It's either you or me, and the way I see it, might as well be you.
Rockstar Games, famous for their long running Grand Theft Auto series have turned their sights from the bars of New York City to the saloons of New Austin. Developers Rockstar San Deigo did not stray too far from their usually successful formula. The game features a sandbox style environment where the player travels from one point on the map to another, accepting tasks from specified characters while progressing the game's story, one mission at a time. A few minutes of play and it becomes evidently clear that Red Dead Redemption is rooted strongly in Grand Theft Auto IV's footsteps, and while this is an issue, Red Dead Redemption manages to flip the table on the mediocre attempts before it, and hand us what may be the greatest western game around.
Marston is consistently put in the middle of conflicting personalities and beliefs. This would be a perfect opportunity to implement Red Dead Redemption's morality system, and yet, the player can't effect or choose between any of the bigger issues. The player is forced to support both sides of the quarrel in order to progress the game's story. Rockstar needs to take a page out of Bioware's book. Bioware's Mass Effect always gives the player a choice, and even if it doesn't effect the overall outcome of things, it in its own way, it is breaking down the fourth wall. Rockstar's morality system is completely unused, not even in the games side quests do your actions effect the outcome. Marston could be aiding a certain party at one moment, and shooting them the next, missions like these make the player feel detached from what would be powerful moments. I can't help but feel hypocritical when my character makes a promise to support one side of the fence while simultaneously supporting the other.
In the end, Red Dead Redemption takes you from one western cliché to another while casually touching upon some of the darker and deeper levels of human nature. At times the tale can be moderately enjoyable, but it brings nothing new to this poker table. You've seen it all before, and you'll forget it in a months time.
Have you played Grand Theft Auto IV? If you haven't, than you can say you did after you complete Red Dead Redemption. Strip away all of the ponies and tumbleweeds, and you're left with a a carbon copy of GTA's gameplay mechanics. Despite the similarities, Red Dead Redemption manages to bring several new tricks to this costume party.
Instead of an automobile, you'll be riding a horse and while the controls may be a bit frustrating at first, galloping about becomes second nature several hours into the game. Grand Theft Auto's vehicles had a rather annoying habit of bursting into flames at the slightest collision, and while the horses of Red Dead Redemption do not light fire, they do tire pretty frequently. A horse's endurance is tracked by a curved blue meter, positioned to the left of the ever so useful miniature map. If a horse is pushed past its physical limits, the meter will deplete until the stallion bucks poor Marston right off its hind end. Horses like cars and Pokemon come in various types, each with their own attributes. Some are faster runners while others are slower, but run for longer periods of time. Rare breeds being the exception, differences in these majestic animals are surely minuscule. Take my word for it, don't worry about a horse's attributes, just find a stallion which appeals to you, and gallop away into the sunset.
Missions are Red Dead Redemption's main way of introducing set pieces and what Rockstar considers to be exciting shootouts. Missions are accepted by visiting a certain area on your mini-map. Expect to see a brief cutscene at the beginning and end of all missions, these scenes will progress Red Dead Redemption's story and foreshadow your upcoming task. These tasks can range from the usual shootout to an escort mission which inevitably ends in a shootout. Variety is few and far between, shootouts become tedious and activities that weren't fun the first go around are even more irksome towards the end. If the shooting mechanics feel familiar to you, than you've probably noticed that they're identical to those of GTAIV. A lot like Nico Bellic, Marston has his own arsenal of weapons ranging from revolvers to molotov cocktails. I believe there are over fifteen firearms in Red Dead Redemption but you'll be using one, the Bolt-Action Rifle. The Bolt-Action Rifle makes use of its limited ammunition clip and turns Marston's opposition into mince meat. Switching between fifteen weapons could have been a hassle, but luckily, Rockstar has us covered. Similar to Mass Effect 2's weapon wheel, Marston can pull down a damn near identical one by holding L1. Selecting a weapon is rather easy but with bullets whizzing over ones head it becomes a completly different ordeal. Your weapon is now out and you're ready to shoot the hats off any bandits that dare cross your path. Oh, man, I didn't want to be the one who burst that bubble of yours but when it comes down to it, Red Dead Redemption's shooting mechanics are rather generic. The basic cover, aim, and shoot formula of all generic third person shooters is present here. Remember those gifts I mentioned earlier? Red Dead Redemption does bring something moderately new to the GTA mechanics, it's called Dead Eye. Dead Eye shows Marston's superhuman ability of slowing down time. The screen will turn a gross tint of orange and your adversaries are slowed down to a snails crawl. A certain Persian prince called, he wants his dagger back. Using Dead Eye is like shooting fish in a barrel, the most dangerous of foes become target practice thanks to the technique. Don't get too excited, like the horse's endurance Dead Eye is integrated into a depleting meter. If used too carelessly, the meter will deplete and Marston will be forced to wait a while before using his supernatural ability again.
Red Dead Redemption is no doubt a beefy game, it lasted me around fifteen hours and I barely scratched the surface. I can see many players losing themselves in Rockstar's atmospheric world. Plot missions aside, Red Dead Redemption is overflowing with activities to enjoy. Hunting, flower gathering, horse breaking, arm wrestling, gambling, and plenty more. I'd be lying if I said that every activity is enjoyable, but I'll admit to losing several hours in games of virtual Poker. If mini-games don't suit you then the game's side quests surely will. These quests can range from entertaining to borderline disturbing, I'm willing to say that these little side adventures have more heart and originality then Red Dead Redemption's main plot.
The deserted atmospheric game world may be Rockstar's crowning achievement, at times it can be breath taking. It may not be as crowded with NPCs as GTAIV but it feels more genuine and alive. The lush environments, the sunsets, the wildlife. It all comes together to form something beautiful, something artistic. If you were forced to enjoy only one aspect of Red Dead Redemption, than I can guarantee that it'll be the scenery. All of this beauty can at times go to waste because of one little thing. The developers manage to kick themselves with the familiar addition of the now iconic miniature map. It sits in the lower left side of the screen and is at times too helpful, it tells you where to go, where you'll be going next. Even when the destination is several feet away, the map will still guide you. My eyeballs were more often glued to the lower left corner of the screen then Red Dead Redemption's gorgeous scenery.
I've hyped Red Dead Redemption's visuals enough, but the environment truly comes to life when the game's soundtrack is playing. Music is a rare commodity since the majority of the sounds come from the game's wild life. Similar to a cutscene, the soundtrack shines when it's scripted. The sun setting, and the worlds at your feet, your horse neighing and shaking it's mane. It's moments like this where the soundtrack kicks off, Rockstar seems to know exactly when and where to play their stylishly western jingles.
While the visuals are clearly impressive, not all things are created equal. Marston's character model is quite detailed and attractive but the same can't be said for the supporting characters, at times they are borderline digusting. A former gunslinger by the name of Ricketts can be our prime example. The hair textures on his head and chin can at times look like little colored wires. Red Dead Redemption is a game of colossal size, it's only fair to expect a fair share of cringe worthy moments, whether it was due to a bug or an ugly texture.
When it came to bugs and glitches, I ran into very few. Only once was I forced to hard reset my console in order to continue. The rest of the bugs I encountered were very minuscule. If you had your hopes up for a review of the multiplayer component than I'll have to disappoint you. I bought Red Dead Redemption interested in the single player only. I'm not being paid for this review so I won't force myself to play through the multiplayer, when I have absolutely no desire to do so.
Buy: The Wild West has for far too long ignored the gaming industry, while embracing other entertainment mediums with astounding success. Decades have past but is this our equivalent to The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly? I think not, Red Dead Redemption like most Rockstar games seems to be a professional critic's wet dream. I personally, don't see all the hype. It's a vast game based around a setting which video games have hardly touched upon. If you're itching for some cowboy action then this is surely a must buy. If you're just looking for your next adventure then Red Dead Redemption can fit those shoes as well.
