Call of Juarez: The Cartel Now Available for Xbox 360, PS3

The third chapter in the Call of Juarez series, Call of Juarez: The Cartel, has shipped to retail today. Unlike the previous two games in the series, which followed the Old-West story of a family torn apart by love and violence, Call Of Juarez: The Cartel takes place in a modern setting that’s just as Wild of a West but features SUVs and Benzes rather than horses and carriages.

Here’s a quick plot overview: When a Mexican drug cartel bombs a U.S. law enforcement agency, the government puts together a special task force to bring them down. Enter LAPD cop Ben McCall, DEA agent Eddie Guerra and FBI agent Kim Evans, each of whom brings his or her own special skills, personal demons and unique story to the game. As one of these protagonists, players will fight to dismantle the Cartel through the streets of Los Angeles to Ciudad Juarez.

Call Of Juarez: The Cartel features an intense campaign that can be enjoyed solo or with up to two friends. The gameplay spans punitive raids, tough interrogations and car chases. Adding depth to the three-player cooperative mode is the new “co-opetition” system, which has players not only working together, but also against each other in secret missions and challenges. Players who successfully complete these tasks are rewarded experience points that can be used to level up and unlock more powerful weapons.

Call of Juarez: The Cartel also includes two multiplayer modes: Team Death Match (cops against criminals) and an objective-based mode that presents a mission-driven struggle in which two sides fight to complete a series of goals. Both modes can accommodate up to 12 players for six versus six matches

I loved the first two games in the series, especially where the voice acting and plots were concerned, so here’s hoping Ubisoft and Techland deliver the goods in the modern-day Juarez as well. If you’d like to nab the game from Amazon, you can do so using the following links: Call Of Juarez: The Cartel for PS3 and Call Of Juarez: The Cartel for Xbox 360.