Red Dead Redemption

This is a tale about Redemption in a period set during the decline of the American Frontier. John Marston a former outlaw, is instructed by the Bureau of Investigation who have abducted his wife and son, to bring the members of his former gang to justice, ie. "Capture or Kill" them. Along the way he's found nearly dead and rescued by Bonnie McFarlane, a nearby ranch owner, when he goes against Bill Williamson and his newly found gang situated in Fort Mercer. Then he takes the slower way to get to him. He makes new connections, among those is the nearby town's Sheriff. Trail eventually leads him to Mexico which is on the brink of war, between revolutionaries and conservatives. You will have to make moral choices throughout, in your progress to find Dutch Van der Linde, the leader of your former gang. The story may sound as a western cliche, but it's actually a trap. It grips you and keeps you wanting more. The end is also one of a kind and you will remember it for ever. In time you may realize why the ending was inevitable. This is a very mature and realistic depiction of a southern wild west state bordering Mexico and the events taking place when a man does what needs to be done to protect his family. Story, Plot: 5/5

John meets an intriguing cast of characters along the way. Inspiration from the best American movies is clear, from John Huston's movies, to Leone's and other contemporary directors. Each character is unique, an individual, with his own problems and attitude. There's not many overly dramaticized characters. All characters are struck by the problems of the Wild West and act authentically. You can feel their burdens, or their happiness and you genuinely care. Friendly characters feel warm, enemies are hateful. Direction is top notch, rivaling the best Hollywood movies. Player dialogue is presented with multiple shots, over the shoulder, panning, close-ups, mid-shots etc depending on the occassion and player's disposition towards the other member. It never feels confusing though. The game spans three vastly different regions, 2 inspired from places in California, Arizona, Texas etc. namely "New Austin" and "West Elizabeth" and another "Nuevo Paraiso" set in a Mexican-like environment. New Austin and West Elizabeth are adjacent to each other and share a southern border with Nuevo Paraiso. The atmosphere is totally western. From wide shots of the beautiful red rising sun to bugs, insects concentrated around the night lamps. Above all, the game world is a spectacle of unparallaled beauty. Up to this day 2018 i don't think any other game has managed to achieve such a feat. From a long time western movie fan (from a family of western lovers), Rockstar has captured perfectly the atmosphere of the era. You will find yourself completely immersed into the game's story. Direction, Characters, style: 5/5

Singleplayer: You can mistake this game as a reality simulation. You control the players through a third-person perspective. Everything is smooth, transitions from combat to non-combat circumstances, from dialogue to sight-seeing. All, affluent as they are, are handled gracefully. Gameplay definitely feels close to Grand Theft Auto, which is understandable, why not adopt and expand on an already great formula. There are so many things to do in this game that i'm afraid to list them all, in fear of leaving something behind, so here goes: bounty hunting, hunting animals, skinning, economy system, trading, law-enforcement, dead-eye/slow motion system, brawling - salloon fights, treasure hunting, random strangers, steal people or stores, gambling, cinema-plays, unique challenges, a ghost town (or you can "make" a ghost town yourself by annihilating everyone in it), so many interesting side quests, multiple unscripted, randomly generated scenarios such as "help the guy's brother", rescue his wife and many more. All of them (and i'm not exaggerating) have been ideally implemented and integrated into the game as a whole extending it, never taking away. Each adds so many opportunities to an already huge sandbox. Player's deeds are measured with a karma system, that will count towards either your fame, or your notoriety. Folk will treat you differently depending on how you treat them! There are numerous weapons and some special items providing gameplay-changing options to mission approach. Multiplayer: Multiplayer portion of the game can be considered as another game entirely. It could be thought of as Red Dead Redemption Online. You create a new character out of hundreds, you choose a mount and you progress levels of experience. The entire world is your game lobby. From there you can join, or host matches, eg. Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, Hold Your Own, Team Deathmatch and more. Or you can form a posse and raid gang hideouts, go hunting, partake in various interesting challenges and activities such as assault the train (unfortunately you can't perform the Great Train Robbery :D)! Extensive leaderboards allow you to compete with friends and rival enemies from all over the world. Unfortunately most of the multiplayer components of the PS3 platform have been terminated since 2015. I believe, you can still play in a private session with your friends though (as of today 9 January 2018, but i'm not sure). Almost everything that can be done in single player can also be done in the 16-player (max) multiplayer. Gameplay: 5/5

The graphics are impeccable. In the 3000 hours of gameplay (you read correctly three thousand hours) i have noticed only a tiny amount of visual glitches. However, i have to say that i didn't play the game until 6 months after release. I remember hearing that there were some issues at release time. Animations are out of this world. Horses galloping, their animations are UNBELIEVABLE. Without a doubt, the best ever seen on screen. The entire game breaks new ground in every technical field of the industry. Graphics: 5/5 - Technical masterpiece

The soundtrack is mostly inspired from early hits by Ennio Morricone's work and classic western themes. Coudln't be more fitting and story enhancing. The game has won an award for best game music. There are also some tunes similar to harmonica hisses and short western guitar riffs making an appearance every now and then. The soundtrack by Bill Elm and Woody Jackson is truly a blast. Soundtrack, Score: 5/5 - Equivalent to "Ennio Morriconne" for video games!

There's an attention to detail here that you don't normally see on video game design. The scope of this game is enormous. It was Rockstar's most ambitious attempt. Rockstar is truly able to captivate the audience. The company has been around a long time and possesses a relatively greater amount of resources than most game-dev companies, stil they have truly mastered the art of (open world) video game creation. This game killed the industry. People say that nothing is perfect. Well, believe it or not, but this game feels perfect to me. There are only a few hiccups and bugs, which are sometimes funny! There are no crashes, or game-breaking bugs (if you exclude the first couple of weeks of release). I was starstruck when i first played this game. I thought i was free-roaming the old west. The single best aspect of this game is the sheer beauty of the world. Such a big variety of animals, with working predator - prey systems enabled. Every animal is different, vastly different looks and behavior AI, from the rabbits to the cougars. All characters feel alive and every area of the game is unique, with backstories you can read on papers. The game itself is updating, responding to game events particularly the completion of critical story missions. Everything transitions so smoothly and is so enjoyable. You can start a bar fight just to have fun, ride across the beautiful countryside (something that alone is enough to keep you entertained; such is the immense beauty of this game), explore almost all interior locations, freely greet people and more. Each region and town has its own character. Inhabitants can have (slightly) different jobs and react differently to certain events. A gunslinger may choose to draw his firearm and shoot you when provoked, a woman will start screaming and a coward will start to run for his life. You will find plenty of value in the numerous dlc packs and of course the game-of-the-year-awarded dlc Undead Nightmare, which features John Marston trying to find a cure for the zombie illness that has spread throughout the American frontier. Almost anything you can and can't imagine doing in the wild west, as an outlaw or a man of the law is in this game. Entertainment, Replayability: 5/5 - Near-infinite replay value

Rating: 10 /10 - Legendary Masterpiece - My noumero 3 favorite video game of all time. Do not miss this game.