Rockstar’s White Whale
April 2, 2010 – Throughout its development, Red Dead Redemption has been plagued with rumors of mismanagement and other development strife. It’s rumored that the game will have been in development for over six years before its release this April. However, you’d never know it judging from the great demo that Rockstar put on display at PAX East.
Rockstar tends to shy away from comparing its other franchises to its flagship series, Grand Theft Auto, but it’s a comparison you’re likely to hear a lot of once this Old West-themed, open-world action game hits store shelves. There’s a good reason for that too: it’s a pretty apt description. Playing through this demo we were actually constantly reminded of Rockstar’s other would-be franchise, Bully – obviously, not in terms of content – but it’s a game that tries valiantly (almost self-consciously so) to not appear like a GTA mimic. The truth is that Rockstar seems to have found a great framework for game structure (GTA, Bully), and they shouldn’t be shy about that.
Thankfully, the comparisons with GTA stop after that. Even though the writers are the same guys who penned much of the GTA series, Rockstar San Diego appears to have finally crafted a an individually compelling work that’s going to wow a lot of gamers.
The first thing that anybody who lays their hands on RDR is that the team at Rockstar San Diego has put a huge amount of time and effort into making the setting and the scenery authentic, believable, and immersive. That’s not necessarily to say that RDR is hyper-realistic and mirrors the exact world as it was 100 years ago, rather it’s an amazing digital representation of the world that old movies have described. Namely, Sergio Leone’s classic ‘spaghetti westerns’ were obviously key inspirations (though it’s kind of hard not to be inspired by those films when creating a modern western.)
A lot of what we saw had a tendency towards being heavy-handed, but it’s clear that’s a stylistic choice for Rockstar. Characters are very over-the-top, and cinematics tend to be exceedingly dramatized. In one particular instance, we approached a dusty town out in the wilderness with the sun setting just above the tops of the buildings. As we passed through the town’s gate, a vulture flew from its post atop the entry sign.
This is the kind of heavy-handedness that’s found throughout the demo we were able to spend time with. It’s not so much reality as it is hyper-reality. It’s not that they’re being disingenuous about the era, but they’re creating a more exciting version of The West that fits well with preconceived notions of how things were back then.
This hyper-realism is found all throughout RDR, not just the storytelling. Much of our down time between story missions was spent roping horses in the wild, hunting down animals on horseback, and avoiding posses. Clearly, John Marston is ‘The Most Interesting Man in the World’ because he can’t seem to go 30 seconds without taking down a 6-man posse with 5 bullets, or taming a wild horse.
To accomplish these ridiculously amazing feats, Rockstar is utilizing the standard action game chestnut of time slowdown techniques. This isn’t Timeshift, of course, so Marston isn’t going to be pausing time or anything like that, but he can utilize slow-down techniques to aid in aiming. The way it works is, in effect, similar to Splinter Cell Conviction’s ‘mark and execute’ feature. Though rather than marking them before entering a room, you do so in the heat of combat. The effect isn’t like watching Sam Fischer breach and take out an entire room, but rather it’s about achieving the incredible speed shooting that Old West gunslingers were famous for.
Of course, that’s only for medium-distance kills or when fighting on horseback. When he gets close, Marston’s got a wholly different approach. Rather than deftly taking out each target in an instant, up-close kills are gruesome animations where a gun might blast right through an enemy’s abdomen or dispatch them in any number of unsightly ways.
Making these kills even more intense is the awesome sound design present in this game. Firing a gun feels visceral and intense, and firing a shotgun will practically blast you out of your socks. It should be noted though that the demo booth used high-end Turtle Beach headphones for sound. So, while the average user experience may vary, it was still an amazing feature.
After all this time, it seems like RDR’s huge development window may have actually been worth it. This massive sandbox game looks positively fantastic in every regard. There’s plenty to do in the wide open spaces, and the storyline looks just as interesting. It’s estimated that RDR needs to sell several million copies just to break even on the massive investment that Rockstar has placed in its development. However, after getting this sneak peak, we’re convinced this game has a very good chance of winning over gamers enough to at least come close to that mark.
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The World of the West
May 27, 2009 – Although Westerns have been typically ignored by the world of video games, it seems the ol’ West is now getting the star treatment. This year we are getting not one, but two sequels to Western video game franchises: Call of Juarez and Red Dead Revolver. While both of these sequels look good, the Red Dead Revolver follow up is the one that has me most intrigued.
Although the original title for the Xbox was an interesting venture into the Western genre, it didn’t have very deep gameplay, and it played a lot like an arcade-style shooter. However, the franchise is back and will feature an open-world, new characters, and some new gameplay elements which are sure to please fans of the original as well as new players.
Red Dead Redemption is basically a reboot for the franchise. Although it only had one entry before, the storyline in the previous one has all but been thrown out the window. Our new protagonist, John Marston, is a retired outlaw who has been forced out West due to a few too many run-ins with the law in his past. Though he has changed his ways and even started his own family, his past finally catches up to him and he is forced to leave his entire life behind as he seeks a new way out West.
The game takes place at the turn of the 20th century, and the world is changing. Though Marston expects to return to the old West he knew as an outlaw, he instead finds a place that is rapidly embracing technology and is abandoning his the way of life he remembered.
The game, without making too many parallels, will play a lot like GTA IV. It will feature a third-person action format, with an open-world where you can run around an accept missions. You can travel around on foot, but it looks like riding around in stagecoaches and on trains will be the best way to get around.
As you travel, you will meet people and will be able to talk to them and form relationships in order to eventually take on missions. These missions will most likely involve traditional Western-stereotyped situations involving chasing stagecoaches and engaging in shootouts with other outlaws. As far as weaponry is concerned, Red Dead Redemption will have plenty of period guns, as well as a lasso and a kerosene lamp with which to engage in combat. In addition to the more action-oriented missions, there will also be brief mini-game style diversions, which will allow you to play Western-themed diversions, like a knife swinging contest, that will involve timed button mashes.
But of course, what is an open-world game without decisions. Red Dead Redemption will feature a classic good/bad system where your actions in-game will ultimately decide the direction of the plot. While this concept has been used several times over the past few years, it is a welcome addition to Red Dead Redemption, allowing you to really create your own Western adventure.
There is certainly a lot that will be different in Red Dead Redemption, a few things will remain the same. Most notably, the Dead Eye system will be returning, which allows you to slow down time in order to take accurate shots. However, the Dead Eye system will be somewhat improved, and you will now be able to use it while you are in motion (like riding a horse or on a stage coach) as well as using it when you are stationary.
In addition to all of these new features, it has been confirmed that there will be a dueling system as well as multiplayer elements to the game. However, details are scant on these elements, which will probably be revealed closer to its release, later this year. Red Dead Revolution seems to have little in common with its predecessor in terms of story and gameplay, but nonetheless this looks like a very competent action game, and the open-world setting and mission-based gameplay look to add another level of immersion that the first was never able to quite achieve. This game looks like one to watch for, especially if you are a fan of Westerns!
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