A game rich with architecture, dialog and distraction. Red Dead Redemption makes huge steps for open world games with narrative, but plays it safe with a bevy of sidequests and mulitplayer options that distracts more than it immerses.

Red Dead Redemption -- a very fortunate game with some unfortunate pieces. I feel like I’m destined to never complete an RPG or an open world game. I’m not sure if this should be seen as a review, because [by my standards] a true review comes from thoroughly exploring every aspect of a game. But times have changed. Red Dead Redemption and games of its massive budget-ilk are a fantastic example of how different games are in this generation in comparison to any preceding. A game rife with imagery and characters that bleed imagination and heavy influence from a time and genre the common gamer will not completely identify with. With as many inspiring answers as to what gaming is capable of today, I’m left asking more questions to the contrary. Why isn’t this an MMO? Do open-world games break a game’s narrative outline [no matter the quality]? And more importantly, why couldn’t I finish this incredible game?

 

A hawk flies over your grizzled and dusty lead character, John Marsten tattered hat. The cawing creature momentarily blocks your view of a desolate, cactus-filled desert -- in the outskirts of southern Texas. The hawk’s wing clips a sun ray and shades you and your steed for a fraction of a second. I expected these little moments to grow old, and if it weren’t for the many moving gears that occasionally clog these open world experiences with graphical bugs and loading times -- it would have. I’d like to revel in the thought that some programmer spent hours, days, years to perfect the sound of my Winchester rifle gunning down the soon to be skinned hawk that once blocked my view of the sun-tanned mountain range. Alas, it got old, because this is the age of here today and old by tomorrow.

 

Prior to entering Mexico, Marsten's supporting casts makes quite the impression by appearing sincere and passionate to what their jobs and drives are -- this helped move the story along and motivate the player to learn more about the inhabitants of the world.

The PS3 version of Red Dead Redemption is the only version I had access too, so I can’t speak on the bickering malcontents on which console won in delivering the superior version of what Rockstar wanted the player to experience. I can speak on why the gaming media zeitgeist is all about Red Dead Redemption and of course the backlash that ensued post-hypestorm. Isn’t that part funny too? The games media and gamers-alike can agree upon two things: when to pre-emptively laud a game’s quality prior to a further study and subsequently when to overly thrash the game when too many glom to its popularity. Red Dead Redemption is deserving of every award and accolade it [will more than likely] receive at the end of the year. It is really unfortunate I didn’t like the combination of open world fantasy amalgamated with the most realistic story Rockstar has ventured to illustrate to the gaming community.

Such a shame. The voice acting is beyond applicable to the setting of an early 1900s Texas tale. Trotting Marsten on horseback down a road filled with dusty rail-workers and tailors, you can hear extensive dialog of how citizens of Armadillo hoped their future’s would brighten when they moved to a city like this -- at a time like this. If you stick around a watering hole long enough, you’ll hear men debate economics and politics -- once McKinley and Roosevelt were mentioned, I was sold on this game. Rockstar doesn’t have to do this, they risk losing the average college dorm ‘bro’ and mid-income wage earner that just wants to shoot stuff as a cowboy at the end of a long day. No matter my feelings, ultimately, Rockstar is one of few companies in the current games industry who has the ability to grab the mainstream gamer by the balls and squeezes until you finally give in and pay attention.