Red Dead Redemption: near perfection on a horse

A game so western it makes other westerns look half-hearted. Red Dead Redemption is a true exemplar of the genre.

A lot of games these days define themselves by the playtime that can be invested in them. It's not often a metric that we like, and when you start looking at the type of games that Rockstar is known for - sprawling open world affairs full of minigames and sidequests - that kind of figure is very easy to ignore as bloatware. But there's no bloat to Red Dead Redemption at all, and there's almost no way you can put a hard figure on the hours of gameplay this title is going to deliver to each player.

In fact, we're already struggling to write a review that's even vaguely objective...

How the west was lost
There are two very interesting sides that make up the sum total of Red Dead Redemption's gameplay experience, and we'll focus on what is arguably the wankier side of it first. You see, the great thing about RDR - and this is something that Rockstar does well in general - is that it's made by people who obviously have a very deep love of the genre, or at least by people who have really done their research.

RDR is set in 1911, when you take up the reins of John Marston, retired criminal, and in fact the West is already dying. Vast railroad networks are penetrating more and more of the interior, the Indian Wars are long over, and the romantic notion of the open plain is giving way to growing industrialisation and ever-increasing Federal involvement.

In fact, the scene is set for this as we're first introduced to John. He's frogmarched in no uncertain terms onto a train heading west, and during the trip various passenger conversations drip-feed a lot of moody info. There's the two old ladies talking about how thankful the Indians should be now that they have a chance to save their souls and enter heaven - apparently a good exchange for losing their lands to America's manifest destiny. There's the preacher trying to explain right and wrong, a young woman heading into the frontier for the first time, and all through it Marston just quietly watches the landscape roll past.

When Marston arrives he immediately heads out to a deserted fort, and then confronts some members of his old gang - though we don't discover just why Marston is turning on them or demanding they turn themselves in until well into the game. But Marston's heart just doesn't seem in it. When his old companion, Bill Williamson refuses to give up, Marston draws... but it's a slow, almost resigned gesture.

He's shot down, and left to die.

Open range
This is where the game really begins, with John wounded and only alive thanks to the kindness of a local rancher called Bonnie MacFarlane, who has rescued and nursed him back to health. It also presents an elegant introduction to the game, as John gets his strength back and is shown around the farm, and told how he can help repay Miss MacFarlane (John's a proper gentleman with her, which is kind of sweet) with odd jobs.

It's these jobs that start building your skillset for the game ahead - you shoot up some rabbits, ride around the farm's boundary, and start to learn the way of the land. At the same time, we start to learn a little about John and the situation in surrounding county.

What's even more interesting is we're still very much in the dark as to just why John's come out west to do this, and for the first few hours of the game we're very much left with bits and pieces. It's a bold move, because essentially even we as players don't know John's motivation for what he's doing, and that could in turn deliver serious disconnect in the part of the player. It doesn't, however, and when the reveal does come it's very satisfying, and very cinematic.