Red Dead Redemption review

Every time I come across one of these great new Sandbox games, it really makes me think that we could possibly be entering a new renaissance. Back in the PS2 days, when the games first started really coming into their own, we were slammed with tons of GTA wannabes. Now, we've got all of these incredibly unique experiences and it's easy for some of them to get overlooked. What is it about Red Dead that has gamers so excited about Rockstars latest release?

Gameplay - 9/10

It feels like every single game Rockstar has worked on has lead them to this point. Taking the best cues from GTA4, a bit of Manhunt's brutality, and almost a bit of (I know it's not a R* game) Gun, all thrown into a pot and blended excellently together has culminated in one of 2010's biggest games. Red Dead Redemption probably does a better job than anything else I can remember of really recreating that wild west that we can only imagine or see in films and books. While a lot of games like open world games fall into a trap of making the world a playground, RDR makes it feel like a living breathing place by adding in tons of npc's that will approach you as you ride your horse from town to town, asking for assistance or even trying to mug you. While you could look at these elements from a distance and complain that these are boring but brief sidequests, when you're in the world, it helps to reinforce the immersion. The character of John Marston is probably their most likable protagonist ever, and one that you can truly understand the motivation for his actions without them seeming completely outlandish. Marston's adventure has him coming across some of the best developed characters in the genre as well, motivating you to keep pushing forward from one mission to the next until the spectacular ending, which is probably one of the most badass endings you'll see in a game.

Once you tire of the single player's 20-30 hours campaign and have had your fill of collectibles, you can hop into the online mode. Similar to GTA4, all of the players in each game are dumped into the exact same world as the single player campaign and are free to explore the world alone or with a posse. In order to give players a bit more of a focus, you'll occasionally come across bandit hideouts that need to be cleared, animals that can be hunted in specific ways to progress through challenges, multiplayer versus games, or you could even roll around making life a living hell for other players. Unfortunately, the last time I played the game, there were a ton of glitches that made the entire experience hard to enjoy to the full extent, but even with those in place, it was easy to lose hours at a time online just messing around, and I'm sure a lot of those have been ironed out now, especially with the new DLC packs having been released.


Graphics - 8/10

As I previously said, Red Dead does a great job of making the old west come alive with all of the wildlife you'll see flourishing in each of the areas you come across. All of the different towns and regions sport a unique feel that feels appropriate to the location and time period, and the character models look great as well. Unfortunately, graphical glitches prevent me from scoring this higher, such as the infamous horse woman and the limited number of models of some of the games classes (whores what) can take you out of the experience a tad bit, but considering the scale of the world, Rockstar did a spectacular job.

Sound - 9/10

Each character in Red Dead Redemption really comes alive with the great voice acting. It's also great to know that, yes, it IS possible to have a great male lead that ISN'T Nolan North. The subtle ambient music really reinforces that cinematic western feel, with some truly amazing songs normally kicking in once you transfer from one area to the next that give the whole thing a somber feel when the moments appropriate. There's something really nice about walking into a bar and hearing people murmur something about one of your latest exploits or a bandit that's been plaguing the town recently.


Overall - 9/10

I hate to be trite, but Red Dead Redemption is one hell of a ride. Games like this a few years ago would have been reserved solely for a big holiday release, but with all of the content in this 60$ package, not to mention the DLC that's out and the amazing stuff coming, this might be one of the best purchases you make all year. There have been complaints raised about the beginning of the game being a bit on the slow side, but it's entirely appropriate for the game and helps you out later down the line. Once you've exhausted the single player game, there's an entirely separate set of online objectives to complete for the completionists, not to mention tons to do in the world if you just want to screw around with other fans of the game. How could anyone possibly be complaining about a summer drought with great games like Red Dead Redemption having been released and giving you more than enough to keep you busy for a long time.