Red Dead Redemption Review

The spiritual successor to Red Dead Revolver, Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption is more than ‘Grand Theft Auto in the wild west’. Red Dead Redemption is one hell of a game in its own right. Set in 1911 during the dying years of the ‘Old West’ the period atmosphere is intense; at once it felt as though I was inside a spaghetti western. Enter John Marston, a troubled man with a bloody past, out to capture the former members of the gang he used to run with to give himself a clean slate, and give his son the life he never had. The tale told in Red Dead is expertly written with interesting and nuanced characters, the game was as much a pleasure to play for its story as it was for the other elements.

Being set during the final years of the wild west, the game play is quite different from most modern third person shooters or sandbox games; the weapons of the day and age means one must shoot with care and precision; long reload times and slow firing rates with most weapons (few of the weapons are semi or fully automatic), there is a knife for close range melee (it is also used to skin animals-see below) and an option to duke it out with your fists. Dynamite and ‘Fire Bottles’ are the area effect weapons the game gives John (in lieu of grenades) with throwing knives used to kill silently from a distance. Given that the main theme of Red Dead is change, some more modern and foreign weapons are to be found such as the M1903 Pistol (which bares a sharp contrast to the ubiquitous revolvers scattered around the game and typical of the setting), the German Mauser, and the Italian Caranco rifle.

When surrounded by multiple enemies the player can use the ‘Deadeye’ ability. Deadeye slows time, allowing the player shoot enemies with ease untill the meter runs out or the player turns it off. On higher levels Deadeye allows the player to mark their enemies and when moving back into the normal mode of play, shots will be fired at targeted areas,allowing a player to easily disarm, incapacitate, or kill their enemies (or amusingly, shoot off their hats). Deadeye is replenished by using items or scoring headshots.

Fun as the singleplayer is I decided to give multiplayer a try. It was intensely fun, but far more difficult, with allies quickly becoming enemies, and the gameplay changing from a peaceful night time ride in the canyons to a daring and bloody attack on a bandit infested town. Deadeye retains its targeting abilities however it no longer slows down time (such a feature impossible in multiplayer. The only problem with multiplayer is the inclusion of downloadable content, specifically the Explosive Rifle (a gun that can one shot kill anyone with a direct hit and kill or damage others depending how close they are to the blast) the problem with this gun is it’s only available to those who have paid for the downloadable Liars and Cheats pack. Having already bought a game I see no reason as to why I should be hampered and disadvantaged by those who pay a little extra for what should’ve already been included anyway.

You call that a knife?

Ah the hunting knife, a multi-purpose tool, used to silently kill enemies, or turn a brawl into a bloody melee, John Marston’s knife has other uses too, alternatively being used to cut the bonds of hog tied NPCs, or to skin animals, who’s pelts, fur, etc can all be sold at various shops. Collecting and selling pelts is a very fun and strangely relaxing activity; birds can be shot down and their feathers sold too. However the animals AI can be frustrating at times, packs of Black Wolves will rush the player rabidly, Cougars will leap from the bushes like fanged ninja, and Bears, sometimes multiple Bears, will charge at the player madly, killing John with a few swipes of their honey filled paws.

A relaxing game…

It is very easy to whittle away the hours simply picking away at plants and riding around the old west. The environments are also quite beautiful and breathtaking:

Nekoti Rock

Hendidura Grande

Ojo del Diablo

Fontera Bridge

Aside from the stunning visuals, the game’s soundtrack (comprising short ‘stems’ which will change depending on the players actions) increase the atmosphere and sense of involvement in the game, with a handful of songs commissioned for it. For more information on the music and its composition see this making of video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-X7LgqrJCA&feature=relmfu

Overall. 4/5 Nearly A fantastic game which holds you by the hand until it’s thrilling conclusion. Beautiful despite its flaws. Sublime rendering and world makes it feel as though you’re watching a painting come to life.

Alessandro Guarrera

EDIT: Given that I feel a 4/5 is inadequate at expressing how sublime this game is I award it a 9/10 or a 95%

Double EDIT: This review was originally written for my Wordpress blog on  the 3rd of September, 2011. It was later posted to the now defunct website Comikkazee.