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Wednesday, June 2, 2010

 

Red Dead Redemption Review:

Red Dead Redemption Review:


Red Dead Redemption Review:


Ok ok, so it’s not quite Grand Theft Auto (GTA) simply transported to a Wild West setting, but it’s not far short of the mark either. Fortunately, if, like many nowadays, you feel that GTA IV was generally wildly overrated at the time of its release, then that shouldn’t necessarily put you off Red Dead Redemption (RDR). Indeed, I include myself in that grouping, so you need only look at the score to see that RDR offers something, to me at least, that GTA IV lacked. Unfortunately, if you want to find out what that is then you’ll have to read the rest of this review, and for that you have my apologies.

 


The story of Red Dead Redemption is largely a familiar one; John Marston, a former outlaw who’s turned his back on his old life and become an honest family man, is drawn back into his old ways when government agents kidnap his wife and daughter and hold him to ransom. His family will be returned safely, or so the government agents say, if he’s able to track down and kill/capture his former gang members. Not much of a story, you might think, but for the most part it’s told surprisingly well and with finesse. The themes of the growth of federal government, the spread of ‘civilisation’ and all that it entails, including the death of the Wild West, form a strong backdrop to the central relationships which develop between characters. This is true more of some parts of the story than others though.


The story splits into three key Acts and an Epilogue, and without spoiling any of the details I found the first Act in particular to be superb, but Rockstar drop the ball towards the end of the second Act, seemingly falling back on a GTA style of storytelling. Key characters begin to deliver lengthy pseudo-political and philosophical monologues, and the plot becomes farcical as Marston (a supposedly deadly and only partially reformed outlaw) is made out to be a pathetically gullible fool, with various characters taking advantage of his generosity without any quid pro quo, just to keep the story going. Fortunately, things return to form slightly towards the end of the game, but it never returns to the excellent storytelling of the first Act.


Red Dead Redemption Review:




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