The game puts you in the boots of John Marston, a man sent by the government to capture or kill the outlaw Bill Williamson. The set-up is simple, but the tale unravels through the fantastically directed cutscenes. The cast of eccentric personalities you’ll meet across your adventure are brought to life through clever writing and excellent voice-acting. They run the gamut from snake-oil conman, demented corpse exhumer, perpetually drunk Irishman, to legendary gunslinger. Your adventure will soon have you blazing trails from the quiet town of Armadillo to the conflict-ridden revolution-ready Mexico.

The story starts off slow, which moves the game at a very deliberate pace. You’ll have to have herd cows and tame wild horses before you can get to the real action — shooting outlaw vermin and criminal scum. But when the game gets going, it goes into a full gallop. The missions get more diverse, and then you’ll be riding shotgun with a shotgun, protecting wagons from gun-toting outlaws on horseback, jumping on runaway trains, and sniping rebels – the game even includes an obligatory mine cart sequence.

The look of death.

To simulate the sharp-shooting abilities that the Wild West was known for, the “Dead Eye” aiming system lets you slow down time for more precise aiming. Even better, players can also queue up shots in Dead Eye mode by “marking” targets. After you pull the trigger, Marston will fire a rain of bullets in quick draw fashion, demolishing everything that had the unfortunate luck of being marked. The system makes encounters far more interesting since you don’t always have to kill enemies — you can shoot guns off their hands or disable them with limb shots too.

Out in the Wild West, the line between lawman and outlaw is very fine, but Read Dead Redemption makes that line clear with the “Honor” system. Helping out common folk by completing mundane tasks like recovering stolen horses increases your Honor ranking, which rewards players with town discounts and lower bounties. But if you revel in lawless action, you’ll find that money comes by a lot easier.
Completing missions and tasks in general increases your fame in the world. Newspapers will mention your deeds in print, and townsfolk and criminals alike will recognize and respond to you appropriately, whether it’s in awe or in utter distaste.

Apart from the main storyline, the towns are packed with things to do during downtime. You can grab wanted posters and start hunting for bounties. True to western fashion, bounties can be captured dead or alive – of course, you get more money for alive. One of the funnier weapons is the lasso, which can be used to capture wild horses or wild men. There’s nothing more fun that lassoing a runaway fugitive and dragging the hapless fool through the dirt, or you can just hogtie him and pack him on your horse. Other than bounty hunting, saloons are also chock-full of gambling action; you can play games of Texas Hold ‘Em and Blackjack between shots of whiskey.

The developers at Rockstar are renowned for their careful attention to detail, and Red Dead Redemption is no exception. The world is rendered with stunning graphics. The lighting and dynamic shadows are phenomenal. In the distance looms ominous mountains and the desert lands are rich with shrubbery and cacti. During nights, the clear starlit skies are wondrous to behold. Coyotes howl in the moonlight, and the crickets clack incessantly. The small details unquestionably bring the world to life. The soundtrack, taking cues from the legendary Morricone, are also effective in provoking the right mood at the right times.

The wild west

Even out in the wilderness, there are still things to do. You can hunt wild animals and skin them for pelts, meat, or feathers that can be sold in shops. For those not inclined to kill innocent animals, you can also collect wild brush, flowers, and herbs. You might also stumble across some wicked situations. Drunken brawls, highway robberies, and vicious cougars are of some of the things you may find from wandering aimlessly in the wild.

Red Dead Redemption has all the hallmarks of a Rockstar production: a tightly wound narrative? Check. Loads of things to do in the world? Check. Perfect recreation of the Wild West? Check. What Rockstar has created is nothing short of another Game of the Year contender. It doesn’t matter if you’ve never seen a Clint Eastwood western, nobody should miss out on this game, so what are you waiting for cowboy?

Written by – Jomatto

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