Red Dead Redemption
Release: 2010
Platforms: Xbox 360 (compatible with Xbox One), PC, PS3
Ah, John Marston. There’s something beautifully romantic about Rockstar’s vision of one man making his way through the Wild West, a world of knee-high scrub, galloping horses and staccato flashes of violence. Having rendered the urban sprawl of modern life to pixel perfection in Grand Theft Auto, Red Dead Redemption is a decidedly different canvas and breathes live into the old country, placing an everyday man at the heart of a story about loyalty, companionship and family.
Whether you prefer Red Dead Redemption’s restraint to the excess of Grand Theft Auto is a personal choice, but it’s hard to ignore the charms of this sandbox adventure. Marston’s story – and the world that surrounds him – is at times quaint and beguiling, but also decidedly violent. Marston is an anti-hero of sorts, but his heart is always in the right place, and in a world where we’re suffused with technology, Red Dead is a curious reminder of a simpler time in history.
A sequel is in the works, too, meaning there’s no better time to live out your John Wayne fantasies.
Published: Dec 17, 2016 02:41 pm