Rockstar Games took a trip away from the city and back to the Wild West in their latest gaming hit, Red Dead Redemption.
Set in the year 1911 in Texas along the border of Mexico, Red Dead Redemption sees players take on the role of John Marston, a former criminal turned reluctant bounty hunter, as he is forced by the US government to hunt down members of his old gang who left him to die years ago. John travels throughout Texas and into Mexico to accomplish his goal and free himself from the clutches of the government who kidnapped his family and forced him to work against those he used to call his friends.
Red Dead Redemption is very similar to Rockstar’s previous forays into gaming, namely Grand Theft Auto, with its free-roaming gameplay and open environments which grant the player an enormous amount of freedom. Players can choose to move along with story missions at their leisure while performing tasks for strangers and friends alike. Aside from completing missions and tasks, you can also advance through ranks of mastery sidequests which involve hunting, treasure seeking, collecting and sharpshooting. By completing these mastery assignments, players increase their fame until they achieve the title “Legend of the West.”
In addition to fame, there is also an honor system. Marston’s actions, good or bad, affect his honor in different ways. Bringing bounties back alive and completing stranger tasks grants positive honor, bringing bounties back dead awards no honor and acting like a criminal (stealing, murdering, etc.) grant negative honor. A lot of the time, actions which award or take away honor will also grant fame as word of your exploits travel. Depending on your level of honor, the law may turn a blind eye to your actions, stores may offer you a discount or you may be granted other bonuses.
Red Dead Redemption’s strengths are certainly plentiful and definitely outnumber its weaknesses. First off, its presentation is practically flawless. Character models and environments are beautifully detailed and look like they belong in the period and the game’s numerous voice actors clearly put their all into making the experience believable. John Marston’s actor, Rob Wiethoff, in particular stands out and delivers an outstanding performance. Ambient sounds like wolves, horses, rattlesnakes and other animals really fight to bring the West to life.
The West itself is presented very authentically. Players get a sense of total lawlessness outside of the local sheriff where double-crosses are paid in blood and crimes are faced with the consequence of death more often than not. Nature itself is a danger with the threat of coyotes, rattlesnakes and even bears and cougars ever-present in the great outdoors. Nature is as much a threat as the dangerous bounties you hunt and it’s always wise to keep your rifle loaded and well-stocked with ammunition and your horse nearby in case you need to make a quick getaway.
Where Red Dead Redemption really shines is in the storytelling. John Marston drives the story forward as the likeable anti-hero trying to atone for his past and rescue his family and the various antagonists met along the way make Marston all the more appealing. Each story mission is like a story in its own right and keeps the player interested until the curtain closes on the final act. I could barely force myself to put this game down once I got started, I was so enthralled.
It’s hard to pinpoint anything in this game that doesn’t work well, and anything I can think of simply isn’t worth mentioning. I’m not ready to call this game perfect, simply put nothing is, but it’s closer to perfection than any other game in recent memory. This is a must play for anyone who has the means to do so, and I’m going to go ahead and call this one game of the year, so take that for what it’s worth.
