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Advent Calendar Day Fifteen - Red Dead Redemption
Exclusive impressions from Rockstar's incredible new Western.
Written by Jon Denton, 15 December 2009
It's an industry that's sometimes constricted by hype, and that's made a lot of us pretty wary when it comes to future prospects. But GamerZines is very happy to inform you that it's definitely a good idea to get very, very excited about Red Dead Redemption. This isn't just a sequel to Revolver. This could feasibly be Rockstar's finest moment yet.
New narrated gameplay trailer for Rockstar's free roaming wild west game due out next year.Our demo began with hero John Marston waking up in the desert among the bits and bobs from his hastily put-together camp. You'll be able to set up camp at any point and save your game, and you can even purchase upgrades if you fancy a new tent. But for now, there's much more interesting things afoot than sleeping.
We peered out into the distance, and it was almost overwhelming. After GTA IV's claustrophibic Liberty City hemmed us in with giant buildings and busting traffic, to see this much open space being drawn by the RAGE engine is quite spectacular.
Red Dead Redemption is split into three enormous areas, but our demo took place in Mexico, which we're told will have a different tone and feel to the American settlements. The first thing to understand is just how much goes on in this world without your involvement. Just strolling around on horseback saw wild animals roaming free - all of which can be caught and skinned - wagons rolling by and other horse-bound gents going about their business.
360Zine Issue 43
For our latest Red Dead Redemption coverage, click here to download 360Zine Issue 43 for free.Before long, Marston gets 'jacked' by a crafty Mexican, who fools him into slowing down then throws him off his horse. This happened emergently, with no scripting whatsoever - as did what followed. The Rockstar rep readied his six shooter and blew the bandido away. Just another day in the life of John Marston.
We saw plenty of other crazy things happening in the Mexican outback, but you'll have to wait until our in-depth preview in the January 14th issue of 360Zine to find out what. For now, though, back to the demo, and into a small Mexican town, where we saw shop workers carrying out their daily routines, strolled into a bar in classic Western style, then took a walk over to the Sherriff's office to pick up a bounty.
Again, not a part of the game's story arc, but another mission that adds colour and depth to the world. The task itself is fairly simple, but it gives you a choice. The bounty's wanted dead or alive, so you can choose to maim him, hog-tie him with a lasso, then take him back to town on your horse to get a few dollars more. Amazing.
After a bit more Western messin' in the open world, Rockstar delved into a couple of story missions which we'll keep hidden until our huge Jan 14th preview, but they were mightily impressive, both visually and in terms of variety and gunplay.
This has shot to the top of our most wanted list for next year, and after you've checked out the new images and brand-new gameplay trailer, we're sure it'll be near the top of yours too. Roll on 2010.
Red Dead Redemption coverage available in 360Zine Issue 43 - click here to download it for free!
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