Red Dead Redemption II was a game that changed how I viewed video games. I was only just starting to understand the idea of games being an art form thanks to the Metal Gear Solid series, but playing a painstakingly crafted game that featured a well written, expansive, and emotional story and a living, breathing open world that was filled to the brim with things to do made that concept obvious. It's a masterstroke of a game that I've been playing regularly since the day it came out, but despite how much love I have for it, I've always wished that I had started with the first game in the series. I mentioned finding a copy of Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days at a CeX in in my review of that game, but I didn't mention how I bought Red Dead Redemption as well.
Rather than being a sprawling revisionist portrait of America like its sequel turned out to be, Red Dead Redemption feels and plays out more like a spaghetti western, as the gritty, dirty visuals and emblematic music feel like something out of a Leone or Corbucci film. One of the main themes of Red Dead Redemption is how America defines "civilization" and "savagery", as the ruthlessness of the game's government makes them no different from the outlaws and Native Americans that that they claim are the true threat to civilization, with the latter group being victims of their genocidal violence on a massive scale. Despite the game's title, John Marston's past and how it haunts him makes any chance of him redeeming himself impossible, and all you can really do is just have him do the best that he can as he watches the Old West that he always knew die right in front of him. The story is straightforward in its structure, cinematic in its execution, and complex in its themes, and the result is a brilliantly told, tragic, and unforgettable game that explores and blends many loaded topics with ease.
Aside from being incredibly well written, Red Dead Redemption is also a very fun game. The guns, horse riding, and especially the Dead Eye mechanic are satisfying (although they obviously aren't as fine-tuned as what is present in the sequel), and the game's missions often feature explosive and fun set pieces that make use of the game's many items and weapons. Exploring the huge open world is especially fun, as New Austin, Nuevo Paraíso, and West Elizabeth are all chock full of sidequests to complete, minigames to play, and gang hideouts to shoot up, and the random encounters with people in trouble even makes simply getting from point A to point B feel eventful. The score by Bill Elm and Woody Jackson is incredible, and the use of Far Away by José González led to one of the best and most beautiful moments I've ever experienced in a video game. The issues that I had with Red Dead Redemption were ones that all got fixed in Red Dead Redemption II, and while it isn't necessarily this game's fault that its sequel improved on it in every way, this was still what held me back from considering this game to be one of the very best. Even with that in mind, Red Dead Redemption is still a phenomenal game with a lot to offer, and since the copy that I picked up came with Undead Nightmare, I'll be playing that soon.
Rather than being a sprawling revisionist portrait of America like its sequel turned out to be, Red Dead Redemption feels and plays out more like a spaghetti western, as the gritty, dirty visuals and emblematic music feel like something out of a Leone or Corbucci film. One of the main themes of Red Dead Redemption is how America defines "civilization" and "savagery", as the ruthlessness of the game's government makes them no different from the outlaws and Native Americans that that they claim are the true threat to civilization, with the latter group being victims of their genocidal violence on a massive scale. Despite the game's title, John Marston's past and how it haunts him makes any chance of him redeeming himself impossible, and all you can really do is just have him do the best that he can as he watches the Old West that he always knew die right in front of him. The story is straightforward in its structure, cinematic in its execution, and complex in its themes, and the result is a brilliantly told, tragic, and unforgettable game that explores and blends many loaded topics with ease.
Aside from being incredibly well written, Red Dead Redemption is also a very fun game. The guns, horse riding, and especially the Dead Eye mechanic are satisfying (although they obviously aren't as fine-tuned as what is present in the sequel), and the game's missions often feature explosive and fun set pieces that make use of the game's many items and weapons. Exploring the huge open world is especially fun, as New Austin, Nuevo Paraíso, and West Elizabeth are all chock full of sidequests to complete, minigames to play, and gang hideouts to shoot up, and the random encounters with people in trouble even makes simply getting from point A to point B feel eventful. The score by Bill Elm and Woody Jackson is incredible, and the use of Far Away by José González led to one of the best and most beautiful moments I've ever experienced in a video game. The issues that I had with Red Dead Redemption were ones that all got fixed in Red Dead Redemption II, and while it isn't necessarily this game's fault that its sequel improved on it in every way, this was still what held me back from considering this game to be one of the very best. Even with that in mind, Red Dead Redemption is still a phenomenal game with a lot to offer, and since the copy that I picked up came with Undead Nightmare, I'll be playing that soon.