Red Dead Redemption

10 Review to this product

• 

  Matt J. Rose
  May 18th, 2010 on 2:34 am

  Rating

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  QUICK REVIEW (LESS READING)
  
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  Graphics- 9.5 Excellent details and textures, everything from the wool jackets, to the animal pelts you collect is highly detailed and gorgeous in HD. I did have a few hiccups and a freeze up during a cut scene, it happened one time, and could very well be my Xbox.

  Sound- 10 The surround sound is top notch in Red Dead Revolver, from a steam engine barreling down the tracks, a cougar growling from the bushes, to the small things like birds chirping and wind blowing…the sound envelops you and keeps you on the edge of your seat.

  Gameplay- 10 Excellent control setup (GTA vets will be right at home) the only thing that took a bit of getting used to was riding a horse, its not bad, just a bit different than a car in terms of handling. Plenty of story/mission hours to waste away, followed by double the hours you’ll spend just exploring and causing havoc (or helping the kind settlers).

  Re-playability-9 Just going home and being able to run around the Wild West is enough for me, Rockstar included a solid story, but you can make your own as you go, helping damsels in distress, or massacring an entire settlement, its all up to you. This is gonna be a great game for a bit of relaxation…or some stress relief.

  Multi-player- 9.5 I only played a bit of MP, since the rest of my “posse” hadn’t received the game yet (or were struggling to get one at the store) The premise seems really interesting though, and the game of death match I played was a real nice change from the normal FPS death matches I’ve been playing lately. The open world MP game has always been something I wanted to see more of, and I’m sure once this game gets into more peoples hands its gonna be a real treat for the gaming world.

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  I’ve been a fan of the Grand Theft Auto series since it had a top down view, so when this was announced by Rockstar I was pretty interested.

  The first thing I must say is Rockstar has really outdone themselves, this game takes GTA to the next level, while taking it back a hundred years on the time line. The first thing you notice is the vast area you get to call “home”. The colors and sand blowing and swirling is truly beautiful eye candy. I hate to compare this game to GTA, but the undertones are all there.

  I don’t wanna share any of the story, and honestly that’s icing on the cake for this game. The graphics are simply gorgeous, from the leather straps, and jackets, to the grizzly beards on the characters…all very well done. One thing I must say is not being in the big city setting is a breath of fresh air, no car horns blaring, police sirens at every corner, just the wide open Western range…at times I thought I could taste the fresh air.

  As far as game play goes, its hard to beat. You can do anything, and I mean anything (*Ill give a example at the end of this) The stores and shops are fantastic, and walking into a new town just makes you feel like a real gunslinger! Again I don’t wanna get into the story to much, but the voice acting and cut scenes are almost Hollywood movie grade, its always nice when you feel for the characters, and this game does an outstanding job of delving into their history and stories!

  As another reviewer said the game takes about 20 hours to play through the main story, however getting 100% completion will take you some extra time. The problem is playing through the game, no matter how hard I tried to go to the next mission, I ended up going way off track, killing a bear, saving a stage coach, or just getting a bunch of horses together to test a dynamite stick on. No matter what path you choose, your in for a surprise…Red Dead Redemption really delivers.

  If you haven’t picked this gem up yet I would highly suggest it, I said I’d give an example of doing whatever you want and here it is: Find some poor townsfolk, give em a round from your six shooter in the kneecap, hogtie them, drag them behind your horse to the nearest railroad…and leave em on the track, sit back and wait for the train to come through, nothing better to relieve the stress of those long days at work/school.

  Red Dead Redemption far exceeds anything you’ve played before, pick up this game, and I’ll see you behind the saloon at high noon!
  
• 

  M. Sharma
  May 18th, 2010 on 6:45 am

  Rating

  I am already 7 hours into the game since the midnight release. Here are my thoughts so far…get this game..form a posse..and rule the wild west..instead of looking at reviews you should just get up and buy it. Though there are many similarities between the grand theft auto series and red dead redemption, red dead redemption can stand up proudly by itself. The massive sandbox map and the variety of tasks at hand can make this game way too awesome at times. This isn’t a bad thing as you will always have something to do but it adds stress to the gamer with so many options. I dont want to ruin anything but I will say that this game is funny, full of action, full of choices, and anything I say won’t do this game any justice. Just buy it yourself and you’ll see what I mean. Theres just too much to do and I can’t fit it all into words.
• 

  David Peach
  May 19th, 2010 on 11:56 am

  Rating

  Please ignore the reviewer that stated (repeatedly) that “this game is just like GTA IV… If you hated that you will definitely hate this.” That could not be further from the truth!!

  Red Dead Redemption is Rockstar’s newest sandbox game, and it is a very good change up on the already popular GTA series. Let me start off by saying I have always been a huge fan of GTA games… until GTA IV. Tried and tried to play it, just could not get into it. Everything about it was wrong for me, and I know a lot of others felt the same. Sure RDR is very similar to GTA IV, yet everything about it is so much better.

  Graphics are amazing, game play is easy to pick up and hard to put down, shooting system is improved, horse riding is intuitive, and hunting is a blast, just to name a few. This is GTA on steroids. Don’t get me wrong, the huge cities and fancy sports cars were a ton of fun, but this is so much better. Set in the early 20th century, Red Dead Redemption takes place in the ever changing Wild West. Dusty old towns, bustling saloons, and family ranches are presented with such accuracy and clarity, you’d think you are back in the old west yourself!

  Red Dead Redemption’s scale is beyond HUGE!! The Wild West has never looked so good. There’s a fullness to the sunsets that’s so breathtaking you almost forget about the task at hand. The characters play a role nearly as big as the landscape, if not more. The dialog is smooth and witty, and the hometown feel of McFarlanes ranch only adds to the beauty.

  There are so many side missions and quests, it’s tough to get bored. From helping a stranded women on the side of the road, to tracking and shooting trophy bucks, there is truly something for everyone. Don’t feel like shooting or riding around on your horse? Play some cards! Drink a shot!

  Your thinking what I’m thinking aren’t you? GTA on horses. Yes, but as you play on through the game you will quickly realize it is so much more than that. It’s a nice change up in the video game world, and quite a surprise in the western genre.

  Now I know this was a very short, somewhat random review, but I hope it provided enough insight to help you decide on the purchase.

  ***********UPDATE**********
  
  I have gotten a few comments about my review. Some feeling that I have not experienced all the game has to offer, and should wait until I’m further along and write a detailed review. My review was an attempt to give a quick firsthand look, and to knock dead a few misconceptions. I believe all first time buyers need an initial review to help them decide to buy it or not. The game experience should be left up to each individual.
• 

  Lord Black Adder
  May 19th, 2010 on 9:17 pm

  Rating

  I’ll admit, I had some reservations about Red Dead Redemption. The studio that released it (Rockstar) hadn’t done too much to distinguish it from GTA with horses. Within the first 2 hours, however, I was blown away. The story starts with our hero John Marston attempting to track down his former gang leader Bill Williamson and bring him to justice. After a short cut scene, he’s shot and left for dead. The game opens up after some dialogue and tutorials, leaving you to your devices in 1912′s Texas and Mexico. The first thing you’ll notice is the beautiful visuals. Everything has an incredible amount of detail and draw distance, and the character models animate wonderfully. Watching the sunset on horseback is a truly visceral video game experience, and won’t soon be forgotten. Combat works in a very fun, gritty way. You have a large variety of period weapons to deal the bad guys (or good guys). Quests can appear by talking to certain NPCs essential to the story. They can also appear at random, forcing you to act quickly or watch an innocent die. What really surprised me was how well the minigames were made. Poker could be sold as a separate game in of itself, with AI “tells” and bluffing. Five-finger-fillet is pretty funny to watch if you make a blunder. Horseshoes and bar fights provide some enjoyable distractions. You can waltz over to a local movie theater and watch some very funny silent films that convey the mindset of the times. Red Dead Redemption has the most believable open world I’ve ever played, with every feature one would expect. The atmosphere is simply unmatched in terms of immersion and realism. I haven’t even mentioned multiplayer yet. RDR supports up to 16 players over Xbox Live or PSN for full-on gunfights and skirmishes. Game types can range from free-for-alls to CTF-structured team based modes. There is also a separate mode called “Free Roam” that lets you and your friends form a posse and explore the entire single player map. You can slaughter gangs, hunt down wild game, and duke it out with other posses over an enormous map. There’s a fully featured ranking system that tracks your progress throughout your online exploits. Multiplayer should keep you hooked for weeks on end as you shoot up the West. Overall, Read Dead Redemption is an incredibly good game that can’t be missed. Pretty much everything is perfectly polished and consistent, and you’ll find yourself loving the Wild West’s final days. Go buy it now.

  PROS
  
  + Awesome, deep combat
  
  + Breathtaking visuals
  
  + Addictive multiplayer
  
  + Strong voice acting and writing
  
  + Best open world in a video game to date

  Cons
  
  - Occasional animation glitches
  
  - Some network problems, especially in Free Roam
  
  - Could be a little more difficult
• 

  Jeffrey Lester
  May 22nd, 2010 on 7:29 am

  Rating

  If you were like me and got only buyers remorse from GTA IV, consider taking a leap of faith and get this game. Rockstar has completely redeemed themselves with Red Dead Redemption. For the single player mode, I have never played a game that transitions so well. The voice acting and story line is convincing and entertaining, you can chose whether you ride to your destination with the other characters and get a more in depth view of the story or just fast travel and be woken up when you arrive. No matter what you chose to do the game will flow like an Oscar winning movie. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have a first person option, but the game play is top notch for a third person shooter/ adventure which I normally don’t like, but this game does a pretty good job of not showing the outside of the building while you get shot at. Multiplayer mode is a very pleasant surprise, after you figured everything out. Open roam is basically a lobby to join games in. You get experience while in this lobby and it sometimes turns into a free-for-all death match. You can also earn experience points while in a private game, which I found out during the first few days of online connection problems, which are now fixed. When you actually get in the multiplayer games, it’s a wonderful new experience, while you wait for the game to start you can have fist fights and at the beginning of some games there are team duels to see who gets the high ground and the best weapons. I’ll leave the rest for you to discover but I give this game 5 stars in both single player and multiplayer. The single player competes with Fallout 3 and is better in most ways. The multiplayer may not be the newest CoD but it’s just as fun and is a bonus on top of an outstanding single player game. The story line, game play, graphics, and sound are all unparalleled by any other game to date. Caution: Try to get your wife to play it too or she may hate you and this game.
• 

  Nix Cadavre
  May 24th, 2010 on 6:02 am

  Rating

  Red Dead Redemption is not “GTA in the old west.” Actually, it’s a lot more like Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, set in the fictional old west of spaghetti westerns.

  What strikes you at first is the scope of the game. There’s so much space, and so many things to do! Seriously, you could skip the single player and just hang around in the game world, and you’d have enough to keep you busy for a very long time.

  The animation is fluid and beautiful. The characters are well acted by their voice actors, and well illustrated by the game designers. It’s simply remarkable how beautiful the world looks. Sunsets are stunning. Starry nights are gorgeous. Playing this game is like taking a vacation to the frontier.

  If you rush through the single player game, you won’t appreciate all the game has to offer, but you’ll still be heartily satisfied by what’s included. If you stray from the single player path, or jump into the free-roaming multiplayer game, you’ll find it’s hard to get bored. Hours melt away when you’re playing RDR, and that’s the best compliment I can give a game.

  You are absolutely missing out if you don’t have online access though. From new missions and DLC to the rich multiplayer modes, this game is made better with an Internet connection.

  If anything really stands out in this game, it’s how alive the world is. There are all manner of animals running around and flying through the skies, and you can interact with all of them. The birds are really there, and you can shoot them, pluck their feathers, and sell them. From snakes and rabbits, to wolves and cougars, to hawks, owls, and crows… The world is full of creatures.

  My only complaint about the game is that it’s easy to offend NPCs and end up on the WANTED list, with a bounty on your head. Just yesterday I ended up wanted because my horse was slow to stop and ran into a lawman, who took that as “assaulting a lawman” and opened fire on me. Why didn’t the fool just get out of the way? It wasn’t my fault! It was my horse!

  That aside, this game is one of the games I’d say is worth your $60 to buy as a new release. There’s no doubt you’ll be able to grab this in a year or two for $29 in the Platinum Hits collection, but you’re doing yourself a disservice if you hold off playing this that long.

  The old west genre has been suitably represented here, finally. Earlier games like GUN, Red Dead Revolver, and Call of Juarez were OK, but failed to really provide an immersive or aesthetically-pleasing experience. Red Dead Redemption belongs in the same category as movies like “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly” as MUST-OWN western media.

  The soundtrack is good, but does get repetitive. I almost wish they’d gotten Clint Bajakian, who scored LucasArts’ “Outlaws”, to contribute some music. As it is, after a while I turned down the music because I just thought the game “felt” better without a constant score.

  Bottom Line: If you ever enjoyed Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, and are a fan of the movie westerns, then you owe it to yourself to grab Red Dead Redemption. It’s one of the best sandbox games ever made.
• 

  Kelly-Girl
  May 24th, 2010 on 9:43 am

  Rating

  I’m not a big gamer by any means. Certainly not a ‘shoot-em-up’ player. Tend to gravitate towards games that are based on puzzles/logic. Was intrigued enough by the commercials for RDR to give this one a shot. I grew up riding horses in Montana, and loved the look of the game based on the ads. Have been absolutely amazed — the graphics, the story, the tasks/challenges… I’m hooked. Bravo!
• 

  K. A. Jones
  May 30th, 2010 on 7:27 am

  Rating

  When it comes to video gaming the entire spectrum is abundant with Sci-Fi, Racing, World War and Shoot-em-ups dime-a-dozen. Now the gaming world has been given a newer fresher choice in Red Dead Redemption. Though there’s been Wild West games in the past none like this. Rockstar whose fame is the GTA series has given gamers new life and a new experience. If you ever wanted to be a “Clint Eastwood” or eperience a “John Wayne” western style here’s you chance and this game doesn’t disappoint.

  I cannot compare to the GTA series as I never reaally played them. But I have had my share of Sci-Fi to World War shooters and I can honestly say this is a breath of fresh air. No super-duper, fancy, spectacular explosions, effects and weapons…just old school western landscape, six shooters, Winchester Rifles, whisky, wild cowboys, bandits, drunks, cattle and horses.

  Visually – The game is downright solid and detailed all over. The landscape feels and looks like the Wild West with rock, mountains, trees to even tumble-weeds going by. As to the structures, Rockstar nailed it with detail in everything from the wood, paint, and layout in towns to ranches. Go inside a General Store and it’s filled with store items from that period. Even the Salons with the bar and tables are detailed enough to you just want to look around for the heck of it. The outfits and attire are sensational as well with several various characters and outfits to see. But what I sy is the best is Rockstar uses a “day-to-night” style where during gameplay you experience a real day though not actually 24 hrs time frame. The change during the day with lighting is really something to see with high noon sun to nice sunsets to a glaring moon with plenty of stars. Night time is really fun with small laterns scattered throughout for a nice touch.

  Audio – is as solid as ever with critters, aniamals, gunfire, wind, hoof-beats of houses, chatter and of course gunfire. Besides the “look” of the Wild West you can hear it as well. If you have a decent surround system you’ll enjoy this for sure.

  Gameplay – if you’re a die-hard Sci-Fi, World War shooter that’s accustom to fancy weapons you may get bored or say what a relief.First off the movement and mechanics of the game are solid and good. From walking to running to riding horseback to conversation to firing six-shooters to jumping to knife-throwing to punching someone it’s there. Of course the main thing in the game is shooting and the target system comes in three flavors depending on your style and adapting to pace. There’s a neat “Dead Eye” part where you can slow down time a bit to help target and shoot. You can also shoot someone in the leg and they’ll either hop along or crawl. As you progress more weapons become available as do outfits and yes horses. Do more chores, good deads and of course “Bounty Hunting” you earn money to spend or play poker. Heck you can even play Horsehoes. You can also screw-up and have the Law after you.
  
  There’s plenty of side missions including “hunting” from coyotes, deer, raccons , crow, hawks, bears, snakes, skunks and cougars. Being a “Sandbox’ game and it’s a huge sandbox you can pretty much wander around and just explore. In towns you may help a strnger, take down some unruly cowboys, help a lawman on a task, breakup a fight…who knows but the game is anything but predicable and same-old stuff.

  Multi-Player -I really haven’t played much except in “Free Roam” where you can hookup with up to eight players total to form a possie and head out for various missions and places scattered throughout. As you level up you gain better weapons and choices of characters to be. It’s pretty fun and experience to ride along with friends and even strangers

  Final Thought – Is the game perfect…no as several have stated there are some bugs and occasional bug but not enough to declare it unplayable. As to style and substance of the game it’s a gem and worthwhile of the ratings it’s received. There’s simply nothing out-there in the same league. If Rockstar supports this as they’ve done with the GTA series you can pretty much bet on more maps, more add-ons and more DLC over time. In fact they already have six co-op missions coming and that was before the game came out. If you wanted to be “Clint’ in High Plains Drifter or Pale Rider look no more…Red Dead Redemption is as close as you’ll get.
• 

  Mr. H. C. Orr
  May 30th, 2010 on 10:22 am

  Rating

  It would be easy to dimiss “Red Dead Redemption” as “Grand Theft Auto” with horses and ten gallon hats. But Rockstar San Diego has in fact created a more heartfelt world than the rather parodic and cold world of Liberty and Vice cities. In other words, RDR’s world is as much focused on the wild-eyed temperance preacher standing outside the saloon as much as the crazed and whoopin’ drinkers inside. It’s handling of characters -with some notable and unfortunate exceptions- is sympathetic. Most of all, it gives the impression of a lived-in world that is both old and new, tired and vibrant, and with room for both the myth of the charismatic gunslinger and the lonely and crazy people that the brutal society of the West created.

  RDR improves on the template of GTA not only in terms of its superior and softer characterisation. Although the story is the same old tale of a wronged charismatic central character taking on a bette noir from his past, mission structures tend to be a little more varied, with the slo-mo Dead Eye mechanic a cool nod towards the films of Sam Peckinpah and Sergio Leone. Side-quests can vary from collecting flowers, to going after wanted criminals, to hunting the various exquisitely detailed wildlife -varying from birds to coyotes and skunk- dotted about. These side-quests give a sense of the richness of RDR’s envirnoments. The whole honour system adds a motivation to really behaving like a good guy, as well. Furthermore, Rockstar’s decision to set the game as late as 1911 means that we are always being given a concrete setting for the birth of our own world.

  Although I’m not a big fan of online multiplayer, there are enough game modes to keep anyone entertained for many hours; the online free roam mode is excellent for just messing about and shooting innocent characters without worrying about the consequences to stats, too.

  But the biggest improvement in my opinion over the rather needlessly detailed and cynical world of GTA is RDR’s absolutely stunning score. Sparse musical accompaniment often refers in fragments to Ennio Morricone’s famed scores for Leone’s films and the more sweeping arrangements for Anthony Mann and John Ford’s famous Westerns. It gees up effortlessly for fight and chase sequences, before ebbing away to occasional splashes of impressionistic and moody pizzazz. Most of all, the music perfectly illustrates how RDR so often favours feel, shadow, landscape and melancholic observation over the pyrotechnics of violence, flamboyance and simplistic story development. The music is so much about what represents RDR’s lasting achievement.

  This does not mean RDR is perfect. Although characterisation is generally very good, is there any need for a sneaky, alcoholic Irishman? The cover system can be a little unwieldy in tight situations, but RDR is not the first game in history to have this problem, and it certainly won’t be the last. But the game works so beautifully, with so few snags, that you really have to nitpick to find serious faults. Plus it must be emphasised that RDR looks phenomenally good, at least on the XBOX360 version I’ve played: amazing detail to the various character models and environments, with very little pop-up. It gives a sense of scale, dynamism and -most of all- possibility to the game world.

  “Red Dead Redemption” is an exhilarating and smooth ride of a game. It has the most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever seen in a game. It is a Peckinpah film made by Leone, a Howard Hawks western with the conscience and heart of Jimmy Stewart. And I’ll settle for that.
  
• 

  C.B. Najera
  May 30th, 2010 on 4:27 pm

  Rating

  The Game follows the same mission structure and gameplay as The Grand Theft Auto games that came before it. It has a pretty good story. A lot better than I had anticipated. I am not a big fan of Westerns and the like and I thoroughly enjoyed the game the whole way through. I have to agree with the people that said that if you dislike the GTA series you probably will not like this too much. Can’t really say too much more about it because I really don’t want to go into the story too much and write a novel rather than a review. So in short I’ll just say that I think that this is a 5 star game.