*dun-na na na, waa waa waa. Dun na na na, waa waa waa*
Ok so whistling a classic movie theme doesn't work in a blog. But the composition I tried to transcribe worse than a google voice mail up there is a theme song we all know. Even if we don't like the genre or have never seen the movie. It scores a classic of American Cinema. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.
For some reason inthere are certain eras in our history, no matter how brief or mythological, our American culture has a complete fascination with. For some it's the Patriots and the fight from oppression (or paying taxes). For others its the battle against the greatest evil the world has ever beared witness to. And for some, it's cowboys.
Now if you know your history, you know real cowboys weren't what America thinks they are. Cowboys were underpaid minority ranchers who were given the task of making sure the cows went where they were supposed to. All in all, a pretty menial labor type job. Not exciting, and a lot more likely to lead to gay relationships in a tent than any sort of other excitement. (Brokeback indeed.)
Then there's the Hollywood idea of cowboys. You know the names. John Wayne, Lee Marvin, Clint Eastwood, and tons of others I don't actually know because I'm not a student of the genre. I actually got into Westerns only recently and tend to like the modern made ones more than the older ones.
Cheesy, star-studded, and a soon to be shot Dicaprio. This movie is a win all the way across the board
This is the idea of the "Old West" we have created as a new mythology in America. Legends of the likes of Jesse James and Billy the Kid. Wyatt Earp, Wild Bill Hicock, Calamity Jane, Annie Oakley. Were they all real people? Sure. Are they as badass as we have made them in our minds? Probably not. This is one of those times where the truth isn't nearly as awesome as what we have made and most would agree: The fictional version is BADASS. These stories speak to us on a primal level, of a time when all you needed to be a success was an itchy trigger finger and balls made of steel (to keep away the STDs from all the whores in the saloon!).
Oddly enough despite the prevalence of the genre in the American psyche, video games hadn't latched onto to Westerns to bleed the idea into "Modern Westfare 3" yet. There had been a few over the past generation or two of gaming but really off the top of my head, I can think of 5 in my lifetime that had some degree of fame. Sunset Riders (arcade/SNES shoot em up game), Gun, Call of Juarez, Red Dead Revolver, and this game I'm about to discuss. Red Dead Redemption.
The game takes everything we think we know and love about the Old West and makes it playable. Want to be a bounty hunter? No problem, check out a wanted poster. You can even take the law into your own hands by killing a murdering rapist, or serve as an agent of the law and humiliate the fucker by making him ride bitch seat on your horse while hogtied all the way back to the prison. Want to get in a six shooter duel? No problem, people will constantly be challenging your honor. Want to get drunk, play cards, accuse someone of being a cheater, and beat the fuck out of them? Also an option.
Hell even your more boring aspects of the old west are here. Got a thing for stray cows? You're gonna be herding them through a thunderstorm. History buff into the politics of the early days of Mexico? Have fun with that section of the game.
Literally, if you've thought of doing it in an Old West setting, it seems Rockstar put it in for you.
Ok, Not quite everything.
The game is typical Rockstar fare. Great character driven story, awesome graphics, an expansive world with so much shit to do that if you never want to see the story? You don't have to. Really three words tell you everything you need to know about the gameplay. "Rockstar, Sandbox, Cowboys". If that's not enough for you to be interested, you're not going to be so you might as well ignore the rest of this review. The game is so much more than GTA Old West though.
In GTA, you're pretty much always a criminal. Occasionally, you get a good guy bad guy choice on who to shoot in the face or not, but you're pretty much always going to murder someone. I'm not complaining, just stating the facts. Most of this game gives you the choice of whether to be a hero, a neutral, or a complete utter dick. See an abusive male beating his wife? Hogtie his ass to teach him a light lesson. Wanna teach them both a lesson? Shoot them both in the head and loot their bodies. The choice is completely up to you. GTA almost never gives the "paragon" path so to speak so I appreciate the choice in this.
Rockstar created yet another expansive beautiful world with awesome scenery and beautiful detail. The game spans three areas, the old west area that isn't quite civilized, Mexico, and "civilization", a young port city and each has a life and personality all it's own. I dont usually notice things like that in games but it's actually a very stark conscious effort to make the three sections of the game feel different from one another.
The score and sound work for the game and create an atmosphere that makes you feel as if you're in a Western we know and love. Constant animal noises. Trains chugging through the wilderness, the gallop of your horse (which changes based on terrain, great detail Rockstar). I will say some of the repeated lines and noises get old since you use them so much, but hey, they did the best they could.
The game is ALMOST perfect. Little things bug me about it, but none of its game breaking. Seeing far too much of your horse's ass, sidequests triggering a little too often (I'd realize I'd been playing all day and hadn't done shit), and poor indication of your health/dead eye meter can make the games frustrating as you won't understand why you're suddenly laying dead. Then sometimes the bear gets you. No literally. Not the expression. A fucking bear will fuck you in the ass in about 2 swipes if you're not ready and kiting away while filling it with lead.
Fuck me, I didn't have my gun out and had lasso selected.
This thing is a fucking masterpiece of the western genre. Not just a masterpiece of a game, this holds up to any cinematic Western made. It's fantastic. If you havent played it, you should. Especially if you like westerns. Even if you aren't that familiar with Westerns, this is a great interactive entry point. I give this game a 9.5/10 with only very minor annoyances taking it down from a 10.
Holy shit I did it without massive spoilers! I have purchased the DLC but have yet to give it a look. When I do, you know I'll write something here.
Says fuck more than the main character in a Rockstar Game,
-Oz
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