PAX 2009: Red Dead Redemption Preview

Of all of the games that I played at PAX this year, none of them (with the exception of Bayonetta) inspired this much excitement in me as the live demonstration of Red Dead Redemption. Rockstar once again seems poised to redefine the way developers make open world games. I have been reading about RDR for a few months and my imagination has been running wild with thoughts and predictions about the way that the game would be designed. Luckily, everything that I had imagined was reflected in the demo.

We discussed the game in great detail on our PAX Day 1 Podcast (Episode 131) so I will try to avoid repeating myself. What I do want to say is that I have tremendous faith in the way that Rockstar does open world games. I have been continuously blown away by the worlds that Rockstar has introduced in the GTA series but I have been wanting to see what the team can do with a new setting. We all know that Rockstar has mastered the portrayal of the sprawling, concrete jungle but an open world western world is filled with endless possibilities that have never been done before. Based on what I witnessed at PAX, they have done it again.

Right out of the gate, Rockstar wanted to stress that the world in Red Dead Redemption is huge, in fact, it is even larger than San Andreas. In GTA IV, the team cut down on the sheer size of the world and focused on the details within it. In RDR, the team went for a larger world with the same amount of care and detail that went into their re-imagining of Liberty City. Much like GTA IV, the setting is the star of the game. Don't get me wrong, Niko was an incredible character that was complex and deep, but the world that surrounded him is what made that game a complete package. The world of RDR comes to life with an incredible sense of realistic ecology. Buzzards, rabbits, and coyotes all seem to go about living their lives despite your presence. A full day/night cycle and dynamic weather system will work together to keep the world interesting and eliminate repetition. Like GTA before it, this game seems like it will really encourage the player to participate in the world and make decisions that will have significant consequences.
If Rockstar focuses as much attention on the story and characters as they did with GTA 4 and weave it together with the incredible world they seem to have created, this game will blow minds. I can tell you right now that the team is onto something here and I think you are looking at one of 2010's most anticipated titles. I haven't even played the game myself but I can assure you that game will be to me what Bayonetta is to Brad. Until we can finally show you the footage that we saw at PAX, check out the trailer and few more beautiful screenshots: