New Console game reviews

[Disturbedone0777]

Like most of you I have an interest in gaming outside of just magic online. I personally play a lot of console games. I've played just about every new game within the week that it comes out. I often buy games that are supposedly going to be blockbusters, if they turn out not to be I return them cause gamestop near my house is awesome and gives me full credit in exchange as long as I return it within the first few days.

I noticed that the forums sort of lose buzz during the time in between sets coming out, and tournaments going on so I figure that since i liked games I would start writing my thoughts and feelings towards the games that I've been playing lately.

The latest game that I've picked up is Red Dead Redemption. I didn't listen to a single preview, spoiler, or watch and trailers for the game before it's release. In fact I was oblivious that it was even coming out as soon as it did.

At first glance the game plays out exactly like Grand Theft Auto. I say this meaning you start out with limited gear and stuck to only one part of the map, which isn't over bearing like some other games, but does give you enough space to keep it fresh. It also has weapons set up similar to GTA. And the horses sort of ride like the bikes do in GTA.

Where this game starts to differ is when it comes to missions. In almost all the GTA games there are those missions that you hate doing. Either there is something about them that just is not fun, or they are too challanging, or in some cases it's hard to see the point in the mission outside of they needed more missions. I have played through 60% of the story of RDR and can say that there has not been 1 mission that felt useless or like it had no story reason behind it.

I also like the realism factor to the game. Where it's not fully real, it's more so then any GTA game I've played. Bullets leave wounds and they kill very quickly against your enemies. For obvious reasons they had to make it so the protagonist can take more then a single shot, but if you stay out of cover too long in this game you are not going to survive. Health doesn't actually have a meter in the game, you rely on how bad your guy looks to determine if he needs to heal.

The guns in the game are varied and I did find that unlike in GTA where you can just use the most powerful gun the entire game and be fine, you actually should switch for situation in RDR. Using your pistol and shotgun is way more effective then firing a rifle close range, and your short range weapons can't shoot out nearly as far as your rifles. Gravity does effect your bullets too. The arsenal in the game is not enormous, with there being about 4 of each weapon type. You have a pistol, rifle, shotgun, and sniper rifle slot to fill. Then you carry some type of granade, your knige, your lasso, and something else I'm not sure on because I haven't unlocked it.

When it comes to physics in a game, to me you just can't beat ragdoll. And boy did they make use of it in this game. Bullets strike and the characters seem to act accordingly to how they are hit. Shoot a guy in the arm and he'll drop his gun, have issues aiming, and complain about his arm. Shoot him in the leg, he'll fall down, limp around, and move generally slower. Something that did fascinate me was they designed collisions with head shots and face shots in mind. I've never seen a game have collision detection over such small areas for triggering different animations. The animation you get for shooting someone in the eye is different then in the nose, which is different then in the throat or neck. I have barely seen a single guy in the game die the same. It keeps the killing fresh. Is that bad?

The story is compelling. I've found myself not skipping the travel sequences where you ride with NPC's because the conversations you have in transit reveal things about the other characters. Almost everyone has a deeply invovled story that you meet. They feel like real characters.

I definately would say that this game is currently my game of the year. It's early yet and I have a lot more games to play to make that final call but if you have a chance to check this title out, I would recommend it.