“I need that horse you ride!!”
Ever wanted to live in the Wild West? This is as close as it’s going to get…
The year is 1911, you are a retired outlaw named John Marsten, and the government has taken a sudden interest in you. It seems that your former partners in crime are causing trouble, and they think you are the best bet to bring them down. To ensure you cooperate, they take your wife Abigail, and son Jack from you, and hold them while you do their dirty work. Needless to say, you are not happy about this, but you set off to find Bill Williamson, Javier Escuella and Dutch van der Linde.
“Come back – you forgot your lunch!!”
Red Dead Redemption, Rockstar’s 2010 spiritual successor to Red Dead Revolver, both hits and misses the mark. Whilst being vastly entertaining in its own rite, it lacks some of the capturing feel of their other sandbox games. The relationship with John Marston doesn’t quite match up to how we all felt when CJ was avenging his family, or when Niko Bellic beats the snot from Vlad Glebov. That’s not to say that it’s bad, it just doesn’t twist the heart strings like the developers wanted it to. Visually, Red Dead Redemption is stunning. Vast vistas of open planes give way to sparse forests and then snow drenched mountain passes, all with a clarity and flair that pulls you in. It’s the spectacular world design where Red Dead Redemption really shines.
The world is populated by a complete range of wildlife (there for the hunting should you so choose) that interact with not only yourself as the player, but other NPCs. Standing still and just watching can reveal scuttling armadillo running underfoot as a grand herd of colts spread out in the distance, and flocks of vultures circling in the distance. You can really feel part of the world. Even the NPCs feel like real people at times, and you will often find yourself feeling wary of every wayward traveller as they approach. You can imagine my excitement when at one point whilst travelling between towns, a man came riding flat chat towards me I thought he was one of the many traps waiting for you in the wild, so before I knew it I had my pistol out and trained on him, only to see him vault from his horse and go running into the wilderness. Being inquisitive (and a little vengeful at the perceived threat) I followed, to find the man relieving himself behind a rock. I then watched, embarrassed, as he made his way back to his horse and set off again at a normal pace. It¹s that detail provided by the Euphoria game engine that makes Red Dead Redemption.
“Camping” in multiplayer seems to hark back to Western times… apparently.
Audio design for Red Dead Redemption is spot on. The voice acting is believable and constant, and the ambience is both engrossing and successful. Most of it you won’t even notice, it seems so natural the pounding of hooves in the distance, rickety coaches squeaking along beaten tracks, coyotes howling at the moon and eagles crying in the midday sun but each sound serves to pull you down even further into the game world.
Whilst the dialog may not be as engrossing as one would hope, the voice actors have done an amazing job. From the gravelly, intention heavy John Marsten (Rob Wiethoff) and the drunken stupor of Irish (H.K. Sweeney), to the authority driven Marshal Leigh Johnson (Anthony De Longis) and the swindling Nigel West Dickens (Don Creech), each character sounds the part they play. No one voice actor outclasses another, which makes for a nice and even field. Unlike most gun heavy games, Red Dead Redemption manages to give the correct weight to the sounds of your rifles, pistols and shotguns. They satisfyingly explode into action when you pull the trigger, and there is something to be said for listening to the report of your chosen gun echo through a canyon as you shoot it out with bands of robbers and thieves. The sound of gunfire also serves as an excellent and fitting cue to alert you to impending trouble, whether it is outlaws riding in, or a stage coach being robbed nearby. Often you will find yourself noticing the echoes of distant gunfire just over the next rise and making a conscious decision whether or not to pursue and help, or ride on by.
Whoa, a li’l deja-vu. All we need is a DeLorean and Michael J Fox and we’re set!!
A welcome addition to any modern sandbox game is multiplayer content, and Red Dead Redemption does not disappoint, allowing up to 16 players simultaneously in either a free for all or team basis. Each round begins with a Mexican Standoff that sets the scene for the match, allowing survivors to move about and prepare for their re-spawning opponents. There are two main types of matches: traditional death match called Shootout and capture the flag types revolving around differing objectives such as protecting gold.
Much like Grand Theft Auto IV, Red Dead Redemption allows for a free roam mode in multiplayer, which allows player controlled characters to form “posses” of up to 8 people and take on activities around the game world such as taking on NPC bandit gangs. An interesting addition is the ability for players to level up during combat, which gives them access to rewards such as new character models, golden weapons and new horse breeds. This is further bolstered by the ability to complete weapon challenges that give the players similar rewards.
In all, Red Dead Redemption is a good game, not great. Its true strengths lie in the quality of the game world and not the storyline. Whilst engrossing and entertaining at times, the pace of the story doesn’t seem to keep up to what you would expect, and certain parts of the game are definitely more enjoyable than others.
RED DEAD REDEMPTION – GAME DETAIL PAGE
*Originally written by James Cotter (aka QableKavalry), reposted by OzBoxLive*
