Game review: Red Dead Redemption (PC)
That we are once again swaggering into the town of Armadillo as John Marsden in Red Dead Redemption, now finally available on PC, is a testament to the longevity of developer Rockstar's game catalogue.
First released in 2010, nearly fifteen years later the Red Dead Redemption still beats many of today's offerings. Sure, some of the textures are a bit ropey, as are some character animations, but the game is still just as good as it was when released on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
Red Dead Redemption is a game with proven lasting appeal. It was re-released as an Xbox One X backwards-compatible title in 2016 and again for Switch and PlayStation 4 in 2023. This new Windows version, the first time the game has been natively available for PC, has been remastered by Double Eleven, who also did the PlayStation 4 and Switch versions.
With Red Dead Redemption 2 being a prequel, the story in Red Dead Redemption continues from the newer entry. This time players take on the role of John Marden, as he is charged with bringing in members of his old gang in return for his freedom.
Red Dead Redemption is a simpler game than its successor, and more focused for it. Red Dead Redemption 2, as amazing as it is, can be overwhelming and more of an Old West simulator than a game, at times. This one has a story to tell with the player very much at the centre of that story.
With a game map that stretches from Blackwater to Mexico, the area is more open and barren than the lush grasslands and forests of RDR2. There's a small overlap, but for the most part, the game is in a unique and different area south of its successor. The world of Red Dead Redemption feels more like a Wild West location than RDR2. That being said, a decade has passed since the Red Dead Redemption 2 events. John Marsden is witnessing the modern world finally taming the Old West.
The game uses many of the elements that Rockstar Game uses in their Grand Theft Auto games. It's a third-person game, swapping out cars for horses to get about the vast landscape. Cause trouble and the law will be after you, just as in GTA, and you'll need to outrun them to get away. You'll still have a bounty on your head which you can pay at a telegraph office or get rid of by surrendering to the law.
By far the greatest addition to Red Dead Redemption over the GTA games is the dead eye ability. At the touch of a button, the world goes sepia, and time slows, allowing John Marsden to pick his targets and unleash a barrage of gunfire, taking out multiple enemies.
As with RDR2, the game is mission-based with several missions usually available at any one time. In addition to the main missions, random encounters often lead to side quests and there are also bounty-hunting opportunities to earn a bit of extra cash. The game may be more focused than its successor, but there's still plenty to do, and it's very easy to get sidetracked.
The story and characters are exactly as you'd expect from a Rockstar: unique and intriguing. Despite the game's age, the world of Red Dead Redemption is every bit as alive as Red Dead Redemption 2. And it is a huge world.
Just as you think you've got a handle on the scale of the game, a whole new area south of the border, in Mexico unlocks. Thankfully, as well as riding your horse across the beautiful landscape, John can take a carriage or the train to fast-travel.
Whilst this version does not include the original multiplayer modes, it does include the hardcore mode and the Undead Nightmare DLC. Whilst hardcore mode will test players with a more realistic Western adventure, Undead Nightmare is a completely new campaign.
Undead Nightmare places John Marsden in a version of the Old West filled with the living dead and on a mission to save his family from the zombie plague. It's an interesting and macabre take on the game.
The game got a huge boost when the Xbox One upgrade was released in 2016, but that's nothing compared to what PC owners can expect. This new PC version has native 4K resolution at up to 144Hz with support for ultrawide and super ultrawide monitors. There's full keyboard and mouse support if you are that way inclined. The game gets a performance boost with the likes of Nvidia DLSS 3.7 and DLSS frame generation, as well as AMD FSR 3.0. And, of course, there's the full range of graphical settings to fine-tune the visuals to the player's hardware and performance requirements.
With the settings turned up to ultra, and running at 4K, the game ran fine with an Nvidia GTX4090, though not as smooth as I'd like. This is possibly due to the aging code, as this is a remastered version of the original game rather than a remake.
The PC version of Red Dead Redemption is the definitive version of the amazing fifteen-year-old game. That it still holds up against modern titles serves to cement the game as one of the all-time greats. If you've not played it before you are in for a treat. If you plan to revisit the game on PC, you are going to be blown away by how good it still is.
Verdict: 9/10