Red Dead Redemption hits like a bolt from the blue and pulls you in like a swamp, leaving no illusions that it is the best virtual western ever. The review was based on the Xbox 360 version. Also applies to the PS3 version
Western lovers don't have it easy. Game developers steer clear of this genre, as if they were afraid that virtual expeditions to the Wild West must be doomed to failure from the start. And unfortunately, they are right. None of the titles released in recent years have dominated the bestseller lists, none of the stories about gunslingers have been so popular that they can compete with productions that ignite the senses of today's generation of players. But that's in the past. For less than two weeks, a game has been available on the market that has every chance of being a huge commercial success, because there is no doubt that it is the best western in history. her title? Red Dead Redemption!
Everything seems absolutely wonderful here: picturesque landscapes admired from the train window, the town of Armadillo located in the middle of nowhere, straight out of classic cowboy movies, and the expressive main character - a scarred tough guy with a not-so-great record who comes to the borderland to authorities to hunt down his former crime gangmate. Enthusiasm grows when we jump in the saddle for the first time and set off to the fort located near the city. It is in this old Civil War fortress that the criminal wanted by John Marston made his nest and it is here that the last scene of the mandatory introduction takes place, when the apparently naive daredevil is brought to the ground floor by a bullet spit out of the barrel of a rifle. The hero is abandoned at the gates of the fort and left to the mercy of vultures circling around, but he is saved from death by a mysterious stranger. This is how a great adventure begins, during which we search for jaws on the floor for a long time.
The studio from San Diego created this product in the style of Grand Theft Auto, according to a pattern that has been improved for many years. Saying that Red Dead Redemption is inspired by this one of the most famous series of games does not reflect the state of affairs - in fact, we are dealing with a cheeky clone of the "four", in which the heroes, world and vehicles have changed, but the very core of the gameplay has remained intact. As a result, we got a dozen times better and more developed GUN, which at one time tried to do the same as Rockstar Games' product today, but on a smaller scale.
The open nature of the struggle - the thing that distinguishes the next installments of the Grand Theft Auto series from the competition - is also one of the main advantages of Red Dead Redemption. After a failed visit to Fort Mercer and forced recuperation, Marston is let off the leash. And since you can do a lot of things in the game, we don't complain about the lack of impressions from the very beginning - you could even say that we are overwhelmed by the enormity of possibilities. In addition to a large number of main and side quests commissioned by NPCs, we also have missions from mysterious strangers we meet while wandering the prairie, as well as various random events. It may happen that a woman traveling alone will steal a carriage, a man heading to the city will be attacked by a pack of angry coyotes, and a tipsy brute after visiting a bar will start attacking a defenseless courtesan. It is only up to us whether, seeing such a situation, we will stop the horse ride and help accidental victims.
There are also other activities available in Red Dead Redemption, often in the form of simple mini-games. You can play the night watchman who patrols the ranch with his dog in search of any irregularities. You can play blackjack and poker, take part in a horseshoe-throwing tournament, or even put your hand on the table and try to quickly strike between your fingers with a knife - all in order to earn money. For real cowboys, tasks have been prepared to tame wild horses, for botany lovers there is a large amount of herbs to collect, and players who like hunting can go hunting and shoot various animals. And we do all this whenever we feel like it, because Red Dead Redemption does not impose anything and does not force anything.
The area available in the game is not small - a horse ride from one end of the map to the other takes nearly ten minutes. However, it should be borne in mind that the area is not as well developed as, for example, in Grand Theft Auto IV. Human settlements do not impress with their size and there are really few of them. If you do not use the fast transport option (the game offers the option of teleporting to selected locations after setting up a "camp"), driving through the prairies, deserts and canyons quickly becomes boring - and nice views do not help here.
In addition to the character in Red Dead Redemption, the fame of the hero is also measured - here the matter is simple, the more we help people, the more recognizable we are. All crimes are also recorded on the player's account - depending on the severity of the offense, the cash reward for Marston's head increases, and if it is high enough, bounty hunters go after John. In the event of a direct fall under the law enforcement officers, the latter will try to catch us. Escape is no different from trying to outsmart the police in Grand Theft Auto IV, except that it is much easier - first you have to get out of the zone, and then patiently wait for the chase to stop. Of course, you still have to reckon with the designated reward, but with a little effort, paying back the sum that lures adventurers should not be a major problem.
A decent plot, a specific western atmosphere, memorable characters, excellent cutscenes, great freedom of action and a variety of activities mean that after a few hours of fun, Red Dead Redemption is considered an outstanding work. And in fact, positive feelings accompany the game until the very end, especially since the authors were tempted by a surprising finale. However, there is also the other side of the coin. With each subsequent hour, the euphoria subsides, and various shortcomings begin to emerge. And although they are not able to change the fact that the product in question is a great game, they cannot be ignored.
Red Dead Redemption also suffers from technical shortcomings. I have already mentioned the strange behavior of horses and teams during races - we can push ourselves to the boor by the rivals ahead of us and not suffer any consequences. A poor advertisement for the famous Euphoria is also the behavior of the carriages after entering an obstacle, e.g. a cactus - the vehicle stops in a fraction of a second as if nothing had happened. I don't really have to mention minor errors related to the display of graphics, because practically every game has them. So don't be surprised if the camera misaligns during programmed actions, and the character gets stuck in the door or on the stairs - problems with the collision of objects are also present. As if that wasn't enough, the Xbox 360 can't cope with the animation at times, so the more demanding fragments (every major mess on the screen) can be disturbingly crunchy.
Conclusions? Red Dead Redemption is a product that, despite more or less annoying shortcomings, lives up to expectations. The only direct rival - the otherwise quite likable GUN - is already six feet underground and has no right to get up, because it's just not in that league. The work of the studio from San Diego seems to be the best western in the history of electronic entertainment so far, and no one should have the slightest doubt about it (Forgive me Techland, I still remember your second Call of Juarez very warmly). Anyone who likes these climates, loves the freedom straight from Grand Theft Auto and wants to go wild as a tough gunslinger (also in several original multiplayer modes), will not regret a single zloty spent on this game.
Zombies here, zombies there. Rockstar in Red Dead Redemption reaches for hackneyed patents. Isn't it one zombie too far this time?
We launch completely independently of the basic version of Red Dead Redemption, again we play the role of John Marston, who, together with his son, wife and drunken uncle, leads a peaceful life on a farm. Calm until one night, this uncle unexpectedly grazes his teeth into the cowboy family's necks, turning them into zombies. So the player sets out into the world, trying to find out why the dead rose from their graves and turn most of the population of the Wild West into mindless corpses.
For those who have previously traveled the length and breadth of the US and Mexico, I have seemingly bad news: you will have to do it again. Seemingly bad, because the locations, although they have not fundamentally changed their appearance, are characterized by a gloomy atmosphere thanks to the use of appropriate graphic filters. Only when we help the inhabitants of the towns to repel the attacks of the infected, the sun begins to shine, and we gain access to a house where we have a chance to sleep without fear of being bitten, and in addition we find crates with ammunition supplies (in the expansion, shops are closed) or new weapons. The house also allows you to immediately move to another liberated location, which significantly shortens the time needed to reach it traditionally. I must mention here that the add-on also offers new outfits and challenges, some of which are at least interesting. For example, mythical beasts appeared in the game world - four horses of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse, each of which has different properties.
The Warhorse is surrounded by flames that can ignite zombies. Others may, for example, not feel fatigue when rushing or pain during clashes. Of course, there are also random missions, such as helping someone on the road or escorting a stray soul to a safe place. A very important weapon is the torch, which we receive right after starting the game. It allows you to fight in hand-to-hand combat, setting opponents on fire, who chase the escaping hero for several seconds like living ... hmm, dead torches.
Not only do we have an open world full of new challenges, but we also meet old friends from the base game. Min. Seth Briars, a familiar grave robber who now plays cards with zombies and organizes dance parties for them, West Dickens with his corpse-attracting drugs or Bonnie MacFarlane. Rockstar has not made any concessions, so once again we are watching excellently realized cutscenes prepared on the game engine. The characters are brilliantly portrayed and played by the voice actors. These meetings are also related to the missions we are entrusted with, from the simplest type: collecting flowers needed to brew a potion in a dangerous area or clearing cemeteries of corpses poking out from the ground. NPCs also drive the plot, revealing a new piece of the puzzle from time to time.
There are several types of zombies. Some are fast, others are very fast, which makes it impossible to fight in the style of Resident Evil skirmishes, where we stand, shooting off the heads of groaning freaks. There is only a "hit & run" tactic, i.e. a few quick shots and a run, during which Marston reloads the magazine. Possibly two or three swings of the torch and quick running. Fighting from a horse only works at a greater distance, because the zombies pull the rider to the ground once or twice. Of course, they don't ride horses themselves. Unfortunately, it is the clashes and the monotony that creeps in after some time that are the biggest problem of Undead Nightmare. No more tactical use of covers, because there is simply no time for it. The howling zombies get to the hero in a few seconds, and if a larger horde of them approaches, the only thing left is a quick escape. Or chasing around and relatively precise, but also slowly shooting off the next delinquents. Sprinting with a torch between the corpses certainly causes an increased pumping of adrenaline, but after some time you get fed up with it.
The world of the game is huge, a lot of new challenges, we have a full single player campaign and a new multiplayer mode, reminiscent of the classic Horde. Only that this time the enemies are waves of corpses coming one after the other. Apart from the multiplayer option, Undead Nightmare provides at least a few, if not several hours of gameplay. It all depends on how much we want to delve into new possibilities. However, it must be admitted that this is a time that many of the currently released full single player games cannot boast of. And the Red Dead Redemption DLC only costs, not ironically, 800 Microsoft Points, which is ridiculously low considering its quality and length. I didn't think I'd ever write this, but I recommend this DLC with a clear conscience, especially to people who already miss the wonderful world created by the Rockstar team. We'll probably wait a little longer for the next game in the series, and until then there's nothing else to do but kill time with this type of gems.
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