I would have liked to only write my thoughts on a game after I have completed it, but every gamer knows that can't always be the case. This time, though I intend to finish it, I wanted to write about my initial reactions to the hit Rockstar game Red Dead Redemption.
For the long weekend, I thought that starting this highly-regarded game would be fitting. How much of an understatement that is. RDR is an easy trap for becoming a time-sink. I find myself milling about in a field looking for rabbits and picking flowers when I should be across the map, hogtying bandits in the storyline. It's not like I mean to, it just happens.
Being so easily immersed in seemingly pointless tasks when more important, progressive things are going on isn't a bad mark against a game, necessarily. How does a game's quality speak of it when flower picking is legitimately on par with the interest of sniping gunslingers? Red Dead outdoes itself with the quality of even its most mundane tasks. But why is that?
Well, to beat the dead horse, one reason would be the writing Rockstar has included in the game. It's not just the writing, but how the story is delivered in narration and non-verbal cues. Each character is unique in their personal history, their mental quirks, their dialogue, and how they bring what they mean to the player. This combines to create some of the most memorable characters with personal flavor I can remember from my years of gaming. RDR really shines as a splendid example of – would it be literary? - narration in not just video games, but in any medium.
Tying in with the non-verbal delivery of the story, I must bring notice about the look of the world. Vast landscapes are truly beautiful from a distance, though they may suffer under a microscope – that, though, is a small peanut compared with the size of the world Rockstar is trying to create. The scenery itself is populated more so than a zoo, with everything from rabbits to bandits to dick-ish cougars ruining yours or someone else's day. One way to handle these pests is to use the game's slow-motion “dead eye” mechanic, blasting anything in the player's path. Falling from a saddle after being pounded in the face by a .44 has never looked so good.
That leads me to handling. The controls are decent enough to get any cowboy from point A to Z, with every place in between. Running and gunning is smooth and satisfying, but getting undercover when under pressure can be frustrating, with the game deciding that the exposed side of the crate getting riddled with bullets is the one the player wanted, not the cozy, all-included-cold-drinks part. And how the heck does a person get a horse to back-up? Is it even possible? Some tutorials flash by in the top corner so fast that recognition isn't easy, making some of the trickier situations a personal learning experience. Let this trashing not go on alone; take this, a reminder! The handling and mechanics allow even a novice to do what needs to get done. Nothing is hampered in any way to cripple the game due to the programming of Red Dead. My personal qualms should NOT dissuade a person from playing RDR.
All-in-all, I have much work to do before the conclusion of Red Dead Redemption is in sight. The major danger that I face before the end is not any enemy or army in-game, but my own concentration on the tasks at hand. No more rabbit skinning! No more flower picking (unless I need to; challenges, you know)! So far it's been a great ride, despite some bumps, but they had crappy roads back then anyway.
P.S. As always, don't forget to bookmark / share / comment. Enjoy your Labor Day, and see you next time for more adventures on Games of Taste!
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