Red Dead Redemption

Platform	OVERALL
PlayStation 3	9.50

Overall

9.50

Gaming has covered many genres and settings to the point where many of them are routine. Modern day cities, done that. Sci-fi space adventure, a dime a dozen. The old west is one area where games have tried to capture but never really succeeded until now. Red Dead Redemption captures the essence of what makes for a great western and translates into game form using one of the best formulas in gaming. GTA's DNA is felt in every aspect of the game, if you are going to base your game on another why not base it on the best. The result is what I consider to be the best sandbox game not named GTA.

Seeing that it is like GTA you know to expect a multitude of missions from a wide variety of interesting characters that send you all around the open world. There are side missions scattered at nearly every town ranging from something as simple as breaking in horses to helping out strangers that lead to optional missions. Minigames like arm wrestling and the greatest poker simulator outside of a full game designed only for poker make for great diversions. I always felt like I had something to do even when not in a mission and it wasn't something that broke the illusion that fit with the world, all side missions are integrated perfectly. I particularly loved the skill ranks, sure it ends up being a collectathon but there is something addictive about having a goal to hunt a certain animal and actually setting out to find them. Or my personal favorite, the treasure hunts which are done so well. These goals made sure that I always had something to look out for even when I am simply exploring the country side. Combine that with the random events that occur and there is almost always something for the player to do, completely optional of course.

I believe the setting is what makes this game so special. It is so different from any game like it, I finally feel like I am playing something new. Oh and is it beautiful, my god some of the locations are breathtaking. Riding along the serene open plains as the sun is rising in the early morning is just one of the moments that made me stop and appreciate the world I entered. Every facet of the west is captured from the clothing, the music, to the way everyone speaks and especially the guns. No semi automatics here (for the most part), you use old school revolvers and rifles that feel powerful, the shootouts resemble classic Hollywood western movies. The story is one of the games biggest accomplishments as it tells the tale of a reformed but still dangerous former outlaw trying to get back to his family by having to kill his former gang mates. James Marston is such a great character that he joins the ranks of the all time best gaming leads. It makes for a great western story which ends in spectacular fashion with one of the most unique and powerful endings you will ever see in a game.

While I love the game it is not without its issues and sadly for this game its the main missions which is one of the most important parts of the game. The setting is a double edge sword in this case as it takes place in a more simple time where you don't have the options of a GTA. To keep the illusion that you are living in this old west world Marston has to do mundane tasks like herd cows or breaking in horses. Combat missions usually come down to riding with a group to a location to kill people. There is a certain level of variety to the missions that keep things interesting enough but don't expect missions that rival the best of GTA. Gunplay gets repetitive due to the dead eye skill, again another case of a double edged sword. Dead eye slows down time and allows for a quick draw kind of shooting. It feels great to use and makes Marston feel like a legendary gunslinger but most gun fights are reduced to you slowing down time and shooting people. For some reason Rockstar never makes enemies more interesting as the game goes on, for the most part you face the same faceless bad dudes from the first moment of the game to the end, they simply wear different outfits. These issues hold this game back for me from being mentioned in the same breath as the best GTA games.

There is also a full online component to the game that I ony dabbled in but it seems large and fun enough to add many more hours to an already long game. Red Dead is the complete package of great gameplay, beautiful graphics, excellent story and loads of content. It deserves all the praise its been getting. To me it felt new, yes it felt like GTA but in a totally different setting with enough twists to the gameplay to make me feel like I have not played a game quite like this.

Posted by Dvader Wed, 02 Feb 2011 02:54:53

phantom_leo

Thu, 03 Feb 2011 10:42:56

Good Review! The only thing I disagree with you on is: I LIKED the mundane tasks! For some reason, doing the mundane, boring crap made the game feel that much more realistic and life-like to me. I know, that's odd, but I've never really gotten into a GTA-like game as much as RDR before!

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