Red Dead Redemption comes out tomorrow and every time I watch a trailer or read about the game, I get more and more excited for it. From what I've seen it looks like the kind of sandbox game I could spend hours in without even feeling like I have to progress through the main part of the story. With random, open world events and loads of shooting and other challenges, I think i'll be playing this for a while.
The basic gist of the story is that you are a former outlaw, John Marston, who is on a path towards redemption in the turn of the century west (1890-1910). It's an open world game from Rockstar, that is similar to GTA, where you can just roam around, do side missions, or play through the main story. The world is split up into three different areas and it mostly takes place in and around the lower Southwest and Mexico.
One of the intriguing aspects for me is the Free Roam multiplayer. The way it's described, it makes it sound like a smaller MMO for the console. You can hop into the game world and join random strangers or create a private posse and roam around killing stuff, robbing banks, taking down bandits, etc. Or you can hop into instances that will pit you against others in various multiplayer modes. In multiplayer you gain experience to get new outfits, player models, and horses. Also, all the Deathmatch multiplayer modes start out with a Mexican Standoff where everyone is in a circle and you have a draw to see who the last man standing is. That person gets to run off first to whereever they want to hide/camp out in the multiplayer match while everyone else respawns. However, for the Free Roam open world I'm thinking that this could be a lot of fun to get a Safehouse Gang together to terrorize or help protect the West. Plus there will be three free DLC co-op missions coming in June. Is anyone else going to be picking this up for 360? My copy from Amazon should be delivered tomorrow.
Yes, I'll be picking this up for the 360 as well sometime this week or next
I really am not a big fan of movie westerns or anything, but I *loved* Red Dead Revolver and Gun, and this is a vast improvement over previous entries in the genre.
Single player / gameplay without lag issues:
It rocks. I am thoroughly enjoying working with the local sheriff and his boys to bring down gangs. After a battle like that, you get to loot the camp and all of the bodies, so it's not hard to get some good money relatively quickly.
The exploration aspect is great. It's neat that you can kill and carve/skin any wildlife you come across. It's a good way to get some extra money and improve your shooting, and really, this aspect alone could be a game in and of itself (Cabella's big game hunter anyone?).
I LOVE the random events.
I've been in 2 towns where I heard a fight break out from the other side of town, but I missed the action!
The first time, I hear arguing and cursing, and then a single gunshot. I go over to examine a dead whore who was shot off the saloon's balcony, and a guy taking off on horseback.
The second time, I had just bought a safehouse in Thieves' Landing, and I hear some dramatic music start up and a lot of gunshots and yelling, followed by horses trampling off into the distance. Then I see a message that a local shopkeeper has been killed and the store won't be open for the next five days. How awesome is that? A random stick-up event? If I had been nearby, I would have loved to chase down the gang responsible or at least witness the action and dialogue.
This is *easily* the most polished and "alive" sandbox game ever.
It's awesome that just exploring is so rewarding (running into strangers who give you missions, or wager you can't beat them at something, etc), but it's looking like the characters and the missions are really well done as well.
Multiplayer lag and glitch-induced rant:
I had unfortunately forgotten about how laggy/glitchy GTA4 multiplayer was... and unfortunately, RDR is much the same.
Some private competitive matches were pretty good and stable for several rounds before it said everyone quit... but I get the feeling they all didn't quit voluntarily at the same time.
Free Roam, on the other hand, was totally glitchy for me.
Various models weren't even showing up, which did lead to some laughter when I noticed I was firing an invisible pistol. It was even worse then that, though.. sometimes I'd respawn, and not even see myself or my crosshair. I saw a horse glitching out and teleporting back and forth between 2 spots about 10 feet apart.
This is the downside to a game being so popular... When I played on my lunch break, everything was fine, including Free Roam. But when everyone was playing in the evening, it sucked.
I participated in a multiplayer Free Roam last night with some friends and had no issues like that. I'll be sure to keep a keen eye out for the future though.
Yeah, it may have just been a couple of slow hosts in a row, or lag induced by one of the other players.
When I played on my lunch break yesterday, it was smooth as gravy.
GTA 4 was notorious for this for quite some time, though. I don't know if Live was just being overloaded (release day mp games quite often have lag/glitches), or if Rockstar's netcode is just a little subpar.
I suspect it's a mix of both.
Rockstar's servers were definitely getting hit really hard, though. I couldn't even use my unlock code for a warhorse - kept getting "could not connect to Rockstar server" message.
I know it's not a firewall or port forwarding issue on my end since my 360 is a wired connection on a DMZ, and I have a fast and reliable ISP (knock on wood).
Ran across a wagon getting attacked. Killed attackers, and received a treasure map in thanks! Map was sort of vague, but did show a big tree used for hangings in the drawing.
Then, went back to MacFarlene farm, and helped break some wild horses. Lo and behold! I pass a big hanging tree!
Still searching for the treasure, but I know I'm close... I did pass a campfire with a fellow who greeted me warmly, but then ended up shooting at me. My lasso was still out, and I ended up dragging him behind my horse and hogtying him (I didn't know you could do this, neat accidental discovery). I then found a hogtied woman by his fire and set her free, and threw the kidnapper on the back of my horse. Not sure if I can get a reward for him at the sheriff or what, but I'm going to try once I find that treasure!
Sounds like it. Red Dead Revolver was just a shooter, closer to Gun sans the Free Roam and open world approach. This sounds a lot more realistic, because they tended to just throw hoards of guys at you in RDRev.
chmod said:
I don't want to live in a world where there are no consequences for being stupid. A few thousand years ago these users would have been eaten by lions.
I have major gaming ADD (I rarely finish games or even play through them all the way), but this one's going to hold my attention for quite some time since there is so much stuff to do, a lot of secrets to find, the gunplay is spot-on, and there are a lot of things to unlock/purchase.
It's MUCH better than Red Dead Revolver. Revolver had very little to do outside of missions. This gameworld is dramatically larger, there are tons of random events, mini-games, unlocks, and the much more fun euphoria physics system. There are tons of side missions to do.
One side mission I'm working on? Doing all the steps necessary to unlock a certain notorious gang's outfit (which includes steps like finding a tattered scrap of their clothes in a town, taking at least one member of the gang alive, etc). Outfits aren't just for aesthetics... they have gameplay benefits apparently.
There are shooting challenges (kill 5 birds, kill 5 rabbits, etc) and survivalist challenges (collecting flowers/herbs/etc), as well as random events and strangers with missions spread out in the wilderness... doing these things also increase your fame and encourage just exploring the world.
The world in and of itself is amazingly alive and looks beautiful, too.
The honor system is interesting. Apparently, if you have high honor, law enforcement is more likely to look the other way when you commit a crime, and you'll get better deals with shopkeepers.
Low honor means law enforcement may be after you, but dishonorable NPCs that would otherwise shoot at you may talk to you and give you missions instead... so it sounds like there is good replay value with the honor system as well.
I would recommend getting this on 360. GTA 4 had smoother framerates on 360 (and less stuttering), and I wouldn't be surprised if RDR is the same way.
In my limited online experience, it also seems more likely that 360 players will have headsets than PS3 players.
So UPS just dropped off my game from Amazon. They included an extra code for the free DLC Golden Guns Weapon Pack for pre-ordering. This code gives you more Fame for each kill. Anyone have any extra codes from one of the other pre-order bonuses that they would want to trade? If not, i'll give it to the first person to PM me, so send me a PM if you want it. EDIT: The code is for Xbox 360, btw, should have mentioned that.
So UPS just dropped off my game from Amazon. They included an extra code for the free DLC Golden Guns Weapon Pack for pre-ordering. This code gives you more Fame for each kill. Anyone have any extra codes from one of the other pre-order bonuses that they would want to trade? If not, i'll give it to the first person to PM me, so send me a PM if you want it. EDIT: The code is for Xbox 360, btw, should have mentioned that.
I'm confused.. can you use the same code more than once? Or are you saying you don't care about that unlock and want to trade with someone else?
I bought game from Best Buy and got a "War Horse" unlock.
Seems pretty good (very high stamina), although I'm not sure if it's better than the stallion I just broke or not.
I'm confused.. can you use the same code more than once? Or are you saying you don't care about that unlock and want to trade with someone else?
Amazon.com emailed me a code and there was a card inside my game case that also has a code on it. The codes are different, so I guess Amazon messed up somewhere.
So I started having some issues in multiplayer, mostly graphics related. Aside from a couple of lockups, one time I tried using the transport to go to another city, but instead it ported me back to the place I was already at, and the landscape was all grayed out. Another time I attempted to select which character to play as in Free Roam, but the selections were all invisible. I could see the background and names, just not the characters themselves. Closing out and coming back in again fixed that however.
Single player has been a blast however.
Fun story of the day: I was patrolling MacFarlane's Ranch at night and Charlie the dog started running off. He found a cattle rustler trying to make off with a steer. Since I'm shooting for the good path, I fired a shot into the air to scare him off, and he started running but really slowly. I decided to see if I could knock him out instead, so I gave chase. Now here's the thing: If you're in melee range and you're aiming, when you pull the trigger you'll swing your gun instead of firing it. That is what I intended to do, but when I was chasing, I wasn't aiming. So when I got within range, I pulled the trigger. The scene switched to a close up of me putting my rifle under the guy's chin and BLAM! Whoops. Guess he won't be rustling any more cattle. Fortunately, my honor didn't take a hit for it, so it was all good.
Last edited by Deltar Battlewall; 05-20-10 at 04:40 PM.
Then, went back to MacFarlene farm, and helped break some wild horses. Lo and behold! I pass a big hanging tree!
Can you tell me roughly where you found this? I've searched all around MacFarlane's Ranch and the area with the wild horses to the southwest and can't find it anywhere.
Can you tell me roughly where you found this? I've searched all around MacFarlane's Ranch and the area with the wild horses to the southwest and can't find it anywhere.
SPOILER:
Deltar, I believe you are looking for Hanging Rock, which is north east of Armadillo. If you head northeast out of Armadillo (there is a small path) you will eventually run into it. There is a quest from a stranger in Armadillo that also has you head up that way.
I got my first Avatar reward from this game for shooting somebody's hat off. The reward is a sombrero. I'm not huge into the avatars, I'd never buy something for them, but I think the rewards are a cool little perk.
Anyone have any tips for Horseshoes? I was able to squeeze out a few games against Rufus, but I haven't been able to find a consistent toss with it.
Sorry Deltar! Yes, Hanging Rock is North of Armadillo. I just meant I had a mission for Bonnie MacFarlene that took us out that way.
By the way, doing the nightime missions at the MacFarlene ranch has granted me the most money in a short amount of time. I have taken difficult bounties alive (where I almost died several times, and maybe used up a medicine) that only paid $40. In a couple minutes of patrolling with Charlie and breaking up a fight by hogtying both participants, I got $87.
Some neat non-spoiler random events I experienced yesterday, in order from least cool to most awesome:
-Saw a saloon customer holding a knife to a whore and calling her a tease or something... I lassoed the guy off of her, and got a good honor and fame bonus, and she thanked me.
-Gang of 5 outlaws dragging a man behind them on a horse, and shooting their guns. They didn't mind me riding beside them while I tried to confirm that they were indeed the bad guys (and they finally started hollering about how there would be no lawmen in this town!)
Killed them all, but accidentally shot a passerby as well. Honor hit and bonus evened out, so no biggie.
-Discovered an abandoned town where a sheriff was in jail. Helped him take back the town.
In that town, I see an old church. I go and look at the pulpit, and this is engraved on it: "There is a devil in that beast"
No people around, but there was a horse hitched out front of the church that I'm hoping that message is referring to. I'm glad I took it! It's FAST.
I love playing evil characters in games... but it's just so hard for me to do in this one! That's a sign of a really good game IMO
-Discovered an abandoned town where a sheriff was in jail. Helped him take back the town.
In that town, I see an old church. I go and look at the pulpit, and this is engraved on it: "There is a devil in that beast"
No people around, but there was a horse hitched out front of the church that I'm hoping that message is referring to. I'm glad I took it! It's FAST.
Is that church the one near the burnt down building that has the elderly woman who gives you a quest/mission to find her husband Pete who is supposedly at the saloon in Armadillo?
Nope, it's way on the very west side of the map, and it's in the same town where a bunch of criminals are hiding out, and a sheriff locked down in a jail.
BTW, not sure if that horse is what is being referred to in that carving on the church altar or not.
It does seem like it has superior acceleration to me, but its top speed may be comparable to other fast horses (like the first stallion you tame on a quest).
There are some very odd quirks in this game. I once saw a man get pulled off of his horse and thrown to the ground, then have his steed get stolen. I shot the horse thief, but the guy that I saved ran off to get the sheriff.
Another time I saw a whore get assaulted by a man with a knife. I threw my lasso at him and he died.
...I hate you guys.... You made it sound so good that I went out and bought it. Now Im wasting all my time playing it! Its more like "Red Dead Oregon Trail" anyway! The first chance I got I started shooting random crap and Viola! Turns out that they knew I would do that and set up challenges for that! Ive spent more time shooting birds and stuff than actually doing something. Though I did try to save one guy from getting hanged... I was too slow. Id like to think of him as the guy that ALWAYS dies to dysentery, someone has to, at least it wasnt me.
I've been playing nothing but Free Roam and loving it! Was really glitchy at first but seems to have mellowed out a bit. I really enjoyed getting in a posse and getting on a roof and trying to get a bounty on my head. Got up to 2600 before I died 5k seems like a bitch, always run out of ammo and when I go on a run to get more ammo is when i always get killed.
A lot of people are reporting glitches, but so far I dont think ive run into any. Though I do dislike the fact that if I approach a stranger with a weapon drawn I can no longer help that person. Its the Old West! Of course Im going to be super cautious, especially since the last guy who I just let approach me tried to Horse-jack me, and I had to shoot him!
Go figure. I just encountered another bug. I was transporting some cargo for a crazy man (avoiding a spoiler here). There was somebody pursuing us, so I used Dead Eye and shot him in the face. The game froze on the headshot.
I've had a couple random game freezes, usually happened after a save luckily so I didn't lose anything.
There are some definite glitches in this game.. got a stranger quest to return a horse with a girl riding it and following me, and while we were riding she just randomly shot off the road, up a cliff, and then off it and died. Mission failed even though the horse was fine.
The bandolier item apparently only works with the starting cowboy outfit. When I switch to another outfit my ammo suddenly goes down, or at least it has sometimes. Seen other people report this on gamefaqs, not sure if it's always or just random.
Seriously, though, I hate mountain lions too. I've been mauled from behind a split second after hearing the warning growl on a number of occasions. Usually the only thing that saves me from them is hitting Dead Eye.
Seriously, though, I hate mountain lions too. I've been mauled from behind a split second after hearing the warning growl on a number of occasions. Usually the only thing that saves me from them is hitting Dead Eye.
Yeah. Sometimes they'll just knock me around a couple times, but they can also one-shot you. If you're trying to get the challenge to kill two with a knife, that's really frustrating.
Speaking of which, here's a bit of advice. Don't bother breaking a horse that you like until after that quest. It will get replaced by that stallion.
...This is probably a good thing, though. The stallion you break in that quest is superior to most horses. Gets up to top speed really quickly, and has a lot of stamina compared to some other horses.
I found the 2nd treasure, and lost 2 horses in the process, due to them following me way too closely as I explored cliff faces. One of them decided to walk right past me and off a cliff into the river. When I whistled, that original lasso-quest stallion came to me, and it's comparable to my first horse, and way superior to that second one.
Hmm... I was under the impression that horses came in 4 flavors. I'm not sure which tastes just like raisins, but they're 1-star, 2-star, 3-star, and warhorse, right?
Is there a way to tell 1) Which Horse I own and 2) What its loyalty is to me? Granted I only own the one you get at the start as a default, but I know Im going to eventually get more, and Id like to be able to tell the difference other than trying to remember where they are hitched or whatever.
You can only have one horse at a time. As for what horse you own, it's a bit more difficult. The general rule of thumb is that if it looks thinner and doesn't put up a fight when you break it, it's a slow horse. If it looks more muscled and it tries to throw you off, it's a medium speed horse. There are only three fast horses, but you won't find those until later in the game.
So basically if I spend the $500 to buy a horse, its the only one I own and if I buy another one, im out the $500 I spent earlier?
No. Hit select or whatever on your controller to bring up your Kit and Provisions, and any horse you've *paid for* will have a deed listed. Click on the deed to set that as the horse you get when you whistle.
FYI, if I'm talking softly, that's so I don't wake up the wife.
About that inscription I saw on a church pulpit in Tumbleweed... that may be a cheat code that was removed from the game.
There is a similar phrase carved into a cave wall somewhere, and when you enter it in, it unlocks one of the cheats.
