Every now and then a game sneaks out which defies expectation. In a market saturated with also-ran FPS crap set in pseudo-realistic Modern theatres of war, Red Dead Redemption aims to rekindle gamers interest in the long forgotten (but once incredibly popular)’Wild’ West of the late 19th Century.

It’s an approach which has been tried before without much success. Whilst it is Redemptions true predecessor, the original XBOX title Red Dead Revolver shared little but the setting with its current generation lovechild and was hardly a huge hit. It’s possibly for this reason that the industry showed very little interest in Redemption and it certainly snuck up on us here at PJ towers!

As a reviewer, it’s diffult to decide which part of Redemptions’ genetic material to focus on. Firstly, there is the Revolver link, which is tenuous but cannot be overlooked, whilst more relevantly, there is GTA IV. Back in about 2005 people were hoping that (simply because Rockstar were making it) Red Dead Revolver would be like GTA, but set in the Wild West. Unfortunately they were wrong. However, those hoping the same from Red Dead Redemption will be much happier.

Players tackle the lead role of John Marston; a sombre but not-entirely-charmless ruffian who arrives (somewhat mysteriously) from the East with a couple of citylovin’ lickspittles in tow. Apparently these two ‘Government Agent’ types have a job for Marston and more or less mmediately following his arrival, John is gunned down and left for dead by the gang he used to ride with. As ever, this is the perfect opportunity for him to be rescued by a well meaning family who then go through the rather familiar motions of teaching us how to perform basic tasks such as moving, riding horses, shooting and the like. To be fair, Rockstar know the drill by now and the process is relatively painless; though sadly no amount of Tutorial minigames can save Redemption from its somewhat cumbersome Inventory, Menu and Weapon selection screens.

After not very long at all, I decided that Redemption is actually one of the nicest looking games I have played for a very long time. As far as detail is concerned, my knowledge of the Wild West can only confirm that Rockstar have got things absolutely spot on. A huge array of flora and fauna populate the dusty landscape whilst people go about their business in rustic, run down towns built (just as you imagined) along a single main road. Tumbleweed rolls about whilst across the distant horizon, heat haze is clearly visible.

As in all the GTA games, missions and their associated cut scenes begin whenever the player walks over a certain spot, usually identified as an initial on the minimap. Progression is as generally interesting as ever, with tasks this time becoming even more interwoven than usual and yet for the most part being generic enough to be completed in just about any order. Side quests are available in a variety of forms, with some being accessed at a sensible location like the local Jail or Saloon, whilst other ad-hoc missions occur a little too regularly in Towns or out in the Wilderness. Unfortunately, whilst it is entirely clear what Marston needs to (and should) be doing to claim his revenge, some of the main story missions feel a bit peripheral. In particular, Marston himself gets rather frustrated with the procrastination and relentless underhandedness of some of those he is forced to rely on, let alone the player. The one exceptionally interesting storyline (Bonnie) is often stalled frustratingly as the ‘B’ symbol dissapears from the minimap and Marston is forced to perform like a trained chimp in one charade after another, when really all he (and you) want to be doing is kicking bandit ar$e!

Despite these minor concerns, the story does build towards an inevitable climactic battle (or two) and is really split into two halves as later in the game Marston is able to cross over the border into Mexico. As with GTA, there are some genuinely memorable sequences which are made possible only by the incredible versatility of the engine. The physics in particular work exceptionally well where combat takes place on horseback and those enemies shot whilst riding fly convincingly through the air or are occasionally dragged along by the stirrup. Whether on the ground or in the saddle and despite the controls being a little fiddly, aiming is a simple matter that involves pulling the Left Trigger and allowing the camera to snap to the nearest enemy. From there, a quick flick upwards pretty much ensures a guaranteed head shot but doesn’t make the game too easy. If that’s still too hard for you however, Redemption carries forward the ‘Dead Eye’ mode seen in the first game. Essentially a Sepia version of Bullet Time, this mode allows Marston a few seconds to pick a number of shots (depending on his current weapon) which he can fire in quick succession and usually take out a couple of bad guys straight away.

In terms of challenge, think GTA IV again. Enemies are neither smart nor dumb; taking cover effectively and aiming reasonably well without ever frustrating. In general, the game knows this and as the story progresses, the tactic is usually to throw more of them into the mix rather than making each one individually tougher. Again, it works well because people should die when shot in the head or torso; hence, the satisfaction level remains high as Marston cleaves a bloody path to his various goals. Redemption is far from long, but as the current trend seems to be that games are getting shorter and shorter, it represents pretty good value.

The multiplayer element of RDR is more or less what you would expect, although perhaps more polished than most similar titles. Like GTA, the multiplayer games all take place in familiar locations, but this time, things are handled a little more seamlessly. Upon startng multiplayer, Gamers drop immediately into a live game with actual people running around; hence as is the case with people, some will just try to kill you immediately whilst others will want to kick off various organised deathmatch, team based or cooperative modes using markers around the map.

I rather enjoyed playing Redemption online, but if I am honest I doubt I will spend much more time playing. If you’re really stuck for something to do and love Redemption, then by all means you could have some fun here, but most players will be better served spending their time online with Halo, COD or the like.

Pros
Looks Great
Plays Great
Plenty of Longevity

Cons
Occasionally Fiddly Controls
Annying Menu Systems

Final Verdict
In brief then (because you know I so often am) it’s fair to say that Red Dead Redemption is a vastly improved sequel to Revolver and more importantly, a worthy spin off to Grand Theft Auto IV. With a polished, authentic feel enhanced by excellent visuals, sound effects and voice acting just about anyone could get sucked into the world of John Marston and as long as story driven violence is your thing, I promise you will not regret it.

8/10

Matt