Red Dead Redemption
Red Dead Redemption is the most captivating game I've played since... GTA: Vice City, maybe? I'm not exactly certain, but to give you an idea: I have spent 1/3 of my time playing the game since purchasing it yesterday evening. Granted, I'm sick and hanging out in bed all day, but still. This meep is fun and a half.
I never played Red Dead Revolver, but from what I've read and seen this game has an entirely different tone. It definitely has that Rockstar vibe, but while it follows a lot of the Grand Theft Auto formulas it has a very unique personality that I can't get enough of. If you haven't played it yet I'm hoping this review will get your trigger finger itching. This review won't consist entirely of meep sucking, though. The game has its share of flaws that I'll get into at the end.
The story is fairly interesting, only giving you bits and pieces of the protagonist's motivation as the thing progresses, but mostly serving as a vehicle to introduce oddball characters that both help you on your journey and serve as distractions in side quests. When you first start the game you don't really know what to expect other than cowboys, small towns, and shootouts. The characters add some flavor to the monotony as most of them are colorful, especially against a background of dust and cacti, but I won't give away any details as your introduction to the characters in the game is part of the fun (for me, at least).
The missions are mostly what you'd expect from rockstar: tasks, favors, and yes... races. A lot of what you'll be doing involves being on a horse and/or shooting things. Sound boring, right? Well, meep you because it isn't boring. The combat system, particularly the Dead Eye ability, makes shooting 15 guys, doubling back and shooting 15 more a lot less monotonous than you may think.
What is there outside of the missions? A fair amount to keep you busy if you're into that sort of thing: 1. There's gambling in the form of poker, blackjack, and liar's dice. 2. There's various outfits for you to find and earn, most of which grant you certain abilities you wouldn't otherwise have. 3. You can hunt. Hunting/killing animals allows you to skin them which will put some meat/furs/antlers/hearts in your inventory for you to sell at general stores located all over. 4. You can increase your skills by performing various tasks. 5. Random events are plentiful and while you don't have to participate, doing so usually pays off either monetarily or in regards to your reputation (yes, you have a reputation to maintain). 6. I suppose this falls under the random events category, but there are duels and they are sweet.
The environments in the game are very well done and everything looks so sharp and detailed. The screenshot below shows a lot less detail, so I have a feeling it's from the PS3 version, which seems to be slightly stripped down for some reason (the plant life is much thicker and more robust on the 360). Regardless, you may find yourself pausing for a moment on top of a hill just to look around at how nice everything looks. It's probably not what's considered cutting edge, but I haven't seen a better looking game that I can think of.
So what's bad about the game? It's buggy. Sometimes it's buggy as meep. Not in a way that will be detrimental to game play, but you will see some things that are visually off or peculiar: debris or items stuck in the air, coattails sticking out at a 90 degree angle in cut scenes, vibrating buggies, women leaning on invisible posts in the middle of the street, etc. The only other negative comment I could make is that a few of the missions are definitely filler that don't serve any purpose to the storyline, despite being a requirement to move on.
Since I haven't beaten the game as of this posting I won't give it any 1-10 treatment just yet, and I'm not sure it'll have much replay value, either. So for now I will just say that it is a really good game, and if you've been on the fence about playing it you should check it out.
http://www.youtube.com/v/d_A5aON0Umw&hl=en_US&fs=1&
Now for some protips:
1. Stay on a horse unless you're going indoors or the game wants you to be on your feet. Why? Two reasons: a. Predators. There is wildlife in this game and some of it wants to meep on your corpse. Horses get you off of the ground and allow a quick getaway. b. Random events will sometimes require you to chase someone down. Starting off on foot lets them get further and gives you more work as you'll usually need to make your way back to the starting point to collect any reward.
2. Money can be hard to come by if you don't go out of your way to get it. Participate in random events, collect money from dead bodies, and hunt/sell. If you look at your map you'll see certain animals drawn in certain areas. Selling animal parts to a store in an area where they aren't common will get you more cash, and if you buy a rabbit's foot early on you'll find more money on dead bodies. Oh, and collect bounties when you can (bring them back alive for more money).
Any other lessons you'll need to learn on your own because that's part of the fun of everything. And as far as the xbox vs ps3 thing goes, it seems that this actually looks better on the xbox, but I don't think it matters too much in the end. Enjoy.
edit: 10/10
On 2010-05-31 at 20:49:25, JohnLenin asked to smell your meep
-
mstrlance
-
mstrlance
-
nurglets
-
beachgoat
-
sunny77
-
beachgoat
-
godevilliv+
-
godevilliv+
-
mstrlance
-
fastlane
-
mstrlance
-
lordkahuna
-
beachgoat
-
godevilliv+
-
godevilliv+
-
godevilliv+
-
beachgoat
-
lordkahuna
-
beachgoat
-
godevilliv+
-
saltpeter
-
pete56
-
godevilliv+
-
mstrlance
-
lordkahuna
May30 '10
posts
0 rads
0 rads
#
I'm about halfway through single player and I can sum up in two words:
meep cougars.
[IMG]http://i47.tinypic.com/2aan347.jpg[/IMG]
... The big cats are pretty meepin' annoying too.
May30 '10
posts
61.9k rads
61905 rads
#
I've actually been looking for cougars - have only run into bobcats so far. I managed to kill a grizzly, although I had to reload the bolt action twice during the kill.
Protip: stay the meep away from water. You'll drown in two feet of it. Also, do the missions. You get neat stuff from them.
May30 '10
posts
21.1k rads
21099 rads
#
Same. I've been all over and haven't come across any yet.
edit: just ran into, and killed, two of them by fort mercer.
On 2010-05-31 at 01:52:34, JohnLenin asked to smell your meep
May31 '10
posts
45.9k rads
45875 rads
#
I finished the single player last week. It has perhaps the most powerful ending I've seen so far in games - that is, if you fully invest in the character of John Marston and don't just play the game not giving a meep about what is happening in the story.
Yes, it's glitchy, but it's such a beautiful and amazing game world, you let it go.
The story mission and the game you play when not worrying about the story missions seem like two different worlds at times, but that's a problem with sandbox games that hasn't been solved yet.
I loved this game, and got to about 70 percent completion before deciding to go for the ending.
May31 '10
posts
45.9k rads
45875 rads
#
Protip: Get the map out of the box and open it up. All the locations of the animals in the game are on the real, physical map, not the in-game one.
May31 '10
posts
253.9k rads
253910 rads
#
Where the meep did you see a grizzly?
I want to know when I can go to Mexico. And when I can shoot a grizzly.
May31 '10
posts
61.9k rads
61905 rads
#
Found them up in the Great Plains/Mining Camp area. I'm near the end of the game, so that may be part of it. Killed about 10 so far. I also ran into cougars finally in this area as well. Scared the meep out of me when one jumped me the first time.
There's also big herds of buffalo in the Plains area.
May31 '10
posts
21.1k rads
21099 rads
#
The physical map is more detailed, but the in-game map can give you a general idea of what animals are specific to certain areas.
They're on the map, too.
May31 '10
posts
25.2k rads
25153 rads
#
3:10 to Yuma was better
May31 '10
posts
45.9k rads
45875 rads
#
You get to go to Mexico after you get into Fort Mercer, which is after you finish all the missions with Seth, Irish and the Snake Oil salesman.
You get to go to the plains area after you do everything in Mexico.
The grizzlies are in the plains, in the northwest. Use a rifle; aim for the head.
May31 '10
posts
21.1k rads
21099 rads
#
Jesus, no kidding. There's an extra thing at the end after what seems like the end of the story that brings up the credits and whatnot. Did you find that?
Jun01 '10
posts
45.9k rads
45875 rads
#
Yeah. I don't want to ruin anything for anyone, but the whole last two hours or so is incredible. Games tend to have great openings and meh endings, but this one got it right.
Jun05 '10
posts
7392 rads
7392 rads
#
Bought this game today and I think I saw Metatron in one of the towns feeding a horse.
Jun05 '10
posts
21.1k rads
21099 rads
#
if you're on 360 pm me your gamertag, yo
Jun11 '10
posts
1117 rads
1117 rads
#
The game is amazing, the environments add to the over all experience and the combat is more satisfying than most tps. Only gripe: glitches. I've seen guys on horses buried halfway in the ground. I've pressed the RB to take cover but instead I was launched 100 feet into the sky. I've seen people that were flying like birds, people that were in a heap on the ground acting like rattlesnakes and twice was attacked by people acting like cougars. Most of these were hilarious, but the instadeath glitches are maddening. Go Planet.
Jun11 '10
posts
7392 rads
7392 rads
#
Um, it sounds like you have a glitch in your meeping eyeballs.
I'm still playing this game, and have put in like 10 hours and I'm not too far along. I've really been having fun completing the tasks in my journal; Survivalist, Hunter, Treasure Hunter and Sharp Shooter. So far, I'm probably halfway done with Mexico and have all my challenges complete (with the exception of stuff up in Tall Trees, since I haven't opened it yet) except Hunter. No matter what I do or where I go, I cannot find any meep Wild Boar. I hear they're supposedly around the northern end of Hennigan's Stead, but I cannot find any. I wonder if they're extinct because everyone else on earth killed them all before I bought the game.
meep I love this game.
Jun11 '10
posts
253.9k rads
253910 rads
#
I've seen a single wild boar. It was on my first stomp-the-pedal lets-see-what-happens-when-I-shoot-the-meep-out-of-everyone trial. I blew about 16 heads off in Bonnie's little ranch and headed straight for the hills. I managed to outrun the posse and ended up in high hills with scrubby forest stuff. Suddenly a giant meeping boar was ramming me to death, and the end. Never seen one since.
Jun11 '10
posts
21.1k rads
21099 rads
#
Lots of boars up near tall trees. Bears, too.
Jun11 '10
posts
7392 rads
7392 rads
#
Haha Vas. I have a few pardon letters saved up so when I'm feeling antsy, I'll wipe out an entire side of a town. I realized, if you kill a Shop Keeper, the store will close for 5 "days". One of the funniest things I've seen in the game is what happens after you have 7 shots at a bar. It took me about 30 minutes to be able to make it 20 feet in the game - it's a riot.
Jun11 '10
posts
1117 rads
1117 rads
#
Nothing wrong with my eyes. This glitching meep is pretty wide spread, but seems more frequent on PS3. I'm playing the 360 version and have still had these things happen, however they're infrequent. Do a internets search for bugs in the game. My bugs are minor compared to others experiences.
To be clear: I love the game.
Jun19 '10
posts
7040 rads
7040 rads
#
Please.
Thank you.
Jun20 '10
posts
7040 rads
7040 rads
#