Red Dead Redemption - Worst Game Ever?

So I tried to play RDR over the past few days and it was one of the worst experiences of my gaming life. I know this game is revered by a lot of people but I am sure as hell not seeing it.

My first problem was with the story and characters. The story - find and kill some guy. Must have taken Benzies and Houser all night to come up with that one. And the characters that never shut up - especially Irish. By the last time I saw him I wanted to punch through my TV screen to get to him.

Second is that it's buggy as hell - your horse never goes in the direction you want. The camera keeps falling through the ground and during my last session the famous Mexico sequence was ruined when the geometry decided to dump me and my horse into a river. The hit detection on enemies is atrocious and during my last reload, the game crashed altogether.

Which brings me to the third thing. Death. Every death dumps you back halfway across the map to wherever your 'home' happens to be. I haven't played a game that did that since GTAIII in 2001.

I hate this game with a passion and will be forever remembered as a BLIGHT on my otherwise blissful gaming library. Rot in hell RDR! You are GARBAGE!

lol Oh internet hyperbole, never change.

Westerns typically do not have super complicated stories. I liked shooting people with guns....

I agree that the game is bit over hyped.

Good game but not a masterpiece.

The bait is real_

But seriously. Do people know what a bad game is?

I'm going to be the rare one, and state Red Dead Redemption did not impress me really. Just GTA with cowboys. .

But with games like Superman 64, Duke Nukem Forever, Mighty No.9, 90% of Sonic games, and Umbrella Corps you'd be a Tryhard to think this is "GARBAGE".

And don't feed me the 'opinions' card either. I'm not buying it.

Get good.

Everything I ever wanted in a video game.

Guess it wasn't you cup of tea.

Personally I think it's one of the few Western themed games out there that's actually good.

Sadly there are not a lot of options in the Western-themed department.

Call of Juarez was pretty good, but not anything like Red Dead Redemption.

It was one of my favorite games last gen, reviewed great, and has a legion of diehard fans...but yeah sure worst game ever. Trolls are getting really desperate lately.

I can't agree with you buddy. I like it quiet a lot. And I played the ugly ps3 version before the one I'm playing right now. This one and Gun are the only westerners that I've enjoyed so much.

Playing it for the second time now, I actually agree. It's not as mind blowingly awesome as I remembered it to be when it first came out... still a great game however. And it's ridiculous to say it's the worst game ever.

i had a feeling this might be the case. memories over time tend to filter out the bad stuff - the dull as dish water opening couple of hours, the clunky gun play / cover controls, dying as soon as you dip a toe into water, fumbly horse riding, the sprinting controls, the camp site saving system, the stagnation of the mission variety / story about a third of the way in, the contradictions in what marston says and does etc etc.

of course these are subjective observations and i have really fond memories of the game from back in the day - the gorgeous vistas / lighting, marston, the controversial ending, some great authentic wild west missions etc. but this is a problem with remasters - sometimes games are best left in the past and best experienced only at the point in time they're released

You're entitled to your opinion and such. That said, in my opinion, claiming RDR to be the "worst game ever" is over-exaggerated nonsense. I had a few annoyances with the game, but all in all I thought it was really well put together. I can understand it not being quite as great as a lot of people make it out to be. But you're letting your frustration get to you if you genuinely think it's one of the worst games you've ever played. Slow down, take it easy, and at least finish the game before flaunting your opinion on it. And I'm making an assumption that you haven't finished it because you obviously lack patience, at least when it comes to this game.

I agree the story in this game is terrible. You can play the game as much as you want but the suck story is never going to get any better.

I will say that there were a few funny moments in Undead Nightmare - an expansion unafraid to not take itself so seriously. Which is good imo because taking the main story in RDR seriously is painful at the best of times.

The gameplay itself was decent - still for me this game turned out to be a major disappointment, just like GTA 5 did. And Max Payne 3. I think that, lately, the stories in Rockstar games are getting to be worse and worse.

Interesting. I never played it, because I'm not a big Western buff - a number of comments in this thread suggest to me that I needn't bother (even if it's clearly not ACTUALLY the "worst" game ever)

@xantufrog: its much better than people say, I believe. The story isn't actually as simple as they're making it to be, and the gameplay, while not exceptional, really makes you feel like a badass gunslinger.

I don't think it's great because if you break it down, like GTAIV, it does everything alright.

The 3rd person shooting has been done better in many games with superior A.I. Vanquish, Uncharted 2, Gears of War. It still does a 'good' job though, it just doesn't do an amazing job.

As for openworld randomness, this is what Rockstar did questionably best, in a sense, It's definitely the most polished Sandbox of its time.However, it also lacks the varity games such as developer Bethesda has brought us with FO3 and Oblivion. So it goes into quality> quantity. If you wanted a more 'do anything' game? RDR won't be the best option.

And as for story, I thought it was pretty good. But a story doesn't carry a game for me so the above is more a factor.

It's a good polished Sandbox shooter. But not really more than that. It's not a revolutionary game experience, least not for me.

If you like or adore the Western themes however? This is your best option. Kinda how God of War is the best game series for the Greek Mythology theme fix.

In a world where games like Ride to Hell exist, there's no way RDR can be called worst game ever.

Definitely overrated though. Couldn't for the life of me understand all the hype when I played it. Not a bad game, and certainly well made, but really dull at points with unfocused writing.

nope

Yeah, the title of "Worst Game Ever" is actually quite an accomplishment. RDR isn't perfect (no game is) and it may or may not resonate with any individual gamer over it's sister series GTA, but a game doesn't reach the sort of sales numbers and popularity RDR reaches without doing a lot of things right.

-Byshop

Red Dead Redemption is not even remotely the worst game I've played. However, it's a terrible game, and I don't see why it got any praise when it does almost everything wrong. Controls are clunky and obnoxious. Combat is all bullet time so there's no challenge and it's just something you do. The story is amazingly horrible and populated with blatant cardboard cutouts, but that's not out of the ordinary for Rockstar, all their stories are horrible.

I would, however, state with confidence that RDR is one of the most overrated games I've played. I can't imagine why this game has such a high metacritic score when it has such garbage mechanics across the board and when it's such a boring, empty game with such horribly tedious open world activities. It is the worst AAA open world game I've played by a mile.

I would give it a 4 / 10, personally. It's not worth playing.

Some guy said the same thing about Overwatch earlier and wrote a whole tl;dr thing explaining why. I get it, you didn't like the game and pointed out all it's flaws, but it's far from the WORST GAME ever. RdR is the same, it ain't perfect for sure, but it ain't what you make it out to be OP.

@Starshine_M2A2:

Did you play this on a crappy PC or a horribly used copy? Yeesh!! I never had any of those glitches at all when I play it! Maybe you're playing RDR on Xbox One BC? I wouldn't be surprised if BC had issues like that. 360 had some BC glitches on certain games too but generally, these glitches don't exist in a normal version of the game.

I saw lots of bugs in RDR in PS3. It was a very clunky and ugly game with terrible performance.

Yeah these are some the finer annoying details of the game that I didn't remember... definitely has some things that need fixing for a sequel.

But yeah, it does have some pretty awesome aspects too.

Marsten: "So, I'm looking for my old partner in crime, Bill Williamson."

NPC: "Ah Mr. Marston, only if you aid me first."

Marsten: "Alright, I helped. Where's Williamson?"

NPC: "Hombre, you got a lot to learn....ride with me."

Marsten: *kills the entire population of Mexico single-handedly* "Are you going to tell me where Williamson is now??"

NPC: "Compadre, viva la MEXICO!! Arriba!!! Arriba!!" *finally gives tiny progress towards goal.*

(repeat ad nauseam for 40 hours).

I've started playing this again with the Bone's BC, and have come to remember why I could never finish it my first time through. The Housers have zero understanding on how to properly pace a narrative within an interactive medium. It's not fun to have to do 10 "story" missions before any actual story progress is seen. It's not story missions, it's errands to GET to the fucking story. It's not intertwined with the missions, and as a consequence there's no momentum, which leads to a lose of desire to continue. Like Mexico. You get pulled into this huge revolution and the main narrative is put on the back burner and mentioned only in slight passing on occasion to remind you, "Oh yea, there's actually a fucking POINT to all of this superfluous nonsense" while you run errands.

This is the worst possible means of retaining interest. RDR may in fact have a good story, but I've yet to see it through as the execution of it is rubbish. Give a dog a bone. There needs to be significant, tangible advancement towards the main goal interspersed after every 2-3 main missions, not have it come back into focus after 10-15. I struggle to continue as I loathe the slog it is to get to the meat. This is not helped by the poor and over-the top characterization and the repetitive mission designs (go here, shoot these guys).

RDR's world is amazing in its detail, but the implementation of gameplay into the overlying narrative is amateurish at best. R* needs to learn how to make the plot intrinsic to the main missions and not ancillary to it. This is by far my biggest criticism of RDR and if it were fixed would skyrocket it to one of my favorite games ever.

As it stands now though, a 7/10.

I find this thread horrifying. It's one of my favorite games of all time. I did not find it to be buggy at all. And I enjoyed the story quite a bit.

I'm having the exact opposite reaction. Playing it again on Xbox One BC, it seems I've forgotten how awesome it actually is. It has a massive beautiful open world (which is seriously amazing considering the tech it was made on), it has great shooting with great enemy reactions and physics, it has loads of horse types, a full hunting system, lots of different weapons, great controls, etc. I argued to my girlfriend that you could even convince someone that it's a current gen game.

The story is basic and does take a while to progress, but I find the characters and missions to be interesting enough that I don't mind it at all. I've yet to run into a single bug(with cameras, loading, crashing, anything), and the horse controls are actually the best in any game, at least IMO. The horse controls as a horse should, and is a good balance of fun and realism. It's also a nice touch that the horse has some real AI and thoughts of it's own that keep it from doing stupid things. Hit detection is fine for me, no issue hitting people here.

Can't say I've had a similar experience at all, Red Dead will always be a 9/10 game for me.

Dude what is wrong with you.

I'm not even a fan of the game but worst game ever? Come on.

@xantufrog: I would definitely put it in the high 80's to low 90's scoring range personally, and I do feel it is a game everyone should at least try. If you have a PS3, 360 or X1 and a friend with the disc, I recommend at the very least borrowing it and giving the game a good 3-5 hours. It's an experience that the majority of gamers should try.

Also, this seems like a thread that should be in System Wars. Trash like this doesn't belong in Games Discussion.

@suicidesn0wman: the fact starshine hasn't been back since the op pretty much confirms this thread was just what we english call a wind up

Well... it's a Rockstar game. It's not going to be bug free. I encountered some of the same geographical glitches you did, and it ruined my enjoyment for that one mission. However, I found the sum of its parts to be greater than its technical shortcomings, and Undead Nightmare was quite a bit of fun.

I wasn't impressed with RDR. I played through maybe a quarter of the game and it was just stale. I gave it to my younger brother who played it some, but I'm not sure if he ever got through the game either.

Someone's begging for some attention.

It's not a particularly challenging game, nor is it better than the sum of it's parts... but it's one of the few extremely well-made and very well-toned Western games in existence. It nails the Spaghetti Western atmosphere perfectly.

But I guess when you express an exaggerated opinion on the internet, it makes you stand out.

@suicidesn0wman: Sorry, do explain in what way my opinion on RDR equates to 'trash'...

@Starshine_M2A2: Your title and topic are sensationalized to the point that all believability was thrown out the window before clicking on the link to enter the thread. Much like 50% of the posts in system wars, where the 'opinion' is so outrageous that even the people who you are attempting to cater to disagree with your point. It's a desperate cry for attention that otherwise would have been ignored.

@suicidesn0wman: Not really. I just despise RDR. Everything I said about it in my post, I firmly believe or I wouldn't have said it. If you're unable to deal with the idea that someone might not like the same games as you or may have an opinion that differs from the masses, that's on you. But please don't call it trash - it's offensive, childish and highlights your inability to debate, you're happier to just dismiss.

Also, how does this post belong on System Wars? I wasn't talking about what platform it's on, my problems are with the game itself. Hence me posting this under GAME DISCUSSION....

OP i do agree i think the games really overrated. Not the worst game ever though, not even close.

I really hated the controls also for the horse riding. Also the framerate was really bad, reminded me of the sluggish gameplay i had in GTA 4. The bad framerate also made aiming not fun, it shows you why they had to add bullet time effect to make the gunplay at least somewhat possible.

Its too bad there was never a PC version, im sure i would have liked it 10x more. Just for the unlocked framerates and mouse aiming alone.

Its a game i played once, got through it quickly luckily and never going to play it again unless they release a good PC version.

@Yams1980: Well I refuse to call the likes of Ride to Hell or Big Rigs the worst games ever because I haven't played them - so for all I know, they could appeal to some twisted sense of humour I have. At the moment, out of all the games I HAVE played, RDR ranks as the very worst.

@Starshine_M2A2: I'm going to assume that RDR is the only game you've played then. I'm not going to hale it as the best game ever, because it's not, but it is FAR from the worst.

@spike6958: You assume incorrectly....

Nice title. Didn't even bother to read what you wrote.

It may not be for everyone, but worst ever? Guaranteed way to get people spitting on your face.

8.5/9 out of 10 in my book

Pros:

• Captured the western feel
• Great shooting mechanics
• Nice scenery, great graphics for the time
• Funny dialogue
• Awesome expansion
• Interesting enough story

Cons:

• Clunky movement controls (Marston controls like a tank)
• Repetitive gameplay mechanics
• Not a lot to do in the world

LOL

I was replying to the topic title. "idiot". Nice! You sound like a winner.

@Starshine_M2A2: Gaming is perceptive based on WHEN you play them and personal preference. Maybe you just waited too long and it is a little too old for you to truly appreciate now.

I thought Red Dead was a great game personally. Though I'm not into the Western setting and didn't like a lot of the like horse mechanics and things. Wished I was back in GTA driving cars by the end of it.

But the story was good, the characters were good and the ending was AWESOME. One of the few times I've had a genuine emotional reaction to characters. I didn't even get an emotional attachment to The Last of Us except for the prologue.

I'd say it is probably a bit overrated but it is still a very worthy game and one that I think everyone should at least try. Especially now it is cheap as all hell on last gen.

@Starshine_M2A2: I guess you hate GTA games as well

@PredatorRules: Would that be some kind of crime?