Rockstar has simply crafted a masterpiece out of what I thought was a dead western theme.
Concept:
The concept in "Red Dead: Redemption" is truly one of the game's best features. It is, from my knowledge, a very accurate portrayal of western life in the early 1900's. It's true, of course, that not everyone was like John Marston (murdering hunter & gatherer), but life certainly wasn't easy, and they made that quite apparent. Anyways, the story goes like this – you play as John Marston, a former outlaw. The reason he is a FORMER outlaw is because of a serious threat that was put in place by the feds. They took his family hostage (more or less) and threatened to kill them if John didn't take down his former "gang". That's basically how the game progresses. You have to find and destroy them by any means necessary, or else his family is going to be killed. The game has a series of plot twists that you will encounter, and the story is much more emotionally gripping that it may sound from the basics of what I just told you. It is a pretty simple concept, but personally, I think there's a lot of hidden symbolism and theme within the game. I think Rockstar worked on the story in order to portray a few life lessons. First of all, the game, without question, positively shows how important family is. Even in the most intense of situations, family comes first. In John's case, family comes first over his life of fun and crime. Maybe this was Rockstar's intent, or maybe not. But that's really irrelevant. Whether they intended on doing that or not, it still happened, and it really is a nice little addition to a game that would only consist of blood and guts otherwise. I do, however, think Rockstar INTENTIONALLY did something else. I really believe that they wanted to convey the issues involving government corruption, both during the early 20th century AND modern times. The game is a prime example of how sick corruption can be, which in this case is in reference to the "hostage" situation. The whole game represents corruption, actually. This is just the most clear piece of it. It's quite obvious (to me at least) that politics and government are so anti-morality and lying, that it makes you sick to your stomach. Being taken advantage of has been a problem in this world forever, and it appears to have negatively gotten worse through the years. I am not going to sit here and have a religious or political debate, but I just think that things shouldn't work the way they do. I think this may have been Rockstar's way of just "letting it out". Maybe I'm looking too much into it, but either way, "Red Dead: Redemption" opened my eyes a bit more, and I think that's a huge plus, whether it was out of intent or not. It's just a very good portrayal of life in general, and I commend Rockstar for doing the job so successfully. Aside from the main story, you will find numerous quests and activities that you can complete for more money and fame. There are 18 "stranger" missions, where you have to do certain things for various strangers you meet along the way, and that's a ton of fun. The story never really has anything to do with the main story, but nonetheless, it's a lot of fun, and it's exactly where Rockstar's immature/sick humor is found. Bottom line – whether you want emotion, portrayal, or a good laugh, "Red Dead: Redemption" has a story that will endlessly keep you entertained.
Graphics and Sound:
The game's overall presentation is very good. It has a very similar visual style in comparison to GTA IV, which is obviously expected. Though, personally, I have never seen Rockstar as a company to focus on the graphics nearly as much as any other part of the game. But still, the game does look really good, and the environments are extremely detailed. Not only that, but they are also quite numerous. There are some parts of the game that are basically deserts, while there are others that are winter wonderlands. It all depends on what part of the map you're at – northern and southern. I also was extremely impressed as to how hard they worked on accurately placing animals in areas based on geographical location. For example, you will never see a grizzly bear unless you are up north. EVER. Beavers are also most common up north, and usually are the easiest to find near water. That's cool too, because that IS where they spend the majority of their time (dams). And that's not to mention the fact that all the wildlife is very realistic as well, in terms of graphics and noises. You can hear a pack of wolves, or a rattlesnake or something, before even seeing them, and you can also see an animal from a distance and be able to easily identify it before it's even close to you. It's really cool, and I don't think I've ever seen that in a game. The orchestral score is also really well done. It's not amazing, but it accurately portrays the early 1900's western theme. Overall, the visuals and sound were very well done, and certainly a gem for Rockstar.
Gameplay:
The only real flaw that I can think of in terms of gameplay is the number of bugs and glitches. Rockstar has always had that reputation, but this is some of the worst I've seen by them. Things just don't always happen the way they should, and the game has some frame-rate issues when exposed to very detailed/open environments, and hectic combat. But it's nothing more than a minor problem, and not enough to even come close to remotely making the game any less pleasurable. Seriously, it would take a lot to take down this game's pleasurable experience. If there is one thing in this world I hate more than anything, it's the whole "western" theme that is in this game; But because this game is just so much fun, my whole perspective on that has positively changed. The amount of freedom you have is mind-boggling, and something completely unexpected. Of course, Rockstar are the originators of the sandbox genre, but they went so beyond what they've ever done in terms of side entertainment that it's insane. Just thinking about what you can do will make you want to play. Knowing that you can go out and hunt animals, and then sell their body in pieces (fur, meat, skin, etc.) in order to make quick money, or going out and finding various flowers for the same reasons, or holding people up and robbing them, or helping civilians being robbed/kidnapped/threatened with murder, or taking others hostage by lassoing them and then tying them up so you can tie them to train tracks and watch them explode…the list goes on. There is just so much fun to be had with "Red Dead: Redemption." I do wish, however, that cars could be driven. The early models of cars are found on occasion in certain missions, but you are never able to actually drive them. The only ways of transportation is by foot, horseback, and fast-travel from camps. Still, it's just a tiny little thing that should've been added into the game, but without any serious consequences. The game is too much fun to be ruined by anything less than catastrophic.
Overall Opinion:
"Red Dead: Redemption" is quite simply a masterpiece, and a surprising one at that. What Rockstar managed to accomplish with this game is incredible, and they deserve some serious gaming awards for it. The game is great, both in single-player and multiplayer. Multiplayer can be a bit frustrating at times, however, due to the constant stupidity and cheapness of some players that you will find. That is to be expected, though, and so there's no real way to complain. "Red Dead: Redemption" is simply phenomenal, and a game that you really should not miss. Don't even go for a rent. Just buy it. This is one of those games that can be played for years to come, and that's why I am giving it a 9.5/10.
The Good: Impressive story; Stunning variety of visuals; Tons of freedom; Endless fun; Lots of hidden little secrets throughout; Excellent sense of humor where it's necessary
The Bad: Plagued with bugs and glitches, though nothing severe; The expected online annoyances; Limited forms of transportation