Red Dead Redemption

Rockstar is already becoming well known for it's 'Grand Theft Auto' game franchise, and now it looks like they have got another popular property under their belt. 'Red Dead Redemption' can be classified as a 'wild west shooter' game, and it is a very fun one indeed. You play as lone cowboy John Marston, who is looking for a man he used to work with so that he can reclaim what was stolen from him. Right from the start, you play as this main character, and the story begins unfolding right before your eyes as you meet the man Marston is looking for, and get shot and nearly killed by him. I won't ruin the story for you if you haven't yet played the game, but let me just say, a LOT of thought went into it.

If you are familiar with the Grand Theft Auto games, then you will be right at home with RDR. This game uses the same engine as GTA IV did; Euphoria, and it works just fine. Marston can jump, draw his weapon, and walk or run or jump over a fence if you want to. The gunplay is simple and looks good. Just press a trigger button to lock-on to an enemy (or a friendly person) and use the other trigger button to fire your weapon. There is also a lasso in the game, if you choose to take the non-lethal approach to catching bad guys. Lassoing is good for those of you who want to bring in a most-wanted killer alive, because the reward is much more if they are kept alive. Marston will meet all kinds of people in his adventure and befriend most of them, all to seek revenge on his old partner. It's hard for me to describe the gameplay, except to say that it is simple and fun. Shooting down a gang of robbers is as easy as shooting a deer to sell at the local general store for cash, except robbers will shoot back. That's okay, because you can hide behind any objects in the game world that you want to.

Speaking of the game world, this is where Rockstar has outdone themselves. The wild west world of the 1900's is brought to life here in astounding detail. From the dust on Marston's boots, to the grass and weeds on the prairie, everything looks amazingly life-like, and much better than the graphics is GTA IV.

The sound and music of this game are also top-notch. The sound and music were expertly recorded, immersing you even more into the game's environment. For instance, if you are outside in the sun, and you walk into a dusty old saloon, the sound that your boots make on the wood floor sound real, as does everything else in the saloon. I've never heard a better game that adapts to changing environments. Riding a horse is fun too, and easy; just saddle up and start riding. However, if you dig your boots in too deep in the horses sides, he may buck you off. The voice acting in the game is amazing, and the actors that were chosen for each part are very good. Rockstar deserves credit for choosing good actors to portray these characters.

All in all, this is such a fun experience of a game, and, in my humble opinion, the best cowboy game ever made.

Graphics- 10 out of 10
Sound and Music- 10 out of 10
Gameplay- 8.2 out of 10
Presentation- 10 out of 10

Overall- 8.5 out of 10