Have you played Call of Juarez Bound in Blood?

I've been reading up on this game but the reviews all seem to cover the same ground about the differences between playing the two brothers and the story, and don't tell me what you actually do in the game. So I was hoping someone who's played it could tell me some specifics.

Is it at all like Red Dead Redemption?
Is there a large open area to explore?
Are there missions or is it pretty much fight-your-way-to-the-end-of-the-level?
Is there money and buying and selling?
I believe you can ride horses but is it just a few levels that put you on a horse for the duration of the level or the mission or do you own your own horse and take it around with you like RDR?
The reviews say the main story will last about ten hours. Is that true? Is there anything else to do to pad the time out like exploration or side missions?
Is there any exploration at all?
Is it linear, non linear, sandbox, what?

Many thanks.

Originally Posted by human_male
Is it at all like Red Dead Redemption?

Not really, no. Except for the Western setting, of course.

Is there a large open area to explore?

Yeah, but you won't find a whole lot. There are optional side-missions (e.g., bounty hunter) that involve trekking around, but it really isn't a game built for open-world exploration. It is essentially a fairly linear, story-driven FPS.

Are there missions or is it pretty much fight-your-way-to-the-end-of-the-level?

There are missions, but they sometimes involve fighting your way to the end of a level. It's pretty story-driven overall, though (one of the things I appreciated about it).

Is there money and buying and selling?

There was, but it was pretty minor. Earn some cash from missions, buy weapons and ammo — that kind of thing.

I believe you can ride horses but is it just a few levels that put you on a horse for the duration of the level or the mission or do you own your own horse and take it around with you like RDR?

You will ride a horse on particular missions, but it's not always present; it's not like RDR.

The reviews say the main story will last about ten hours. Is that true? Is there anything else to do to pad the time out like exploration or side missions? Is there any exploration at all?

All I did was pretty much head down the main storyline, because I wasn't all that interested in the side-missions. It seems to me that the game lasted more than 10 hours, more like 15 or so, but I could be mistaken. There are side-missions you can do, if you want to pad the time out. Some exploration, but not a lot.

Is it linear, non linear, sandbox, what?

I'd describe it as a mostly linear, story-driven game, with some open areas where you can do side-missions.

I really enjoyed the game, personally. I don't enjoy many FPS anymore, but this one did the trick for me. I think it was the Western setting, the story (plot was well-paced, characters well-drawn if stereotyped, good dialog), and the variety of gameplay.

Anderson has covered your questions so I'll just second his recommendation. I also enjoyed the game a lot (I also played and liked the first CoJ). What really sets the CoJ games apart from other games is that you get to play different characters in the missions (or a choice of whose role you wish to take) and that the characters are actually really entertaining. Ray is one of a kind actually. A real certified asshole but that's what makes playing his role or interacting with him (depending on which character you choose to play) fun in the first place. There aren't enough games out there where you either get treated like shit or get to play the badass.
The story is also more than decent for a FPS. The game really makes you want to keep going and find out about the history and fate of the three brothers (even more so naturally if you have played the first CoJ).
My only gripe is that the PC version suffered slightly from a bit of consolitis as the controls and interface could have been a little better and they should have adapted the field of view (FOV) for PC gamers. I got a little motion sick on some of the more open desert levels about mid game which I'm sure was a FOV issue since I had a similar problem with HL2 until I changed the FOV setting.

I enjoyed both CoJ games, there should be more Western FPSs.