Coming from the same folks who brought us the Grand Theft Auto games, Red Dead Redemption is another open world action game. In fact, it's a sequel to a game we only ever got on the PS2 (foreigners were also able to get it on the original Xbox).
Given how GTA4 was set in one of the biggest open world environments yet, a bustling metropolis with criminal gangs, police forces, regular civilians and a working transport system, it's hard to imagine how similar systems can be ported over to a game set in the Wild West. Fortunately, the exclusion of certain 'modern' elements in the game have freed up the developers to push the envelope in other ways.
Instead of carrying a cellphone and getting missions from crime lords, the main character, John Marston, does things the old-fashioned way: getting bounties from Wanted posters. Yes, for a change, you're playing the good guy. Marston's entered into a one-sided plea bargain with the government, which sees him having to track down and turn in his criminal buddies from days gone by. In return, the government will release his wife and daughter - incentive enough, yes?
Red Dead Redemption is set at the turn of the 20th century. John Marston arrives in Armadillo on a steam train, and sees an automo... apologies, horseless carriage being unloaded. It helps set the stage and, together with a perfect harmonica-driven soundtrack, creates a backdrop we've not seen in many recent games. The world is alive. People are out shopping, riding horses and playing poker. Everything you imagine the Wild West to be, from all those movies glamourising it, is relived in Red Dead. It's all helped by the massive game world, which stretches on for kilometres.
Get on your horse and ride into the countryside, admiring the breathtaking views and waiting for sunset. When it eventually becomes night, you can set up camp and start a fire. Care should be taken to make sure no wild animals are nearby - coyotes and wolves can attack and kill your horse. So big is the world, travel can actually be tedious. In Grand Theft Auto, there were a number of vehicles, and even helicopters, but even Red Dead Redemption's selection of different horse breeds won't make short work of a 20km trip. Instead, the game offers stagecoaches for faster travel between previously visited areas, and there are also trains running between the towns in the game.
Keeping a horse is a good idea, though. Along with earning the trust of his steed, Marston can also become famous (or infamous) through his deeds. Fame is developed regardless of alignment, but harming innocent folks will result in a bounty on his head in addition to losing honour. Enough bad deeds will eventually see the townspeople scatter when he approaches, rather than cheering and shaking his hand.
Read Dead Redemption is an ambitious game and even the most dedicated players will struggle to beat this in less than 20 hours, doing some of the money-earning side quests and buying houses along the way. That alone is not a reflection of how much there is to do, though. Replaying the campaign will show up some unexplored areas, and the same enormous game world is used in the multiplayer modes.
For all its grandeur, there are just a few niggles here and there, sometimes with in-game characters not being audible or innocuous animals becoming aggressive. But it's a small price to pay for the big amount of game to be had.
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