Red Dead Redemption

The Good: 
 

• Rockstar has outdone themeselves by making a story so beautiful that it feels like being part in a really awesome Spaghetti Western film. The story starts out real slow but it eventually opens up as you play the game. 
• Each character is well-written with really top-notch voice actors to boot.
• The game displays really amazing graphics. Another fine example of what the RAGE Engine and the Natural Motion technology of Euphoria are capable of. Each of the environments shown in the game are massive and they show some variety from the lush forests to barren deserts . And the humans NPCs and the animals on the game are as lively as they go from how they react to you, to how well they can take a bullet. And the game feels even more life-like with all the randomly generated events going on as you play through RDR. 
• In terms of gameplay, Red Dead Redemption is surprisingly fun to play. Aside from the usual story missions, there are other things the player can do, such as bounty hunting,  taking down gangs in their hideouts, skinning animals you have hunted for money or even take down enemies through duel challenges. 
• Three modes of transportation: by horseback, stagecoach or through trains. Or you could just skip by through camping at a site
• The Dead Eye Targeting System is a very nice touch.
• If you are tired from all the violence and work in the game, there is always saloons where you can always drink whiskey till you get drunk or visit a theater or schoolhouse to watch some animated shorts.
• Best part in the single player game would be the Stanger quests, optional missions with some really interesting twists at the end.
• The multiplayer is insanely addicting, especially 16-player free roam and the co-op missions on the Outlaws to the End DLC. The matches are made for sheer fun, nothing more.
• PS3 Exclusive feature: Walton's Gang Hideout on Sollomon's Folly along with their costume for John Marston

 

• The game feels a bit linear for a sandbox game and it's more in favor for John Marston being a good guy. It would have been a bit more immersive if there were some branching paths to take in the game.
• Glitches are inevitable in open world games and Red Dead Redemption is no stranger to them. However, with the patches going on, least on the PS3 version that I have, they have been reduced significantly.
• Breaking horses, while good, is in a sense a bit pointless if you can just summon a horse which you have not broken to come to you.
• The game can be beaten in over 30 hours on regular playthroughs, which is a bit short than I would have liked.
• Free Roam, regardless of the NPCs and animals that inhabit the place, feels a bit bare. It's not as lively as I would have expected in the Single Player mode. 
• Selecting character avatars on multiplayer is a bit lame. It would have been all the more interesting if gamers were to customize their own avatar instead of leveling up to unlock new characters. Same would apply to mounts since I would have liked to catch my own horse instead of unlocking one.
• Health regeneration in the game makes it a little too easy than it has to be. 

  

• Horse racing is one of the most enjoyable parts in Red Dead Redemption. I cannot help but wonder, why in the heck don't we have more? Throughout the entire single player mode, there has been about three missions where you race, It would have been all the more interesting to have scheduled racing events and what not.
• For a game that is M rating, especially one made by Rockstar, there are very little scenes involving sex. There is one where a woman got her breasts exposed, but that's it. But, it's just me! lol
• I really do not know why we do not have gambling minigames in mutliplayer. However, I am sure that will all change once the Liars and Cheats pack comes out possibly this month or the next.
• No use of the lassos on free roam? Why!?
• In terms of hunting challenges on free roam, I do not understand why I cannot skin animals when they die. Then again, it might be hard to pull off on a muliplayer game

 
 
Conclusion: 
 
The game may be no Grand Theft Auto, but it's one game made by Rockstar that no one who has a PS3 or 360 should ever miss. The game is worth every cent you spent on it, and it will keep you hooked on single player alone, then multiplayer for more replay value. The game really captures the Wild West experience and I am sure any Western games to come will be compared to Red Dead Redemption in terms of sheer quality and fun. Anyone who is a fan of Westerns will most certainly have fun with this game, and those who don't might most certainly be converted.