Rockstar blows my mind

Let's just start with this, I didn't play GTA4 so this is the first Rockstar open world game I've played. Man can they pull it off; Red Dead Redemption is a masterpiece of storytelling, gameplay, and atmosphere that comes together to make one of my favorite games of the year. The real way Red Dead Redemption excels is in the atmosphere of the Old West. Everything feels authentic, from the way the land is barren, to the ghost towns in the middle of the plains, Duels in the middle of town, even to the way the period accurate weapons feel and fire. Speaking of the weapons, for simple repeaters and revolvers, firefights in Red Dead require a large amount of strategy and are very exciting. The game has a full working cover system, that works well most of the time, but can glitch very rarely to where you might not be able to take cover behind objects. The Dead Eye ability (which allows you to slow down time and mark enemies) is a meter you need to constantly watch as it can become a crutch to lean on in some of the game's harder showdowns. Also, the horse riding controls are unrivaled in the medium. There are tons of completely optional side missions, but all are fun and as fully realized as some of the story missions. And as for the story, it is one of the most finely crafted revenge tales I've heard in a long time, with an ending that is shocking and you won't see coming. As I've said in a previous post, John Marston is a complex character, and he, along with several of Rockstar's patented freaks and wackos. Even the good guy have problems, from a cocaine using professer to a womanizing leader of the Mexican Revolution, Rockstar shows how good and evil is a relative view a lot of the time. I've already touched on the atmosphere, and the graphics really add to that. A full day and night cycle paired with excellent lighting provides one of the best looking games I've seen. Also, Red Dead contains a full on multiplayer suite that includes capture the flag variants, deathmatch, team deathmatch, and everything else you'd expect. Every match starts with a Mexican style standoff, which is a nice Wild West flavor added in. Characters can be fully customized and you can roam with people throughout the entire game map, hunting and taking out gang hideouts, all the while earning experience to use in the competitive modes. In closing Red Dead Redemption is an incredible game with a story and production values to boot.
Final Score=9.5 out of ten

-Smith