This one came out of left field.

I really liked Far Cry 3. When Blood Dragon came out, I sort of looked at it, but not real close. But a couple of weeks back, there was a Steam sale of Blood Dragon with Call Of Juarez - Gun Fighter for $15, so I picked them up.

No, I'm not talking about Blood Dragon, it's meh at best.

But Call Of Juarez - Gun Fighter is a amazing. It has something that games seem to have forgotten about, it's actually FUN! This is one of those rare gems that does everything right. It doesn't try to be anything other than what it is, an arcade shooter with an amusing story to tell. It ain't Call of Duty and never tries to be.

What it gets right starts with the story; Silas, the main character is an amazing blowhard, and funny as hell. His tale is absurd and he contradicts himself constantly - leading to even more laughs. The idea of a gun fighter who faced down every famous gun slinger in the west would be too much, but an old man telling tales tales in a saloon in trade for a steady stream of drinks is another story.

Game play is really good - it's simple, but tightly integrated into the story, when Silas gets caught in an obvious lie, the play backs up so he can concoct a more plausible tale. Don't expect any flanking or squad tactics, the bad guys are about as smart as shooting gallery bears - but that actually fits with the style of the game. The developers play on the weakness of the game in a masterful way.

Graphics. COJGS uses the Chrome 5 engine, nothing to write home about. But again, the developers take a weakness and turn it into a strength. The entire game is presented in an old West painting format. Leaves on trees even have brush strokes added to further the look. It gives an under-powered engine an artistic flare that really works - it's simply brilliant.

Boss fights. They're there, but most are not ridiculous, and if you lose them, they automatically become easier, so as not to frustrate the game play.

This is a short game, 6 to 8 hours is all, but it's one that will have most people smiling through it and the art direction is stunning.