Game title: Red Dead Redemption
Consoles: PS3, Xbox 360
Developer: Rockstar
Release Date: May 18, 2010
Pregame:
Red Dead Redemption is Rockstar's spiritual successor to 2004's Red Dead Revolver, which received mixed reviews at best. While Revolver fell flat in most gamers' eyes, Redemption shines. I opted for the Game of the Year edition, which I'd highly recommend for any interested party, and the game earns that title.
Redemption is an open world game that takes place in the Wild West, specifically the fictional New Austin, which is close to the U.S.-Mexican border. Players will eventually venture into Mexico and into another U.S. territory name West Elizabeth, and they'll complete missions and meet all manner of strange folk along the way.
Play-by-play:
At first glance, Redemption looks to be just another Rockstar game with a new setting - an equestrian-influenced Grand Theft Auto. Upon deeper inspection, however, there is much more driving the game. Sure, it's an open world sandbox where players can run amok whenever they want, but this game has heart.
Players step into the spurred boots of John Marston, an ex-outlaw who, through a very inconvenience hostage situation, must hunt down members of his former gang and redeem himself - hence the game's title.
Redemption is a vibrant game. Old West towns and farms are sprinkled around a map that is mostly wilderness, beautiful sunsets coat the land in golden hues while ambient animals roam the countryside. While small animals like rabbits add character to the world, players must also be aware of dangerous larger creatures like cougars and bears. While the addition of wildlife might not seem like a huge deal, after playing this game for a few hours, players will come to realize what other games are missing.
While players are roaming around appreciating all this, the game's human NPCs are not to be outdone. Random travelers or civilians will call out for help, and players can do everything from reclaiming a stolen horse to saving someone from a pack of wolves.
All these things are just Redemption's backdrop. The meat of the game comes down to fun firefights (in a Rockstar game!), interesting characters, and actually feeling like a cowboy. The western theme is heavy here, but not oppressive. It doesn't got all spaghetti western, but it allows players to experience stereotypical cowboy activities. Players can wrangle herds, break horses, hogtie people, fight duels, hunt bounties, and even become a bandanna-wearing bandit if they want.
In particular, the gunslinging mechanics are amazingly fun, especially Dead Eye mode. When aiming, Dead Eye mode slows time and allows players to mark targets, then fire precise shots quickly. This effectively makes Marston into Max Payne crossed with Sam Fisher.
Marston will have to use all his skills to use in order to track down his former compatriots, and he'll do everything from scaring off cattle rustlers to fighting in a Mexican revolution along the way. The supporting characters in Redemption will keep Marston busy during his hunt, and in that way, they resemble most other Rockstar mission-givers. That, and they're all plain horrible.
With the exception of one or two good eggs, every NPC has a nefarious or selfish purpose driving them. This doesn't make them bad characters, just bad people. After continued interaction with these folks, players get the real sense that Martson is only putting up with them for exactly as long as he's forced to do so.
The story of the game is presented very well, right down to the music. The game's musical score surprised me by being fantastic and setting the mood in a subtle way. It's little touches that set this game apart.
I know I've already beaten this particular dead horse, but this is a damn Rockstar game! Rockstar games feature hoodlums that blow shit up for fun, laugh in the face of law enforcement, and have ambitions of dominating the criminal underworld by killing everyone. This game has a earnest, if gruff, hero who wants nothing more than to have a quiet farm with his wife and son. Look at it this way: Redemption has a morality system. In GTA, you're just amoral.
Sure, players can run through the game as a walking death machine, but in cutscenes, Marston seems more like he's only getting his hands dirty because he has to. He makes it clear that he has no desire to find the men he's after, but he has no choice.
If the standard story doesn't excite you, the Undead Nightmare DLC, which is included with the Game of the Year Edition, brings something new to the table. In it, players start a new story that takes place near the end of the main campaign, and things take a grindhouse-style zombie twist. The dead rise from their graves in droves, ammo is scarce, melee attacks actually become useful, and stabbing walking corpses in the brain becomes normal.
Undead Nightmare isn't just a tacked-on DLC modes (pretty common these days); it's so robust that it's actually sold as its own stand-alone game, as well as DLC for the main game.
Of course, if the story isn't your thing at all, there's always the online option. Through the magic of the Internet, players can choose a character and roam the game map, killing other players or teaming up with them to fight bandits. Online play also includes competitive modes (more with DLC), and there is a slew of achievement/trophies associated with them, if players are so inclined.
Final Call:
Redemption does a great job of capturing the feeling of cowboy flicks, which is exactly what I was hoping for with this game. However, as far as sandbox games go, there isn't that much to help the player make their own fun. There are a few ambient challenges (again, more with DLC), and online play can extend gameplay considerably, but Redemption doesn't have the same tools like Just Cause 2 or the Dead Rising games.
That being said, when playing through the story or just completing challenges, Redemption is very engaging. It's a lot of fun wrapped in a cowboy coating, and it's not a game to overlook.
Consoles: PS3, Xbox 360
Developer: Rockstar
Release Date: May 18, 2010
Pregame:
Red Dead Redemption is Rockstar's spiritual successor to 2004's Red Dead Revolver, which received mixed reviews at best. While Revolver fell flat in most gamers' eyes, Redemption shines. I opted for the Game of the Year edition, which I'd highly recommend for any interested party, and the game earns that title.
Redemption is an open world game that takes place in the Wild West, specifically the fictional New Austin, which is close to the U.S.-Mexican border. Players will eventually venture into Mexico and into another U.S. territory name West Elizabeth, and they'll complete missions and meet all manner of strange folk along the way.
Play-by-play:
At first glance, Redemption looks to be just another Rockstar game with a new setting - an equestrian-influenced Grand Theft Auto. Upon deeper inspection, however, there is much more driving the game. Sure, it's an open world sandbox where players can run amok whenever they want, but this game has heart.
Players step into the spurred boots of John Marston, an ex-outlaw who, through a very inconvenience hostage situation, must hunt down members of his former gang and redeem himself - hence the game's title.
Redemption is a vibrant game. Old West towns and farms are sprinkled around a map that is mostly wilderness, beautiful sunsets coat the land in golden hues while ambient animals roam the countryside. While small animals like rabbits add character to the world, players must also be aware of dangerous larger creatures like cougars and bears. While the addition of wildlife might not seem like a huge deal, after playing this game for a few hours, players will come to realize what other games are missing.While players are roaming around appreciating all this, the game's human NPCs are not to be outdone. Random travelers or civilians will call out for help, and players can do everything from reclaiming a stolen horse to saving someone from a pack of wolves.
All these things are just Redemption's backdrop. The meat of the game comes down to fun firefights (in a Rockstar game!), interesting characters, and actually feeling like a cowboy. The western theme is heavy here, but not oppressive. It doesn't got all spaghetti western, but it allows players to experience stereotypical cowboy activities. Players can wrangle herds, break horses, hogtie people, fight duels, hunt bounties, and even become a bandanna-wearing bandit if they want.
In particular, the gunslinging mechanics are amazingly fun, especially Dead Eye mode. When aiming, Dead Eye mode slows time and allows players to mark targets, then fire precise shots quickly. This effectively makes Marston into Max Payne crossed with Sam Fisher.
Marston will have to use all his skills to use in order to track down his former compatriots, and he'll do everything from scaring off cattle rustlers to fighting in a Mexican revolution along the way. The supporting characters in Redemption will keep Marston busy during his hunt, and in that way, they resemble most other Rockstar mission-givers. That, and they're all plain horrible.
With the exception of one or two good eggs, every NPC has a nefarious or selfish purpose driving them. This doesn't make them bad characters, just bad people. After continued interaction with these folks, players get the real sense that Martson is only putting up with them for exactly as long as he's forced to do so.
The story of the game is presented very well, right down to the music. The game's musical score surprised me by being fantastic and setting the mood in a subtle way. It's little touches that set this game apart.
I know I've already beaten this particular dead horse, but this is a damn Rockstar game! Rockstar games feature hoodlums that blow shit up for fun, laugh in the face of law enforcement, and have ambitions of dominating the criminal underworld by killing everyone. This game has a earnest, if gruff, hero who wants nothing more than to have a quiet farm with his wife and son. Look at it this way: Redemption has a morality system. In GTA, you're just amoral.Sure, players can run through the game as a walking death machine, but in cutscenes, Marston seems more like he's only getting his hands dirty because he has to. He makes it clear that he has no desire to find the men he's after, but he has no choice.
If the standard story doesn't excite you, the Undead Nightmare DLC, which is included with the Game of the Year Edition, brings something new to the table. In it, players start a new story that takes place near the end of the main campaign, and things take a grindhouse-style zombie twist. The dead rise from their graves in droves, ammo is scarce, melee attacks actually become useful, and stabbing walking corpses in the brain becomes normal.
Undead Nightmare isn't just a tacked-on DLC modes (pretty common these days); it's so robust that it's actually sold as its own stand-alone game, as well as DLC for the main game.
Of course, if the story isn't your thing at all, there's always the online option. Through the magic of the Internet, players can choose a character and roam the game map, killing other players or teaming up with them to fight bandits. Online play also includes competitive modes (more with DLC), and there is a slew of achievement/trophies associated with them, if players are so inclined.
Final Call:
Redemption does a great job of capturing the feeling of cowboy flicks, which is exactly what I was hoping for with this game. However, as far as sandbox games go, there isn't that much to help the player make their own fun. There are a few ambient challenges (again, more with DLC), and online play can extend gameplay considerably, but Redemption doesn't have the same tools like Just Cause 2 or the Dead Rising games.
That being said, when playing through the story or just completing challenges, Redemption is very engaging. It's a lot of fun wrapped in a cowboy coating, and it's not a game to overlook.
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