Analysts have been baffled as to the steep drop in game sales last April. Its not that hard to understand the drop… Splinter Cell and Monster Hunter where the only real major releases, and both appeal to a specific market. At the same time, Modern Warfare 2 had a new map pack, the Starcraft 2 beta continued and gamers eagerly awaited the Halo: Reach beta that started in May. When there isn’t much to buy, why would slow sales surprise you?
That all ends this week. The games that hit shelves in the next two weeks should satisfy a hungry gaming audience through the summer. Highly anticipated games like Alan Wake, Prince of Persia and Split/Second all land in the laps of eager gamers this week. It kind of makes you wonder why they didn’t get pushed forward into April, especially when they are up against the next big thing from Rockstar.
Red Dead Redemption can be described as the Grand Theft Auto of the wild west. You take the reigns of the reformed outlaw John Marston and guide him through the wild west. Its hard to determine what the most exciting part of this game will be. Is it the dynamic side quests that can pop up anytime, anywhere, even during another mission? Is it the vast open world that is alive with some 40 different species of wild life that you can hunt… or be hunted by? How about that classic spaghetti western gunplay? And that is just the single player…
Red Dead Redemption also offers a free roam multiplayer mode that will allow you to wander around the west with your friends. You will be able to posse up and take on gangs of bandits, hunt together or jump into a competitive match with another posse at certain landmarks. If you are into a more structured online experience then there are a wide array of classic competitive multiplayer matches, each with a unique western twist.
There is nothing like starting off with a Mexican standoff, the winner getting a chance to get into position while the dead wait to respawn. Modes include your standard gang shootouts and various objective based matches, usually revolving around bags of gold. After completing various weapons challenges based on kills/headshots, you will eventually unlock golden versions of each of your weapons.
I can’t appropriately convey how excited I personally am to get my hands on this game. It looks to be the Grand Theft Auto of the wild west, complete with the multiplayer experience you always hoped would appear in a GTA game. Usually I recommend waiting a few days when a game is coming out, to see if it gets the critical acclaim that you would expect. You don’t need to wait on this one. Red Dead Redemption is a day one purchase.
Just so you know, there is a slight difference between the PS3 and XBox 360 versions. While it hasn’t been advertised heavily, the PS3 version gets some exclusive content. Leaked images of the PS3 box cover highlight that the PS3 version gets “Solomon’s Folly Gang Hideout” and the “Walton Gang Outfit”. These aren’t really major enough to influence most gamers, but its a neat little bonus for PS3 owners.
Sharing: It’s Win/Win










