The developer of the Grand Theft Auto series, a franchise that goes punch for punch in fan-boy loyalty with the Super Marios and the Halos, is a trendsetter. Rockstar Games with GTA, Bully and now Red Dead set the bar for interactive media. If developer houses were to be ranked by which rap star they are, Rockstar is Jay Z. Sauve. Charisma. Forward thinking. And with the newly released title, Red Dead Redemption, developers from different houses should take the lessons taught from the Rockstar Games team. When it comes to Rockstar Games we are left never less than marvelous works. The push the envelope and with RDR, they raise the bar for games to come in the 3rd person open-world genre.
As the story unfolds, we learn the character, John Marston and the West is in a period of change. We see John's story unfold, New Austin is in econonimic turmoil (think the Mid-West right before the Dustbowl), Mexico is burning from the embers of power hungry revolutionaries and New Elizabeth starts to show the fruits of modernization. But the decay that the white man has brought is apparent, the Buffalo are hunted beyond their means and the Native Americans have turned away from the reservations to become a menace to society. The stories are presented with sincerity, eloquence and often with the brutal truth. Rockstar does the Old West Genre, better than Clint Eastwood and Hollywood ever could in its' heyday.
The Clean UI and Ergonomic Controller
Clean is a relative term, but go back to Grand Theft Auto 4. Notice how in GTA 4 there is a sign for every little thing. In RDR, the fidelity is so clear there is no need to have a flashing triangle over the targets head or where to start a mission. It is like going from a Ford Mustang to BMW M3. One of my biggest gripes on GTA 4 was the use of the D-Pad. Rockstar took the choice of weapons, and place them on a radial dial ala Bioshock/DeadSpace while holding down the R1/LB button. Another gripe, was the gun aiming on transportation, but with the use of the Red-Eye locking mechanism, I rejoiced with the controller instead of battling with it.
Click on page 2 for Weapons, Scenery and Closure.
