[Adam D. Kent-Isaac]

I know it's a little more recent than the typical arms-related thread subject here, but since it is historical, and it involves historical weapons and horseback riding, I think it's still a valid topic. I want to know if anyone here has played this game and if so, if it is any good and how realistic the weapons and the horses are. I have wanted a good, free-roaming, open ended Old West game for a really long time, and Red Dead Redemption seems like it might be it. It's gotten almost unanimously excellent reviews, and the graphics look good from all the screenshots I've seen.

The horses actually have reins and stirrups. One of the most annoying things about Mount&Blade, one of the only other games featuring horses as a big part of it, was that they had no tack on them at all, so you'd just hop on a horse and move it around with the directional keys just like you would a player character on foot, and there was no visible means of the rider controlling the horse, which I thought was quite stupid. Red Dead Redemption seems to have done well in that reguard, at least from what I've seen in screenshots.

Can anyone tell me what the weapons are like in this game? Are they real historical guns? Are the bullet physics at least somewhat realistic?

Is it worth buying?

[Sam Barris]

I only played it once for an hour or so at a friend's house, but that might be enough. Basically, it seems more faithful to Hollywood Westerns than the Old West itself, and that's probably for the best. A game about the real Old West would involve far fewer guns and more lengthy minigames about churning butter and malnutrition. The romantic idea that everyone on the American frontier went around packing a six-shooter and fighting men in black hats is about as accurate as the romantic idea that the Middle Ages were all about questing knights and jousting tournaments. Nice thought, maybe happened a few times, and we focus on that stuff because it's cool, but I'm just as happy that the game owes more thematically to old John Wayne flicks. Are the weapons accurate? I guess that depends on the level of detail you want. I noted the usual mix of classic Western shootin' irons, but got the impression that specificity was not going to be the focus. For more on this, I give you Yahtzee:

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/z...Redemption

EDIT: I suppose I should add that I have no intention of actually purchasing this game. My backlog is severe enough without adding to the pile. Also, sandbox worlds are interesting and all, but given how little time I have for this particular form of entertainment these days, I think I prefer my games to tell a story and then end. And the Old West isn't a period that commands a great deal of my interest in any event.

[JE Sarge]

My brother bought it and I played it a little. It's the same as every other game out there - I'd not call it historical at all, other than if it's trying to look like a Spaghetti Western from the 60s. Some of the weapons are accurate, others are not. Bullet dynamics are just like any other first person shooter - totally unrealistic in performance for the weapons they are being shot from. It kind of bored me, so I'd not call it remarkable or wildly entertaining. Quests are like 'go kill cowboys, find sheriff, rescue so-and-so, or pick up these what-cha-ma-call-its'. It drops your interest pretty fast. In fact, right now, my brothers copy is collecting dust on top of the 360 after being played for only a couple weeks.

I'll stick to playing Warcraft myself. It's a better waste of my time.

[Scott S.]

[Sam Gordon Campbell]

Mount&Blade was made by (effectively) a smaller crew and smaller budget: But chances are there's a mod for your every need.
Red Dead: I liked it... A lot... In fact I think it's one of the best games Rockstar has put out for a long time. Story, twists and turns, movement all fantastic (and if you've finished it, you'll know what 'twist I mean'). Graphics pretty good, but not AC2 level I'd say. Melee's a bit buggy though. Then again it is a "shooter". But the story and characters, the way it's paced and told, it was the most engaging, well written and varied story/game I've played since Dragon Age: Orgions or Oblivion: Eldar Scrolls (both of which I've finished btw) But yeah, get it.
Assassins Creed 2: Finished it on 97% completion, and didn't like it as much as AC1, but yeah it's pretty good, I like the story and game play, but accuracy wise I'd take it with a handful of salt.
I'm now going to hide away after geeking/nerding out like that. Good day Sir!

[Lucas Simms]

I played quite a lot of if.
The game has an amazing atmosphere and storyline but the weapons,by function, aren't too different from the ones in any GTA. The hardest part of the game are the carriage races and everything else is too easy (the difficulty settings affect only targeting, which is pretty easy to master anyway).

It's a good game but I lost interest once the story ended.

[Robert S. Haile]

The Old West is of as much interest to me as the medieval period, so I was pretty pumped to see this game being released.

If you can get over the heaps of inaccuracy (The game is still more accurate than any other "Old West" game I've seen), it's a whole lot of fun. Easily the most fun I've had with a game in a very long time. It's certainly more concerned with reflecting Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch than any degree of accuracy. Buscadero holsters run wild.

Would anyone else much rather have seen a game about the character Landon Rickett's in his prime?

[Adam D. Kent-Isaac]

I got it, I've been playing it and I like it a lot. I'm glad to see that it's set in 1911 and not earlier in the 1800s because that later time period allows for some newer weapons like bolt-action rifles and automatic pistols mixed in with the lever-actions and revolvers - even the Mauser C96 pistol apparently makes an appearance. The horse riding is a lot of fun too. I like the combat. The environment looks good. The dialog and voice acting is decent - certainly better than most video games. So, overall, thumbs up.