So how does it stack up against Grand Theft Auto (specifically GTA IV), and how does this game stack up on its own? Let me say this - I enjoy driving a GTA car much more than riding a Red Dead horse.
Red Dead Redemption is not a sequel to 2004's Red Dead Revolver, but is it's successor. Revolver takes place in the 1880's. Redemption takes place in 1911, during the fall of the Old West. John Marston arrives in New Austin by train, forced to track down his old gang members. John is now a bounty hunter, forced to work for the government to free his family.
Cool story. My problems with the games story are few and far between. The story is engaging. The problem is that where GTA IV feels like you are living life as Niko in the sinful Liberty City, Red Dead feels like you are bouncing around performing menial tasks until something relevant happens. I don't know, I honestly don't care to wrangle cattle, or perform night watch duties for different regions. I don't.
John's relationships with his cohorts feels rushed. Marshall Johnson for instance, you have a few missions with him, helping him until he agrees to take arms with you against one of your old gang members. It's repetitious and predictable.
SPOILER ALERT - the game takes place with essentially four chapters and an epilogue. First in the area of Armadillo, second in Mexico, third in the area of Blackwater, fourth at home with John and his family, and then the epilogue.
For each "chapter" of the game, as I'm calling it, you have different antagonists to find and overthrow. Initially you are unleashed upon Armadillo to get Bill Williamson within Fort Mercer. Your interactions with Williamson are minimal, and the best mission involving Williamson is when you exchange one of his gang members for one of your own friends - Williamson isn't even in that mission. You rarely deal directly with him. It feels rushed.
Here are some other quick comments about aspects of the game I wasn't so fond of:
Horse riding - much more enjoyable to steal any car, know exactly how it's going to drive, and park multiple cars in a variety of parking garages. GTA over Red Dead. Horses have stamina, that's fine, but you can never tell which horse you are stealing or lassoing. After lassoing a fast mustang, the last thing I wanted to do was hitch another horse and have him be shitty.
Quick-Draw Duels - the motions required to perform the duel are peculiar. Move the right analog stick down, then the left up to aim, hit RB to lock you aim at the head, press and hold LT to pull the gun, RT to pull the trigger. It would have been cooler if you didn't duel in "Dead Eye" mode, and executing a duel were more about finesse than a sequence of button pushing.
Any game mode that didn't involve shooting a gun - I don't care to move the herd places across the plains. Honestly, I don't. I didn't even like playing cards. The Elegant Suit cheat mode was bullshit because the meter starts in the "exposed" area, so your fellow players can find you out too quickly.
The environment - after playing GTA San Andreas with its expansive environment, and then to GTA IV with its density, I definitely preferred GTA IV's style. Red Dead Redemption is like San Andreas without the Harrier jets to take you from place to place quickly.
The voice acting in the game was excellent, and the story was well written. The overall story was well done, but all the character interactions weren't deep enough. Five or six interactions and you're done.
Supposedly, there is a movie coming out starring Brad Pitt. Yeah, sure. I do think this game would make a good movie. A trilogy even!
Overall, this game was very entertaining, I just wasn't a fan of the repetition and numerous tasks that weren't mission critical.
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