Worth: $15.00
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Intro:
Even without a spit and polish, it shines as one of the studio’s best offerings and a top ten game of all time for many.
Way back in 2010, Rockstar Games released one of the greatest video games of all time, Red Dead Redemption. Utilising many of the same mechanics as the Grand Theft Auto series, RDR added levels of depth, pathos and complexity to the mix, telling an engrossing and ultimately heartbreaking tale of love, loss, hope and, well, redemption. The game remained a firm favourite of many a nerd until 2018 saw the release of the prequel (and absolute masterpiece, just quietly) Red Dead Redemption 2. The second game was another massive hit, critically and commercially, and next-gen console gamers, and PC owners, began to decry the lack of the original game on modern machines. That was, until recently, when Red Dead Redemption was finally re-released… but not for PC. Or PS5. But rather, ports for PS4 and Switch only.
So, uh, yeah. Mixed bag, gang. Mixed bag.
Red Dead Redemption is the story of retired outlaw John Marston, a rough, scarred man who, after the traumatic events of Red Dead Redemption 2, would very much like to stay off the grid and spend time with his family on their humble farm. Sadly, John is nabbed by the Bureau of Investigation and told to hunt down his old gang or his family will pay. So, John reluctantly agrees and begins an odyssey across America in 1911, the dying days of the so-called wild west. During Marston’s rough odyssey he will fight bandits, topple dictators, kill former friends and make brand new enemies. He’ll also find a society that is at turns optimistic, compromised, cynical and insane. It’s a hell of a journey and 13 years later remains a poignant and gripping rumination on the human condition.
It’s also, you know, a decade and change old and time has not necessarily been kind to every aspect of the game. It’s clunky to control, the horse remains glitchy and the combat (which was much refined in RDR2) feels unwieldy at times. Basically, everything that was a bit rough the first time around is back and all the more obvious, because of the passage of time.
Rockstar, in their infinite wisdom, have decided to release RDR as a straight port, lacking any real upgrades. Yeah, the graphics are crisper and the load times much shorter, but if you were hoping for improved animation, draw distance, textures or any of 100 other enhancements that are pretty much standard for re-releases these days, you’re about to be sorely disappointed, pard.
You might think that the lack of bells and whistles (and the original’s multiplayer modes) would mean this game would be sold at a bargain price. You might think that, but crikey you’d be wrong! Red Dead Redemption, a straight port of a game released in 2010, costs a whopping SEVENTY AUSTRALIAN DOLLARS ($70) at time of writing. Now, you do get the excellent Undead Nightmare as well for that price but really, that’s some shady nonsense and should not be condoned.
The thing is, though, if you’re a Switch owner, you probably want to play this game. And hell, same deal if you’re a Playstation owner. Xbox owners can just buy an older copy and play it using backwards compatibility (the lucky ducks) and PC users can just get stuffed? Thanks Rockstar.
Point is, Red Dead Redemption is great. Really damn great. Even without a spit and polish, it shines as one of the studio’s best offerings and a top ten game of all time for many. So, give it a few months. Wait until the damn thing goes down to the $20-30 mark and pick it up then. Because this is a timeless classic worthy of respect, care and adulation. If only the studio that published it understood that too.
