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    Red Dead Redemption

    Game » consists of 23 releases. Released May 18, 2010

    Red Dead Redemption is the spiritual successor to 2004's Red Dead Revolver, featuring a vibrant, open world set in the decline of the American Wild West. Players take on the role of former outlaw John Marston, who is forced to hunt down his former gang to regain his family.

    No Redemption For Me

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    sweep

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    Edited By sweep  Moderator

    I was pretty stoked for Read Dead Redemption.

     The setting had been pitched perfectly, and I was suitably enthusiastic for another Rockstar action game that successfully balanced combat and character design. Red Dead quenches my thirst for engrossing narrative. It is, glitches aside, a pleasure to explore. For some reason however, somewhere along the line, Red Dead Redemption became a grind to play. 
     
    No Caption Provided

    It's hard to pinpoint. 

    It most probably lies in the repetitive sincerity of each character. There is sparse humour here, no solace from the convoluted politics of the Mexican Civil War or the interference of the American Government. Every time a new character is introduced I am subjected to John Marston's cagey repetitive explanation of the men he is hunting and how "he used to ride in a gang". At some point the landscape stops being stunning and becomes barren. I suspect I have now reached that point. I'm currently playing the game by pressing A to skip to destination so I don't have to listen to the dreary monotony of voice actor X tell me why my current mission is so important, especially when I feel press-ganged into accepting it in the first place. At this point i'm only sticking with the game to get to the ending, which is apparently pretty awesome.
     
    For a game that has the unique selling point of offering an entire wilderness to explore, I seem to miss most of it by teleporting between campfires. 
       
    No Caption Provided

    It's something I can't quite understand because Red Dead Redemption is everything I wanted from a videogame. It just can't seem to hold my attention. Perhaps it really is too similar to Grand Theft Auto 4 and, aesthetics aside, I was hoping for something more. Maybe because of exams and splitting with my girlfriend i'm just too distracted to fully appreciate how great this game really is. I don't know why Red Dead Redemption isn't working for me, but I feel really guilty for not enjoying it. 
     
    Red Dead Redemption is just too dry. No pun intended.

     
    Thanks For Reading 
    Love Sweep
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    #1  Edited By sweep  Moderator

    I was pretty stoked for Read Dead Redemption.

     The setting had been pitched perfectly, and I was suitably enthusiastic for another Rockstar action game that successfully balanced combat and character design. Red Dead quenches my thirst for engrossing narrative. It is, glitches aside, a pleasure to explore. For some reason however, somewhere along the line, Red Dead Redemption became a grind to play. 
     
    No Caption Provided

    It's hard to pinpoint. 

    It most probably lies in the repetitive sincerity of each character. There is sparse humour here, no solace from the convoluted politics of the Mexican Civil War or the interference of the American Government. Every time a new character is introduced I am subjected to John Marston's cagey repetitive explanation of the men he is hunting and how "he used to ride in a gang". At some point the landscape stops being stunning and becomes barren. I suspect I have now reached that point. I'm currently playing the game by pressing A to skip to destination so I don't have to listen to the dreary monotony of voice actor X tell me why my current mission is so important, especially when I feel press-ganged into accepting it in the first place. At this point i'm only sticking with the game to get to the ending, which is apparently pretty awesome.
     
    For a game that has the unique selling point of offering an entire wilderness to explore, I seem to miss most of it by teleporting between campfires. 
       
    No Caption Provided

    It's something I can't quite understand because Red Dead Redemption is everything I wanted from a videogame. It just can't seem to hold my attention. Perhaps it really is too similar to Grand Theft Auto 4 and, aesthetics aside, I was hoping for something more. Maybe because of exams and splitting with my girlfriend i'm just too distracted to fully appreciate how great this game really is. I don't know why Red Dead Redemption isn't working for me, but I feel really guilty for not enjoying it. 
     
    Red Dead Redemption is just too dry. No pun intended.

     
    Thanks For Reading 
    Love Sweep
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    AhmadMetallic

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    #2  Edited By AhmadMetallic

    You shouldnt feel guilty for not enjoying the world, you should feel miserable! 
     
    I dont know what to say. i've put 35 hours in my first playthrough, and about 20-30 in my second that im playing right now (still in mexico !)  and i cant get enough of the landscape.. it can get boring or all too similar sometimes, but on the whole, hunting and helping people along the road is still so much fun 
     
    oh and, "Fake Your Own Death" .............................................................

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    Jazz

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    #3  Edited By Jazz

    I had a similar problem. 
    Once i got to mexico, I just didn't want to play it anymore. I enjoyed everything up to that point, but after the first mission with the train, something just clicked off for me.
    I think I just can't stand R* games. I don't like how they play and I don't like how they're built. 
    So you're not alone. 
     
    @Ahmad_Metallic said:

      oh and, "Fake Your Own Death" ............................................................. "
    Too soon man, too soon.
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    sweep

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    #4  Edited By sweep  Moderator
    @Ahmad_Metallic said:
    "oh and, "Fake Your Own Death"  "
    Son, I have been faking my own death since you were in short pants.
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    Yummylee

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    #5  Edited By Yummylee

    I blame Mexico. Once I reached Blackwater though, the love came flooding back so fast I almost passed out.

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    Oni

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    #6  Edited By Oni

    Stick with it. The game gets 573% better once you get the hell out of Mexico, which is just a total drag and shouldn't have been in the game at all.

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    ShaneDev

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    #7  Edited By ShaneDev

     I really like RDR but him telling everybody he meets what he is doing got tedious and a little bit unbelievable and I didn't enjoy Mexico as much I would have thought, it started off great but a lot of it felt empty and most of the characters weren't great. I wish you got to spend more time with Landon Ricketts.  

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    Video_Game_King

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    #8  Edited By Video_Game_King

    Skipping destinations always confused me, mainly because of how often the game allowed it. Why does John Marston have to ride shotgun so much? Can't we assume he knows the way and just let everybody else catch up on their own time?

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    sweep

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    #9  Edited By sweep  Moderator
    @Video_Game_King said:
    " Skipping destinations always confused me, mainly because of how often the game allowed it. Why does John Marston have to ride shotgun so much? Can't we assume he knows the way and just let everybody else catch up on their own time? "
    dude yes.
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    mosdl

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    #10  Edited By mosdl
    @ShaneDev said:
    "  I really like RDR but him telling everybody he meets what he is doing got tedious and a little bit unbelievable and I didn't enjoy Mexico as much I would have thought, it started off great but a lot of it felt empty and most of the characters weren't great. I wish you got to spend more time with Landon Ricketts.   "
    The characters in Mexico were too stereotypical and not infused with the quirks from the first third.  More Ricketts would have been fun.
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    jmfinamore

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    #11  Edited By jmfinamore

    I'm at the same point in the game (leaving Mexico) where I'm fast traveling and skipping everything. The little details like hunting and playing surprisingly good poker aren't charming me anymore and neither is the environment. The story in Mexico had great potential (together de Santa and Reyes are interesting) but the exposition takes way too long. Redemption suffers the same problems that any lengthy story-based games has: it spreads itself too thin. What could have been a great 2 hour movie turned into a middling television series. The games has incredible bits of voice work, acting and story telling but they unfortunately get diluted by less interesting pieces.
     
    I'm excited for Blackwater though, its apparently amazing.

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    GreggD

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    #12  Edited By GreggD

    Put it down and come back to it in about a month or so. See if your opinion changes. I certainly hope it does.

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    JJWeatherman

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    #13  Edited By JJWeatherman

    I bought it on day one and just finished it a couple days ago. That's not to say I didn't like it though. In fact it was more of a result of my 360 dying than anything else. When I came back to the game, I had just as much fun throughout as when I started. Maybe the month long or so break I was forced to take made a difference though, idk. 
     
    Great game though.

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    jos1ah

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    #14  Edited By jos1ah

    Not only the repetitive riding shotgun missions, but there are also too many missions where I seem to flip an imaginary switch and guys pour out of the desert like sand until I complete the mission. Makes experimenting with smart tactics almost pointless. This is the case with bounties as well...Each wanted man seems to have an army of friends with cellphones. Far too "gamey" for my tastes.
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    kishan6

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    #15  Edited By kishan6

    i feel very similar witha  shit load of open world single player games 
    nowadays id just rather play something along the lines of god of war or maybe even:

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    Computerplayer1

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    #16  Edited By Computerplayer1

    This happened for me as well, and also during my time with GTA4 although to a much greater extent.
     
    I haven't quite nailed it either, but I think it just has to do with how the games are structured. The characters are fantastic, the stories are great, but I'll be damned if after 15 hours I want to stop playing their games.
     
    It's a strange feeling because you know it's a good game, you would tell others it's a good game, but it still nags anyway.

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    gike987

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    #17  Edited By gike987

    It's Mexico's fault. I almost wanted to stop playing it after a while in Mexico. The missions in Mexico are boring and the characters feels too stereotypical. It becomes better as soon as you leave Mexico.

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    #18  Edited By zeefoes

    I agree with sweep mostly..
     
    I kinda lost interest after like 50 women ask marston to fuck them and he just uses the excuse "I'm married".. pisses me off that you can't do anything about that because of the story.. even though there is the whole honor system and all.
    Oh and theres other things too...

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    deactivated-5c7ea8553cb72

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    @Ahmad_Metallic said:
    "oh and, "Fake Your Own Death" ............................................................. "
    I heard that dudeglove guy did it rather successfully. Can anyone confirm this?
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    buzz_clik

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    #20  Edited By buzz_clik

    Awww, that's a bummer, Sweepy. Is it annoying to you that everyone else seems to be creaming their jeans over the game you want it to be?
     
    I'm still really keen to play RDR (how annoying is it that the acronym is the same as the first game?) but I've just bought GOTY Fallout 3. After a few long nights/mornings with the latter title, I've come to conclusion that I won't be playing Red Dead for a long spell yet. Or returning to my Mass Effect 2 game for a while. Or getting around to S-ranking Darksiders.
     
    P.S. Tequila, mate? *shaking the bottle*

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    AlwaysAngry

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    #21  Edited By AlwaysAngry

    I'd give it a 3.5/5.

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    jakob187

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    #22  Edited By jakob187

    I enjoyed RDR for two main reasons: 

    1. I'm a hardcore fan of Westerns.
    2. I'm a hardcore fan of Westerns.
     
    It just so happened that the story was pretty well told, the characters were pretty damn good, and the voice acting was pretty damn good.  The game played well for what it was, sure, but it wasn't perfect.  I was engulfed by the wilderness, and I never once felt guilty about transporting everywhere.  Why?  Because I used my own free time to just go riding, check stuff out, see what was going on in the world.  If anything drew me in, it was the amount of random shit you could find happening at any point in the world.  Does it have a purpose that drives the story?  No, it's just random shit to do. 
     
    If you want to get really sucked into it, then you have to just let go and allow the game to throw you on a horse and take the reins.  THAT is when you find the beauty in RDR.  There is a living and breathing, functioning world in there.
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    Scrumdidlyumptious

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    Yeah I'm up to the same part and I'm finding it really hard to continue playing as well. The stupidity of the Mexicans in this game is unbearable. The only way I've been able to keep my sanity is by setting Luisa on fire whenever I get a mission from her.

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    #24  Edited By sweep  Moderator
    @buzz_clik: Been sober for 5 days. Don't tempt me.
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    AhmadMetallic

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    #25  Edited By AhmadMetallic
    @Godlyawesomeguy said:
    " @Ahmad_Metallic said:
    "oh and, "Fake Your Own Death" ............................................................. "
    I heard that dudeglove guy did it rather successfully. Can anyone confirm this? "
    lmao
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    Dad_Is_A_Zombie

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    #26  Edited By Dad_Is_A_Zombie

    i think this is a common problem with gamers anymore. If a huge, mega-hyped, triple-A title doesn't cure cancer, solve world hunger, or pay off the national debt then it's a failure. I thought RDR was very well done. The multiplayer is a chore but that's due to the mongoloids on XBox Live more than the game. I don't know what you expected or what more Rockstar could have given you but my ratings system goes like this: Was the entertainment to dollar ratio acceptable? Answer: Very much Yes. That equals a great game to me.

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    Quacktastic

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    #27  Edited By Quacktastic

    Mexico was the games low point. I thought the characters were too one-dimensional, but visually it's my favorite part by far.

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    deactivated-5e49e9175da37

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    I'm supposed to get on a boat and go to Mexico.  Now I'm not sure I should bother.
     
    I've played through the first third of the game desperately hoping something happens that makes it click for me.  So far I've had the most fun playing stupid poker.  I'd wager it's a factor of the combat, the main feature, just not feeling up to the level of other third person shooters.  The driving isn't up to the level of racing games.  The traversal, if you can call it that, isn't up to the level of platformers.  Despite the story being well-rendered, and well-produced, I just have no desire to keep going after finishing a mission.   Everything other than the story seems like its spread too thin trying to be all-encompassing.
     
    So far I've probably played that game over eight different days, and never for more than an hour at a time, and I'm only a third through it.  Meanwhile, I beat Uncharted 2's 10 hour story in two days, because I couldn't put it down.  I missed work to play through Mass Effect 2.  I just have never got that desire in Red Dead.  I feel like it's the game I play after I finish a game and before I start a new one.

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    c1337us

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    #29  Edited By c1337us

    Red Dead was alright. I made it through to the end but I did nothing on the side and have no intention of going back now.

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    Lungford

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    #30  Edited By Lungford

    I was typing a comment on this topic that quickly outgrew forum post and turned into blog post. If you're interested, check it out on my profile. I definitely understand what you're saying. Red Dead's got an incredible world full of things to do, but there's a lot of character stuff that really gets in the way.

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