On The Road To Perdition

Kid: “It don’t seem real… how he ain’t never gonna breathe again..ever. How he’s dead. And the other one too. All on account of pullin’ a trigger.”
William: “It’s a hell of a thing, killin’ a man. Ya take away all he’s got ‘n all he’s ever gonna have.”
Kid: “Yeah, well….I guess they had it comin’.”
William: “We all got it comin’, kid….” ~ The Schofield Kid and William Munny – Unforgiven

I wanted to slap that ol’ bitty sitting behind me. Listenin’ to her and her friend talkin’ about how “civilized” white men done tamed and domesticated both the land and the indian people. What she called “savages.” Listenin’ to her, I wanted to tell her who’s the more savage? Them, that live off the land and don’t fret folk ‘less they’re riled up by some idiot out there lookin’ to put up homes on their land, or us? People who give ’em pox-infested blankets and bottles of whiskey while we take and take and take without thought or even remorse? They kill to survive and live. We kill simply ’cause we want to. Simple as that. An’ the closer to Armadillo I got, the more I found myself bitin’ down on my tongue all the more just to keep myself from shootin’ up the lot of these….”civilized” folk.

For a thing that’s supposed to make travel across New Austin faster, this train sure is movin’ mighty damn slow.

“We got a warrant sworn for attempted murder for them that tried to kill the boy who’s laying over there at the Doc’s, trying to stay alive. Swore out another one for them that murdered the big fella you had in your cell. Only ours ain’t writ by no tin star, bought and paid for, Marshal. It’s writ by us, and we aim to enforce it.” ~ Boss Spearman – Open Range

I was in absolute awe of Red Dead Redemption. From the twenty hours I spent shootin’ and huntin’ around the craggy lands of Armadillo, to the ambient little…I guess you could call them “sidequests” that pop up from time to time, I totally loved every minute that I spent in the game. and considering the track record for Wild West-themed games, that’s actually saying a lot.

The game begins in the early years of expansionism, when most of the western United States still cling to old world Wild West ideals, stubbornly refusing to give up on these old world memories as “civilized” industry marches forward to sweep it all away in the name of progress. You play as John Marston; a man who, at one time was an outlaw, a menace to civilized society. But after settling down with his wife and child he gave up that life for something greater. For something better. But old memories have a way of invading what peace we can find. Past friends, now enemies, demands that he take up the gun once more. And as the game opens up with what looks to be your premature death, you know that the climb to the final confrontation at the end will be a long and brutal one.

And that’s just fine with me. Because Red Dead was packed from start to finish with so much content on a single disc. This open world, final frontier look into western life before it all fades away for good; the still wild and feral wilderness not yet pushed away by civilization – it was absolutely beautiful. Staring out towards the horizon, to the rolling cloud plumes painted a light red from the light of a fast fading sun, as coyotes somewhere in the distance hoot and laughed like a pack of hyenas, your horse nervously pawing at the sandy grit underfoot to raise a wisp of swirling earth, it….. it was absolutely breathtaking.

Now there is a multi-player component to the game, and though enjoyable, just isn’t as memorable as the single-player game itself. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t bad or lacking in any way. Quite the opposite. I liked how each new MP round begins with a Mexican Standoff, and the winners get to move around he map while losers have to spend time recovering. And there are modes and perks to keep players interested like golden weapon skins, titles, and new riding breeds, but in all honesty, I was more into the single-player mode to really give it much attention.

Also, the game has a standalone expansion, Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare. This single bit of add-on to the game is, to be honest, absolutely phenomenal. The best part is you don’t need to own the original game to play it. The difficulty is a bit harder here, mainly due to the….. resiliency of your opponents, but it was still a hell of a lot of fun to play.

This old world feel to everything, with this juxtaposition of dawning “civilization” trying to fight back and force the wilder elements of this world away, it all fits and feels perfect. And it all feels so alive. Be it the ambient, unscripted moments of riding up to some campfire in the distant night to share a moment’s rest, to the unexpected approach of some animal, be it small or large, as they travel across this scraggy tundra of New Austin. The world feels genuine and authentic. And old. Oddly very old. It’s like this place has been here for decades, for centuries, and I am only now experiencing its many wonders just before it all gets pushed away into the past.

The game-play itself was fluid, responsive, and easy to manage. Riding takes some getting used to. Mainly due to the fact that you can’t simply set your horse to move on its own. You have to constantly keep it moving, otherwise it goes from a comfortable pace to a slow walk, and eventually simply stops on its own. This got to be frustrating, to me at least, when I was trying to keep either a particular enemy or animal in my sights while I line up my shot (or lasso) to take them down, only to have to nick my horse forward because it stopped juuuuust as I’m about to do my thing. *grumble.* Personal gripe, I know, but it happened a few times more than I liked.

The interface was manageable and easy to navigate, no complaints there. Occasionally, when things get hairy, you can right stick-click Marston’s ability to enter “Red Dead” mode, which paints the screen in a red tint, as time slows to a crawl. This allows you to line up specific shots to various enemies and targets which depends on how much “Red Dead” energy you’ve got saved up at the time. Once you’re ready to execute, the screen fades back to normal, and you get to see Mr. Marston move with almost fluidly fast grace as he pumps various painted targets with leaded death.

From an audio standpoint, this old Spaghetti Western twang of guitars, harmonicas, the occasional the use of drums; it did a fine job of immersing me into the setting. The world itself, especially at night when the various denizens of this world come out to play, the cry of some far off animal, almost drowned out by the chirping of cricket and locust, which is in turn drowned out by the approaching rumble and whistle of a train. It is an organic, wondrously dangerous at times, world. And again, very authentic for its setting.

The voice work all around is fantastic. There is that repetitive background/town riff that can get old sometimes, but that’s a small gripe with how well the main cast carry their characters.

On a storyboard aspect, though not perfect and a little hammy at times, it was a very solid thread to yarn. The characters are all memorable in their own way of course; from the loveable spit-fire Bonnie MacFarlane, to the less-scrupulous Nigel West Dickens. They’re either characters you genuinely love or hate, but genuinely remember long after they’re gone. And the end is, without spoiling too much for players new to the game, both tragic and satisfying enough to have me hoping that there just might be a chance for a sequel.

Now, there were some bugs, though nothing to break the experience. Rather, they were kind of funny to watch. My first experience riding a horse, for example, had Mr. Marston standing in the saddle rather than sitting in it. It was like I was watching someone attempting to do some weird riders trick before it self-corrected about a minute later. Collision detection at times makes some conversations or viewed pieces a bit awkward. I watched as two Armadillo residents stood there talking to each other in this mashed up “two people in one” mess before one decided to walk away and…eh…”separate” from the other. I also saw some wildlife have trouble with the overworld environment itself. A deer being caught in a standing cactus plant, an armadillo half stuck in a small hill. It’s to be expected in a large open-world setting. Luckily it wasn’t as prevalent as it could’ve been (I’m looking right at you Fallout: New Vegas).

As far as DLC packs go, Rockstar has been generous. These include: Outlaws to the End, Legends and Killers Pack, Liars and Cheats Pack, Hunting and Trading Pack, and of course, the aforementioned Undead Nightmare. Now while the other DLC packs are good, Undead Nightmare is the best out of the bunch. Again, it is a self-contained experience, and you don’t need to have played Red Dead Redemption to access it. But it still comes highly recommended nevertheless.

Final Thoughts: Despite some very small graphical hiccups from time to time, Red Dead Redemption was an exceptional title. Absolutely amazing, even. From solid, perfectly executed voice work, to the general settings that the game takes you to, Red Dead should be an experience, at least once, for pretty much any gamer. The unscripted ambient encounters almost certifies that if you were to play it again, and again, and again, no two playthroughs would be the same. And that is something that gives this title lasting appeal. Because no matter how many times you come back to it, there’s always something new in the Old West.

I just hope the lingering threads that Rockstar left dangling come together in the near future so we can go back to this world. It’s far too interesting a place to simply forget.

Final Score: 4.5 out of 5