Red Dead Redemption

To put this review in context, I've been looking forward to Red Dead Redemption for a long time: it's the only game I've ever pre-ordered. And I am glad I did, because not only is this one of the strongest contenders for Game Of The Year, but it may even be one of (that's 'one of', for the Ocarina fans) the greatest games ever made.

Graphics - Incredible, simply incredible. To call this game beautiful is a disgraceful understatement. Besides Final Fantasy XIII, I can't think of many games which better RDR's graphics, and considering the sheer size of the map and the possible number of enemies duelling onscreen at one time that's a huge achievement. From everything to cacti in the desert to the muscles of the horses you ride, everything looks exactly as you'd imagine it to. This is life in the old west brought to life. Besides camera angles, the cut-scenes and gameplay are almost indistinguishable, and the characters look pretty damn realistic (like a great film, you can tell what the characters are thinking just by looking at their facial expressions and body language). In short, this a beautiful, beautiful game.

Sound - Perfect. Graphics may improve, gameplay may improve, but I honestly couldn't see how the soundtrack to this game could be any better. You really become immersed in the game when you have the traditional Spaghetti Western style music playing as you ride after outlaws in the desert. I was worried that having that kind of music in the game would make it seem cheesy or fake, but it really does add a sense of atmosphere. The voice-acting is also superb, as is now standard for Rockstar games. The greatest moment so far was a flash and the sound of thunder during a storm, causing all the horses outside the saloon to whinny and struggle against their hitchings in fright.

Length - This is a long game. Besides the main story mode, which is a good 20 hours by itself, there is a huge number of side activities to engage in. Hunting, breaking in horses, poker, duelling, horseshoes, blackjack, Liar's Dice, bounty hunting, stagecoach-robbing (or saving, if you come across one being attacked), challenges, collecting outfits... The list really does go on, and you'll be entertained by this for a long time.

Gameplay - The meat of any game, and I've saved the best till last. From riding horses to hunting outlaws, there really is a vast number of things to do. This variation ensures the experience never gets repetitive, and it really is just mind-blowing. The controls are great, and although the horse riding takes a little getting used to, you come to realise that there is no better way to ride a horse and shoot outlaws at the same time. And the attention to detail is awesome, in the true sense of the word. It's satisfying to blow someone off horseback with a shotgun, only to find that their foot becomes stuck in the stirrups as their horse rides away in fright, or when you lasso a wanted criminal and drag them to the Sheriff's office at high speed on your horse. There are a few glitches in the game, and occasional slowdown, but this really doesn't detract from the experience and happens so infrequently that it's barely worth mentioning.

Without a doubt MY now favourite game, I'm sure this will be many people's opinion in the coming weeks. I cannot stress enough how much you need to buy it. Happy trails!

As far as games go, I've had good experiences, and bad experiences. I won't mention the bad experiences, but as for the good ones, Red Dead Redemption tops the list. The deep, moving and exciting story, the perfectly designed gameplay mechanics, and a fun, original multiplayer element makes this not only the best sandbox game of all time, but the best game I have ever encountered.

You play as John Marston, a former outlaw, trying to hunt down his former brother in arms. Things go south quickly when the U.S Marshals, The Mexican Government, and John's wife and son all become embroiled in the plot. Within the first hour, the story, and many of the main characters are introduced. The first mission drops you straight into the struggle, and you will soon realise that this hunt goes much deeper that it first seems. The characters are all typically Western, but without being characatures. Both the voice acting, and the personalities of these characters are top notch.

Being made by Rockstar Games, the gameplay will be familiar anyone who has played a Grand Theft Auto game. This means that the gunplay, fisticuffs and just general motion, will feel a lot like GTA IV. But this game is so much more that GTA in the wild west. You have period-authentic weapons at your disposal, and rather than fast cars, you will have horses, stagecoaches, and even a train, which you can use to travel across the gorgeous western landscape. Or, if you want to take things more slowly, you can simply wander. Travelling to forts, you will also have the opportunity to use terrifying gattling guns and cannons.

The environment this game provides you with is truly something to behold. You start the game in the sandy, rocky landscapes that all feel familiar to those who have ever seen a western film. But, as you unlock more of the world, you will able to travel into the far north, where snow capped peaks, creepy forests, and big game like bears await. Or, you can go south of the border, to Mexico. Each of the games worlds are unique, offering varied terrain, new creatures to hunt, and fascinating new people to meet. Exploration is rewarded in Red Dead Redemption.

As well as the fantastic single player, the action continues online. In Free-Roam, you and up to sixteen friends, can explore the entire game map from the single player campaign, form Posses, find treasure, lead assaults on gang-hideouts, hunt wild animals, and so much more. As well as this, there are death match, capture the flag, and other team-based gametypes. The game has a smart levelling system, and, as with the single player campaign, you are rewarded simply for playing the game.

This is quite simply, the best game of the last decade, and that is saying a lot. With a brilliantly exciting single player campaign, great shooting, a dazzling cast of characters, one of the largest and best looking game-maps around and fun, enjoyable multiplayer, "Fantastic" simply doesn't do it justice. I doubt that anyone has ever played a game quite like Red Dead Redemption. And I doubt anyone ever will again for some quite some time.

Hello people,

Its hard to know where to start when reviewing a game such as Red Dead Redemption, so i will break this down into different points.

Storyline: Firstly this is a sandbox game, much in the same style as GTA 4. I personally find it hard to really connect with story and characters when it comes to sandbox games. This is due to the fact that there is just so much to do that i find myself getting side-tracked with exploring, side missions and generally just seeing what the game has to offer. The problem is you can spend an hour or two progressing the story, then just feel like messing around in the open-world. This doesn't create a very linear storyline like Bioshock or Alan Wake. I understand that both games used as examples of a linear storyline are both totally different to RDR.
I wont say to much about the storyline other than you play as John Marston, a man who travels to America during the industrial revolution on some sort of a revenge mission. John Marston is your typical bad guy turned good. The best thing about the storyline is the very unexpected twist at the end. **NO SPOILERS FOR THOSE WHO ARE YET TO FINISH THE GAME PLEASE (IF YOU DO COMMENT)**

Graphics: The graphics are of a very high standard, which many gamers of today will expect. Personally i look past not so good graphics, if the gameplay is fun and makes me want to continue playing i'm fine with that. Anyway, using the same or a very similar game engine to that of GTA4, you can get an idea of what to expect, however the game is much sharper. I haven't experienced any bad frame rates or the ground beneath you disappearing briefly, both problems that occur in GTA4.
The detail in RDR is spot on from the weapons, the horse movement, the way animals in the wild move, weather effects. Basically the game looks wonderful, so if its great graphics and detail you are looking for then RDR is for you.

Multiplayer: Ok so multiplayer is split into two different sections including free roam and competitive game modes (bag grab and death-match etc) Firstly free roam is the whole RDR world, the map holds a maximum of sixteen players, now this is fun when playing with a group of friends or joining other players within the world to form a posse. The posse system is very good, it enables you to have eight players in the same posse at one time, you can all go off your own way and aren't restricted to staying in close proximity of the other posse members. There isn't a huge amount to do in free roam, mainly clearing gang hideouts and being rewarded with EXP for this, there are only seven gang hideouts throughout the world, which isn't many in comparison to the size of the world. EXP can also be gained through completing challenges such as shoot five birds or become most wanted for ten minutes etc etc. you will also gain EXP from shooting other players in the world. Basically free roam is the whole world for you to enjoy with your friends or other players, its just a lot more limited to what you can do compared to single player.
Competitive game modes are enjoyable, it isn't MW2 or BFBC2 but it is still a lot of fun, there is a levelling up system which is linked to free roam, so no matter what game type you play you will be levelling up your player for any multiplayer mode. *there is no levelling system in the single player* As you level up you will unlock new weapons, new titles for you character and new mounts (horses)

Overall RDR is a great game, well worthy of the hype and is a very strong contender for game of the year. Sorry if this review wasn't as informative as it could have been, but i didn't want to include every last detail of the game, leaving no room for little surprises for you. Anyway hope you enjoy the game if you have it or are thinking of getting it.

Thanks for reading my review guys :)