Red Dead Redemption - On This Day

Rockstar Games has had a whole host of games over the years that haven’t been as successful as the Grand Theft Auto series. Among them was the 2004 Red Dead Revolver, which was once developed for Capcom. That game had a problematic development process and was canceled eight months before its release. But Rockstar kept hope in that investment, and it all came back to them through a sequel - Red Dead Redemption that came out on this day eleven years ago.

Red Dead Redemption (hereafter RDR) was the GTA in the Wild West, short and clear. There was no hiding the similarities - the open world, horses instead of cars, the system of punishing criminal acts… everything in the RDR shared similarities with the GTA series, especially the fourth part of the same. Of course, this was no accident as the game used the same engine as GTA 4.

The plot was set in 1911 and accompanied John Marston on a revenge mission through two fictitious U.S. districts and the fictional Mexican state of Nuevo Paraiso. It was a story in which we had an integrated system of morals and the reputation of the main character determined the disposition of the world towards him. For example, if Marston was an outlaw, the shops would close as soon as he came to town.

In addition to single-player, RDR also had multiplayer for 16 players. The mods were often variations of traditional DM, CTF, etc., and as in GTA 4, there was the possibility of exploring the open world with a group of players. 

Red Dead Redemption was technically a very impressive game because Rockstar San Diego used different techniques and technologies in its development. It's no secret that it all cost a lot and that about 800 people worked on the project. Luckily for Rockstar, the effort paid off, and the game was greeted with great reviews. In our Golden Beaver 2010, RDR won the award for best game of the year.

The game has since sold more than 15 million copies, including the sale of a separate Undead Nightmare expansion that came out five months after the game itself. Red Dead Redemption is today considered one of the best games of the seventh generation of consoles, with a special emphasis on consoles because it is also one of the best games that have not appeared on the PC platform so far.

Today, Red Dead Redemption can be played not only on PS3 and X360 consoles but also on Xbox One and Xbox Series X / S, as well as through the PlayStation Now streaming service on PS4 / 5 and PC. The sequel came out in 2018, and chronologically it is a prequel that takes place before the events of the first RDR.