Do you think 'Red Dead Redemption' is/will be a classic of the Western genre?

To me it already is a classic. Considerably better than GTA games. What I especially liked about it was the ambiguity about the character of John Marston who was seemingly somebody who had a tough upbringing yet somehow ended up being profound at the same time.

To me it already is a classic. Considerably better than GTA games. What I especially liked about it was the ambiguity about the character of John Marston who was seemingly somebody who had a tough upbringing yet somehow ended up being profound at the same time.

In terms of video games there's not a lot of choices

The only game I traded last gen,tells a lot.

Precisely!

That reminds me of something. Nigel West Dickens, despite being a goofy swindling bunko, probably had a more accurate evaluation of Marston's personality than anyone else in the game did:

"You see, Mr. Marston, you have the exterior of a violent man, but the soul of an angel, and that is what I think I cherish most about you."

- Nigel West Dickens

Did you even read the damn OP?

Can't really compare games to movies or books, except maybe on the narrative quality, in which case RDR is kind of on the disadvantageous side because it's basically a collective homage of the genre anyway.

As a game though.... yes. No other game captured the atmosphere of the genre quite like this, and in that sense RDR stands on its own compared to other heavyweights of the genre, since the experience it provides is quite unique.

Yep, in my top 5 fave Western games out there, we need another one and a PC port!!!

@Kevlar101 ha! I remember that fraud, his eyesight elixir and stuff, he had some funny missions and moments associated with him, such a bullshit artist, I think that fat guy in Black Flag was modeled after him.

I agree with the second half of your post....not so much the first half, though.

Even though it's individual missions often had elements that paid homage to the genre, it's overall story was something of its own.

Not just referring to games ya know... I'm referring to everything related to the Western genre.

Well, the theme of redemption and hard frontier life is just soooo staple in the genre so yeah. It had its own spin I guess.

If we're just comparing stories here - no, I wouldn't really consider RDR to be a classic in the entire scope of the Western genre. But I do think it's the best Western that videogames have to offer at the moment, so it's a classic in that sense. For something to be classic in the literary sense, It'd need a lot more originality. RDR is nothing more than one big payload of homage to other Westerns.

Ah yes, that's true as well.

It wasn't about frontier life, where did you get that impression?

It was set during the end of frontier life. It's themes were about modernization and the civilizing of the western territories. Anyone who missed that clearly blacked out during most of the game...

Where did that drivel come from? Anyone who thinks that clearly missed the point.

yes

Oh shit you are right.

I don't know why, but Marston struggling to make his farm work kinda stuck to me. It's been a long time since I played it so cut me some slack lol.

Then yeah, I guess you are right, it does have good story. Then again, it's all in cutscenes, and I hate dem cutscenes narrative.

It may not be now, but it may be a classic in the future.

Then please enlighten us. Many other people seem to think along the same line as myself on this subject.

A very common theme in Westerns...(not necessarily original, if that's what you're hinting at). Maybe you should check out more Westerns?

Clearly you think RDR has one of the best Western stories out there, while most people probably wouldn't agree with that sentiment. Why exactly do you think the game's story was so good? It was practically a by-the-numbers GTA-formula storyline placed in a lush Western setting. What's so impressive about it? The combination of the setting and the characters?

A basis for any good story is characters - so we can just agree to disagree about the characters in the game. John Marston is a good character but the game is by no means filled with great dialogue, characters, or writing in general. For a videogame, the characters are awesome and entertaining. But undoubtedly most characters are flat and 2D in the personality department.

Sure, I just wish that it had a rerelease that fixed the framerate problems. It was one of the biggest issues that marred an overall excellent game.

Truth be told, I do not have nearly enough energy or patience, or tolerance, to try to defend it. I just, couldn't give any less shits right now.

To me westerns were never about frontier life in the first place. That's superficial. To me they always were moral tales with blurred morality in an existential and literal wasteland where everybody is flawed. There were plenty of other films, technically not westerns, that were close to them in spirit, such as The Treasure of Sierra Madre with Humphrey Bogart and Wages of Fear starring Yves Montand.

You know what would've made my day on SW? Or even my entire stay? If somebody actually talked about Sierra Madre or Wages with me.

Probably game of the generation for me last gen, the 360 version was pretty solid .

I would argue that it will be. It is not yet, as too high a percentage of society dismiss games as being anywhere near the same as movies, but lets be honest here, the last of RDR, how it made you feel.

That (atleast to me) was what the Whole game built up towards, and is atleast to me, one of the very best moments in any western told story.

To be honest though, most westerns do suck, so it would not be so hard to make something that was not just sheer stupid bravado thinly vailed as greatness. I can only Count so many good westerns, but RDR does have a good shot at going Down in history as being one of those very good executions of a story.

I would of liked it more if it was set a little further back in history. Not the end of the western era, more in it's prime.

**** no. That script is easily outclassed by better western flicks, as a game it comes with the baggage that the gameplay isn't all that good. Bitchin atmosphere and John Marston, but a genuine class across all mediums when it comes to Westerns? No.

R* did a masterful job creating the look & feel of an old time western so yes. Can't wait to see what they'll do this gen with Red Dead Revolution. :D

Compared to movies and other pieces of literatture? Nah.

Though, i'm not biggest western fan myself, but the script for RDR isn't exactly that amazing honestly.

Not really a RDR problem, but a video game problem.

My favorite game. Just beat it to 100% last week. Undead Nightmare is great too.

The feeling when you ride in the sunset if mexico with the awesome soundtrack.

Well, it's one of the best games ever made, so it's automatically the best in it's genre.

RDR its epic masterpiece one of the best game of all time For me

top 5 last gen

Western films were generally about moral lessons and questions of ethics. Red Dead, being a game, is about the action.

It would have nothing compared to the likes of Unforgiven, The Good the bad and the Ugly, The Ox Bow Incident, High Noon and so on.

Tells nothing at all actually.

By a 25 year standard even Sunset Riders is too young to be considered a classic, gaming years are like dog years, it only takes a few years before games are more fondly remembered than evolving standards should allow, or before a new generation of whippersnappers comes onto the gaming scene completely unaware of great games that came before them, or the game is forgotten completely by everyone even though it very well deserves to be remembers.

What I was going to say. I honestly can't even think of another western game. So..yes, it is a classic!

Edit: Oh wait, genre as a whole? Lol, hell no bud.

There are 5 western games :O ?

Outside of it and Call of Juarez, I dont know any other Western themed games,

Gun?

Bought and played a lot of games,that I all kept. Except this one

Gun?

it already is and you know that seriously whats with all the stupid questions on here that OP knows the answer too

I ever recall playing it but that makes 3 Western themed games since 2005? Not many if you ask me.

Im surprised the Wild West hasnt been a focus in more games TBH, off the top of my head I can only think of 4 games that where in that setting.

I'm gonna say yes. I'm not a fan of westerns and I absolutely LOVED RDR. My 2nd favorite game of last gen. Beat it THREE times already and that ending is still one of the most powerfull ending in a game I've ever seen. The only other western game I liked was GUN but that was kinda bland in comparison.

Yeah. It's a crazy polished game that in an interactive medium is the most interactive Western there is. It fills out spaces that we could only dream of exploring in other genres' Westerns.

Doesn't mean it's a good game though.

Absolutely, it's the Western game for me (even though I really enjoyed Call of Juarez Gunslinger). It's also a fantastic open world game by any standard and has meant a lot for later R* projects as well as games like Assassin's Creed 4 and Shadow of Mordor (just a couple of examples). It's a true classic, one of the best examples from last gen imo.

Will be? It is the western game that all others are measured by.

Yea. It certainly has some flaws, but I think it was one of the best games of last gen.