading of handguns. He's also stronger and slower than the others, and can take more damage in both gunfights and melee combat. Evans gets a damage bonus when using rifles and sniper rifles, whilst her speciality skill is enhanced focus when zoomed in on a target and the ability to hold her breath when using a sniper rifle. She's weaker and faster than the others, and is the only character who can simultaneously run and zoom. Guerra gets a damage bonus when using light machine guns and shotguns, whilst his speciality skill is the ability to dual wield SMGs. His strength and speed fall between McCall and Evans – he's faster and weaker than McCall but tougher and slower than Evans.
Each mission in the game features a series of primary objectives, which must be completed sequentially as the player moves through the map. Certain levels also feature optional side quests called "Secret Agenda" missions. In these missions, which are different for each of the characters, the player character will receive a phone-call asking them to retrieve something hidden within the map. Not only must they find the item, but to get the full experience points and complete the mission successfully, they must collect it unseen by the other two characters. When playing in co-op mode, if a player is seen taking the secret agenda item, they get 50% of the available experience, with the other 50% going to the player who saw them. Experience allows the player to level up, with different weaponry made available for use at each level.
The game features two types of slow-motion attacks ("Concentration Mode"). Irrespective of the character, players charge their concentration metre by killing enemies, with headshots charging the meter faster than body shots. Once the player has filled the meter, they can activate concentration mode at any time. When they do, time slows down dramatically, but the player can still pivot, shoot, and reload at near-normal speed. In co-op play, when one player triggers their concentration mode, it also triggers for all other human players. The second type of concentration mode is dual concentration, which happens automatically at certain points in the game, always at doorways. The player character and one of the AI characters (or two player characters in co-op mode) simultaneously burst into the room, and the game goes into slow motion for several seconds.
Plot[]
The game begins as the fledgling but powerful Mendoza Cartel bomb the DEA's offices in Los Angeles, killing seven agents. In response, Deputy Attorney General Joseph Reynolds orders Assistant Attorney General Shane Dickson to put together an interagency task force. She selects LAPD detective Ben McCall, FBI agent Kim Evans, and DEA agent Eddie Guerra. She tells the team that FBI agent Patrick Stone, who was killed in the bombing, had been investigating the sale of military-grade weaponry to the cartel. After the bombing, Stone's daughter Jessica contacted McCall and told him that several days prior, her father was threatened by a man named Antonio Alvarez, who was squadmates with both McCall and Stone in Vietnam.
After causing chaos to the cartel's street operations, the team learn that Alvarez is scheduled to take delivery of a sizeable amount of cash. En route to the exchange, Guerra's bookie calls and tells him his $70,000 debt has been paid off, much to his confusion. After the exchange is made, the team give chase, with Alvarez fleeing on foot. While Evans pursues, she is called by FBI Assistant Director Allen Waters and told that Alvarez is an FBI informant, and is not to be arrested. Nevertheless, the team are able to get the money Alvarez was carrying.
Later, Guerra gets a call from whoever paid off his debt, telling him that they want Jessica moved to a less secure location. As Guerra reluctantly obliges, they are attacked en route, although they manage to escape. Seeing that Jessica has a missed call from Kevin Donleavy, a former FBI agent who worked with her father, the team have her ring him back, whereupon he tells her that her father sent something to him; evidence of a conspiracy that "goes all the way to the top." Jessica arranges to meet Donleavy in a rooftop bar. Guerra is again contacted by his creditors, and is told they no longer need Jessica, now they just need Donleavey's evidence. Evans is informed that Donleavy is working for the cartel, and follows an order to shoot him. This prompts Jessica to flee, pursued by Alvarez, who was also in the bar.
The team then learn that Jesus Mendoza, son of Juan Mendoza, the cartel's leader, is coming to LA to handle the arms deal. They apprehend Jesus, learning that the cartel are buying the weapons from Peace Keepers International, a private military company run by Michael Duke. Alvarez tells Evans that Donleavy was not working for the cartel and offers intel on the exchange with Duke in exchange for custody of Jesus. He also confirms that the cartel has apprehended Jessica. McCall, however, contacts Juan directly, offering Jesus in exchange for Jessica, to which Juan agrees.
At the prisoner exchange, Alvarez kills both Jessica and Jesus. He then offers a new deal - the location of the weapon trade in return for the money the team stole during the money exchange. Donleavy's evidence proves to be an audio recording in which Stone reveals that Dickson is working with the cartel. McCall reluctantly agrees to Alvarez's deal, and the team head to the location; an old fort in Juarez (the same fort occupied by Juan Mendoza in the previous games), where they kill all of Duke and Juan's men and steal the trucks with the weaponry and money.
As Alvarez manipulates Juan and Duke into each believing that the other is responsible for the heist, Evans tells Waters that Dickson is working with the cartel, and they are planning to arrest Juan, as they need his testimony to convict Dickson and attest to the conspiracy. At Jesus' funeral, Duke attacks and is killed. The team pursue Juan and Alvarez to Juan's hacienda. Juan surrenders, but is immediately killed by a US military drone operated by Dickson. After cornering Alvarez, McCall wants to kill him for his crimes, Evans wants him alive so Dickson can go to prison, and Guerra wants to split the drug money three-ways. Alvarez also reveals that it was the FBI who paid off Guerra's debts so they would have leverage over him in the future. Each draws their weapon, and the player is presented with a choice of whether or not to kill their teammates.
There are four possible endings. If the player chooses not to kill their teammates, Alvarez is taken alive and testifies against Dickson, leading to her arrest. Guerra and Evans are arrested for leaking Jessica's location and killing Donleavy, respectively. The game ends with McCall visiting Stone and Jessica's grave. If the player chooses to kill their teammates, Alvarez detonates a grenade and escapes. If McCall is the player character, he is subsequently arrested, while the U.S. considers invading Mexico as the Mendoza cartel spreads into the highest echelons of government. If Evans is the player character, she is awarded the FBI Medal of Valor by Dickson at a press conference, but is arrested after assaulting Dickson. If Guerra is the player character, he is later assassinated in a hotel room, while Dickson is congratulated by the U.S. president on TV. The game ends with either McCall (if he is the player character) or Dickson looking at a postcard sent by Alvarez, which states: "happiness is having friends in high places."
