#7 Red Dead Redemption


Game Info

               
Publisher: Rockstar Games               
Developer: Rockstar San Diego               
Genre(s): Third-Person Action, Shooter
Platform: PS3               
Players: 16               
ESRB Rating: M (Mature)               
Release Date: May 18, 2010

Intro:  
A scarred gunslinger walks on the docks between two important-looking men.  It is unclear whether he is under arrest, to be hanged, or to help.  None of the men say anything.  He carries all of his weapons with him and is un-detained in any way, so it would seem apparent that he’s not a wanted man, but he looks out of place with these gentlemen.  He gets on a train at the station and finds himself seated in front of two uppity “classy” women and behind a reverend and a young girl.  The pair in front seem bound for missionary work while the pair behind merely seem judgemental.  Either way, it becomes apparent that bringing civilization, and God, to the savages is very important to the people of this western culture.  “Class” is also highly important.  A car being moved off of a boat, coupled with comments early in the game effectively set the time at the turn of the 20th Century.  

Getting Going:
Off the train, John Marston walks to the saloon, meets up with his arranged guide, Jake, and heads out on horseback to a heavily-damaged Fort Mercer.  Apparently, John is trying to “save” an old friend.  As John gets on horseback, the player gets a mini-tutorial in gameplay while furthering the story and obtaining a backstory.  The majority of this is conveyed through play and the tutorial doesn’t disrupt the action.  

Fun:
Red Dead Redemption offers a western theme unseen in gaming, for the most part.  It’s a sandbox game that gives a player an immersive historical experience.  To that end, it is very engaging.

Visuals:
The cut scenes are brief and appropriate.  The night sky is stunning.  John’s character animations are very life-like and human.  For example, when he is injured, he holds his side and grows more fatigued after activity.  When he’s idle, he swats at bugs near his head or shows fatigue.  There are moving windmills, tumbling tumbleweeds and all manner of wild animals including skunks and armadillos.  There are even timely black and white movies to be watched.  Small black X’s on the map show dead enemies and animals to be looted or skinned respectively.  Footsteps in the sand behind you even let you see where you’ve just been.  This is helpful if you wish to backtrack or if you are just trying to quickly get your bearings.  Places can be noted on the map for easy travel, as well.  Weather and time of day are also presented well throughout play.

Sound:
This game is huge and very carefully considered which becomes even more evident in the sound.  Night sounds include crickets and background music enjoys a whistling music reminiscent of The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly.  There are times when spoken directions were difficult to hear over the action, but a briefing option in the game menu gives a perfect reminder.

Intelligence:
Some enemies are gunning for you, so they are aware of your presence.  Enemies take cover and aren’t exceedingly predictable.  Some animals seem to follow a certain track for a time and then change directions.  Gunshots scare off animals, as do approaching horses.  Animals are found in fitting environments and move with appropriate animations and speed.  The environment is completely geographical, meaning that, not only are hills and valleys apparent, but horses and carts can fall down them.  And, at one point, I shot a deer another rider was tracking.  I didn’t get to skin the deer and it didn’t count toward my challenge ranking, but I was fascinated by that level of interaction with NPC’s in the game.

Immersion:
As a sandbox game, there is no limit to what the player can do.  There are many challenges that can be completed, and pop-ups announce when one has been completed.  This is a little disruptive to play, but overall, the sheer volume of decision-making available to the player should keep even casual players involved.

Rewards and Punishments:
I did receive a trophy for getting through the first level, which is basically just background and learning to move around. This has long been a personal grievance.  Poorly timed trophies disrupt gameplay, but “thanks for playing” trophies are just insulting.  Beyond that, however, players have many opportunities to find rewards.  Challenges allow players to rank up for hunting and skinning certain animals.  Hunting allows players opportunities to earn money.  Fallen enemies, and animals, can be looted for valuables that can be sold in shops.  Rooms can be rented in various cities.  Honor levels affect communication with NPC’s whether they are friend or foe.  A low honor rating, for instance, will allow you to get more out of a villain, while a high ranking will garner trust and help from town locals.  Rented rooms also offer save points and trunks with extra ammo.  

Cameras:
There is a 360 degree view and the ability to search the sky and ground.  An R3 option allows you to slow down the action to get a better shot.  There were times when I was aiming for a bird only to find my vision blocked by my horse’s head.  And there are times when you can only look up and aim so far.  The latter seemed to be proper physics rather than a game glitch, however.  

Controls:
John can run, walk, leap over objects, crouch down, shoot, ride horseback, and shoot while driving a carriage.  The controls were smooth and easy to learn with a relatively low learning curve.  Reminders in the briefing keeps control at the players fingertips and the player in-game.

Ideas:
The biggest thing I’ve taken from Red Dead Redemption is the ability to take a foreign environment and create an immersive interactive experience for the player.  Westerns are, of course, familiar to most players through movies.  Many players playing war games have never been to war. Fantasy games immerse players in completely foreign environments.   It’s not a new concept in gaming.  Red Dead Redemption, however, pushes the envelope more by creating a sandbox game that allows the player to explore.  I think that, by taking the concept of a fantasy sandbox environment and merging it with a first person view in which the environment tells the story, similar to Bioshock, we can take immersive play to an entirely new level.

Memory:
I bought Red Dead Redemption new and will put many hours into it.  If I had to advise a friend I’d say “Buy it because it takes gaming to a new level by providing a really well-done action Western environment with a bit of a story and a lot of player control.”