Red Dead Redemption PlayStation 3

Released on 21/05/2010

• Red Dead Redemption Review

  The right side of wrong

  
  

  Set at the turn of the 20th century, Grand Theft Auto maker Rockstar's beautiful, bloody and action-packed take on the Wild West puts you in the shoes of reformed outlaw John Marston. The stubble-wearing, scar-faced ex-con went straight and started a family after being left for dead by his old gang, but as you take control he's about to embark on a mission that could easily see him slip into his old ways.

  Marston's wife and kid have been kidnapped by federal agents who won't return them safely until you track down your former gang members and kill an old friend. And so you set off on an epic journey across an open-world environment of frontier towns and rolling prairies, picking your own path through what turns out to be arguably this year's best action adventure title to date.

  Wild West

  
  

  While the setting couldn't be more different to that of a city-based Grand Theft Auto title, there's no attention to detail spared in Red Dead Redemption's world, which is bursting with character and things to do. Its sandy deserts, swampy settlements and perilous mountain passes even boast a fully functioning ecology system, meaning they're teeming with wildlife that you can interact with.

  You'd be forgiven for worrying that one prairie would look much the same as the next, but there's impressive variety between locations and each of the three main areas (New Austin, Nuevo Paraiso and West Elizabeth) offer distinct local characters and wildlife, making it one of the most convincing open-world environments yet created.

  Gameplay offers a mixture of story missions, side quests and exploration. Within the opening few hours you'll get to grips with your rope and gun, lassoing villains and shooting bandits using a highly satisfying mechanic that mixes free-aim and lock-on capabilities. You'll also familiarise yourself with riding, horses being one of your primary modes of travel. Many of the story missions bring to mind classic cowboy movie scenes, so you'll get to perform jailbreaks, clean out gang hideouts and ride speeding mine carts and steam trains.

  Get involved... or don't!

  
  

  Varied side quests will see you rescuing terrorised innocents, reclaiming stolen goods or capturing escaped criminals, but it's up to you how much you get involved in these types of activities. You might prefer to partake in a hand of poker, visit the local saloon, or leisurely explore the game world hunting wildlife and blowing things up. All of these options merely reinforce the feeling that you're just one cog in a lifelike, fully-functioning world.

  Red Dead Redemption also supports multiplayer, offering familiar game-types like deathmatch, team deathmatch and capture the flag, plus a free roaming mode which throws challenges at you and your friends on-the-fly.

  It's a strange quibble to have with a game, but Red Dead Redemption's scope and seemingly limitless possibilities could be its one true flaw. To really get the most out of the experience you'll need to complete the main story, but it's a very long title, especially if you find yourself easily distracted from the main missions by the wealth of temptations on offer.

  How the West was won

  
  

  Nevertheless, Red Dead Redemption a game that action fans simply can't afford to ignore. Rockstar's managed the seemingly impossible feat of stepping out of the giant shadow it created with open-world king Grand Theft Auto to produce the best action adventure title released so far this year, and one that stands tall alongside the top games the genre has to offer.

  GAME's Verdict

  
  

  Plus Points:

  • Arguably the most impressive open-world game to date.
  • There's so much to do you're spoilt for choice.
  • Great characters and story.

  Minus Points:

  • Western theme might not be universally appealing.
  • Missions can get slightly repetitive after 20 hours of play.
  • It's so big, some people might never actually finish it!
    

  Review by: Tom 'Gun-Slinger' Ivan
  Version Tested: Xbox 360
  Review Published: 19.05.10

  Published: 19/05/2010

• RDR Review

  Redy Deady Go

  The solitary rider, riding through parched plains at sunset; the beery saloon, all honky-tonk piano and flutter-eyed whores; the posse standing shoulder to shoulder at sunrise in a Mexican standoff with grizzled, stubbly bandits; the silhouetted gunman, keeling from the edge of a rooftop; the hangman's noose, swinging coolly in the breeze; the splang of a banjo played around a campfire; the howl of a coyote, the squawk of a buzzard, the hunch of a vulture, the bounce of a tumbleweed: no game has replicated the Westerns of cinema in such vivid, mesmerising terms as Red Dead Redemption.

  While the game might use the same engine and principles that fired Grand Theft Auto IV, visually and thematically, Rockstar's latest is a world away from the hustle and bustle of Liberty City. This is still a world of hardship and violence, make no mistake. By the end of the game you will have fired countless bullets, watched men crumple in slow motion under the precision takedowns facilitated by the game's bullet-time dead eye mode, taken down your fair share of horses in the crossfire and left a trail of dead long enough to line to a canyon. But there's more variety in the game's missions than ever seen before in a Rockstar game, and herding cattle on horseback in the middle of an electric storm, or aiding a snake-oil salesman hoodwink a crowd of eager buyers are missions cut from a different, creative cloth.
  

  Dead or Alive

  Set 50 years on from the lighthearted Red Dead Revolver, you play as John Marston, a reformed gang member sent by the government to track and take down a former colleague. The road towards this endgame showdown, along which the game moves inexorably, is punctuated by endless bursts of action. Your horse, which soon proves to be more useful than any gleaming car thanks to its ability to traverse any type of terrain and come running at the sound of a whistle, provides quick transport through the world. And even for those journeys that take 10-15 minutes across virtual rock, sand and valley, the promise of an ambush, execution, wanted bandit, occupied fortress or hanging at the end of the ride is more than enough impetus to keep you galloping.

  As in GTAIV, missions are doled out by a clutch of colourful supporting characters you encounter. These memorable misfits gather around you, forming a ragtag posse that eventually joins you in your mission. But in the lead-up to that, they issue objectives that further the story, expand your territory and teach the game's various systems, from lassoing to placing dynamite.

  Aside from these core story missions the world is filled with interactive distractions. Optional side missions spawn near you at every turn, strangers pleading with you to aid them in preventing a lynching, transporting dangerous cargo and even gathering herbs. Likewise, meta-challenges have you killing and skinning the world's various types of wildlife, or treasure hunting or any number of in-character minigames that season the towns and settlements in the Southern Border States.
  

  The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

  While the world is less filled than that of GTA, the chance to investigate a way of life lost to time is enchanting. There are weak points in the game, systems and economies of morality that never quite seem fully realised or investigated. The game is a touch on the easy side, throwing generous amounts of money at the player, while the dead eye targeting allows entire posses of enemies to be felled in seconds. The reliance in the latter stages upon gun turret missions offsets the wonderful emergent chaos of the horseback chases.

  Indeed, through the combination of narrative, scenario and a thoughtful soundtrack, Red Dead Redemption establishes itself as a high point in the open world genre, a window into a forgotten world, one of astounding beauty and coherence that will stay in the memory long after the closing credits.

  

  Red
  + Peerless Recreation of Wild West.
  + Memorable supporting cast.
  + Haunting music.

  Dead
  - Lack of diverse terrain.
  - Occasionally buggy.
  - A bit too easy.

• Brad Pitt saddling up for Red Dead Redemption film?

  Every few years it seems like Hollywood suddenly falls in love with the Western again. Generally that's because Kevin Costner is experiencing one of his bi-decade revivals, but this time there's an altogether better reason behind it. According to various internet reports, Tinsel town has got a thing for Red Dead Redemption - and it wants Brad Pitt in the lead role.

  If the Showbiz Spy website is anything to go by, Mr Angelina Jolie is "the hot favourite to play renegade outlaw John Marston in an epic cowboy shoot-em-up based on the PlayStation game". (Thanks, Eurogamer.)

  Pitt apparently hasn't acknowledged whether there's any truth to this story, but a source has said, "This is an exciting project with a great character at the center of it. The idea is to make this in the style of an epic Western movie but with a few modern touches. Brad is perfect for the role and he is being given first refusal."

  Whether the movie gets off the ground or not, Rockstar's game is plenty cinematic in its own right: a massive open world cowboy adventure with all the shooting, riding, and whooping - cowboys do that, right? - that you could possibly desire. Red Dead Redemption is out right now for the PS3 and Xbox 360. Check it out. Pardner.

• LA Noire dated?

  With Duke Nukem Forever finally getting a 6th May release date, it's only fitting that another long-awaited game should be touching down around the same time. A leaked trailer for the amazing LA Noire has suggested Rockstar's latest will be showing up in stores around 17th May.

  According to Eurogamer, it's not clear at the moment whether this date refers to a global launch or is purely when Americans can expect to play the game. Either way, it's hard to see a European launch tagging a long too far behind it.

  LA Noire was first unveiled way back in 2005, so we've waited long enough to get our hands on this intriguing game. Set in the 1940s, Rockstar's game sees you signing up with the Los Angeles Police Department and tackling crimes, via shooting and racing around in cars, of course, but also through interrogating suspects - a system that depends upon the game's amazing motion-capture that records every nuance of an actor's performance and processes it into the game.

  With a huge script and a brilliant setting, this should be just the ticket for anyone who's finished Red Dead Redemption and is itching for a bit more Rockstar brilliance. LA Noire will be available for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.

• Red Dead Redemption named Escapist game of the year

  Smash-hit Western epic Red Dead Redemption has been named the best game of the year by a leading online publication.
  
  The Escapist has picked out Rockstar's acclaimed Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 adventure as 2010's best title thanks to its winning blend of high-calibre gameplay and an involving storyline and world.
  
  Red Dead Redemption sees players take control of John Marston, a reformed outlaw who must travel through the Old West after he is blackmailed by the government.
  
  It places gamers in an open-world recreation of the deserts and dusty towns of the Wild West, allowing them to explore at their own pace as they meet other cowboys, discover side-stories and engage in old-fashioned shootouts.
  
  The title proved to be a chart-topping hit in the UK and has received a raft of critical acclaim.
  
  Steve Butts, managing editor of The Escapist, said: "For us, games are about wish fulfilment and this one delivers everything we could want, from showdowns to roundups, and does it brilliantly."

  Published: 25/01/2011

• Rockstar hints at movie projects

  From GTA to Red Dead Redemption and now L.A. Noire, super-publisher Rockstar has specialised in games so cinematic that they should come with popcorn. Now it seems that the company might be eyeing a future on the big screen.

  Details have surfaced that the company has registered a trademark for a spin-off called Rockstar Films, and also owns two internet domains under the same title.

  The Rockstar Films trademark covers re-recorded video discs and other pre-recorded digital and electronic media in the field of live action programs, motion pictures, or animation featuring entertainment, namely, action, adventure, dramatic, comedic, children's and documentary themes./p>

  It has long been suggested that the publisher would make a move into movies, but in 2008 Rockstar quashed rumours that it was preparing a Grand Theft Auto movie. However, the publisher has dabbled in Hollywood, hiring director John Hillcoat (The Road) to put together a short film called The Man from Blackwater using footage from Red Dead Redemption.

• Final Red Dead Redemption DLC out this month

  Fans of Rockstar's acclaimed Red Dead Redemption can grab one final piece of downloadable content for the game later this month.

  The developer has announced that the Red Dead Redemption Myths & Mavericks Bonus Pack will be launched on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on September 13th 2011 free of charge, as a thank-you to its millions of loyal fans.

  It will add a number of new multiplayer arenas to the Western-themed sandbox action game, including Cochinay, Nekoti Rock and Beecher's Hope, as well as new Stronghold games in Armadillo, Tumbleweed and Chuparosa.

  The pack will also make a number of popular characters playable in multiplayer for the first time, including the likes of Landon Ricketts, Vicente DeSanta, Drew MacFarlane and Deputy Eli.

  Red Dead Redemption was launched last year and won considerable critical praise for its free-roaming recreation of the Old West.

  A number of content packs have subsequently been released, including the acclaimed Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare, which adds zombies into the mix.

  Published: 02/09/2011

• Red Dead Redemption: Game of the Year Edition announced

  Rockstar has announced that it will be releasing a definitive and comprehensive new edition of the hit Red Dead Redemption next month.

  Red Dead Redemption: Game of the Year Edition is coming to Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in October 2011 and will include the award-winning original game, plus all of the additional content that has since been made available.

  This includes the hugely popular Undead Nightmare expansion pack, which adds zombie battles to the Wild West experience, as well as all of the free and paid downloadable content packs released to date.

  Sam Houser, founder of Rockstar Games, said: "We wanted to create a world that captured the spirit of the Western. We are thrilled that Red Dead Redemption's vision of the West resonated with so many people."

  Red Dead Redemption casts players in the role of former outlaw John Marston and allows them to explore a free-roaming recreation of the old American frontier.

  A sequel to Red Dead Revolver, the game topped the charts for several weeks on its launch in 2010 and has since won more than 160 game of the year accolades.

  Published: 14/09/2011

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