Howdy partners, Rockstar’s been mighty busy with their GTA-fangled series, but we wrangled up their latest Western offering and got ourselves an opinion on the fella. Um… what in tarnation… um…
Ok, so the cowboy lingo isn’t really working, but nonetheless we take Red Dead Redemption for a ride to see if this open-world Western is a beautiful stallion or a spur in the side (Yeehaa).
Rockstar San Diego are known for their high quality titles, and no expense has been spared this time around. Seen as the spiritual successor to 2004’s Red Dead Revolver, Red Dead Redemption throws players in the role of John Marsden, a bounty hunter who heads West to track down one of his old gang members. The back-stories that unravel and the development of relationships with other characters are incredible, and the narrative is presented through phenomenal voice-acting which makes the player fall in love with the characters, even if they’re really dirty.
Comparisons have been made with the Rockstar’s more well-known series, as Redemption has been called “GTA in the Wild West”, but it’s so much more than that. Players are treated to incredibly large and gorgeous open-world environment which captures the vast cactus-strewn landscapes, rocky valleys and towns of the Wild West; while everything that should be there, is there.
This said, Red Dead Redemption fulfills the ultimate cowboy experience. You’ll break and ride horses, work on ranches, hang out in saloons, hunt and skin animals and just about anything else you can imagine doing as a cowboy. Your actions will also have consequences, as you can be an outlaw and rob trains and the innocent while trying to evade the law, or you can follow a righteous path and protect the towns and its people. There is so much to do in the game, but the real highlight comes from following the storyline and engaging with the right characters.
Being a gunslinger in the Wild West, combat is also a key feature in Red Dead Redemption. The shooting feels spot-on with the right weight and authenticity of real 20th century weapons. There is an excellent cover system which works even better than in GTA4, allowing players to slide into and move from cover with ease. To help out with some of the shooting, an ability known as Dead Eye is also incorporated, allowing players to temporarily slow down time in order to place more precise and deadly shots.
After earning money from bounty missions or looting bodies, players can head into the nearest town and buy or sell weapons, medicine or maps to help you find gang hideouts and special locations. This really does make you feel part of something bigger.
Redemption looks as good as it plays and the period’s look and feel has been captured excellently. In typical Rockstar fashion, the detail is impeccable and even the awesomely laughable Euphoria engine is used to make animations and movements as fluid and dynamic as possible. You don’t get much more ambitious games than this.
There is too much to do in Red Dead Redemption to even convey, and that’s not even mentioning the competitive online multiplayer (which is awesome by the way). Whether you’re chasing down villains, playing poker, evading the law, hunting animals, bonding with your horse, becoming an outlaw or herding cattle on the ranch, Red Dead’s got it all. Everything about the title seems in place and polished to give players the most immersive and entertaining Western experience. Don’t even hesitate to pick this up.
