There has never really been a Wild West game made before for Xbox 360 or PS3, which is one reason gamers and critics alike looked forward to the release of Red Dead Redemption. There was a lot of media buzz and talk amongst gamers about the game. Many thought it would be great, many others thought it could not possibly live up to the hype. Suffice it to say, Red Dead Redemption more than satisfied the gaming community.

Red Dead Redemption

Rockstar Games, producers of the legendary GTA series, also made Red Dead Redemption. The engine is basically the same, with the same sort of gun controls, and a similar cover system. The games are also similar in the freedom presented to the player. In Red Dead Redemption, you can literally do whatever you want. You can follow the main storyline, or you can just mess around until you get bored – which won’t be for quite a while, considering all this game has to offer. For instance, if you don’t feel like doing a storyline mission, you can simply wander the massive map, looking for things to do. You can hunt, participate in contests, collect herbs, rescue (or kill) damsels in distress, and much, much more.

The Red Dead Redemption graphics are absolutely phenomenal. You can be entertained just by riding around the map, looking at the surroundings. You will notice as you continue in the game that as time moves on, so do your surroundings. If you are wandering around at night, you will notice the light from the moon lighting your way through the shadows. When dawn approaches, you will notice a glow coming from the east, and you can even watch the sunrise if you want. The horse graphics are very good, despite the fact that that part of the engine had to be completely re-done, as GTA’s vehicle engine simply could not adapt to the western setting.

Red Dead Redemption is rated M, and for good reason. This is not a game you want your young kids to be playing. Between the massive bloodbath battles and the hogtying of innocent civilians, this is not really a “family appropriate” game. Just like GTA, getting drunk in this game is not only possible, but also very fun. But be careful – drink too much and you may pass out! Or, maybe you’ll just get into a fistfight with the entire bar.

One of my favorite parts of this game is that you can choose your path. With Red Dead Redemption’s Honor system, every choice you make affects the future of your game. If you save civilians and do the main missions, your honor will be high, and you will receive benefits such as discounts at stores. If you kill innocents and break the law with people watching, you will loose honor, essentially starting the path to evil.

The Good:
-Amazing graphics
-Hours and hours of gameplay (20+ hrs JUST for the main storyline)
-Detailed and fun storyline
-Sandbox gameplay
-Ability to choose your destiny
-Good selection of weapons, outfits, horses, etc.
-Great replay value
-Huge map, lots to explore

The Bad
-Hunting/gathering gets boring quick
-Auto-aim makes gameplay too easy

The Ugly
-A few minor glitches

OVERALL: 9.5/10

Now considered one of the most thrilling gaming titles, Resident Evil 5 has set a new level for Xbox 360 game play. RE 5 is a zombie survival game that was featured in our Xbox 360 zombie games, and arguably one of the best thrilling games of all time.  The next episode in the Resident Evil saga, Resident Evil 5, takes the series to a whole new level.  Many gamers feel that though Resident Evil has preserved some of the original components, but some of the aspects of the game are quite different.  While the first three titles have focused more on horror and excitement, critics feel that Resident Evil 5 (much like Resident Evil 4) is more action-oriented.

Valkyria Chronicles was published by Sega and released in North America on November 4^th, 2008. It is a Sony Playstation 3 exclusive, and features a tactical role-playing style. A unique aspect of the game is that it was created using the Sega Canvas graphics engine. This basically means that Valkyria resembles a watercolor painting, but in motion. It’s a breathtaking example of how beautiful PS3 graphics really can be. Not only is this game a good example of fantastic graphics, but it also has a great movement and controls for your character.

The developers of Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune took great care in creating realistically detailed environments that are exquisite and natural. The game is also a Ps3 Exclusive, and developers say any sequels will be too. The movements for your main character, Drake, are so realistically rendered and natural that you feel like he could literally jump out of your Television screen.  These are just a few of the visual intricacies that you will experience on your journey through the world of Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, exclusively on your next generation Playstation 3 Console.

Game Design Specifics

This game boasts multiple enemies and plentiful battles for difficult and challenging game play that will keep you on your toes.  This is exemplified by the various battles in which you will literally be overrun by enemies that are simply overpowering if you do not take adequate measures to keep them at bay.  Even though this gaming concept is not totally new to the world, developer Naughty Dog has done a great job of incorporating several of the existing game play elements of other games into this action filled powerhouse of a game.  This game may change your mind about becoming a real life treasure hunter once you have the right tools to do so.

Game Play Specifics

Drake’s Fortune will simply offer you many chances to traverse terrains with many obstacles.  This is a major part of game play in which you will find yourself crossing areas such as deep chasms, swinging vine to vine to progress through this adventure type game.  The other major portion of the game requires you to interact with other characters and enemies in fast paced battles that require quick thinking.  Enemy artificial intelligence is actually quite smart, letting them get too close is a mistake on its own.

The in game puzzles are very interactive and challenge you to think outside the box, while being trivially simplistic.  Cut scenes are very nice and allow some visual beauty that matches in game graphics.  You can also unlock a myriad of goodies such as game art, concept art, alternate costumes and more.  You could easily lose yourself in the solid 8 hours of action packed game play, but take the time to make use of all of the un-lockable trinkets to make your game a bit more interesting.

The Bottom Line

The bottom line is that this game is worth the price for the visuals.  Some of the game play elements could be improved upon, the story seems lacking in a few areas, but overall this game is great for those who love a challenge in an action adventure game.