The End of the Wild West

I won’t lie – I hated Red Dead Revolver. It was the first game other than Harry Potter to make me swear as a child. It wasn’t a memorable experience. All I remember was that damn mini-gun/coffin boss, the guy who got his arm shot off, and that I kept calling a playable character Castro. So, when Red Dead Redemption from Rockstar San Diego was announced, I was kind of reluctant to care. However, I was in GameStop last week with some friends on the release date of Redemption, I saw the box and figured I may as well try it.

I regret nothing.

The story takes place during the days of the Wild West where the Federal Government was beginning to take in all of its land. Automobiles are just now being prototyped, weapons are evolving, and the government is cashing in all its checks. The FBI (Technically referred to as the Bureau of Investigation, but everyone says they work for the federal government and they are in fact Federal Agents, therefore, they are the damn FBI. Just call ‘em that.) have taken farmer and former gang-member John Marston’s family into custody and told him that if he doesn’t round up his old gang members and either put them down or capture them, his farming days are over… as is his family.

Liked:
Farmer John – John Marston is a family man, even with his life on the line and his family in custody. In the opening of the game we see some whores in a saloon and, this being a Rockstar game, I wondered what kind of controversial content there may be here. Surprise! Only ten or so minutes into the game, a character asks John of his intentions with those women and John replies how he is happily married. John only wants to do what is needed to see his family again. While that sounds somewhat cliché, the way it is conveyed over the course of the game is very refreshing. Marston knows he’s no saint, but he isn’t some gruff character either. He makes jokes and is polite to most strangers. He has a short enough temper, but he is very much relatable and lovable (not unlike Niko Bellic in Grand Theft Auto IV).

“…everyone will eventually pay for what they’ve done” – The story of Red Dead Redemption is not so much one of Redemption as it is “Mediation.” While Johns Honor and Fame changes with the player’s choices, the main story stays overall the same. Marston isn’t looking for anyone’s forgiveness (well, one person’s) but he wants his family back. This means he is willing to do literally anything. At one point in the game, John goes south of the border to play an important role in a Mexican Civil War. John plays both sides willingly, because both sides offer to take him to his enemies, and therefore his family. John walks the fine line of outlaw and savior in a neutral way not explored by many games. John just wants his family, not fame or shame.

It’s a Western! – Red Dead Revolver was a “spaghetti-western” and served really only to be an entertaining game. Redemption aims to be the first modern attempt at recapturing our long lost love for the Wild West. While it still is rather cheeky and carries that sort of GTA “charm,” Redemption is still very engaging and even emotional at times. This is a believable story during a time period I’ve never really seen before. When you see a car after hours of horseback shenanigans, your first reaction will probably be “Whoa.” Horses are very intuitive and fun to use, though I absolutely loathe the “breaking” mechanic.

“The Day John Marston Stopped Shooting” – My favorite parts of the game are the climaxes, of which the game has about three. There’s the main story climax, and then two endings I’d declare the “You care about the story” ending, and then the final, “You care about these characters” ending. The game’s story is arguably never about John Marston, his gang, his troubles or the government. When players finally see those credits, and you know the story is over, things will feel complete and fully wrapped up, unlike Niko’s journey. Those that I know who finish to the credits have not stopped talking about it with me. It’s a good one.

South of the Border – Mexico is in the game as half of the huge world. The missions there start out about more of the same as the first half in the U.S. but when things pick up, they really do. During my shenanigans in GTA IV, I pondered what a Rockstar game set in a war would be like. Now I know, and it’s freakin’ sweet. Mexico is also home to some of the games most beautiful vistas that. In multiplayer, my friends and I sat back and enjoyed while we discussed the game. Never have I seen a more beautiful sunset in a game.

Dead-Eye – When I found out cheat-codes in the game disable saved games (Not just achievements) I was pretty annoyed, but when you get used to using the Dead-Eye mechanic, something you can do after racking up a few kills, you can really have some fun (and stay alive) during some tough spots. Time slows and you line up your targets for some fun.

Multiplayer – I won’t lie, my time with the game’s multiplayer was mostly limited to Free-roam, but even therein lies hours of entertainment. Make a posse with some of your friends and haul-ass across the desert in an effort to make a name for yourself. It harkens back to GTA IV’s multiplayer, but it is fun in big numbers. Just don’t get too used to respawning and living when in combat. It can be a bugger.

Hated:
Not Without Its Flaws – Red Dead Redemption has some serious bugs. From half-woman, half-donkey hybrids to no audio in dramatic cut scenes, the game has a serious need for some patches. While a glitch that made some items and characters invisible has been addressed, there are still so many more it really is quite annoying… not always game-breaking, but still annoying. You know that scene in Goldmember, with the guy who had the mole? Yeah.

Red Deadrising – My room has no fancy HD Widescreen. While it is opted for HI-Def, it ain’t a widescreen, so I’ll never be able to read most of the text in the upper left corner of the screen that tells me important stuff. The game looks fine, but some stuff is too small to make out or cuts off across the screen.

Broke Back Mountain (C’mon, I had too!) – Horse breaking, at least for me, is a pain in the ass and even when I’m balanced on my horse it seems I just get knocked off. It can be easy and fair at times but, varying from horse to horse, it can be very tedious. Horses are a very fun part of the game when you get the hang of them, but this is one function I wish I could eliminate.

Red Dead Redemption is definite game of the year material – and I just got off of the Halo: Reach Beta. When all is said and done and you hook up to the Rockstar social network looking at fun challenges, multiplayer, and soon DLC, you can’t help but marvel at this spiritual successor to a mediocre game. Rockstar recently stated its games were for mature people. This game shows that in a high-light and is in no way for kids. But for those of us who can understand it, the struggle of John Marston is a very valid chapter in gaming, and even more so in Westerns.

Rating: 5/5
Sicky’s Rating: TBD
Red Dead Redemption (Rockstar Games, Rockstar San Diego) is available on PS3, 360, and soon, PC.