The Digest: If you grew up idolizing Sergio Leone’s spaghetti westerns, look no further.  Rockstar continues its legacy of excellence with another enthralling classic.  Red Dead Redemption, dare I say it, is better than their former masterpiece, GTA IV.  Once again, Rockstar manages to weave together an intricate tale involving a number of memorable characters set across a breath taking virtual landscape.

THE FACT SHEET

RELEASE DATE: May 18, 2010
PUBLISHER: Rockstar Games
DEVELOPER:  Rockstar San Diego
ESRB RATING: “M” for Mature
GENRE: Action-Adventure

PRODUCT OVERVIEW:
Red Dead Redemption is an open-world, third-person, action-adventure game set at the tail end of the American West West era. Action takes place in the first few years of the twentieth century and revolves around the choices that the protagonist, former outlaw John Marston, is forced to make due to his blemished past. The game features a morality system assigning honor and fame points generated through the player’s choices. It also features Wild West themed mini-games, new targeting and cover systems, extensive horse riding abilities, a wealth of period specific weapons and more than 40 huntable animals.

PRODUCT FEATURES:

• The Dead Eye targeting mechanic, allowing the player to slow down time.
• Ridable horses and more than 40 kinds of animals that you can hunt or be hunted by.
• Expansive open-world gameplay set in the final years of the American Wild West.
• Loads of unique non-player characters to interact with.
• Morality system based on honor and fame generated by the players actions.
• Western themed mini-games.

Red Dead Redemption is a sprawling western epic that takes place in the early stages of the 20th century.  As modernization and industrialization begins to expand across the US, the death of the Wild West looms across the American frontier.  Rockstar has called this their most ambitious project to date and it certainly shows.  It perfectly captures this romanticized period in American history.  Before playing, however, keep in mind that this is a mature game aimed at adults.  Quoting a recent interview with Rockstar producer Lazlow Jones, “We design games for adults because we’re adults.  There’s a lot of kids’ games out there that we’re not interested in playing. Just like you enjoy watching movies and TV shows with adult themes and language and violence, that’s the kind of thing we seek to produce.”

Taking on the role of a reformed outlaw, John Marston, you are forced by the government to hunt down the very low life criminals you used to ride with.  Stooping to a similarly low level, the government is holding your wife and child hostage in order to get you to cooperate.  Marston, like Niko Bellic before him, is an easy to like character forced into a bad situation.  He can fulfill all your dreams of playing Clint Eastwood’s “the man with no name”, or Ben Wade of Yuma fame, if you are of a decidedly less moral character.  While he starts the story a polite gentleman, you get to see his unsavory side as the story unfurls.

Along your journey between New Austin and the bordering towns across the river in Mexico, you will run into sweet characters like Bonnie to twisted people like Seth.  Each member of this ensemble cast has a ripe story for telling and a problem that needs solving.  Most of which are solved with bullets.  While Rockstar has caught some flack for their portrayal of the drunk, Irish, I never had a boring moment with him around.  There are other, more significant individuals that I had an urge to put a bullet into.

Aside from a couple hiccups, the visuals are fantastic all around. While riding my horse, I’ve gone off path on many occasions because my eyes wandered off staring at the deep stretches of terrain and endless sky.  Unlike today’s more modern settings, filled with skyscrapers and blaring lights, there’s less distractions constantly grabbing for your attention.  It allows you to appreciate the simplicity of your surroundings.

The Fame and Honor system equates to John’s reputation and path of morality.  Gain fame by taking on various missions/challenges and change your Honor by the decisions you make throughout your journey.  The townsfolk react to you differently depending on your fame/honor level.  Have a high level and you will be greeted by random people as you make your way around the numerous towns and you may even get discounts at various stores.  However, have a notorious reputation as an outlaw with a bounty on his head and expect to have people gunning for you.  When it comes to games with paths of morality, I usually take the hero route the first time around.  This is a world of ruthless and lawless bandits who prey on the weak and innocent.  Some just need a good old fashioned beatdown, while others deserve no less than death by the barrel.  To quote the cocaine addled Professor MacDougal, “You know I dreamt of documenting the last days of the old west.  The romance, the honor, the nobility!  But it turns out its just people killing each other.”

To combat all these hardened criminals, you have a wealth of weapons at your disposal.  They are broken down into handguns (revolvers/pistols), rifles, shotguns, sniper rifles, explosives (fire bottle/dynamite), knives (hunting/throwing), and your bare knuckles.  To switch between weapons there’s a simple wheel selector you can bring up to pick a particular sidearm.  Outside of your personal arsenal, there will be several instances throughout the game where you are required to operate a gatling gun.  I found the aiming to be rather difficult at times on this cumbersome weapon and switched to my trusty repeater to take down waves of enemies.  Even so, the aiming reticule and mechanics in general, are one of the weaker points of the game.  The tiny white reticule can easily get lost in the background if you are not paying attention.  However, if you play with the generous aiming assist on, then all these gripes are mostly moot.

The Dead Eye targeting mechanic helps to make up for the weak aiming system implemented.  It slows down time and allows you to line up quick, accurate shots.  This is particularly useful when you’re surrounded by a group of gunslingers, or are on horseback.  There are three tiers to the Dead Eye system, each more deadly than the last.  The first level resembles a more Max Payne type bullet time as everything slows down and allows you to pick your shots.  Level 2 has you automatically paint your targets as you move the reticule over an enemy and watch as you unleash a fury of bullets on them.  In its final stage you have much more control over where you want to place your shots on a target (i.e. shoot his gun out of his hand, hat off his head, shoot his leg to incapacitate him, etc.).

Dueling is relatively simple and doesn’t play as large of a role as you would think.  You can be challenged if you insult someone’s honor (i.e. caught cheating at poker), or if some trigger happy outlaw or vigilante is trying to make a name for themselves.  During the draw period, you are given the option to time your gun pull, with different advantages to speed.  If you slow draw, you have much more accuracy over your aim and the opposite for a quick draw.  Drawing too quickly will also be seen as cheating and your honor will go down and a bounty may be placed on your head.  You gain more fame/honor points for refraining from killing your opponent and instead shooting the gun out of his hand or hat off his head.

Other than the missions revolving around the main story, there are dozens of side quests littered throughout the expansive frontier.  Some of them will take place at designated locations that require you to accomplish several objectives to complete, while others are more of the straight forward kind that you may stumble across as you make your way about this untamed land.  These random meetings will involve strangers that require your assistance for a number of reasons (i.e. bandits raided them, kidnapped family member, etc.).  Of course not everyone who calls for your help really needs it.  Some of them will be part of a trap, which you eventually have to shoot your way out of.  You have to react quickly to the random events, otherwise the person in trouble could be quickly killed or you could miss the opportunity altogether.

Roaming is a key element of any sandbox game and Rockstar has pushed it to new heights.  One of the defining aspects of this title are the activities you can partake in away from the main story.  I actually had trouble trying to stick solely to the story related missions because I was so distracted with the multitude of options available.  With a full ecology, you can wander the open plains and run into any number of the 40 different kinds of animals.  These can be skinned for their fur, parts or meat and sold to the various stores.  You can buy bait at a store and lay a trap if you’re looking to attract a particular animal.  If you’re not in a hunting mood, or are afraid to run into a bear or mountain lion, then grab a treasure map and follow it to its source.  These are a bit more difficult as you have to first figure out the general location based off a drawing of the area.  They are not your straightforward maps with a dotted line and big X to mark the route.  You actually have to study the terrain and figure it out for yourself.

Bounty Hunting is one of the more enjoyable extra curricular activities you can volunteer for.  Find a Wanted Poster and go to the location they were last seen.  There you will find your target guarded by his fellow gang members.  Taking the bounty to the Sheriff alive usually results in nearly double the reward money.  This is where your lasso comes in handy.  Once you have your bounty, whether he’s dead or alive, you have to make your way back to the Sheriff while battling pursuing gang members in order to collect your reward.

Gang hideouts are spread throughout the land.  While they won’t be marked out right on your map, when you do happen to come across one it turns into a big shootout.  Sometimes there will be a mission objective tied to taking down the hideout, like saving a Sheriff from being hung.  These remind me of those scenes from an old western, when the townfolk clear out of the streets as the lone gunslinger takes on a group of outlaws.  They are incredibly fun challenges to tackle and I only wish there were more hideouts available.

Money is a vital aspect of this game and there are many ways to earn some.  If you like to gamble, there are plenty of betting mini-games if you’re looking to earn money through wagers.  They range from simple arm wrestling matches to various card games.  Poker is the most interesting of the group with a level of polish above the rest.  Texas Hold ‘Em is the game of choice, so I’m sure most of you out there reading this have either played or are at least familiar with it.  You can buy into a number of games across the many towns, each with a different set of players and buy-ins.  If you pick up the Elegant Suit, you can hide a card while you’re dealing, that you can use to cheat your way to victory.  However, there’s a mini-game that you must successfully complete in order to insert the card without being noticed.  If you’re caught, you lose whatever money you have at the table and will be faced with a duel.

Horses are used as your main form of transportation throughout the game.  Horseback riding feels a bit awkward the first time around, but you quickly get acclimated to the controls and will be riding like a pro in no time.  Your horse has a vitality bar that must be monitored as you gallop across the terrain, being careful to not spur him too much, lest you wish to get bucked off its back.  If you’re traveling with a companion, you hold down the A button and you automatically match your companion’s pace, whether they’re going at full speed or just trotting along.  These play out like interactive cutscenes as John and his/her companion have an extensive conversation on their trip.  If you’re not up for riding a horse, you can always pay a stagecoach taxi or hop on a train to go to the different towns.  Having property rented in a particular town allows you to instantly travel to them after setting up a campsite.

The multi-player aspect of RDR is a whole new ballpark with the option between free roaming and competitive matches.  You gain experience to level up for taking on various challenges.  Rewards come in the form of new weapons and steeds for you to ride.  Free Roam puts you back into the vast expanse in and around New Austin.  Here, you can join up with up to 15 other players and posse up, if you so choose, to take on various challenges.  You can battle one another, tackle gang hideouts, or simply go hunting together.  This in and of itself can keep you busy for hours on end.

There is your typical deathmatch mode, named Shootout.  The Shootouts begin with everyone facing one another in a duel to be the last man standing.  Whoever is the last one remaining will have the opportunity to gain an advantage by going after the best weapons and/or sniping position.  An interesting aspect of these matches is that you are hidden from radar as long as you are not running.  However, as soon as you start to sprint, a marker shows up indicating to everyone else where you are.  Running wildly around trying to gun everybody down is not easy and the patient “campers” will usually have more success.  These are simple times, so you don’t have to worry about UAVs spotting you from the air or AC-130’s blowing you to kingdom come.

Capture the Bag has 3 variations, each resembling Capture the Flag in some form.  Hold Your Own requires each side to protect their own bag while attempting to steal the other teams stash.  Grab the Bag has a randomly spawned bag that you must work together to bring back to your base to get points.  However, you must be careful as the bag holder as it will significantly slow you down, so you must rely on your teammates to protect you.  Gold Rush has you go after bags of gold and transfer them to drop points with the goal of accumulating as much as possible.  While each is a slight variation of the last, they are all uniquely brilliant and fun in their own right.

Being such a large release, there were bound to be some issues along the way.  Other than the occasional freeze, there are some other hilarious glitches that made it into the final release.  They have donkey lady, cougar man, bird people and the more common demon horse.  While glitches, these are the type that bring more entertainment value than headaches.  If only I could have donkey lady as my trusty steed.

Conclusion: Rockstar never ceases to amaze me with the high level of polish and quality behind their games.  Released in a year with a number of strong contenders, this easily moves into the conversation for game of the year.  There’s just no denying this epic tale as it defies the expectations of even the harshest of critics.  If you’ve been searching for an adventure to immerse yourself in, then Red Dead Redemption will keep you thoroughly occupied for months to come.  I, for one, will be playing long after John Marston’s tale of redemption is finished.

Single Player: 10/10 | Multi-Player: 9/10

Special thanks to Rockstar for providing us with a copy of the game for review.