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.
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| 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.
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| 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:
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| Nekoti Rock |
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| Hendidura Grande |
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| Ojo del Diablo |
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| 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.
