Innovation is not the same as tried and true.
Red Dead Redemption can quite easily be explained as "GUN: RockStar style". While Red Dead Redemption strays from its typical environment, this is an unmistakable RockStar game, with the same set up for the HUD, map, and gameplay it has been using for a long time now.
Story ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
John Marston, a man with a bloody past and an important sense of motivation...Sound familiar? It should if you have played any Grand Theft Auto game up until now. That being said, John is a far more interesting character than his predecessors. He's not sorry for what he's done in the past, yet there are moments when he shows such respect and remorse it creates a believable character, if not a tad histrionic.
John's family is being held hostage until he can get the job done, which involves killing the men he once called friends. It's somewhat dramatic, but the characters are fleshed out enough for you to care about the outcome.
The men John is trying to kill will take him across America as well as a section of Mexico, doing odd jobs for people as he tries to acquire information on the whereabouts of his bounties.
Sound ----------------------------------------------------------------------
The sounds of guns firing, horses galloping, and dynamite exploding are all utilized well. The sounds are believable and voice acting is solid to say the least. John sounds fantastic, and with the exception of a few lowlife stereotypes, everyone else has an exceptional delivery of their lines.
The music however, does leave something to be desired. While it's well done throughout, some of the best musical scores are reserved for specific sections of the game, and it's a damn shame.
Gameplay ------------------------------------------------------------------
While this is essentially a formula for success, there are some problems that arise when stepping into the old west compared to the big city.
-Horse travel creates the need for constant button mashing. While holding down the A button will allow you to trot at a more steady pace, the only way to speed up is to continually push the button. This creates problems when you are trying to shoot behind you (something that will be done very often) when steering, aiming, and maintaining speed must all be done at once.
-John's movement is as impractical as every other Grand Theft Auto protagonist. It feels very dated, and in this game specifically, there are many instances where you must be precise, and you just don't get the proper control. Climbing over a hole in a wall or up a snowy step of a mountain can become more trouble than it's worth.
-Duels are quite boring, it's essentially a mini game rather than a quick draw. Your reflexes will be needed to draw, but immediately after, things will go into slow motion, giving even a terrible player ample time to shoot their opponent with enough bullets to kill a bear. This is a shame considering what a staple they are to westerns as a suspenseful then fast paced action segment. In addition, these duels are also very rare to encounter.
There is also a system of fame and honor. Fame is acquired by doing damn near anything, and honor is in relation to the morality of your choices. The problem with this is that several missions, particularly early on force you into being a good guy, and it quickly deteriorates the illusion of choice when even an immoral act (that is scripted) results in good honor. For example, John helps a man sell his bogus miracle elixir by feigning positive effects, yet at the end of the mission your honor will increase.
Even with the faults mentioned, Read Dead Redemption still does a lot right. Combat is fluid with many weapons to use, deaths look spectacular, and shooting different body parts results in different animations and benefits. There is a method of quick travel, you're never without the option to use a horse, and the AI reacts realistically to what you do. The lasso is also my nominee for one of the most entertaining "weapons" in a game this year.
Multiplayer --------------------------------------------------------------------
Following in the steps of Grand Theft Auto 4, both free roam and competitive multiplayer modes are available. There is a level up system, but it is quite unbalanced for those venturing into a public match. A low level player will not have access to decent horses and important weapons, being killed by weapons far better than your own, and trying to escape on a donkey when others have lightning fast stallions can be frustrating.
Free roam is full of people that somehow find fun in spawn killing people constantly that are just trying to have fun with a large group, but the competitive multiplayer modes vary from standard, to imaginative, and can be very fun.
Multiplayer incorporates a radar similar to the Halo games, being stationary or moving slow will not show you on radar, but running and other acts will. This changes the flow to a much improved Grand Theft Auto 4 system where you must always watch your back, instead of the colored dots that will never deceive you.
Conclusion -------------------------------------------------------------------
Red Dead Redemption does a lot right, explores a nearly untapped atmosphere in video games and sticks to its tried and true methods. There is certainly nothing wrong with that, but there is a lot to be said for taking chances and trying to redefine the norm, something this game just doesn't do.