Sure there is all the extra area to now play free for all and gang matches in, but something about throwing an axe, although more primitive, just seems appealing to me. It is a very effective close combat short range weapon if you get it right (between the eyes), it can look great too. Additionally this new weapon can be used in the single player campaign and in free roam multiplayer, bound to make other players who do not have the DLC envious of your new toy, kind of like the bling of the old west. But what I couldn’t understand was why my new weapon of choice was only available in a select few of the new areas and not freely available in all.
I love both these DLC’s because quite frankly anything that widens the experience of this game I am thankful for and if I only had this game in my library with a headset, I would be a happy frontier camper. I think along with the Outlaws this expansion is worth the weight in the gold that is in the bags I captured (though not very often I must add) and there seemed to be enough players who had downloaded this to give me plenty of competition or team mates whenever I logged on.
Also included in the pack are eight new character skins made up of the characters from the games’ predecessor Red Dead Revolver. These include Red Harlow, Jack Swift, Civil War outfitted Buffalo Soldier, the Indian Shadow Wolf and the chunky, hairy Pig Josh, who seems to have dynamite coming from every orifice and who dangerously smokes while having the TNT strapped to him, (oooh what a bad ass). As you would expect there are new trophies to add to your virtual trophie cabinet and new titles that you can now have as a prefix to your screen name like Hack and Slash for example.
There are nine new locations for multiplayer gun slinging and here is a brief rundown of them and some things I learnt the hard way.
In the rocky terrain of Rio Bravo crouching seems to be the trick to success because as soon as you even take one step normally you become visible on every other players map and BANG or whatever sound a Tomahawk makes entering your skull (add sound here). In the town setting of Blackwater it is the top of the buildings that seem to be a favourite spot for players, so much so that the ground seems to be deserted and it pretty much turns into roof combat. So as soon as I stepped out into the open here I was as vulnerable as a duck in a bathtub in hunting season (Duck Season not Rabbit Season). Having a position on the roof is a great tactic for free for all and shooting matches but I found myself getting frustrated with other players hanging here when it was Free for All capture the bag time (team mode is a different story because it makes sense to have a couple of runners and the others defending from these vantage points).
To the guys that do hang up there for Free for All I have a message for you, isn’t the whole point of this mode to grab the bag of gold and take it to its location marked on the map not play pot shots from the rooftop, this kind of spoils it for the people who are trying to play it properly. Maybe Rockstar should have made a player spontaneously combust or something if they stayed within one vicinity for too long in this mode, uh hum, OK glad I got that off my chest. The snow covered and aptly named Tall Trees area (which funnily enough features, tall trees) and Hennigans Steed have loads of area to cover and this is where a horse comes in handy especially for the bag games, but be sure to practice mounted aiming and shooting in Free Roam in order to be efficient in these areas.
Thieves Landing mixes the strategy of crouching from Rio Bravo with the rooftop combat of Blackwater. With a river dividing the two sides of this map and only a few bridges in which to cross, one wrong step and you either drown or get shot trying to cross. Fort Mercer is a more claustrophobic affair surrounded by walls which also happen to be the safest place and the courtyard can quickly turn into a bloodbath thanks to those perched up there. At Escalera it is fine if you are lucky enough to spawn inside the fort, but trying to get in from the outside can be the challenge because of the guys positioned at vantage points in the towers. Play it cautious until getting inside. Avoid the valleys at Punto Orgullo and stay on the ledges above. Using the dynamite while up there is a good tactic to scatter body parts of those who are unfortunate enough to have respawned in these mountain crevices.
Although there are no new game modes in Legends and Killers there is plenty of new area and character skins to make this well worth the money, the Tomahawk is just the very yummy icing on the cake. Rockstar have stayed true to their promise of supporting and expanding this game and with plenty of other DLC’s on the way including the one I am anticipating the most, the Undead Nightmare pack, there is going to be plenty to occupy Red Dead fans for a long time to come.
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GameRevolution writes: "Publishers use DLC like Viagra. Extending the length of your assets makes them more profitable; games like Borderlands and Modern Warfare 2 can have long, extended lives with the proper content. However, the first of Red Dead Redemption's DLC packs will likely leave you feeling limp".
One of the reasons PC gaming has practically died on its arse (outside of piracy issues) was the mind-numbingly frustrating, tinkering and tweaking gamers had to do under the hoods of their machines to ensure the technology kept pace with the latest games. Immediately this ruled out a wealth of casual gamers and even the hardcore who eventually lost patience with having to shell out for new systems once every six months.
ImpulseGamer: If you haven’t heard about Red Dead Redemption before than shame on you! Seriously if you haven't, I strong suggest you read our XBox 360 review by clicking here to know what a fantastic game you are missing out on.
