Flogging a dead horse: Red Dead Redemption's epic failure

For Rockstar to make better games, things have got to change. What’s that you say? You love the near flawless GTA IV and Red Dead Redemption? How could they possibly make them better? Well, turfing those rose coloured glasses would be a start. Modifying industry perception would be another. I’m often vilified for not having a blind love affair with Red Dead Redemption, happily call out its flaws, of which there are many. That’s not to say it isn’t a great game, but it’s far from perfect, and here’s why.

[Rowland]

RDR: Over hyped, over rated fodder for the casual gamer.

Stick to open world RPGs such as Witcher, Fallout & Elder Scrolls games if you want serious gaming of the highest calibre !

[Bereaver]

For what it's worth. I found Red Dead Revolver to be a joy ride. I mean, I remember a few months ago how people were saying it was a great game.

Now, great, doesn't mean perfect by any sense. But it definently put the feather in your hat if you liked the original red dead and western scenario period.

But, fodder? I bet to differ.

[CBaoth]

...more glitches and bugs than RDR! Classic N4G logic. You do know it's a spaghetti western, right?

[Panthers]

I cant stand Bethesda games. They always lack story and are usually pretty glitchy. The only fun I had in Oblivion was pickpocketing people. Still, I havent tried RDR but it looked really fun.

[Nate-Dog]

(1.) "It's buggy." Yeah we know that, and it's irritating at times but it's not like it stops you from playing the game.

(2.) "The mission structure". I honestly found nothing wrong with the structure. If this guy honestly thinks every mission was the exact same and none of the characters in them had any difference or meaning then I wonder if we played the same game.

(3.) "(about the main character)". So you didn't like him. Big woop. Lots of other people did and really enjoyed his story, don't see why the fact that you didn't like him means that it's instantly a bad game, there are hundreds if not thousands out there that will disagree. Particularly about the voice-acting.

(4.) "The Twist". Alright, it wasn't particularly great or unseeable. But it was done so well I thought. I didn't particularly love the way you had to finish the game but the game overrall was a masterpiece I felt.

[aaronisbla]

honestly the guy sounds like one of the people who go to forums and hates a game simply because its the flavor of the month. All he did in this article was fvckin whine, bitch and moan. It really sounds like he is mad not because of its flaws ( which it does have ) but moreso because others really enjoyed the game and looked pass said flaws.

"Waaah,Waaah, im mad because others enjoyed the game" Sure this is an opinion piece but here's my opinion about the article which is worth about the same as this article's opinion( meaning none ) Shut the Fvck Up and and Get over It

[ko-zee-ii]

Where did I say I hated the game? I said several times that I enjoyed it, but you're obviously a fanboy who only sees what he wants to, so go ahead and say whatever you feel. This article clearly wasn't meant for you.

[aaronisbla]

im a fanboy because your bitching and moaning is annoying? dude get over yourself, you wrote an opinion piece, i gave my opinion about it. Often those who resort to calling someone a fanboy is guilty of it first. If you're gonna write an article for a blog site, be prepared to take some criticism, especially for shite like yours.

I even said the game has some flaws, but clearly you wrote this for hits

[kneon]

I have no past history with Rockstar so I went into this game with no pre-conceptions, except that from the trailers it looked like a really good game. I've played it to 100% completion and I agree with pretty much everything the author said, and I have yet more complaints.

It was a good game and I enjoyed it, but besides all the bugs and repetitive game play it was also a rehash of pretty much every western movie of the past 50 years. There were few surprises, you could see both endings coming a mile away. And the first ending was handled rather poorly in my opinion, it could have been epic, but it wasn't, it was a total let down.

[DarkRayneRules]

I like Rockstar but they're just not what they used to be. It's like they had their fun surgeically removed before they ventured into next-gen. Their new games look breath taking. But they feel souless and tedious. I can barely bring myself to play GTA IV or RDR. Whereas I played their last-gen effort Bully with pleasure. There's just something about this new game engine thatt drains the fun out of any situation. Even when you're doing stuff that should be a blast it just feels boring. The game engine is clunky. No doubt. Try playing Bayonetta, or even Assassins Creed then GTA IV or RDR. Rockstars new engine feels like the classic tank controls from PS1 games.

I think if Rockstar just fine tuned their engine and made it control smoother, faster and more intuitvely then their games could be perfection. That and have more mechanics, mainly fun ones.

Just imagine GTA IV's graphis and story with the Saints Row controls and mechanics. Now wouldn't that be awesome? What I'd give to play that beautiful love child game. :D

If they do just continue on as is I'll still buy their games and marvel over the graphics and how the world feels alive as npcs get about living their lives. But before the credits roll said game will be collecting dust on a shelf. It's just the way it is. Maybe others have more patience and staying power than me, but once I'm bored and a game ceases to offer amusement, or a rigorous challenge then it's shelf time.

[Jdoki]

COMMENT CONTAINS SPOILERS

I never give games a free pass just because of the developer or their previous record. I hated GTAIV but really enjoyed RDR.

It had flaws. The story lacked punch, but was no worse than any other crappy writing we've seen in video games for many many years. Maybe I was lucky but I saw very few bugs/glitches, and never had a lock up or crash (PS3 version)

I liked the characters overall - especially early in the game. I wanted a blaze of glory moment at the end, but the one we got was pretty poor - it lacked sacrifice, and was over too quickly. But I really liked the vengeance by Jack extra bit; I thought it was cool.

[kneon]

The missing "Blaze of Glory" moment was what annoyed me the most. My reaction to his death was "well that was stupid". Given his past actions he could have easily fought off the attackers. They should have just let you try. They would just have to keep on coming until you finally died in battle. That would have had a much more emotional impact as you would have probably thought that this was just another gun fight and that if you died you would just restart again. Only this time it would be final. As far as I know something like that has never been done before.

[Philoctetes]

I didn't experience a single crash, bug, or glitch anywhere during the SP campaign. I'm sorry the reviewer had a bad experience with the game, but no hiccups for me.

Unlike the reviewer, I also liked the ending. It was different, but it was also pretty obvious why the developers did it that way and I'm happy to give them credit for blending gameplay with storytelling during the last few hours of the game.

The only real complaint I had with RDR is that it was too easy and the MP was poor, but I bought it as a relaxing SP experience so it was money well spent.

[Syaz1]

it's overrated, but it's never a bad game.

[laid2rest]

i love the game, ive expierenced a few glitches n bugs here n there some that didnt bother me others that annoyed me quite a bit but nothin to the extreme that it made me hate the game... best game ive played in quite a while.

[DoGM3At]

Look, like or dislike the game I have to say I agree that Rockstar needs to take its engine to new places. Guys! You have one of the most amazing pieces of software known to man! What they need to do is try a new style of game, Rockstar's Sandbox titles are just becoming identical with new tweaks and locations..These games are like the CSI series, new location and cast, same style and format! Red dead revolver was a truely different feel at the time, sure it wasn't the best game ever but Rockstar were the pioneers of forward thinking at the time... The 'hat tips' to the western genre were both clever and seamless, and the game play was a step away from the GTA titles even if it was only a small one (cover systems, RPG elements, quick drawing). These are the things that rockstar was once revered for... now I can only hope people will think before ripping into this opinion piece... was read dead REALLY a perfect game? or just a good game with a high budget..

[lolzers]

No game is perfect. As far as western games go though, RDR is the definitive title at the moment. Yes it is basically GTA with cowboys but that's not a bad thing, and while I agree with some points he makes the game still gives you the feeling of being a cowboy in the wild west better than any other game before it.

It has flaws, as all games do, but the pros of the game far outweigh the cons.

As far as Rockstar needing to do things differently, I agree. But they have new games coming out soon which seem to be completely different to what they have done before, only time will tell.

[DoGM3At]

Wow, an intelligent reply! I am both shocked and Impressed!

Thanks for your opinion dude and yes I agree with you about it being the best out of western game titles so far, just don't feel it was a 10 out of 10 game.

[Jdoki]

For me RDR is one fo the best GTA style games because of the wild west setting.

Random shoot outs, that frontier feel where every gun fight could be your last, the lack of proper police force etc, really works well for a sandbox game. For me it just felt better and more immersive than GTAIV.

R* do need to come up with some fresh ideas, especially around mission structure, but I'd be happy if RDR2 just tightens things up and adds more content - especially the random and side quest stuff.

EDIT: @DoGM3AT... Agree, the game was never a 10/10, or even a 9 might be pushing it. But it was damn fun while it lasted!!

[kneon]

"Agree, the game was never a 10/10, or even a 9 might be pushing it. But it was damn fun while it lasted!! "

I think this was the entire point of the article. Too many people, for what ever reason, completely overlooked the numerous problems with the game and gave ridiculous scores like 10/10. Other similar games are not given such leeway. I enjoyed The Saboteur more than RDR, it had more variety, less glitches and I had more fun, yet it generally scored mid 7s. Had the Rockstar name been on it then it would likely have scored 9+.

[ko-zee-ii]

Holy crap!
Someone actually read the article and got what it was about!
Thanks kneon, your comment makes writing the whole thing worthwhile.
I'm not trying to start a war, or even bash the game just for the sake of it, just call attention to its many flaws.

[kneon]

You're welcome. I've posted much of the same issues you've raised in the past, but on N4G trying to give an unbiased opinion just get's you into trouble. On N4G Whether you praise or bash Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo etc. there is always someone that will get upset, so it's disagrees and lost bubbles, even if what you are posting is 100% factual. And no opinions are not fact, unlike what so many on this site seem to think.

[Calm Down Sunshine]

That you can do battle with a mountain lion using nothing but your FISTS?

[ko-zee-ii]

...I apologize...it obviously warrants an 11/10 for this alone.

[YoungKingDoran]

nice sensationalist headline mr 8 years in the biz

[RageofReaper]

' I've been a games reviewer for the last 8 years'

Yeah, enough with that now. I've been reviewing games for 15 years, in my mind of course, as I'm playing them, but just because I don't write a article on the internet doesn't make your review any more important.

'I love how any internet troll with a keyboard thinks he can criticize'

Hmmmmm. Not the greatest phrasing from you. You know what some would argue, right...?

Bottom line, have your opinions, of course your welcome to them, but get off your elitist 'reviewer for 8 years' high horse. It means nothing, aside from you get your games free from the dev and I pay for mine.

As for your article...I cant agree. Red Dead for me was an amazing experience, paced wonderfully, with a world that was easily up their with Fallout 3 for sheer immersion. The engine was pushed to its limit in some ways, and although I never experienced even one bug, what next gen game that pushes both the tech and it's genre doesn't have issues? Fallout and Oblivion, San Andreas, Mass Effect, MW2, great games of our generation, all with problems. Overlook them and enjoy what's left, in their case, and the case of Red Dead, highly entertaining games.

[SeraphimBlade]

Am I the only person who had next to no problems with the glitches?

I agree there should be a method to just skip to the action in the mission and not have to ride all the way out. Redemption is easier on a player who can get lost in virtual scenery and engross himself in the characters and story. If you just wanna shoot things, go play Crackdown 2 or something.

The ending? (SPOILERS OBVIOUSLY) I didn't like it at first, but then I thought about it. If he hadn't stepped out his family would have just kept running until God knows when, they'd constantly live in fear of the government catching up to him. Hell, even if he had killed every single goon in that shootout, they'd just send more. Marston put on one last show of defiance before going down, and that let his family live in peace, which is what he was after all along. So maybe it doesn't quite fit in a game where you've survived thousands of shootouts, but it's a damn better ending than dozens of games I could list. And that final duel isn't especially challenging, but DAMN does it feel good turning that guy's head into swiss cheese.

[aaronisbla]

Seems like the author has a tough time taking criticism, because if you don't agree with him, you are automatically a fanboy. I knew thats what he was about from the tone of writing in the article " I'm Right and if you don't agree with me,YOU SUCK FANBOY!" laughable at best, pitiful at worst