Red Dead Redemption: The Greatest Western Game Ever

Kubinator

June 10, 2010

The reviews are in and the critics agree-- Red Dead Redemption is a great game. But most gamers already know this and they are very happy to finally get a top-notch Western game.

In the last 15 years or so, gamers have been given the short draw with the genre called "Western Games." There was Lucasarts' Outlaws for the PC. That was a fantastic game, but the game play and graphics are now dated and leave most gamers wishing for a sequel. Next, there was the fabled prequel to Red Dead Redemption, aka Red Dead Revolver for PS2/Xbox. Red Dead Revolver was a good game, but its shortcomings were the length of the game and the lack of the "bang for gamers' buck" because of the poor multiplayer setup. Gamers had GUN for 360/PS2/GC/Xbox. GUN captured the idea of open world gunplay in the Old West but the game's lack of after-game options made it a poor substitute for RDR. Finally, there was Call of Juarez 1 and 2 for 360/PS3. What can I say? Out of all the Western games, the Call of Juarez series is like a 40-year old gamer owning Hey You Pikachu or Pokemon Snap. You may like the games, but the rest of us don't. The Call of Juarez series was just a poor excuse for the genre of Western Games.

rdrside1 (12K) Red Dead Redemption is an outstanding game. It looks and sounds like players have been forced into Doc Brown's DeLorean and sent back to the turn of the 20th Century. At times, RDR may feel like GTA IV. But, it shares none of the flaws of GTA IV including the 30-minute missions with no checkpoints. Rockstar was smart and implemented a save anywhere option, fast travel between places, short, six to seven-minute missions that include cut screens and little RPG-like elements revolving around hunting and sharpshooting. And best of all, RDR does not create a single moment where I had an, "I want to throw-my-PS3-from-the-roof moment."

Nope! As far as I'm concerned, Red Dead Redemption is the perfect Western game and it may just be the best sandbox game to grace gamers' consoles in the last year. I have to say it beats out Just Cause 2 for several reasons. Red Dead Redemption has multiplayer. The game never feels as though portions of it were just tacked on, such as the actual story line. The game is set in an environment that isn't over saturated with other games. There are also more customizations gamers can do with Jack Marston vs. Nikko.

So--the story is a solid one. It's good and straightforward with a few twists thrown in, but it doesn't drag on and on. The cut screens are optional, and gunning down random townspeople, the law, and helpless animals is a blast. The weapons are fun and varied. In a sadistic-sort-of-way, I enjoyed dragging people behind my horse or tying them up on the railroad tracks and leaving them for trains to hit. The missions are full of variety and will keep even the craftiest gamer busy for at least 30 plus hours. The game is a great homage to old Western movies: everything seems authentic from the clothes, to the people, to the weapons. If I want to drink moonshine and chew before dueling, then I will, just like Clint Eastwood. What else can I say to describe this great game?

Well--how about the multiplayer? The multiplayer is good but it needs tweaking. The "invite system" could use some work and Rockstar still drops players randomly from the middle of games. However, gamers can "saddle up" a posse of eight of their closest friends to cause murder and mayhem! This alone is worth the $60 price tag! Nothing says "ye-haw" better than a shootout and the ability to gloat about it in the saloon later!

Despite the minor graphic glitches and occasional other bugs, Red Dead Redemption is a "diamond flush" compared to other open world games and is my nominee for "game of the year" across multiple platforms. It's a fantastic, well-developed game, deserving of 9.5 out of 10. Gamers owe it to themselves to saddle up and start shooting! Western games do not get any better than this.