{"id":6155,"date":"2010-05-25T23:38:00","date_gmt":"2010-05-25T21:38:00","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"-0001-11-30T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"-0001-11-29T22:00:00","slug":"red-dead-redemption","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/reviews\/6155-red-dead-redemption","title":{"rendered":"Red Dead Redemption"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Wild West has been capturing the imagination of writers and film makers for decades now, although it has yet to make any significant inroads into the world of gaming. Sure there was Red Dead Revolver, Call of Juarez, and others, but Red Dead Redemption feels like the first game to ever really get a handle on what it’s all about.<\/p>\n

It’s a lawless land, characterised as much by the constant dread of bandits, drought and wild animals, as it is by the exhilaration of freedom and possibility.<\/p>\n

The Good<\/strong><\/p>\n

There is a lot to praise RDR for. A massive open world, engaging storyline, memorable characters, and impressive gameplay scope make it one of the most enjoyable video game experiences released in recent times.  <\/p>\n

Apart from the first few mandatory story based objectives, I barely touched the story in my first six hours of RDR. Rockstar’s guiding narrative hand is soft, and the curious gamer will easily find themselves wondering off into the wilderness and becoming preoccupied for ages. Interestingly, a terrain that in real life could be described as vast and empty is filled with opportunity and life at every turn.<\/p>\n

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You are given a basic rifle and pistol, as well as a horse to get you started. Ignoring the traditional RPG approach, where players slowly earn new items, you are given a lot to play with from the outset. While this will appeal to some, others – myself included – may have enjoyed starting with less, and gradually working towards unlocking things. <\/p>\n

For instance, a few hours into the game you perform a quest which has you riding with a herd of wild horses, having to lasso one, before mounting it, and then breaking it in. For your trouble, you are awarded that horse as your new mount. This would have had a lot more impact had you not already been given a horse at the beginning of the game. <\/p>\n

Being able to dive right in does have its merits however, and before you know it you are exploring the frontier, hunting bandits, and taking on various challenges that you come across. The landscape is perfectly realised, with all the hallmarks of a classic western firmly in place. Tumbleweed will roll on by, rattlesnakes will hiss and bleached white cattle skulls will adorn the terrain. The sound track is also perfect, with single drawn out guitar tones, and the kind of whistling and sparse guitar strumming that defies description without referring to a Clint Eastwood movie. <\/p>\n

Within your first ten minutes of exploration you are likely to stumble into a lone wanderer who will challenge you to a bird shooting contest. Win the challenge and your fame meter will fill up just a touch.  Don’t be surprised if some wolves or coyotes attack you while wandering about. Good thing you have those aforementioned firearms to protect yourself, and since you killed the critters, you may as well skin them so that you can sell their meat and furs. These are trademarks of any MMORPG, as is the ability to gather herbs.<\/p>\n

By performing sharp shooting, herb gathering, treasure hunting and hunting challenges, news of your exploits will spread, and your fame bar will gradually fill up.<\/p>\n

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As you explore the open world you will stumble into a wide variety of different situations. A lost woman may ask for a ride back to town, or you may stumble across a treasure hunter being attacked by bandits. All your actions have consequences, but be careful, because the wilderness is full of nasty surprises, and things are often not what they seem.  <\/p>\n

Not only do you have a fame meter, but there is also an honour meter. Performing noble tasks increases your honour, while murdering innocents or stealing will decrease it. Honour affects how people respond to you in the game world, and it can also have an effect on things like various item prices at stores. <\/p>\n

While the wilderness is dangerous and wild, the settlements are often not much safer. Again, they are filled with a variety of different activities, and again, all the trademarks of the Wild West are there; poker tables, dusty saloons, drinking troughs for horses and so on. There are also less obvious instalments, such as a rudimentary movie house in the town of Armadillo. You can also buy and sell a wide variety of items in towns, from chewing tobacco, to guns, bullets, different outfits and more. <\/p>\n

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There is a lot to do in the open-world of RDR, and the scope of different activities is one of the highlights of the game. Various mini-games litter the world, and you could easily get lost for an hour or so of Texas hold ‘em poker, or five finger fillet. <\/p>\n

A massive living breathing world is not enough on its own though. Fortunately, Rockstar polished the core gameplay, and the physics in particular makes gun fights a joy to experience. Forget health bars, one well placed shot in the upper chest or head will put a bandit down for good. The manner in which enemies recoil when hit is massively satisfying, and there is nothing quite like watching a bowler hat being flung off as a bandit’s head whips back after being met with a well placed bullet. This is even more fun when your enemy is riding a horse, and things get really amusing when an ankle gets caught in a stirrup and the horse makes off into the sunset, bandit dangling in tow. <\/p>\n

RDR makes use of a pretty basic cover system. While far from revolutionary, it works well enough. Players are also able to use “Deadeye,” which slows things down and allows you to paint various targets before executing them. It’s very similar to the Mark and Execute mechanism employed in Splinter Cell Conviction, and it comes in handy when riding a horse at a gallop while trying to fend off bandits. <\/p>\n

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On top of this well balanced open-world and variety of solidly build gameplay dynamics, are the story and characters. Drawing on themes that we are all familiar with, players are put into the shoes of John Marston, an ex-outlaw who is being forced by the government to go after an ex-gang-member of his, with his family being used as leverage. You will meet loads of memorable and interesting characters along the way, from an insane grave robber, to a potion selling con-man, as well as the more obvious ones, such as an overworked sheriff desperately trying to bring order to a chaotic land. The characters and plot are what ultimately breathe life into RDR, providing humanity and purpose to the massive open-world setting.<\/p>\n

On top of all this, there is an interesting multiplayer component. Up to 16 players can go head to head in free for all or team based combat. Players can level up and unlock new outfits and character models, as well as new weapon skins and horse breeds. There are also a number of variants of capture the flag. A favourite however is the co-op mode, which allows players to form up in posses and explore the open world, hunting for bandit hideouts, or other posses.  <\/p>\n

The Bad<\/strong><\/p>\n

RDR is a fantastic game, but it is not without its flaws. <\/p>\n

As previously mentioned, Rockstar could have made it a little tougher to get hold of guns, ammo and horses. Sometimes it all just feels a bit easy. Money also becomes almost worthless, as  there are a number of ways to easily extort obscene amounts of cash from the various mini-games (I’m looking at you Five Finger Fillet).<\/p>\n

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While there is a semblance of a working economy, it would have been nice if Rockstar had fleshed it out a bit. Hunting and skinning animals becomes pointless apart from gaining fame for completing challenges. You can sell them, but there are far more profitable ways to accumulate wealth. Similarly, Rockstar could have developed the idea of herb gathering, as once you get past the novelty it becomes redundant. <\/p>\n

If we are being picky, then the morality system is also a bit simplistic. For instance, the honour points for murdering a sheriff can be earned back by something seemingly trivial, like bringing a sick woman medicine. Rob a train, murder all the passengers, and then give an old lady a lift, and all will be forgiven. On the one hand the moral ambiguity works within the context of the Wild West, but on the other, I can’t help but feel a more innovative approach could have made for a more immersive experience. <\/p>\n

And The Ugly<\/strong>  <\/p>\n

OK, so nothing about this game is really “ugly” per se, but I couldn’t resist the reference to Sergio Leone’s classic spaghetti western. <\/p>\n

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There are a number of bugs which are disruptive however, and some controller issues crop up occasionally. It is easy to accidentally break certain quests, for instance by bumping into the quest giver with your horse, causing them to run off screaming.  Odd occurrences, such as being attacked by  invisible wild animals, or getting to the end of a quest only to be greeted with the “Objective Failed” text for no apparent reason, occur a little too frequently for my likeing. Still, nothing a few patches can’t fix. <\/p>\n

All in all, Red Dead Redemption is a superb game, offering hours upon hours of gameplay. An interesting multiplayer component adds even more value to an already worthwhile purchase. We can forgive its relatively minor flaws, as they are greatly overshadowed by the game’s significant achievements. <\/p>\n

Discuss Red Dead Redemption<\/a> in the forums<\/p>\n\n\t\t