Three Major Problems With Red Dead Redemption

Rockstar's latest open world game is really great. The change of setting and pace makes for a great experience but the game also carries over some of the major problems every GTA game has had for as long as I can remember. It also manages to introduce new problems and issues.

[HighDefinition]

I dont agree w/ talking about the problems, RDR is a great game.

[GWAVE]

RDR is a great game, but I feel it was GTA4 all over again.

In other words, the media showers 10/10 scores on a 8.5/10 game.

[SupaGamer]

at least a 9/10.

[WildArmed]

I'm with SupaGamer on this one.
RDR had one of the best single player experiences in awhile.
I think have the people are unconsciously hating on it coz of GTA4.

I'm not saying it's perfect, it has it's fair share of problems... and glitches.. and server issues... lol

But it was a great experience. The single player was just mind blowing fun.
The game is a solid 9 for me. I'm glad I bought it.
The MP's bugged ass and laggy ass is the only reason why I docked a point. But it works great 4 out of 5 times for me.
Free DLC is also a good plus!
On top of that, I gotta say that the free roam mode has ALOT to do, if you're a completionist you'll be hooked for a long time.

Wild West Setting was the best thing about the game.
It just felt right! :D

[ThanatosDMC]

It's a great game and it deserve it's 9-10 scores but it becomes repetitive since we play it to death. I know i did because i liked it too much. 100+ hrs on it.

[DARK WITNESS]

" but it becomes repetitive since we play it to death. I know i did because i liked it too much. 100+ hrs on it. "

very, true but you could say that about any game. The great thing about games like GTA and Red Dead as that at least within the free roam, things still happen randomly, you know what to expect sure, but you still don't know when it's going to happen etc.

if games like Red Dead are called out for being repetitive, I don't know how people cannot say the same about games like Uncharted, MGS... halo etc, after you have played them once you know exactly where everyone spawns, how many are going to spawn etc etc...

That does not mean they are still not fun, but as far as repetitive goes, they are a lot worse, yet people rag on gta and Red Dead.

anyway, I love Red and it's a solid 9.5 in my book. best single player game for me so far this year.

enjoyed it more then Mass Effect or God of war 3.

[himdeel]

...RDR is a good game but 7.5-8.8 tops.

[ThanatosDMC]

One thing i didnt like about the game was how you were introduced in the beginning. I was so confused... the first second i got out the train, i pointed my gun atsomebody and shot him. Bad idea since apparently i couldnt go crazy till way after the long tutorial. I didnt understand why i was doing what i was doing till later.

By the way, after the first time i shot the guy, the next time i tried to just punch him and it was the same thing... so i ended up actually behaving for a while. Glad that there was a bandana.

[Lich120]

I think rockstar games are weird to review. They contain an odd mix of nearly perfect story telling and presentation with severely flawed mechanics (auto-aim / controls). Some parts of the game deserve high 9's while others i think are severely flawed.

[pat_11_5]

I completely agree with you, I just feel like reviewers are blinded by Rockstar's pedigree. Also, as you can see in my story I stated that it's a great game, a great game hindered by some major flaws. There is no denying that the game has some serious issues. I didn't even write about the numerous glitches and other problems the game has experienced since launch.

[RatFuker]

SHOULD I BUY THIS GAME? havent played it

[Army_of_Darkness]

but its still sealed! lol! I only bought it cause I got a deal for $50 flat! heheh..

[DarkTower805]

Yes, buy the game! I don't agree with anything the writer said. I have no problem controlling my character. Auto-aim is for pussies. The setting is awesome.

And no, I'm not all on R*'s jock. I hated most every GTA with the exception of Vice City, and thankfully this is nothing like them. The setting is so gorgeous and there's so much to do I find myself constantly getting sidetracked from missions to hunt and complete challenges. The missions aren't repetitive and you'll likely never get bored.

[poindat]

Buy it. It's worth it for the unique atmospheric sequences alone. There are some moments in the game that have impacted me and will stay with me far in to the future, in the same way that childhood experiences stay with you or something profound.

It really is a beautiful game, and that alone is enough to overcome many of its flaws.

[HQLocated111]

No don't buy it, its GTAIV:Western Expansion with hunting, its fun for like the first week and a half until you're done with the SP. Then the MP is the same as GTAIV it may be fun for a couple of days then you realize its the same shit.

Great storyline but thats about it.

Or maybe I just don't enjoy GTA games anymore idk.

[ReservoirDog316]

I say yes. It's my favorite game this year and probably in my top 10.

Now onto my opinion of this article:

1. The controls aren't that bad. They're not pitch perfect 3rd person controls like say, Uncharted 2 or something but they're far from bad and much quicker than GTA IV.

2. Don't use the auto aim then. And it doesn't become unbearably hard. I finished the entire game without auto aim I rarely died. It takes a mission or two to get used to it but then it becomes second nature.

3. If you don't think a western game would be fun, why buy a western game? And as far as the western games released so far, this is by far the best ever. I never fast traveled and I really never got bored. The hunting and events and the strangers and the possiblity of running into a cougar (and later on a bear or two) always kept me interested.

This really is a very very very well made game. If you want a western with a very good story (it does things I've never seen in a video game). I highly recommend it.

[RedSky]

I blame the consistently 95-100% scores that both Red Dead and GTA IV got on the laziness of games journalists and possibly the bribes lining their pockets.

Yes, they're both extremely pretty, meticulously designed open worlds with relatively expansive story lines.

That doesn't change the fact the mission on both is practically exactly the same 'go here, kill this, return' and hasn't changed since the first GTA. Nor that a stupidly large amount of your gaming time is just spent travelling around not doing anything interesting.

Or the fact that auto-aim poses no challenge other than finding cover.

Or that for their huge free-form designed worlds, the game might as well be linear the way it pushes you from mission to mission. For all their endless minigames, did anyone actually play them more than once? Why would you spend time taking out a virtual girfriend? Did anyone actually play bowling or darts more than once.

At some point Rockstar needs to be called out for what they are, developers who came up with a great concept are great at designing open worlds but who have done nothing significant to improving their gameplay formula from the original GTA3.

[poindat]

"For all their endless minigames, did anyone actually play them more than once?"

Every time I fire up RDR, I always end up finding myself either playing Poker or Liar's Dice! I think that Rockstar did a MUCH better job with RDR in terms of minigames then they had done with GTA IV.

[RedSky]

I'll admit I haven't played Red Dead much, but I just don't see why a game like that even needs say a poker mini-game at all. Instead, they could have spent the time improving customization, even introducing something like a Diablo-like loot system. Possibly even more interesting dynamic objectives you could come across while travelling. Stuff that's actually attached to the core experience and not just a separate distraction.

[Gameplay999]

Yes the Poker game is brilliant and I would buy it as a standalone arcade game! Thats how good it is and it has made me understand the game of poker better as well. Props to Rockstar San Diego, all in all they did a really great job and I am more than looking forward to RDR2, though its probably 2 years away anyway... yet the game itself will keep me compelled for quite qhile along with the DLC releases! Excellent! Rockstar sure knows how to please gamers and quickly!

[djfullshred]

I suppose the poker game would be better playing against real people. I found the AI to be very predictable in betting patterns.

NPC raises first...match if small raise, fold if big raise & you don't have good cards.

NPC checks on first bet, and you have a bad hand...raise, and the NPC will fold.

You have a good hand early...check, and don't raise. Wait a few rounds, to prevent NPC from folding as soon as you raise. If you raise, and NPC matches or raises again, re-evaluate your hand, and whether you want to match...NPC will not be bluffing, and will have a good hand, like full house, straight, flush

[DARK WITNESS]

I agree about the mini games in GTA4 yes, but not Red Dead...

The first day I played Red Dead, I spent most of the day playing Dead Mans fingers and Liars Dice. The Cheating at poker was fun too, the only one I didn't like was Black Jack, but only because I felt the dealer was cheating and as such I gunned him down a few times !

thats the beauty of R* games... if you don't like the mini games you don't have to play them. The only thing missing from Red dead in my opinion is being able to play the mini games in Multiplayer.

With GTA, ya I found the mini games a boring task and i wish they had stayed away from them, but I think they got it just right in Red Dead.

[Gameplay999]

Ya know I have the game since launch and was amazed by it. Much of what this writer has to day is true if you are looking at it with dissatisfied eyes, yet IT IS A GAME folks and I had wild expectations for it but the true game brought me back down to earth.

Also I turned off auto-aim first thing when I began the game, it definitely adds a more 'organic' feel to everything in whichcase is great! Unbearably hard?!??! Eh not really just some good challenging fun really.

Also, my wish was that the world was a tad bigger, I mean it is the wild west afterall! but I still have plenty more to do within the world yet I was hoping for a bigger map, eh, o well, I guess I was spolied by Just Cause 2 as far as vast map goes.

[TheSleepyGamer]

Great article.

[MGRogue2017]

The only problem I have with the game is the lack of online players in the PS3 version.

[SupaGamer]

On xbox live it's really easy to find people

[Elwenil]

I don't have any problems finding people on the PS3 version.

[bjornbear]

is very few free roamers, everyone is in matches.

[pat_11_5]

Thats a shame, the Xbox 360 version seems to have a pretty good online community. Every time I go online there are tongs of people to play with. The hard-core mode, where I spend the majority of my time, is a little sparse at times but in general there are always a lot of people to play with.

[iamnsuperman]

The points in this article are not the worst part of RDR. It was too similar to GTA which was a shame and also I found the story drag on especially the beginning and end missions (farm missions). I was irritade when the gaming media like GT and IGN rated it a near perfect score when it is a 8.5 out of 10 game

[Deathracer]

The only thing that is similar to GTA4 is the shooting and controls, the rest in new. They tried to capture the image of the West with this game, and they did a damn fine job doing it. I personally liked the farm missions, it was something different in a Rockstar game that made me appreciate what they are trying to teach you about the west. If there wasn't so many stupid little glitches this game would be an easy 10, but for stuff like that to slide when its a Rockstar game, is just disappointing.

This game isn't for everyone because people are so quick to say GTA on horses, when its really not. There's so many aspects of this game that make it far superior to GTA. Quite honestly, judging by how amazing RDR was, I can see this being a new franchise sitting right up there next to GTA.

[pat_11_5]

I'd have to agree that the story goes on a little bit towards the end of the game. In my article though I was trying to focus on the disappointing technical aspects of the game.

I definitely feel like the mainstream reviewers rated it far to high, sometimes it seems like Rockstar can do no wrong in the eyes of many reviewers.

[gta2800]

Haven't bought this game yet. Reason 3 is pretty much why I haven't bought it. I usually like games in modern settings, with modern weaponry. But to each his own right? so don't blast me for finding these type of games boring.

[Deathracer]

I'm kind of the same way, I was iffy about this game just because of the western setting. Then the more I saw, the more I wanted it and ended up buying, and I don't regret it either. I think you would be surprised if you played it on how much fun it really is. Since this isn't your type of setting in a game, I wouldn't recommend buying it since its not your kinda thing. I would definitely recommend you at least try it though. This game may be a huge deserts, forest plains and little towns, but there is far more to do here than anything you will ever see in GTA 4.

[Groo]

Well you could rent it first, see if it's what you think it is

[RyuDrinksTheDew]

disagree more. i have no problems with everything he pointed out. if you wanna see some bad auto aim, play the Crackdown 2 demo, if you wanna see unresponsive controls, play Too Human, and if you think its a boring setting, then you're just ADD and need to stick to GTA.

[BYE]

I'm glad I finished this game so I won't have to put up with the countless bugs anymore...

It was a great game, WHEN it was working properly.

[BannedForNineYears]

Imo, the map is too big NOT to have auto-aim.
>_>
You'll just waste amo if you turn off the auto-aim.

[bjornbear]

im constantly stocked with ammo, and auto-aim really takes away the only really fun mechanic of the game = aiming

its 1000000x more satisfying shooting a guy on a horse while riding behind you WITHOUT auto-aim.

with auto-aim you don't even need to think =/ kills the action completely imo

[Kahvipannu]

Agreed, Marston carries tons of ammo, maybe too much. Also I had the targetting on Normal at first, but it was way too easy, and got boring. Once switching to Expert, there really was some point to use different kind of weapons, battles was more fun and challenging, and also more satisfying.

[redking315]

this is one of my favorite games this year. though I do think i'm in the minority of people that really, really like GTAIV, thought it was amazing.

[Rezka]

This article pisses me off that I had to sign in wtf does he mean is character being unresponsive when trying to take cover I have discovered that my character only does that when I'm using a springfield rifle or any other rifle so please stfu and other thing about autoaim stfu about it please R* provided u with playlists so u didnt have to worry about it so please stfu

[RyuDrinksTheDew]

this article, while his "opinion", just seems to be flamebait to get some hits.

[DARK WITNESS]

ya kind of agree... it's the cool thing to do this gen to attract attention, hate on the big games.

was Red Dead perfect, nope... but go back and play some of the other open world games, if you take the time too look you will find much much bigger problems.

it's all opinion though, talking about repetitive and boaring.. how about those silly missions in Infamous, busting the security cams of the buildings or whatever they were or having to light up the generators ? AC2, walking two steps and have some fool tackle you and nab your dow then spend 5 min trying to chase him down... just as you get the money back... here comes another one.

They all have issues we overlook because the fun factor keeps you going. nobody had a problem with Saints Row 2 looking like dog turd because it was fun. Anyway... I thats my $2.

[JD_Shadow]

Well, I don't know about RED Dead Redemption, but I can agree that that dumbass READ Dead Redemption was prolly one of the worst games of the year.

EDIT: BTW, how in the hell was High Def's comment considered "trolling"? I would love to hear the reasoning behind THAT!

[Jason143]

Read dead redemption was awfull. The text in the book was printed to close together making it hard to read.

[itsralf]

I see what you did there.

I read the headline like four times before noticing the spelling error.

[blodulv]

I agree with the author on everything. This was one of my most anticipated releases since early last year, and I found myself bored & frustrated after the 15-20hr mark.

I went ahead and finished the thing, but yeah... certainly not worthy of the A+ reviews it got.

Some of the worst controls in a AAA title ever. What other blockbuster can you think of with controls that sluggish getting a 9.5-10 across the board?

[DARK WITNESS]

ummm... killzone 2

[ThaGeNeCySt]

1 Major problem with the title.

READ.

[djfullshred]

I think he makes valid points on the controls (although it really didn't take away the fun for me)

As far as expecting excitment every second while riding your horse around the countryside...well I think that is an unrealistic expectation. Who was really expecting GTA action while riding a horse in open country?

[pat_11_5]

I totally apologize for the title, there is no excuse for that. How did it slip through the approvals process with such a glaring typo!

[DeathMetal]

NOT ON PC and my friend is always playing the PS3

[A LIVING LEGEND]

Decent game with some honestly great moments....and some equally mundane ones.
No 'the man who shot Liberty Valance,no "Im here to kill you little Bill,no great train robbery,no 10/10.
Best western themed game yet but "Best and western" remains a hotel chain sadly .
7-8 at best.Good game but highly overrated.

[Ether]

The one gripe I have with this game is that since it runs on RAGE, the control sensitivity can be weird and awkward until you get used to it. Other than that, it's pretty bloody good.

The ending was so bad and so awesome at the same time.

[Spenok]

I fully dissagree with all these points. He should have focused on all the Glitches the game had, or how often the game freezes online (or is that part of the glitches lol)....actually that was about the only issue i had with the game. Otherwise it was fantastic. Rockstars best game to date imo.

[omi25p]

everything you said was just wrong, the control syestem i found very responsive, if i needed to do a fast forward roll to avoid gun fire, rdr did it as i pushed it, if i needed to do a fast dead eye rdr did it perfectly,

the auto lock aiming system is perfect for gamers who enjoy the game but if you want a more difficult experience like i did there is an option to turn it off,

Boring enviroments ? realy? its a true historical representation of what the world was like back then, also with millions of animals literaly everywhere that you can be predator or prey, a wide range of mini games, a infinite number of random events and gang hide-outs. I think RDR is one of the richest most real to life enviroments ever created in a game.

[Pika-pie]

Its a good game but not a great game in my opinion. But I think its mainly due to the fact that the setting doesnt appeal to me at all. The only western iv seen is Back to the Future Part III Haha.

I actually enjoyed GTAIV more than this

[C L O U D]

Well this guy has to understand it is not a GTA game.

[extermin8or]

a 10/10 game, he says the settings boring... how? If he doesn't like wild west games why by a game based in the wild west, what an idiot.

[Kos-Mos]

I will not buy games from most western developers until they can make characters look and act like real humans.
Even Japanese anime characters have more personality than most western video-games.
And even MGS1 characters act more like humans than all gta games characters.

It`s a joke, but it`s the truth.
Don`t get blinded by screaming voices while you shoot from your magnum.

[AliTheBrit19]

Fail article is fail.

[ZBlacktt]

The single player is the best thing I've played all year. The online is pretty darn epic now as well with that new free DLC Co-Op. Played those last night. Very fun game.

[Jason143]

He fixed the spelling, its not fun anymore :( I sold this game before even beating it. I loved it at first but by the time I got to mexico I was bored with it. Felt like i had scene everything and was doing it over and over again. The mp was fun for about a sunday. I do think any gta fan will be more then satisfied with this, but for me it was lacking.

[Tunerboy8732]

Im having alot of fun with this game the single player is awesome so much to do and the multiplayer is pretty good except the fact I start off on a slow pathetic donky.

[ian72]

Those 3 problems are not problems for me and many others, just the man/woman who wrote this article.

[denawayne]

The controls are nowhere near a game like Call of Duty's. I know RDR is not a FPS but it could be when you pull you gun out.

Auto-aim sucks no matter how you look at it. Most people would agree.

The setting does get boring. Better hunting would help. Read my piece below about it.

[Darkkeria]

There are far more than three major problems with RDR.
But they all pale next to how good the game is, this article doesn't deserve it's (currently) 530 degrees.

[TheSleepyGamer]

The auto-aim is fine for the single player but not for the Multiplayer modes. A competitive online game is supposed to be about who has the most skill at that game. Auto-aim takes away any boundaries and if anything makes things even easier for people that were good at online shooting games in the first place rather than creating a balance.

RDR should have been smaller. Although events do occur whilst travelling these too become repetitive after a small amount of time playing. After four or five times of hearing a woman screaming for help I just carried on without stopping because the event just seemed like a distraction in what is already a long journey to the next mission. It wasn’t too long before I was just using the Campsite to travel everywhere.

Regarding the controls RDR did always seem almost mechanical in the movements. Everything seemed akward, especially when trying to navigate tight spaces.

[Kahvipannu]

This game brings almost everything from Western-theme, that is possible, hangings, poker, wagon raids, duels, etc.. There really is not much new to bring to the sequel. Awesome job R.

[denawayne]

I'm a hunter in real life and there were a couple of things that could have been added and/or changed to make the game more exciting. First thing they could have changed is how easy it is to kill a deer. They should have made it where small animals, like rabbits, armadillos, skunks, are real easy while deer and bigger game are more difficult resulting in more money. It should be too difficult to kill big game in the beginning with your cheesy ass rifle. Make it where you can't even get close to them. then only later with high powered rifles can you take them down.

The other thing to change is killing birds. I would like to see anybody kill a flying bird with a rifle. It should only be able to be done with a shotgun.

The thing I would add is upland game birds to hunt. Quail and pheasant come to mind. If you haven't hunted these birds, it's a blast to do (no pun intended). These birds are ground dwelling birds that run from you until you flush them up and then they fly low to the ground until they land a short distance from you. I live in California and in our deserts there are tons of these birds. Perfect setting for this game.

[Truth]

I definitely feel Rockstar is like Pixar. They're had so many solid hits that it's almost impossible to be harsh on their work, especially with regards to reviewers. While I do feel RDR was buggy, not quite as bug ridden as GT4, but still buggy, I don't feel it really took too much away from the game. For me anyway. The single player story, overall atmosphere and sheer number of side missions and stuff to do makes it very enjoyable even after you beat the game. I haven't had this much fun playing a game from beginning to end in quite some time and that's what games are all about, right? Sucking you in and not letting you go untill you beat it. So what it doesn't control pitch perfect or in the Great Plains the shrubs pop in EVERYWHERE... I couldn't put the game down and that's what warranted me standing in line day one to buy this game.

It's not perfect and therefore a 10/10 is a little much for me, I would have at least given it a 9.5/10.

[Dungus]

The game's setting is "boring"??

THEN GO PLAY YOUR SHOOTY MCSHOOTY & THE DEATH SQUAD IN SPACE AND LEAVE THE FREAKING COWBOY SHIT TO US.

Idiot article.

[EXID]

who the hell uses auto aim?

[Truth]

Seriously! The first thing I did when I got the game was disable that crap. Plus if you wanna be a gangstar and play hardcore online you have to get used to not having it anyway.