One Of The Excellent Game Of Cow Boy Games It Is Simply An Amazing Game Worth Of Playing
The issues begin with the multiplayer, as it stands at the point of this review in a state of unpredictability. The leveling structure for multiplayer works well, as you gain levels your default equipment and horse improve. There is no buying of weapons to improve your inventory or finding them in the middle of the desert and it's a welcomed idea
Another positive change from multiplayer in Grand Theft Auto and the first Red Dead is the lock on system. While Red Dead Revolver had a target body parts system when using Dead Eye (the game's bullet time effect). GTA used a system that allowed auto-targeting eliminating most challenge in deathmatches, Redemption takes that system and tweaks it to where it works. Highlighting a player with the targeting cursor for a second or two grants you an auto-lock on if you keep your cursor in the general area of that player.
Where the multiplayer falls apart are glitches. Players glitching out happens extremely often resulting in random teleportations or even fusion of the player into scenery There are issues where a player cannot see his own horse, and the worst problem when a player cannot see players. Some jumping animations online I've seen result in the character phasing through the ground beneath his feet stuck until the player quits. Then there is the issue of random disconnects that can turn a match the other way when the entire playerbase aside from three people are kicked out. With patches this can be fixed but Rockstar is notoriously slow with multiplayer patches and it could be several days to months before a fix comes.
One of the better features about multiplayer is the Mexican standoff where both teams have a shootout at point blank range to determine which team gets a lead in a mode like capture the flag. Considering one shot to the head will kill a player its a very exciting 20 seconds and one most players will drool over.
Red Dead Redemption's detailed buildings
The game has a free roam mode much like GTAIV but the difference is the game is a copy of the single player mode without story missions and shops. Players can actually interact and partake in objectives like gang hideout takeovers and earn EXP instead of the Honor from single player.
Posse's in multiplayer is the improvement of the party system from GTAIV. You can have 8 total players in a party and then go into a multiplayer match from the free roam mode. Players in a posse will not always stick together on the same team but always will be in the same game.
Graphically this is up there with the top of the line graphics seen on current gen systems. The desert is stunning about 99% of the time, and the map to go with it is extremely well designed. Winding roads litter the game and riding horseback up or down a small hill is breathtaking. The animation of characters and the horses are believable, and the background setting really sucks you in instantly. The game's minor issue with graphics is more of a player inconvenience than anything else and that's wandering in the dark in this game is not fun at all. Yet this is what I want from the game as without street lights and neon lit buildings to light my path I expect the darkness to not be kind to my travels.
The soundtrack never gets in your face but fits the mood to perfection. Capturing the feel of living in a wild west film without feeling cheesy. It's dramatic and brooding with a sense of mystery that not many soundtracks can accomplish.
The weaponry doesn't feel dated and that is the most welcoming thing Rockstar did with this title. The issue with games set in older times is because the weaponry was slow the developer forces the same limitations to the player. Redemption has old weapons, you aren't firing phasers but they all feel great to fire. A seamless weapon is the best gift a gamer could ask for, no caulking or million year wait times needed or wanted.
Wrangling will be an object of the game to remember as the lasso is a blast to use. Someone looking to be a little devil will cackle with delight when you lasso civilians on horseback and drag them around. Wrangling horses is also a very fun aspect of the game that really seems seamless as well as believable.
Herding in game doesn't occur too often but its a terribly broken aspect of gameplay. The object is to ride behind or on the right of the herd to nudge them in a direction, the problem is this usually never works. Random animals in a herd tend to take off in a direction and going after them is rather pointless. Why? Because those animals magically teleport back to the main herd if the majority keeps heading in a direction. It's a nice idea and when you really get it to work the herding looks beautiful against the backdrop but the majority of the time it feels sloppy.
The story in Red Dead Redemption seems deeper than Revolver giving the main character a name and general plot and characteristics helps his case. It's hard not to like John Marston right away, he has a great voice and you can relate to his motives of Redemption and justice but also feel the darkness still inside of him. The other characters in this western tale don't fair as well, some feel like blathering idiots and other characters are portrayed like a mahogany desk.
Another small nitpick is John cannot swim, and while it makes sense that horses can't it seems odd that a human cannot. It's a problem most sandbox titles develop with this, though its not as insane as the Hulk being afraid of puddles.
The Dead Eye is back from the first title and is a bullet time mode to pick off multiple enemies in seconds, imagine lightning fast shooting. What is confusing is where the meter for this exists on the HUD as it isn't evident from play. It's actually a small red meter to the right of your map radar something the game neglects to explain.
Honor is the game's karma system allowing players to decide if they wish to be good or evil. Players turning to good will be poorer but loved, while players turning to evil will be rich and hated. It's easier to just become good and loved, because with the game's knife stabbing your hand mini-game you can become rich rather quickly. The mini-game follows a series of set patterns allowing players to easily manipulate the game and become rich and good, a great feeling.
In the end it's the freedom that defines this game like any good sandbox. Your given most of your important tools early on and the game lets you ride where you want, do what you want. Whether you want to play sixty hours of poker, ride into the sunset, or just drive locals mad this game has you covered. The best part of an experience like this is no two sessions will be the same between two gamers, whether you fail to save someone or watch him die or even become bewildered at cows committing mass suicide by running off a cliff. Redemption is one of the best titles of the year with a singleplayer chalking up to about 40 hours and a multiplayer that could , don't miss out.