Red Dead Redemption

It would be too easy to compare Red Dead Redemption to Grand Theft Auto. The similarities are vast, at least in the UI, and the main quest system is practically the same. Yet, Red Dead Redemption (which from henceforth shall be known strictly as RDR) transcends the old Rockstar franchise that set them apart from all other game studios. Rather than making a GTA clone, they took what they had, what they knew worked well, and evolved it.

You play as John Marston, a former outlaw sent to clean up a bit of your past. For some it might be easy to compare him to Nico Bellic from GTA IV, but there is a strict difference between the two. While Nico is looking for a good life (and some revenge), John is simply trying to keep his. The game essentially asks the same question Heavy Rain did: how far would you go for somebody you love?

The entirety of the game has a feel to it that most games don’t. It feels authentic. Rockstar even went against the norm of spaghetti westerns and put black men and women in the game. While that might seem unusual to notice, the south, at the time, had a very large boom of freed slaves who made their way to the untamed Western states to find work and a bit of solace. It would have been too easy to put a bunch of white guys and some Mexicans in and ignore everyone else. Instead, however, you have an honest melting pot. This has not gone without protest, unfortunately.

There are complaints by a few individuals that one of the games characters, whose name is literally Irish, is offensive. Irish, the person, is an absolute drunk and a womanizer, so much so that… well I won’t ruin it for you. Let’s just say he won’t ever get into Heaven. The character is supposedly offensive, though I don’t see how. Most people at that time imbibed, so much so that factory bosses and wives complained to the government about it. It became such an issue that the U.S. government created prohibition.

Few of the characters in RDR are good people. Even John Marston is a villain to a certain extent – at least, he can be if you let him. If nothing else, Rockstar has done a beautiful job at pointing out the line between good and bad is always skewed and as people of moderate intelligence we should keep in mind our own flaws before judging others.

Shockingly, Rockstar has created a game that has gone beyond that offensive nature of GTA. While I don’t ever foresee Bill O’Reilly playing RDR in his basement for ten hours, I think it would at least be easier for him and his ilk to digest such a game. The infamous ability to kill a prostitute after having a fun evening with her is gone, replaced instead by a simple No Thanks on the part of John Marston. Throughout the game you are given a multitude of morality choices, though there isn’t a meter or some way to gauge all of this. Instead, you either choose to pass by or help the person in need out. Apathy will not kill you and being a savior will not net you much more than a little bit of fame and maybe a pat on the head.

Maybe it was a design flaw or my inability to play in the early hours of the game, but there are many times when you are left unsure of who to shoot at. The simple approach is to toss your bandana on, if you have the time that is, and start shooting at everything that moves. That is the one bad thing about this game, the fact you can put a piece of black cloth over your face and suddenly you have no more moral compass and there is no punishment for this. I suspect Rockstar left that in so that you can have fun, though I found myself avoiding it at all costs. It felt like I was using a cheat.

Finally, we have the gameplay. To put it simply, it controls like GTA. This is both good and bad. The aiming system is brilliant and easy to use, but it can be turned off to give you that much more difficultly. Sadly, however, the actual movement is still a bit sticky. Maybe this is how it should be, but the sluggish nature of the controls can end in your death. Unlike GTA, however, the vehicle(horses in this case) control is absolutely brilliant. Racing is no longer a pain and is actually a good deal of fun.

Red Dead Redemption offers a thousand little things to enjoy, from the quiet scenery overlooking the hills just above Armadillo to the rushing music while you charge into battle with a dozen of your compadres as you fight for Mexico’s freedom. Beyond that, the obvious beauty, you’re able to enjoy the multiplayer.  

Rockstar set out to make RDR's multiplayer take a step beyond all those who would dare challenge their control. Free Roam is revolutionary for the consoles, though MMO fans will probably find little to do in the open world madness of Free Roam. Much to my chagrin, if you do not have friends who play RDR on XBL, you'll be left alone in New Austin. Unfortunately, this usually ends in you being killed randomly for no reason. Free Roam is nothing except a giant deathmatch arena. This might be good news to some, but to those of us who want an MMO-type experience, even if it isn't massively in any definition of the world, will feel left out. 
 
The standard multiplayer matches are here as well, of course. While they're fun, hilariously so at times, they're not revolutionary at all. That seems to be a common theme with this game - with the obvious exception of Free Roam. Nothing is drastically new, not even the graphics. And yet, Rockstar pulls it out. A good example of old ideas in this game is the character skin chooser. Instead of being able to create your own guy in multiplayer, you choose from a long line of NPC's throughout the game. There's practically no customization, with the exception of your mount. Maybe it isn't outdated, but it sure as hell isn't revolutionary. 

Usually I would say if you enjoy this sort of game then you should probably buy it, but I don’t think that is applicable here. Instead, I think everyone who enjoys games that glorify their story and the emotional bonds within should rent, if not buy this. While it can be offensive (it is an adult game, after all), it’s also brilliant and magnificently done. This game proves that movies and television and every form of the old media is dying and should be put to rest. Why bother watching a two hour western when you can play one that never ends?