Forums » General Gaming

Let’s talk: Red Dead Redemption

    • 342 posts
    April 9, 2012 8:22 AM EDT

    (Warning may contain spoilers, bad language, religious stuff and intelligent conversation read and comment at your own risk)

    New Austin

    Set at the turn of the last century in the wild, wild (and mostly dangerous) west of America, you play the part of ex-outlaw John Marston. Who has left his wascally, wascally ways to start up a family and life as a Rancher. But all is not well for John, the government is sweeping the west in a harsh tornado of judgement and death for the outlaws and John gets caught up in it when they take his family hostage in order to force John to hunt down his old gang and their leader Dutch.

    So our journey starts with a short ferry ride to Blackwater  and then a nice train ride down to the hub bub of New Austin, Armadillo. Finally finding his guide in the arms of a local hooker John and the man set of for Fort mercer the last known hold up for the gang and one ‘Bill’ Williamson. 

    After a lot of ‘partners’ and ‘friends’ are tossed around along with gross miss use of the word ‘implore’ John gets himself shot and left for dead. Found sometime later by one Miss Bonnie Macfarlane, who gets a doc to patch him up for a whole $15 .

    After waking up and getting a tour of the ranch John, with the help of Bonnie gets back on his feet and gets ready to tackle the wild west once more.

    From here on out it’s a free for all, you can follow the quest markers and continue to help Bonnie or the Marshal of Armadillo (cause apparently ex-outlaws make excellent deputies.) if that’s not your style or you just want to explore you can take off into the dry dusty plains of New Austin and shoot some wildlife (or people) for challenges, help some strangers or just ride around for hours on the pretty ponies, it’s up to you.

    If you do eventually get bored of that, follow the main quest markers (both Bonnie’s and the Marshal’s) and you’ll eventually you’ll open up new quests with new friends. Mister Nigel West Dickens a smooth talking but bumbling con man, Seth a corpse cuddling crazy and Irish an annoying rat of man who will try to ditch you at every turn. Eventually with their help you end up back at Fort Mercer and in confrontation with Bill who high tails it over the border into Mexico.

    Nuevo Paraíso (New paradise)

    Nuevo Paraíso is the second territory available to play once you have completed the main quest line up to Attack on ‘Fort Mercer’ and start ‘We shall be together in paradise’. It starts off with a nice little boat ride across the border supplied by Irish. As if that’s any indication the sereneness is soon broken by the multitude of gunfire from the México border chuck in a couple of Molotov cocktails and you have yourself a party! Whoo!

    Assuming you make it to dry land, Irish gives you one of the dead guys’ horses and then rabbits out of there. From here you are once again free to roam the land, this side of the border is even dustier and mountain infested then New Austin plus there are more cougars and wolves to contend with not to mention México is right in the middle of its revolution and civil war is everywhere.  You are also free to cross back and forth between the two territories now.

    To kick things off you head to the nearest town Chuparosa, where after killing some bandits attempting to rob Marston (the idiots) you meet Langdon Ricketts, an apparent legend back in America who opted for the quiet life of México (lol!) Ricketts teaches Marston a few things with a gun and in return Marston hangs out with him for a bit with a few problems the towns been having.

    There are two ‘factions’ in México the army (lead by Captain Vincente de Santa and General Ignacio Sanchez – not seen) and the rebels (lead by Abraham Reyes and Luisa Fortuna), if you follow the quest line Marston ends up on both sides of the fight and somewhere in between, lots of people get shot, shit gets blown up and fun is had by all. Marston kicks ass left and right helps protect a train and lays siege to a fort (again), gets betrayed by De Santa (and summarily gets his revenge and joins the rebels) and finally has his showdown with Javier Escuella (another former gang member that was helping Williamson) and good ol’ Bill himself.

    West Elizabeth

    After killing Bill and/or capturing Javier in ‘An appointed time’ John thinks his work is finally done and heads back to Blackwater in West Elizabeth, unfortunately the feds have other plans and want John to now take on his former leader Dutch van der Linde  (the good times never end). This leads John to travel all over West Elizabeth, fighting more outlaws and some Native Americans Dutch has formed a new gang with.

    Again once you head into West Elizabeth the territory becomes open and the bridge between it and New Austin is repaired allowing full travel across all three zones. West Elizabeth is as different from New Austin and Nuevo Paraíso as you can get, for one thing its green, and there is snow, lots of it. As far as zones go it’s the smallest of the three roughly the same size as Cholla Springs of New Austin.

    As far as the main quest is concerned you only have two quest givers this time around, the fed man himself Mister Edgar Ross (aka the asshat) and Harold “chicken legs” MacDougal. MacDougal is from Yale here to study the ‘savages’ of the wild west and you get to play bodyguard along with Nastas a Native American who was raised on a reservation and opposes both the government’s interference and the criminal actives of his fellow Native Americans. Unfortunately for him, he is subsequently beaten up and later shot for his involvement, this also prompts the good professor to beat a hasty retreat back to Yale.

    Meanwhile Dutch hasn’t been sitting idle while you get up to your shenanigans with the professor and decides to rob the bank in Blackwater and then escapes the town, Ross of course blames you for him getting away.

    Ross is getting antsy and refuses you seeing your family, he wants the problem with Dutch settled now and by now he means an all-out clash on the Great Plains, with the American army in tow the battle isn’t long but hey you get to drive a catank (an armoured car with a Browning gun attached) to mow down the masses and a TNT loaded wagon unfortunately your catank gets blown up and you have to chase Dutch down the old fashioned way –on horse back :P

    Now again it’s another fight through a fort before you finally come face to face with Dutch who promptly throws himself off the cliff, leaving Ross to insult your lack of shooting him but finally gives you permission to return home. As you leave the fort and ride home you get some nice accompany music in “compass” which is from the sound track.

    Marston Ranch

    You are free at last and heading home!

    This chapter of the game is a somewhat sort of bittersweet reward for all your hard work, you head back to your ranch in Tall Trees, only to find that instead of looking after the place like he was supposed to Uncle has let the Ranch fall to disrepair and now you have to set out fixing it.

    The missions for this chapter are different to the previous ones as they have a more domestic side to them then say going out to hunt down some bandit and outlaws. Buying and herding cattle, taming wild horses, shooting crows from eating your corn, stopping a train robbery… oh never mind.

    Most of the missions are simple like delivering corn to Bonnie when all of hers is eaten by bugs or helping jack kill his first Elk, or culling the wolf packs around the ranch. It only starts to get serious when Jack gets it into his head to hunt grizzlies and John has to race off to save him.

    And then we come to the final mission John is spending time with Jack trying to connect to his son when Uncle starts screaming his head off and John knows what is coming. What follows is a vicious assault by Ross who uses the American army to come after John (the final member of Dutch’s gang alive) John desperately tries to get his family to safety but they lose Uncle, finally John herds them into the Barn where he says goodbye to Jack and Abigail sending them off to safety before making his final (and fatal) stand.

    Abigail and Jack return shorty to find John and they bury him upon the hill. It then cuts to three years later and Abigail is dead and buried next to John, Jack set off to kill Ross and seek his revenge.

     

    Okies so that is the short version (lol what? did  you say short?) of the game, now I’d like to know what you think, if you've played it what were your favourite/disliked parts/aspects, if you haven't, do you have any questions?

    and hopefully if this one goes well I'll do another game.  

    • 342 posts
    April 9, 2012 5:52 PM EDT

    Things I liked:
    The Horses, the storyline, the scenery (you could literally ride off into the sunset) the mini games (I learnt how to play poker with this game) the significant meanings and references with the titles of each mission and some of the stranger quests, they were either a quote from the bible or from a spaghetti western. riding the train.

    Things I disliked
    Edgar Ross, Abraham Reyes, the sneaky cougars, not being able to swim or go in water above your knees without collapsing and drowning (yeah ok its 1911 and mostly a desert but still..)

  • April 9, 2012 11:43 PM EDT

    Lol, is it really a good game?

    Never really looked into it. Heard about it all the time for awhile though. It got a bit annoying.

    "What is this wild west game and why do I keep hearing about it!"

    • 10 posts
    April 10, 2012 12:10 AM EDT

    I find this ironic because i just started playing RDR again the other day, already made it to mexico. I've already got 100% in regular and Undead Nightmare though, i just can't help it, it's a truly remarkable game.

  • April 10, 2012 12:16 AM EDT

    Ok... so it's awesome XD

    Damnit! You stupid companies that make Console only games!

    That's number 2 on the list of hopes dashed cause a game was Console only

    1. Dark Souls

    2. Read Dead Redemption...

    • 577 posts
    April 10, 2012 1:11 AM EDT

    Yes. It is grand....easily in top5 for me.

    • 342 posts
    April 10, 2012 3:05 AM EDT

    yeah its a shame that's only for console, but the way the controls and mechanics work I think it would be hard to configure it into a comfortable yet playable style for the computer. 

    • 342 posts
    April 10, 2012 3:08 AM EDT

    haha yeah its a awesome game, top 3 for me second only to skyrim with Batman: arkham city a close third.

    as for comparisons I've heard its a bit like the GTA but with horses but since I've never played a GTA game i can't back that up

    • 342 posts
    April 10, 2012 3:09 AM EDT

    sweet :D yeah I restarted it the other day (hence the post) I've already 100% complete the normal but i can't stomach the zombie version it freaked me out too much :( which is a shame cause i want War, the flamey horse of awesome.

    • 342 posts
    April 10, 2012 3:11 AM EDT

    Sorry about that Julian, I only wanted to share my love of the game with everyone, I'll try and pick a multi-sole game for next week.

    • 24 posts
    April 10, 2012 8:48 AM EDT

    Best game ever for me. Never stopped playing it, I used to fire it up when I'm in a bad mood. A beautiful western game, it is worth every minute. I'm Hungarian and I love my culture but I became a "western era" fan after playing through it. Not kidding. Very good game.

    ***SPOILER***

    I have a save when J.Marston is still alive but he already found his family. It is a real pleasure to hop on a horse in the morning to ride to Mexico from Beecher's Hope, then return in the evening when the sun is going down. Or just go to the snowy woods to hunt some deer while a huge bear wants your meat, and you have to ride away to avoid its attack. You and your horse in the wild west. Unforgottable adventure.

    • 342 posts
    April 10, 2012 8:58 AM EDT

    I think everyone would love a good western no matter :)

    heh, i think most people have done this, its not only that i don't like to finish the game but i can't stand jack, he is extremely irritating and his speeches when he urges the horse to go faster piss me off, and since speed is one of the main reasons for riding the horse this gets old fast.

    • 82 posts
    April 10, 2012 9:03 AM EDT

    I love the story, and I echo people that it is one of my favorite games of all times.

    My only gripes, I wish they allowed more customization of your character.  Make it a little more RPGish.  Do you focus on pistols or rifles?  Would be nice to allow dual wielding of pistols. 

    I like the story of the game, I wish my own personal decisions could make the story less linear. 

     

    Best things about the game:
    The mood of the setting from the background music to the lighting to the sunsets.  Some memorable characters.  I love using deadeye.  probably does horse riding better then any other game. 

     

    • 342 posts
    April 10, 2012 9:11 AM EDT

    yeah but then again you are playing a "cookie cutter" character so i guess the lack of true customization is a given, but i do like the outfits you can collect, my favourites are the bounty hunter original, the duster and the legend of the west.

    do you mean more like Infamous? where you did good/bad things and actually turned good/bad and people reacted to based on that etc?

    I absolutely love the music for this game, the general game movie itself helps create the desolate empty space of the old west, and I've been guilty of more then once waiting for the sun to set just so i could run off into it :P

    I've found that unless i needed it for a mission or shooting a hanging rope, I rarely used Dead Eye.

    heh I've said it more then once that this is the game that i measure all horse riding against from now on, they truly did a great job.

    • 82 posts
    April 10, 2012 10:20 AM EDT

    I never played infamous so I don't know.  I do like the story, but because of the wild west theme it makes me want to have more customization.  Like a background, the look.

    I guess my perfect western game would be like a mix of skyrim, red dead, and mount and blade. A lot more exploration of the wilderness.  The ability to create our own sort of kingdom (either as a law man or an outlaw) and still have memorable quirky characters.

    I have to play it again.  I haven't tried the zombie thing yet either, but everyone said it was great.  zombies are not my thing but would you suggest I give it a try anyway?

    • 342 posts
    April 10, 2012 10:25 AM EDT

    if zombies squick you out I think its better to give it a miss as the place gets loaded with zombies/zombie animals that spew on you and jump out as you.

    its a stand alone story expansion so it has no impact on the regular game. I tried it out and couldn't get far with the story as i refused to get off my horse (which i was using to knock the zombies down and squish)

  • April 10, 2012 12:06 PM EDT

    Skyrim, Red Dead Redemption, and M&B?

    Sounds like heaven

    God! Why did I watch that review?! Now I want the game really bad >.>

    • 773 posts
    April 10, 2012 6:52 PM EDT

    Some of the posts on this thread have been deleted, and certain posters need to know that they are 'on a warning' not to derail what was meant as a sensible thread. FWIW, I think Charlie has come up with an interesting idea to talk in depth about a game on a weekly basis, and it won't be allowed to get ruined.

    Now, moving onto Red Dead Redemption, this is one of those games that is in my desk drawer and fits into the category of 'I really must get around to playing this one'. My son really likes it, and gave me his well-played copy! I've had a brief dabble, and I LOVE the setting. I mean, who doesn't love the Wild West setting?

    Really must get around to playing it. 

    • 342 posts
    April 10, 2012 6:58 PM EDT

    you won't regret playing it, hope you brings you as much enjoyment as it did me :)

    if you have any questions please feel free to post them I'll try and answer them as best I can.

    • 140 posts
    April 22, 2012 7:34 PM EDT

    In your opinions, what is the replay value of this game?  I think the story is good enough to play it once through, but just curious how many different ways are available to "play" the game?

    Charlie, this is a most excellent idea, and a wonderful write up!  I have been thinking about this game for awhile, but you have sold me on it for sure!  I think Rockstar needs to put you on its payroll!  I am also glad that I started searching through the forums, as I missed this on the first posting!

    Also, what is the zombie talk about this?  Is it a different game, or a different mode within this game?  Thanks for letting me be late to the party! 

    • 342 posts
    April 22, 2012 7:50 PM EDT

    Replay value? certainly :D don't know if you'll be as emotional as I was when John dies but it might, I don't like Jack though, so i usually have a save set just before he heads home so i can keep roaming (not that you can't do that after he gets home but you can't change out of the ranch clothes into your bounty gear etc)

    you can play this game quite a few different ways, entirely good (save people, don't rob them, don't steal, no shooting random citizens, hogtying people and putting them on the track for the trains to run over....) that sort of thing or you can go completely bad and do all that stuff (you get a special mount for going pure bad) or you can play somewhere in between just remember to wear the bandana (you buy it at thieves landing) when you want to do bad stuff. it all affects your fame and honour which affects how people treat you saying hello and talking nice about you around the bar and wanting to dual you as opposed to running and screaming and just outright trying to shoot you :P

    there is more to the game then just the story line there are challenges to play and outfits to collect (I mean who wouldn't want to try taking on a bear with just a knife :D ) don't forget the treasure maps (you get your first one after either saving or shooting a treasure hunter )

    as for the undead thing its a entirely separate story expansion pack (you choose on the title screen which version you want to play) its starts off as you as john on your ranch (set somewhere between outlaw's return and The last enemy that shall be destroyed) and there is this plague that is turning people into zombies first Uncle (you have to shoot his head off) and then your wife and child (you tie them up) and then you head into blackwater to try and sort the mess out but find almost the whole town is zombifyed and so you set off across all 3 zones trying to cure the plague. 

    in essence its basically the survival mode of RDR you get very little ammo and the zombies are fricking scary :D

    • 140 posts
    April 22, 2012 8:02 PM EDT

    Oh, I am certain that I will cry, as I love reading westerns, and so have a "thing" for them!    This sounds better and better...ok...I have to figure out how to do without sleep for awhile so that I can catch up on gaming...

    Good...if I can avoid the zombies, I am good!  I just shudder thinking about them!

    Thanks, Charlie, this is fantastic!

    • 342 posts
    April 22, 2012 8:03 PM EDT

    yeah you don't need to worry about them if you don't buy the expansion

    but i would suggest buying the Warhorse dlc its the best horse in the game and it looks so pretty...

    • 773 posts
    June 11, 2012 6:18 PM EDT

    Pulling this thread up from the depths like a Necromancer, because I FINALLY got around to pulling this out of the drawer and giving it a spin tonight....

    So far I'm enjoying it, although I suck when it comes to the shooting parts. I really need to work on my reaction times when it comes to using guns - I seem to end up getting blasted before I can get to target the bad guys, lol.

    However I'm going to persist because I just love the whole vibe and 'setting' of the game. The whole wild west scenario is fresh and different, and has got me interested enough to want to dig deeper.

    Oh, and riding horses is such a lot of fun 

    • 342 posts
    June 11, 2012 6:47 PM EDT

    if you want you can adjust the difficultly level i think if you set it to casual or easy it will snap target the bandits if your marker is close enough.