Have you ever wanted to be that heroic gunslinger? You now have a chance with Rock stars game Red Dead Redemption. Ah, the Wild West, nice and relaxing. Not so much, more of you have now been absorbed into a realistic fiction world and you are on a hunt. A hunt? Why a hunt? Well, there will be no spoilers here, but we can safely say that they have something that you want. This game has such an immersive story that you not only feel like the character, but you find yourself from time to time taking pride in the things you do. There is even a possibility you could start walking around sounding like him too. Now normally I am not one to be all about the storyline, but this game, is different. A lot different.

Co-op has always been a big topic as far as Xbox games go. It is a fact that the game was not shipped with co- op but you can now download co-op free off of the Xbox live website. There is only an estimated of six or so missions, but still nothing to pass up to have a good time with a friend.

Red Dead Redemption not only feels real, but it is almost like a movie. The developers did a great job with polishing the game, and tugging at your heart. From dramatic stories to a wide open, free roam, world. If there is anything this game could be compared to, it is to a Clint Eastwood movie. The cinematics are crisp while you feel as though you could just reach out and touch them. This game really does live up to its name.

Now let’s get to the back bone of the game, the mechanics. Of course every game relies on game play. This game in particular has some pretty cool mechanics that I think would be amazing in any game. From its Dead eye mechanic, to the horse riding itself. Now let’s talk a little bit about dead eye. Dead eye is similar to the mechanic in Fallout 3 where you can stop, but you don’t officially stop while using dead eye. It is more like slowing down time, with a meter, and you have a time limit as well before it wears off. Dead eye is and can be used amazingly, especially with expert mode.

Expert mode not only lets you shoot off hats and guns out of your enemies hand but, you are pretty much aiming all on your own. Granted an auto lock would be ideal for a quick play through of the game. Although, if you are looking for a challenge, that would be your challenge throughout this story campaign. Now, seeing how you do not have any health bars, cover is pretty much a must so you do not die. With Dead eye though, you are able to take out your enemy quickly, but not only that, you get a much deeper affect from your enemies’ death. Cruel? Harsh? Possibly, but man does it look wicked blowing a guy in half!

And another great mechanic, the horse! Now, let’s be honest here. These horse mechanics are just absolutely amazing. They are beautiful and so well done, and something you really wish tons of other games had. You can jump off, and actually slow yourself down, or speed up and then jump off while in full gallop. Whistle from a far off distance, and well there you go, you now have your horse. Also just staring at the horse is amazing. Talk about a beautiful mare or stallion. Something else that is big to point out from all of these game mechanics is the day and night cycle. This is very interesting seeing how normally in other games, one minute in the real world is one hour in game, this being a rough estimate of course. Now, in Red Dead Redemption, thirty minutes in game is similar to an hour in real time. Now if you ask me, that is pretty impressive.

Also, the sounds during the night sound extremely different from the sounds during the day. All of the sound changes and sounds in general are very noticeable. You become very aware of your surroundings in the game. I would recommend this is one of those games you would like to play with the sound on. Seeing how the sound in this game is another factor of being immersed deep into this well done story.

A mechanic though that wasn’t really all that intriguing was how you saved your game. From time to time it did become frustrating that you had to set up a camp or go to a rest area to save. Of course you did have your auto saves, but then again, I guess this all just plays into really feeling like you are in the game. Being true to that and really feeling like you are in the game, guns.

Ah yes, guns, I love guns. Guns in this game really do not matter on a strategy level as much, as they do of a player’s preference. Hey, you like revolvers? Go for it. Or a bolt action rifle? Have fun! That is what this game is meant for. Perfect? Not exactly, but it does feel very similar to the real thing. If you want a real challenge though, use your knife. That is some impressive work right there. Now if you are a quick shot, you might stand a chance in the multi player.

The multi player in Red Dead Redemption isn’t anything to scoff at though either. Sure, the basis of this game is that rich story, but once you get into some heated shootouts with another posse you will never feel the same! Would you like to carry around a gold version of your gun for some personal touch? You most certainly can! Taking out players left and right, but be careful, that guy in the corner has a cannon up top. It looks to be aimed at you. This would be one of those reasons why to have a friend with you who is awesome with a rifle. Take that guy out on the cannon and we have no problem. Although a fire bottle could solve that pesky problem as well.

Not to mention the starting of the multiplayer has an interesting new type of start to it. You start off with a good duel shoot out. If you are that last man standing, you might want to run and take cover. Or you will be eating dirt in the next three seconds.

Wrapping this up and over all the game gets a sturdy nine out of ten. Well, I’ve got myself a bounty to claim. Good huntin’ to ya’ll. Smunchy out.

Games: Red Dead Redemption, Platforms: Xbox 360, Genres: Shooter, Publishers: Rockstar Games, Developers: Rockstar San Diego