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* An analysis of the ending of Red Dead Redemption, strong spoiler warning *
Finally, Rockstar have come up with a game that wants us to be good. Playing as a reformed outlaw in a graphically gorgeous title combining almost every aspect of the Wild West we’ve come to recognise through films, TV shows and folklore, the most surprising quality of Red Dead Redemption – even more impressive than the amazing attention to detail – is the enforced morality and, in line with the game’s title and its central theme, redeeming qualities of the main character. John Marston, contrary to those previous incarnations of Grand Theft Auto and other Rockstar Games’ antiheroes, is not seeking success and wealth through crime; he is aspiring to be good for the betterment of himself and his family.
As in previous open-world games the players themselves are free to do as they wish, inevitably leading to a sandbox environment of carnage and chaos as the he/she sees fit. In Red Dead, the option to be ‘good’ or ‘bad’ is presented – do you capture criminals alive to collect bounty rewards and shoot the weapons out of people’s hands instead of killing them, or decide to go renegade by robbing the innocent and, as an homage to the classic Western cliche of moustached villainy, tie a woman up and place her on railroad tracks? Despite your decisions in these situations and regardless of your own personal play-style, the most striking thing about the main story missions is how Marston always, from the start of the game to the finish, chooses the honourable route.
Art imitating life imitating art. No sooner has The Lost and Damned DLC been released that GTA IV has come to Australia; and this time I’m not talking about game release dates.
Witnesses have up to this point neither confirmed or denied rumours that Niko Bellic and/or Johnny Klebitz were at the scene
According to news sources:
“There’s been a major escalation in Sydney’s bikie gang war with the bashing death of a man at Sydney’s domestic airport in front of horrified bystanders yesterday.
Four men aged between 21 and 25 have been charged with affray over the incident and more charges are expected to follow. Police say the attack appeared to be planned and it’s
“Warriors…come out to play-ay-ay!”
Another underrated Rockstar game, The Warriors was of course based on the 1979 cult film classic by Walter Hill adapted from the novel by Sol Yurick. I must admit that prior to playing the game I had NO knowledge of the existence of such a film, so I decided to borrow it from a friend and was left a little disappointed to be honest. It was not until I played the game AND THEN watched the film though (and then played the game and watched the movie again…) that I fully realised just how bloody good it was.
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The story took place in a… Read More
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This third person shooter from Rockstar Games had all the ingredients to become a massive hit: great graphics, gorgeous environments, smooth controls, the by-now-obligatory “bullet-time” mechanics, and absolutely brilliant sound effects and music (think of that old-school “PEW POWW!” Western gunshot-ricochet-sound plus the classic Ennio Morricone theme songs with the whistling). Anyone who was into those Sergio Leone Italian “Spaghetti Western” flicks in the 60s with Clint Eastwood would love this game, yet strangely and undeservedly it seems to fall into the more obscure category of Rockstar titles (State of Emergency, Midnight Club, Smuggler’s Run… you know, THOSE ones).
Plot
Fairly typical… Read More
