Tuesday, May 18, 2010
by Mike Smith
You'd think the lawless atmosphere of the Old West would be the perfect venue for compelling video game action, but oddly, cowboy-themed games are a rare sight.
But not this week.
Red Dead Redemption, a gritty cowboy thriller from the creators of the Grand Theft Auto franchise, should be in your local game store by now, and it's promising to shoot up the charts with all the enthusiasm its outlaw heroes might normally display for shooting up a saloon.
And judging by the rave reviews it's getting, its purchasers are in for a real treat. So far, Red Dead Redemption, which combines Grand Theft Auto's familiar open-world structure with the atmosphere, script, and cast of a big-budget Clint Eastwood flick, is earning immense praise.
It's "one of 2010's best games so far" (G4TV). It's "a truly epic resuscitation of the Western theme in games" (Official Xbox Magazine). It's "one of the deepest, most fun, and most gorgeous games around" (IGN). Even the New York Times hopped on the bandwagon, calling it "such a convincing, cohesive and enthralling reimagination of the real world that it sets a new standard for sophistication and ambition in electronic gaming."
In short, if you're serious about Westerns, this might just be the best game you've ever played.