Avenue C & Eagle Drive

I’ve spent the majority of this weekend playing Rockstar’s latest outing Red Dead Redemption, and it’s been nothing short of amazing. The interface is pretty much identical to that of GTA4, and so is much of the sandbox style of gameplay, but the setting and mood of Redemption is what sets it apart from it’s cousin.

Immediately, you’re catapulted into the captivating western landscape of New Austin. You’re John Marston, a retired outlaw who has been forced back to his old ways after he is threatened with the death of his family if he doesn’t kill all of his old riding buddies. You ride through the excruciatingly detailed hills, valleys, canyons and plains to complete mission after mission, slowly getting closer to your goal of killing those who were once your friends. But, you can throw all of that by the wayside and take part in all of the side quests, if you like, and spend even more time.

The replayability of this game is already apparent, even though I’m not even close to finishing the main campaign. You can hunt and skin animals for money, since pretty much every animal can be shot. You can save a prostitute from being shanked to death by a drunk old man. You can even pick flowers. Yes, seriously. Picking herbs and flowers for profit. I’m not even scratching the surface, though. There are so many things to do, you’ll be spending way more than the estimated twenty hours to finish the main storyline.

I’ve spent a huge amount of time just riding around, soaking in the sights. The graphics in this game are incredible. No detail was left untouched. From the massive red mesas in northern Mexico to the way the grass moves and the dirt clods fly when riding your horse, this game is absolutely stunning. It’s like being the star in a Clint Eastwood film.

All of this praise aside, there are a few flaws in the game. First off are the horses themselves. I always remember in the westerns that the outlaws always had to get fresh horses in order to outrun the marshal. Just to test the longevity of the horses in Redemption, I’ve stayed on the same horse for as long as possible. I’m pretty sure I’ve probably spent a week in game time on the same horse, riding at full speed constantly, and my horse is still as good as the first time I rode on it. Kind of unrealistic. Also, you can be riding at top speed and run head on into a rock, and nothing would happen. It almost seems like Rockstar forgot that horses are living things. All that happens is that the horse stops, changes direction, and keeps going. Just like many other things in the wild west, running your horse into a rock face should have consequences. If cyborg horses don’t exist now, they sure as hell didn’t exist in 1911.

Overall, the horse issues are nothing when put up against a game so deep and rich in both story and gameplay. I’ll definitely be playing this for many months into the future. Me and my cyborg horse will be friends forever.