Red Dead: Views

In the build up to the much anticipated release of GTA V in September, a month that still seems so far off, I've been exploring the incredible world of Red Dead Redemption. Although it's been out for a good while now, I only purchased it last December (the GOTY edition which is currently only between £15 - £20 at most retailers) and have been in and out of it ever since. Whilst I have in not been drawn into it to the extent that I've been playing it every day, it's a great game to play for stints during the week - similar to GTA IV.

As it is a GOTY edition, it does include the praised Undead Nightmare addition as well as all the other DLC. I can't say I've played through either much, wanting to get more invested in the main campaign first, but the addition of Zombies is not a bad thing to the game, and developers Rockstar have done a great job of adapting it for the lore. Unfortunately, the multiplayer is slightly disappointing due to the scarcity of players, though not unsurprising considering the late stage at which I have taken up the game. I imagine many have gone back to GTA too.

Overall, the game is essentially a reskined GTA with a fresh Western look. Changes have been made along the way in many cases for the better of the game. Combat is similar, the cut scenes are very reminiscent of GTA, as it the story with a serious overarching tale with humorous and imaginative side quests thrown in as well. It all takes place in a giant sand box, populated with outlaws, gunslingers and the various fauna of the American west, much of which is hostile to your presence in this vast land.

The world it seems is in a period of transition. A once wild and uninhabited is slowly becoming populated with Americans from the east. In the search of a new life and prosperity, they have brought with the greed, violence and crime. Other than the few 'civil' strongholds placed throughout the land, the world is ruled by outlaws and bandits where thievery and murder are common place. There is a general feeling that the 'civilized' east has little or no impact in this lawless land. A feeling though that is in the process of changing.

Your character is part of that change, on the hunt for a notorious criminal he was once allied with in order to help his family and redeem his past sins. On the way he meets a wide variety of characters all trying to make some sort of life in the world they have found themselves in. Locations are generally varied, and beautifully rendered, with huge expanses to explore. Particularly appealing to me was the travel past the Mexican border to a world not dissimilar but with its own personality to it - something that comes across in the architecture of the buildings and the people. Whilst the West is still wild, it is prosperous to a degree - the people try and replicate what they know of the East in terms of dress and manner. Mexico is clearly poor, rundown and in a major period of transition.

Historically speaking, how accurate it is is another matter, a period a know little about. It does seem to draw on real events, even if sometimes rather broadly. It makes Red Dead Redemption a very interesting game, as well as being fun. Whilst there are a few issues, none of which I have covered (travel in the vast world can take a long time) it is such a brilliant game to get absorbed in even on brief play throughs that it merits all the praise it receives. In some ways it is more than just a game, but an interesting cultural and social commentary on the world of the Wild West and the attempts to tame it. Though a topic covered in films of the genre, Red Dead succeeds above them in really capturing the feel of the world and immersing you in it. Though I have yet to finish it, this may be the game of this generation, and not just because it is so brilliant at being a great game.