‘Red Dead Redemption’ Review
Its 1911, the lawless Wild West is beginning to become civilized as the modern world begins to take shape. In this changing world there remain injustices. Playing as a former perpetrator of the violence and cruelty symbolized by the unsettled west, James Marston is a man trying to change his livelihood in the rapidly changing world. However, Marston’s past makes him a prime candidate to help destroy the remnants of the powerful gangs which have ruled the old west for decades. The government separates Marston from his wife and son, coercing him into cleaning up New Austin by killing his old partners in crime.
THE GOOD:
Red Dead Redemption succeeds in creating an environment that looks and feels like a classic Hollywood western. Throughout the three main areas (southwest United States, Indian territory, and revolutionary Mexico), astute movie fans will recognize situations that are parodies or have been inspired from great Westerns. I found certain areas reminiscent of John Ford’s classic The Searchers while Marston looks and sounds like Clint Eastwood. Video games are all about the immersion factor and simply put, Red Dead Redemption creates a convincing old West environment.
Although there is not as much to do in New Austin as there is to do in Vice City, San Andreas, or Liberty City, there are plenty of side missions and activities to keep you entertained beyond the main story line. You can capture of kill the worst offenders, take a job as a ranch hand, or play various mini-games to try to increase your fortune. These activities were certainly good time wasters and provide a challenge to those who want to complete the game 100%. Yet the most fun I had outside of the main missions was when I saddled up on my horse and rode off into the wilderness, tracking, killing and skinning wild game. Growing up in a highly urbanized world, experiencing the idealized simply life of a cowboy is among the most attractive elements of the game.
Something that I have come to expect from Rockstar games is superb voice acting. Most characters are voiced well, injecting joy, anger, fear, and humor into thousands of lines of dialogue. Conversations between characters are not as politically charged as previous Rockstar games, but there are certainly allusions to present day American issues, particularly over Mexican immigration. Although there are some great performances by those actors playing supporting characters, I was a bit disappointed with the the acting of Rob Wiethoff who voiced James Marston. The tone of his speech changed so dramatically at certain points, coming across as forced, which disrupted the fluidity of the cinematics.
I didn’t expect Red Dead Redemption to have a strong multiplayer mode. Although Grand Theft Auto IV had some interesting multiplayer ideas, it wasn’t polished enough to warrant playing it on a regular basis. The multiplayer is one of the most compelling aspects of Red Dead Redemption. Exploring New Austin in it’s entirety with friends improves the fun, as no one wants to be the lone ranger for the whole 30 hour journey. The traditional multiplayer variants are also fun, while the intermission “Mexican standoff” (where everyone has their gun drawn and aims at each other in a circle) games were the source of laughs and unpredicted outcomes.
THE BAD:
While it was definitely enjoyable to move around the rich and detailed environments, the actual act of traveling was sometimes tedious. While in the GTA games, I could listen to great music and funny social commentary on the radio, in Red Dead Redemption, you can’t because, well, you are riding a horse. One of the weaker elements of the game was the soundtrack, particularly the random contemporary vocals. The music was often a distraction from an otherwise immersive game world.
Although there are some funny personalities in the game, besides Marston, none of them are particularly memorable. The is largely a result of the fact that the game introduces many different supporting characters but does not utilize them enough. In regular Rockstar fashion there are funny, disgusting, and interesting characters that Marston will come into contact with. However, unlike previous games from the developer, you probably won’t remember specifics about the supporting characters in Red Dead Redemption or their lines of dialogue.
THE UGLY:
If there is one particular weakness about Red Dead Redemption it is the bugs. There were several that I encountered during my play through, some humorous, but most distracting and frustrating. On more than one occasion, a mission had to be reloaded as a NPC wouldn’t move correctly or the objective wouldn’t show up. Video games are an imperfect medium, but I got the distinct feeling that Red Dead Redemption could have used a couple more weeks of beta testing.
The open world gameplay was perfected last decade by the Grand Theft Auto franchise last decade. Red Dead Redemption takes this successful formula and applies it in a times period much different from the ones explored in the various GTA games. The world is an engaging and realistic one, where you will certainly find many sources of enjoyment.
James Marston’s story has won a lot of acclaim from reviewers around the tubes but I wasn’t as impressed. Although there was certainly room for potential, the plot developments throughout the game were not always convincing outcomes. Marston seems like a very smart, brash man, yet he is consistently fooled by others. As the open world genre would suggest, the player has the ability to make choices during the course of the playthrough which can act accordingly or contrary to Marston’s personality. I attempted to play the good guy and be consistent with the way that Rockstar portrayed Marston. However, even after trying so hard to play as a law abiding citizen, Marston didn’t seem to act “correctly” during cinematics.
Despite some of the technical problems and shortcomings in the storyline, Red Dead Redemption proved to be a thrilling and impressive game. You feel like a cowboy when playing as James Marston. This includes the more mundane tasks of herding cattle and doing other chores around the farm. But for every realistic and seemingly monotonous event, there areHollywood Western moments, such as chasing down bandits or jumping onto a moving train, which make the entire experience worthwhile for all players.
You should do more bullets if you’re going with this route of reviewing. Instead of just having two green paragraphs and two red ones.