At this point, the folks at Rockstar Games can do no wrong. Red Dead Redemption is
their latest, a western set in the year 1911. To sum it up, think of
the game as Grand Theft Auto (GTA) set in the old west. Instead of
jacking cars, you’re jacking horses.
You
play as John Marston, a retired outlaw who is told by the government to
head out west to take out his former posse if he wants to see his wife
and son again. Just like the GTA games, the game play and story are
intertwined with one another. There’s an open-world environment that
runs from Mexico all the way up to the Dakotas with missions that range
from tracking down outlaws and searching for treasure to breaking
mustangs and hunting coyotes on a farm. Then there’s the side missions
that will have you gambling or helping someone who’s in distress.
Although the game is presented similar to GTA IV, the combat system is
a lot more refined. The cover system is similar to GTA’s but when in
the midst of a gun-battle you have the “Dead Eye” ability, which slows
down all the action and allows you to get off the perfect shot. This
works while riding on your horse or in the middle of a town, but you
have to use it wisely as the ability only lasts for so long. Plain and
simple, there’s so much to do and see in the game that you’ll be
playing it for months on end. And we haven’t even talked about online
multiplayer.
This is a contender for game of the year and may be the best video game you will ever play.
