And Now For Something Totally Unrelated... - jkra0512's Blog

jkra0512's Blog

And Now For Something Totally Unrelated...

Posted on May 31, 2010 at 08:23 PM.

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There comes a game every now and then that is so highly touted that you just shy away from learning anything about it. Not because you're sick of the media hype machine but because you don't want to be completely letdown about a title you've been secretly wanting to play. Red Dead Redemption (RDR) is that title for me and Rockstar did a spectacular job taking such a dying genre and breathing new life into it.

I remember when this title was first announced, I was a bit skeptical about bringing a Western to video games in a way that wouldn't make movies like the Good, the Bad, & the Ugly, The Outlaw Josey Wales, and Rio Bravo just source material. Those movies could have significance in a game of this magnitude and they shouldn't be cheapened to a blatant rip-off in the video game world.

RDR is not only an ode to Western of yesteryear, it's a complete revival of the Western genre. I hope this game brings along a slew of Western-themed games, not to the tune that WWII was overdone, but enough to crave a good Western storyline. One of revenge and exploration, while tugging on the emotions of loneliness versus companionship, good guy versus bad guy, loyalty versus betrayal and well being an overall badass. This game doesn't disappoint.

Too many games nowadays try to encompass so much that they never really accomplish one thing very well. However, Rockstar knows how to tread that fine line between adding many different gameplay elements but also mastering them to engross the player in a rich world full of life, even if it is the lonely West. RDR is a great game with great gameplay, great storylines, and great voice acting all of which lead to a top notch experience.