Today, our Hollywood stars are Brad Pitt or Johnny Depp, but the star that shown the brightest in the past, was John Wayne. He was the epitome of what people wanted to be, a cowboy. The dream of being a gunslinger from the lawless west is one that has stayed with many people from all generations. Yet, as any current American would know, the west did not remain lawless and primitive. During this period of change, expansion of law, order, and government, we get Rock Star San Diego's Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 old west sandbox title, Red Dead Redemption.
Conveying a sandbox that is both extensive and inviting is the first challenge of any sandbox game. This is where many games of this genre fall short or over do, some have massive worlds that you have no urge to explore, yet others have small worlds that grow and change during your experience. Red Dead has an average size world, but because of how you traverse said world and the presentation, it seems extensive. The perception of a grand world a sandbox does not make, but the content encompassed in this dessert is what makes the world so enthralling. From wild horses, plants for picking, to cougars, deer, grizzly bears, and countless other animals for hunting, skinning, and selling. Along with the towns dispersed throughout the world, each town with missions, jobs, places to gamble or play games, shops, and a bounty board to earn some quick cash. Another thing that adds to the feel and atmosphere is the music. It adds to the western feel, furthering the experience from this, the western you never knew you wanted until it arrived. Overall, the world in Red Dead is much smaller than The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Yet, it has the same enthralling qualities, building a world perceived as more extensive.
The aesthetics in Red Dead are beautiful, and not in the way that "All next generation games look great". Instead they look breathtaking and immerse you in the world of New Austin more than other games claiming brilliant visuals. This extends beyond just the scenery as well; characters look near realistic, save a glitch in texture or animation, which rarely occurs. Although, where games often fall flat is creating a beautiful world, extensive and enthralling, yet the characters are not up to par. Here, there is no such shortcoming. The characters here span from a crazed, cadaverous grave robber to a portly, diabolical government agent. All of which have some mission or task that only you, outlaw turned government dog John Marston, can accomplish. Not all of these missions are necessary to complete the story mode, but they all have their own rewards for completing them. Without completing those side missions, the game still has a brilliant and robust story.
From the opening of the game until the credits roll takes anywhere from 16-30 hours depending on side missions and stranger missions completed. Like many Rock Star games before this, the story is robust, and drags on a little at some point; here it is the second act. The second act is the weakest of the three acts, but it is still above average. Together, the brilliantly written three acts make one of the best stories in recent video game history. Including the ending of the game, this brings a tear to your eyes and then finally explains the redemption aspect of the title. The story has you chasing down your former gang, that left you to die during a robbery, for the government. This is not an honorable government. An example of their dishonorable ways is taking Marston's family hostage in case he chooses not to cooperate. In addition, the voice actors for each mission cut scene is spot on and never grates, unlike other Rock Star games.
The main concern from many gamers about Rock Star games is the movement controls, especially when dealing with the cars or in this case, horses. While they improved the controls dramatically, they still can feel loose at points; these sporadic moments of looseness can cause the death of you and your trusty stead. Yet, somehow, the controls are always tight within the scheme for shooting. The shooting mechanic is standard; auto targeting is available on lower aiming settings at the cost of exact aim, which is only available on the highest aiming setting. The shooting feels responsive and thoroughly enjoyable. Adding to the fun is the fact that the A.I. is challenging enough to pose a legitimate threat. You select many guns through a rotary wheel. You bring up the rotary wheel by holding down the left bumper. From there you can also choose different guns from the types displayed by the wheel, for example choosing the revolver over the semi-automatic pistol selectable from the pistol section. In addition, there is a new shooting mechanic that is brilliant, the deadeye mode.
You initiate the deadeye mode by pressing down the right analog stick while aiming. This mode has three levels; the first slows down time allowing you to shoot enemies before they shoot you. The second level allows you to move over an enemy and where ever you aimed at becomes a target that when you click the trigger you shoot automatically. The third and final level allows you manually to mark where on your enemy's body you will shoot. This system is especially useful at range where an enemy hides his head behind a rock. To balance the power of deadeye, you must kill a certain amount of enemies to build up your deadeye meter. The meter drains from the moment you enter deadeye, which results in you making snap decisions once you enter deadeye. The system is similar to that of Splinter Cell: Conviction's mark and execute system, except deadeye seems to fit into the setting well.
As said before, the world is extensive, but one reason for that is the massive amount of side activities to complete. One type of side quest is the stranger missions, which are side quests given from random strangers, are interesting and humorous. There are many ways to gamble or play friendly games such as, poker, black jack, horseshoes, liars dice, and Breaking horses. To break a horse you lasso a wild horse and attempt to keep your balance by using the right analog stick to keep centered. Once you have stayed on long enough the horse will allow you to ride, thus giving you a new horse. Another way to spend time outside of the narrative is to hunt for animals and skin them for cash, or pick the fauna from the wilderness. In addition, there are night jobs breaking up criminal acts and acting as a bounty hunter to earn money.
One final matter to touch upon is John Marston, the protagonist. Marston is one of the most memorable characters in recent gaming history. From the moment we meet him, he shows that he is trying his best to be a good guy. He, unlike many he meets along the way, is a true gentleman and a John Wayne like figure. He grew up in a gang acting as a Robin Hood type figure, until the police shot him during a robbery and left him to die. After leaving the gang game, he started a family and a ranch. The government decided to abduct his family. They agreed to return them under one condition, if he hunted down and killed all the members of his former gang. Yet, throughout this entire story he never wavers, he never breaks from his goal and values of being a good faithful husband doing all he can for his family. He is without a doubt the most likable and good characters from Rock Star studios, ever.
Red Dead: Redemption is one of the games of the year for the Xbox 360 and possibly overall. The setting, characters, narrative, side missions, writing, and everything else in this game are well above average, even above great. There are slight problems, but they are far less memorable than all the pleasant moments and aspects to this game. The game has sold over five million copies to date for a reason? it is a fantastic game. This should be in every gamer's collection and you do yourself a disservice by not playing it sometime. This game is a must own.
