A stunning Western epic -- Rockstar's best release to date.
RDR is the complete package -- an incredibly immersive Western landscape that feels genuine, not just in the way it looks but the way it behaves. Well-realized characters pull you into believable, dramatic storylines that cover a *lot* of classic Western themes like the industrial revolution, the expansion into the West, the tension between technology and tradition, and the myths of political heroes. RDR is a surprisingly cerebral game that doesn't speak down to its audience at all. Sure, if all you want to do in RDR is ride around and shoot bears, that's there for you. But the game really is a thoughtful homage to the best Western films and books. Rockstar obviously has a history of paying tribute to their favorite films in the GTA series, but RDR comes off as a much more original, independent work. In GTA, the "moments" often feel cribbed directly from well-known Mafia or gangster films. In RDR, it feels like general themes are borrowed and expanded on, rather than GTA's copy-and-pasted "cinematic" moments.
The game's strong suits are easy to see -- brilliant environment design, fun core mechanics for horse-riding and shooting, tons of variety in missions and side-quests, reasonably fun minigames (imagine that) for Texas Hold 'Em, blackjack, horseshoes, among others. RDR is a leisurely paced game. You could take this as a negative or positive. For some players, it will simply be too slow, especially for those accustomed to GTA's constant acceleration of action. But on the Western frontier, you're really encouraged to take your time and wander through the game, rather than bullet your way through main storyline missions. The huge game world fosters tons of emergent moments that, shockingly, don't always involve combat or blowing up civilians like in GTA. In RDR, these moments can be subtle like catching a sunrise after riding throughout the country over night, or the euphoria of cleaning out a poker table after a grueling all-night session. The more you let yourself become absorbed in John Marsten's world, the more the game really gets its hooks in you … and the more dramatic effect the overall storyline hits.
RDR is a surprisingly mature game in how it conveys emotions and how you identify with the characters. It's also mature in that this a game about adults and adult problems -- taking care of your family, reconciling friendships that have gone bad, making up for past wrongs. Some of the most moving episodes involve simple domestic family life or sticking up for a friend.
Much of what's fascinating about video games in recent years is the continual struggle to get emotions out of players besides adrenaline or fear -- to really aspire to the best forms of art that can elicit all types of emotions -- joy, calm, sorrow, remorse. Red Dead Redemption is one of those rare games that genuinely accomplishes this with an epic journey you won't easily forget.