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Western games are a rarity. This is surprising when you think about it, as Westerns fit into the mould of a video game extremely well. With gunplay, horse riding, and an historic setting, the ingredients are in place for a lot of interesting and exciting gameplay situations. As of yet, no game has really taken advantage of this potential, but a strong contender has been found in Rockstar San Diego's Red Dead Redemption. Here's what we know so far.
As most Western games should, the game takes place in the Wild West. Unlike most, this takes place at the beginning of the twentieth century, as the United States' population begins to swell and improved technology is changing the face of the continent. Railways are bringing access and trade goods to even the farthest reaches of the wilderness, and bring with them the winds of change. The Wild West will soon develop into a populated, modern world, but not just yet. The wasteland is ready for one last hurrah, in the spurs of a man named John Marston. He's searching for a man named Bill Williamson, who was a fellow gang member in Marston's villainous past. They robbed banks, trains, and committed all the other acts of banditry that any self-respecting lawless cowboy got up to in those times. Such behaviour is now catching up with Marston, as his family's safety is being threatened. If he doesn't capture or kill Bill Williamson, something untoward will happen to them. I suppose we can't let that happen, eh? The game takes place in both the United States and in Mexico. While in Mexico, you are able to take part in the run-up to the Mexican Revolution of 1910 under the employ of an aspiring president of Mexico by the name of Abraham Raias. This promises to segue into the games more prominent battles, as you take the fight to the Mexican Army.
Aside from the story, Red Dead Redemption promises to fit a lot into its rural sandbox. Many are comparing this game to Grand Theft Auto IV, also by the same company, but aside from the technology, things are actually quite different. The use of Rockstar's RAGE engine, supplemented with NaturalMotion's Euphoria physics engine, both make the game look distinctly similar to its modern day city simulator. From there, the similarity ends, with weapons being much more archaic, the setting much more dusty and, assuming you don't go around driving trains, the vehicles in Red Dead Redemption will have a horsepower of one.
This comparison may have been popularised by the emphasis that Rockstar has put on explaining its technology. The Euphoria engine's ability to synthesise animations on the fly is getting particular mention. While you may remember knocking pedestrians across the street in your SUV in Grand Theft Auto IV, or you may recall pushing someone down a stairwell to much amusement, Red Dead Redemption goes further with it. When shooting people, their bodies will fall backwards in the true path of the bullet. Shooting them in the leg or another non-vital spot will disable them, and they will try and crawl to their dropped weapon or behind cover.
This technology also promises to ensure that any journeys into the dusty plains and hills will not be fraught with boredom. The game is able to trigger events as you ride about, with examples shown of being attacked by a group of wolves, walking into the midst of a shootout, or seeing bandits rob and plunder some travellers. What you decide to do in these types of situations affect your Honor rating. For example, by defending the beleaguered travellers and killing off the bandits, your Honor rating will increase. If you decide to help the bandits, expect your Honor rating to fall. You can play the game in whatever fashion you prefer, and although the benefits or punishments for each position haven't been made clear, I wouldn't expect the local sheriff would be too happy to see you robbing and murdering people. Not people who didn't deserve it, anyway. There is also a Fame statistic, where, as you complete missions and make your mark on the landscape, you become more recognised and famous. What effect this will have on gameplay is, once again, not clear.
Criminals aside from Bill Williamson wander the overworld, and in Red Dead Redemption, you can hunt them down in the form of bounty hunting. By spotting Wanted posters on the walls, you can see the faces of men that the local constabulary would like to see behind iron. You're able to rip these from the wall, venture out and capture them for a fistful of dollars. Your Honor will be affected by how you do this. Will you shoot them dead, and carry the corpse back to the awaiting lawmakers, or do you take on the challenge of capturing them alive? We've been shown one method of taking such an outlaw down – by shooting him in the leg, and quickly jumping on top of him and tying him up with rope. This allows you to obtain a higher Honor rating instead of dealing in merciless killing. You are also able to purchase treasure maps from shops that aren't your common gaming fare. These maps show only sketches of landscape features, and otherwise give you no indication of where these treasures can be found. If they work as intended, it should make each find a challenging reward – something that many modern scavenger hunts lack, with many other games holding your hand all the way.
Shooting will follow a lock-on system that saw use in Grand Theft Auto IV, while also allowing you the freedom to fire where you choose. However, the Dead Eye targeting system, also seen in this game's predecessor, Red Dead Revolver, also returns in this instalment. There are three functions of the system that we're told will improve as you play the game. The first level of Dead Eye simply slows down time, giving you the moment you require to safely line up a shot. As soon as you fire that shot, the game returns to normal. The second level for this slows down time and paints targets on your enemies as your reticule scrolls over them. As soon as the time period expires, John will fire directly at those targets in quick succession. The final level of Dead Eye slows down time, and allows you to paint targets where you choose by pressing the firing button. This is the most advanced form, making it easier to make strategic shots. This is the ace up Marston's sleeve, and should help get the player out of some tough situations.
It's very apparent that the game has been built with the same level of polish that Rockstar is known for. It carries a stylised art aesthetic, and even from watching the short trailers released, we can see the characters are equipped with great personalities, and the writing is as snappy as we have come to expect from the studio. While gameplay footage has shown the frame rate to be somewhat volatile, we have every hope that these issues won't infest the final release. The presentation has been very impressive thus far, and should be a notable aspect of the game when it's done.
Red Dead Redemption is an extraordinarily ambitious game, attempting many firsts in a genre that has become bloated this generation. With so many fine ideas in place, and the skilled developers of Rockstar crafting it, this game holds the potential to possibly be one of the finest games of the year. Check back to read our review when the game releases on the 27th of April in North America and the 30th of April in Europe.
