I am impressed — wowed! — by Red Dead Redemption.
Okay, okay: I haven’t actually played (or seen) the game in person. But the videos look awesome!
There is a single player campaign, and a variety of multiplayer modes.
Deathmatches begin with something new: a classic Mexican Standoff.
If you are the last man standing at the end of the bloodshed, make your way to the best sniper location.
Each mode is a Western version of a classic Multiplayer game, based around a particular town or geographic feature …
Single player game mechanics include Honor and Fame:
Red Dead Redemption makes use of a morality system where players have the ability to gain positive or negative ‘honor’. Some of the ways to gain positive honor include taking an outlaw alive instead of killing him, or saving a kidnapped innocent. Negative honor can be attained for committing crimes including killing and/or robbing civilians. This works along with another system, ‘fame,’ showing and governing how people react based on [the player’s] honor status.
The videos impressed the heck out of me, too. The guys at Rockstar have certainly built upon what they’ve been delivering with the “Grand Theft Auto” series and taken the gameplay to a whole new level.
One of the things that I am most intrigued by is the factor of “shot placement.” The game engine doesn’t just register a “hit” on a target, but actually takes into account WHERE you hit someone. Those of us who always strive for a headshot might apply that same fanatical accuracy to winging an outlaw in the arm, to disarm him, or in the leg to slow his attempted escape. (Crawling on the ground don’t go too fast.) Of course, this makes it easier to gain the positive Honor points you mentioned, because you can bring an outlaw in alive.
The game looks totally immersive and, as with “GTA,” they provide ample activities to keep you entertained outside of continuing the story. I would definitely love to load up a .50 cal rifle and head up into the mountains to hunt bears! Especially since, after your kill, you can skin your prey and trade the hides in town for cash. It looks like quite the robust in-game economy!
I have a feeling that there’s going to be a thriving online community in no time. I just hope it doesn’t take them long to port it over from console to PC, so’s TRUE gamers like me can take a stab at it!