Red Dead Redemption is a game I've been "saving" for when I had a little time. This Saturday morning seemed just about perfect, so I popped it in and got read for the long haul. Much like a Grand Theft Auto game, I knew this one wasn't going to be something I could get a good impression of in a few minutes, maybe not even in a few hours. This was going to require a lot of time and patience.
In a nutshell, this game is basically GTA with horses. The main character is a former gang member who is currently pulling in odd jobs as a bounty hunter, ranch hand, etc....and who of course has a vendetta he needs to work on at some point. You move to a small town after meeting up with your arch enemy and being shot (that's not a spoiler, it happens almost immediately as you begin the game)...and you build yourself a little life.
Like any GTA game, you can play the missions, or you can go explore. I spent a few hours doing each. I learned to ride my horse, did some hunting, helped a few strangers...and even shot a "horse-jacker" once. This guy flagged me down on the trail and asked me for help, and then tried to take my horse. He got shot in the back for the that. Gotta love old-west justice.
The horse riding is awesome, and feels more realistic than the cars in GTA do. The one thing that bugs me, is they're so realistic that you often feel like you've been riding for an hour just to get somewhere. You can use the stagecoach to "warp" and I think you can use campsites for the same purpose, but I've sure been riding my horse a lot.
I'm probably only 10% into this game after 5 or 6 hours...and that's fine by me. There's no way I'll finish it anytime soon, and I'll probably play it over a long period of time like I did the other Rockstar titles. That's all fine too.
Overall score? 8/10. I haven't tried the online multiplayer, and that might raise the score for me...but as of today, it's a solid 8. It didn't blow me away, but it's certainly better than most of the games I've been playing lately. The story is interesting, the missions are pretty fun and the controls (for the most part) are easy. It's a good game, and belongs in most people's collections....but I still enjoy GTA more.
Achievements? This game is stingy as hell with the gamerscore. I've been playing for quite awhile now and I only have these:
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