Game Info
Game Name: Red Dead Redemption
Developer(s): Rockstar San Diego/Rockstar North
Publisher(s): Rockstar Games
Platform(s): PS3/Xbox 360
Genre(s): Open World/Third Person Shooter/Action/Adventure
Release Date(s): May 18, 2010
ESRB Rating: M
I said ‘Draw’ you coward!
John Marston is sent to the west in 1911 by government agents. The only way he can clear his name is to bring in what is left of his former gang. When Marston is shot down by Bill Williamson, Marston begins a path of healing to stop the gang, save the West, and get his family back…can Marston live happily ever after? Red Dead Redemption is an open-world, third person Western game by Rockstar, and a sequel to the Xbox game Red Dead Revolver. A critical and financial hit, Red Dead Redemption crushed the competition (unfortunately rolling over the interesting Alan Wake which was released just days before).
Take a trip to lovely Mexico
Red Dead Redemption however is one of those games that lives up to the hype. The story keeps moving with interesting missions and variations on the themes, plus plenty of side missions to keep the people who love scouring over games interested for months. There are hidden areas and hidden enemies that help keep the game interesting. With decent voice acting and cut scenes, it really does feel like a story, and for the most part, it doesn’t seem like the character could just jump to the end to stop his gang members. There are a few points near the Mexico portions where you begin to wonder how much longer it can go on…the answer is a lot longer.
That dumb plumber and his brother never had these problems
The graphics are fantastic. There are plenty of environments to explore. There are wooded forests to the north…inhabited by bears and other dangerous creatures, plains to the east where buffalo still roam (unless you decide to make them extinct), and plenty of deserts to explore from plateau lands to just across the river in Mexico. Add to that the rising and setting sun and the West has never looked better. Marston’s movements are very responsive. With his “Dead-Eye” mode, gunning down bad guys has never been easier. The horse riding is great with very responsible horses (and a bit of advice…when shooting on a horse don’t accidentally shoot your own horse in the head…yeah that can happen).
There’s going to be trouble when I ride into town
I do get a bit bored running into “random crimes” in the desert, but they need to be completed to increase your reputation. You’ll see the dot on the map…knowing it is a trap, but it doesn’t matter, your character responds like it is a surprise. The game makers do mix them up however. Sometimes it really isn’t a trap, but it seems like everyone I run into just are setting up ambushes. Red Dead Redemption is a great game along the lines of Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto. What makes Red Dead Redemption superior to the recent Grand Theft Auto IV is that setting it in the West really changed it up. Like Grand Theft Auto and Bully, you do go place to place like standard sandbox games, but something makes it different. There are multiple expansions including the hugely popular Undead Nightmare (with zombies) and a Game of the Year Edition that collects most of the add-ons, so step into the old West and pick up Red Dead Redemption.
