Red Dead Redemption at PAX East - Recap
We'd like to extend our thanks to each and every person who waited on line this past weekend at PAX East in Boston for a rare chance to get some hands-on time with Red Dead Redemption in advance of its release date this May 18th. Special shout especially to the dude who knitted a mini-sweater in the time it took to wait, to Andrew (aka "The Painted Cow" on XBL) who marched in proudly with a custom-made Rockstar airbrushed hoody, and to the dance crew that entertained the rest of the line with their impromptu performance.
Thanks to all members of the press that came through the booth as well - here's a quick snapshot of impressions from some of those that came by:
Wired's Game/Life blog stopped by and immediately picked up on the significance of Red Dead Redemption's setting in the final years of the American fontier:
"In less than 10 minutes, I felt drawn in to this rich slice of history that Rockstar has replicated — a place where the harshness of nature and the cruelty of man are at odds with the urge to tame and the desire for progress and for peace. I’m thrilled by the romantic notion of living on the cusp of those two worlds and spilling blood as part of the final death throes of the Wild West."
IGN's Greg Miller may have already been a fan, but his first hands-on time confirmed what he suspected:
"It was glorious," he writes.
It was the amount of teeming life packed into the world that is the focus of his write-up:
"I started back toward the mission, but stopped to shoot and then skin a rattlesnake (you can sell your skins and pelts so that you can afford upgrades), save a woman being dragged through the dirt by some evil cowboys, and tame a horse (after lassoing the animal, you have to walk up to it and stay on its bucking back by balancing Marston on top of it with the left stick). Just when I thought I had sowed my wild oats and was ready to settle down on the task at hand, a man came tearing over a cactus-covered hill hollering that I needed to help him – two mountain lions were chasing and attacking him. I Dead Eyed both of the beasts and got an Honor boost as well as a shot to my Fame Level. The Fame Level tacks how well known you are in the area; as it gets higher, more people start showing up to challenge you to duels and such."
Kotaku took a similar approach, forgoing Honor for ruthlessness as way to explore the opportunities the world provides:
“What can I say? I am one cold-hearted bastard. I turned to the horses. Two shots to the neck, and the first one falls down dead. I methodically, slowly took out the four horses pulling the coach, rendering it useless; a stationary monument to my cruelty... I was thinking of the sheer potential this game possesses. You've got some damn entertaining gunplay, countless miles of scenery riddled with wild animals and even wilder humans, and some of the best video game horse riding I've experienced since The Ocarina of Time. Red Dead Redemption is the sort of game I will get completely lost in. I'm sure the story is compelling, but I've a feeling that once I get my hands on the game when it hits stores on May 18th, John Marston's family will be the least of my concerns.”
Previously:
Rockstar at PAX East: Your First Chance to Play Red Dead Redemption Hands-On
BTW, Rockstar, the DJ in your Pax booth was spinning some catchy thumping tunes. Can you ask her to post her playlist? I tracked down one of the songs, Come On Closer by Jem, but there were several others I would like to find. Thanks and see you on May 18.
This comment wasn't ment to offend or make you guys (R*) angry. Just a thought that came to mind.
Can't wait for this game! i want to play it so bad.
I would have LOVED to go to PAX and play RDR, but i didn't. why? because I'm in F**KING ARIZONA!
Sorry to everybody who wasn’t able to get to the event – hold tight… 7 more weeks!!
8===D\l/
Should be 'From the long-hour working makers of Mid---ht Club' in my opinon.
The game loaded up and I was told to push up on the D-Pad to whistle for my horse. I got on and proceeded to ride through the world. I was spamming the A button and I did fall off my horse though, to which I was told that your horse has stamina (represented by the blue bar next to the mini map). I was able to lasso someone's horse and steal it for myself.
I then proceeded to do a mission for a character named Seth, a grave digger. He wanted some treasure inside an abandoned mansion. Rockstar wouldn't let me watch cutscenes so I couldn't tell exactly what was going on. I rode up to the front of the mansion and proceeded to pick off the enemies out front. Using Dead Eye by clicking the right stick slowed down the entire game and I was able to take down multiple enemies with ease. I was even told to go up close to enemies at one point which triggers an execution. Using the revolver I shot an enemy directly in the chest and using a rifle, Marston places the rifle against the enemy's chin and proceeds to fire. Naturally because of the sheer awesomeness of executions, I tried to kill tons of enemies this way.
Inside the mansion I took out three enemies at once using Dead Eye and Rockstar even suggested shooting the lights inside the mansion as the fire inside would fall and hit the enemies. When I finally got to the last room, a Rockstar employee encouraged me to lasso the last enemy instead of killing him. So following his advice, I shot the enemy in the leg, pulled up my weapon wheel (Left Bumper), used the lasso, and then pressed Y to subdue him. A cutscene started but they skipped it since they weren't showing any cutscenes.
While I only got to play 10-15 min of RDR, I am looking forward to the many hours of RDR I will be playing come this May. Red Dead Redemption is an incredible game and you will be amazed come May 18.
Oh well, it's not too long until May. Let's hope Amazon deliver my pre-order on the day of release!
wish there was some video gameplay footage to go with, your game freakin rules guys, i cant wait for 21st may.
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