Destiny Review

Destiny Review

      Kid Safe: High (8.0 / 10)    Game Quality: High (8.0 / 10)

Genre: Massively Multiplayer Online First Person Shooter

-          While this sounds like one heck of a mouthful, it's not overly complicated. First off, as a First Person Shooter, players will control a character as if they were looking through their eyes down the barrel of a firearm. The primary purpose being to shoot/fight/kill opponents in a variety of environments. Similar examples could include Halo or Call of Duty. As a Massively Multiplayer Online game, this means that the game takes place via the internet was several hundred players are able to actively interact with and enjoy the game together rather than playing it alone.

Internet Requirements: Very High

-          Being a Massively Multiplayer Online title, Destiny must have internet. The game does not have any form of single player function that can be played without an active internet connection as well as a paid for online service for the applicable systems. PlayStation 3 has free internet service, however Xbox 360 and Xbox One will require Xbox Live Gold and PlayStation 4 will require PlayStation Plus in order to function appropriately.

Story Summary:

-          In Destiny, you play the role as one of Earth's last remaining "Guardians"; an elite warrior hand selected by a mysterious robotic being of light called "The Traveler" who helped bring Humans and Earth to a golden age of space travel and colonization. However, creatures of darkness, the robotic "Fallen" and insectoid "Hive", have followed the "Traveler" with the intent to consume all life and light in the galaxy. Now, with the help of the other Guardians, you must fight back on Earth, the Moon, Venus, and Mars to protect that Last City on Earth and push back these invaders before mankind is destroyed forever.

Kid Safe: High (8.0 / 10)

-          Foul Language: None

o   From what we have seen, Destiny does not contain any amount of Foul Language (at least on the part of the humans...who knows what those evil robots are saying).

o   Special Note: While playing online, players have a chat option available to them. Use discretion while letting your player online as they are able to send and receive foul language via the chat function.

-          Violence and Gore: High

o   Being a First Person Shooter, the primary focus of this title is to fight/shoot/kill your enemies. In the multiplayer competitive mode, players are able to fight other Guardians which consist of Humans, a blue skinned alien race called the "Awoken", and a race of robotic war machines called "Exos". In the normal story mode, players will fight against the robotic race of "The Fallen" and the insectoid race of "The Hive".

o   Players will utilize a variety of weaponry including pistols, rifles, machine guns, energy weapons, rocket launchers, various sci-fi war machines with lasers and explosives, as well as close range weapons like fists and knives. This is accompanied by semi-realistic sounds of gunfire. Players' primary focus in combat is to kill their enemies. Players gain increased points for shooting enemies in vital locations like the head, which results in "The Fallen" spraying gaseous vapor from their now missing head and/or "The Hive" turning to cinders and disintegrating. With the use of certain weapons or powers, enemies will disintegrate in a flash of light or cinders.

o   Enemies, when shot or injured, will occasionally spray black or white fluids representing alien blood.

-          Sexually-Related Content: None

o   From everything that we have seen, Destiny does not appear to contain any amount of sexually related content. Additionally, while players are able to choose either gender to play as, both are heavily armored in combat gear and neither wear any notably revealing clothing.

-          Use of Drugs and Alcohol: None

o   To the best of the reviewer's knowledge, Destiny does not contain any amount of Drug or Alcohol usage

             

Game Quality:  High (8.0 / 10)

-          Graphics / Visuals: Moderate to High

o   The Graphics and Visuals in Destiny required a bit of extra footwork to investigate. The game is available on both current generation systems (Xbox 360 and Playstation 3) as well as next generation systems (Xbox One and PlayStation 4). The game was pretty clearly developed for next generation systems and anyone playing on the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 are going to have a loss in the overall quality. On these systems, all visuals are notably fuzzier with less resolution. Our best comparison would be watching DVD versus BluRay of a movie (since that is LITERALLY what it is).

o   Now, fuzziness aside on the current generation, Destiny spouts some very beautiful visuals. The game features many imaginative locations including the destroyed remnants of an old Russian air-base, the surface and hollowed out core of the Moon, abandoned cities on Mars, and an jungle-like area on Venus. Each location feels and looks notably different, with stark changes in visuals and colors and a lot of interesting little details put into the design. One of the more enjoyable aspects of the game was getting to explore these varied and well-thought out and designed locations.

-          Audio: High

o   Audio was another solid hit. The game features a nice soundtrack that varies from gentle and serene to hard-pumping and stressful for those really intense firefights. Music is well utilized to help bring the right tone and feel to really drive home the emotional impact of the visuals you are seeing. On top of this a strong cast of voice actors adds a range of different people and things to interact with. Whether being guided along by your "Ghost" companion robot, speaking to those individuals valiantly defending Earth in "The Tower", or the story of how this all came about; everything is well delivered. While there is a fault here or there, the tone and delivery is always well done and very rarely missing anything.

-          Gameplay / Playability: High

o   Gameplay and Playability were equally well done. Starting off with Playability, the game's play is based heavily on other First Person Shooters on the market; most notably Halo who was created by the same developers. However, if you aren't familiar with that franchise, the game provides a quick tutorial level as well as introductions to all of the major aspects of how to move, fight, and play in the world of Destiny. There were occasional misses here or there, like how I received a heavy weapon but wasn't told how to even access or use it for another 15 minutes, however, as a whole, the game is pretty easy to pick up and figure out.

o   The same can go for Gameplay. Destiny acts like a cross breeding of several major franchises on the market today. Halo has already been mentioned, however it is also comparable to games like Mass Effect, World of Warcraft, and Borderlands. Players will have access to open worlds (specific to a planet) which they can freely roam and explore if they so choose. As they fight and play, they will unlock new abilities, powers, weapons, and armors which will progressively make them more powerful and ability to fight stronger enemies. Players will also be able to help or be helped by other players as multiple players will be exploring the same open world environments (meaning you could have 30 people all playing on Earth, doing their own thing, and you are able to interact with them if you so choose). Once you hop back to "The Tower", which essentially acts as home base between fights, you can interact with even more players as they go about their business as well as speak to a variety of merchants and story characters.

o   Overall, the game takes many of the solid game aspects from other hit titles and combines it into a great new one. The only thing that players may dislike in the delivery is that the game progressives a little slower both in the Leveling aspect as well as the collection of New Items compared to other similar titles.

  

-          Dollar-Value: High

o   Overall, Destiny is a pretty high Dollar Value. While it runs at the standard pricing of most new video games ($60 starting), the game offers a fair amount of content. Players will be able to explore several vast new worlds, try out three different types of characters, and have access to a ton of cool weapons and powers to fight off the Darkness. Players will have access to both multiplayer competitive and cooperative gameplay that will let them fight each other as well as follow a decently written storyline about saving the future of Earth and mankind. Plus, unlike many other MMO titles, Destiny DOES NOT have any additional fees regarding playing: the only requirement is that you have an internet subscription to the system that you are playing on (which would be required to play online anyway).

Recommendations

-          Destiny is one of the very few First Person Shooters that does not score too harshly due to adult content. However, if you are itching for other titles, we would initially recommend Halo. While it is M-Rated, it is one of the few titles that many agree does not deserve an M-Rating. Made by Bungie (the developers of Destiny), the game features a similar focus of elite human warriors fighting back against alien invaders. The Halo franchise offers a ton of titles, and has been around for a little while now, so they might be a good one to check out.

Microsoft Xbox 360

Microsoft Xbox 360

• The 2nd generation of video game console that has been released by the Microsoft corporation. Successor of the Xbox video-game console.

• Released November 22, 2005 and is currently still in production (05/09/11). 

• Offered in two primary models: 
• First, the original model which was available in White, Black, and several limited edition paint schemes including a Military-based Green/Gold design. Most commonly sold in the Arcade or Elite bundles.
• Secondly, the Slim-Line model which is offered in a Black Matte or Gloss color scheme and a notably smaller design in comparison to the original model. Currently sold in 4GB or 250GB bundles (which refers to the amount of available memory). Both of these systems also have optional Kinect-included bundles for an extra $100 USD ($299.99 vs. $199.99 and $399.99 vs. $299.99 respectively)

• Early models, most notably from the first two to three years of production, tended to suffer from what is commonly referred to as the "Red Ring of Death" in which the system displays three flashing red lights on the large, circular "Xbox" logo/power button. This was often caused by one or more internal components not properly receiving sufficient power and was sadly due to faulty designs in the system. These issues, to the best of the reviewer's knowledge, have been fixed in all newer models.

• Offers a number of special features:
• Offers the ability to play Xbox 360 video games and a large number of original Xbox video games (with available internet connection).
• The ability to watch DVD movies via the system and the ability to use Netflix to download and watch videos and shows via the internet.
• Able to connect to the Xbox-Live internet function that allows players to update their video games, download extra content (Downloadable Content), play online multiplayer games with friends and strangers, and use the aforementioned Netflix.
• Players are able to upload music and videos to their Xbox 360 in order to watch or listen to them via their system rather than using a computer console.

• Most games use an "Achievement" system to increase motivation and enjoyment in gameplay.

• Exclusive games to the Xbox 360 include, but are not limited to, titles like Gears of War, Halo, Forza Motorsports, Project Gotham Racing, Viva Pinata and more.

• Compatible with the motion-gaming peripheral, the Microsoft Kinect.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 Review

Kid Safe: High                     Game Quality: Moderate

Genre: Action/Adventure

-          This game is identified by its action-based tone of gameplay that focuses on one or more characters being faced with a challenge and going on an adventure to solve it through puzzle solving, avoiding obstacles, and battling enemies with multiple forms of weapons and attacks.

Internet Requirements: Low

-          This game features no internet gameplay to speak of, restricting you only to single-player modes. Some extra content will be released for download from the internet at an undetermined point in the future to increase the available gameplay.

Story Summary: In Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2, you take the role of Starkiller, the ex-apprentice

of Darth Vader who raised him to become a Sith Lord with the intention of killing the remaining Jedi in the galaxy. In this title, it is unclear what happened to Starkiller; however it appears that he was killed and you are now playing as his clone who has been created by Vader to replace this loss. However, much to Vader's disliking, Starkiller is haunted by the memories of his past life and quickly turns on him, escaping from the training facility where he is being held; seeking to reunite with his previous allies and strike back against the man and the Empire that created him.

Kid Safe: High

-          Foul Language: Very Low

o   Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 does not contain any observed instances of foul language.

-          Violence and Gore: Moderate

o   Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 features a moderate amount of Violence and minimal scenes of blood and gore. As a Sith, your character uses lightsabers, a form of laser-sword that can slice cleanly through seemingly anything, as well as "force powers", that range from the ability to throw lightning and electrocute your enemies to the ability to pick them up and throw them without ever touching them. Players will fight Stormtroopers (humanoid enemies in robotic-looking white armor) and can use their lightsabers to slice off their legs, arms, and head; as well as the ability to stab through their chest and stomachs. These attacks do not, however, cause scenes of blood and gore and enemies are injured cleanly without viscera. Players can use "force powers" to elicit screams of fright and pain as they are thrown around or sounds of pain as they are electrocuted. Screams and explosions can be heard all throughout this title.

             

-          Sexually-Related Content: Very Low

o   Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 does not contain any scenes of sexually-related content.

-          Use of Drugs and Alcohol: Very Low

o   Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 Does not contain any scenes of drug or alcohol usage.
 

             

Game Quality: Moderate

-          Graphics / Visuals: High

o   The graphics and visuals for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 is of a generally high quality, however the game suffers from more than a couple of problems. Beginning with the positives, almost everything in this title is glorious to look at. Levels are well-designed and are multi-faceted, often having places that players can go that are not obvious, non-orthodox items that players can use to fight, and extremely interesting ways of navigating obstacles; not to mention the detail that has been put into the world around the level itself. Cloth flows almost realistically, something most games do not do properly. Likewise, the shadowing in this title is equally impressive and adds realistic depth to the world around you. Last, but not least, is concerning the facial animations in the cutscenes, which are comparable to games like Red Dead Redemption in their accuracy to human emotion and lip motion.

o   For the overall impressiveness of the visuals in Force Unleashed 2, the game suffers a frustrating number of glitches. The first, and most noticeable, is that every single time you strike an enemy with a lightsaber, the graphics will slow for roughly half of a second. While this doesn't sound like much, it's aggravating when attempting to do difficult attacks as you are unable to interpret when you need to hit buttons due to the lag in the gameplay. After that, there were several times when, while fighting a stormtrooper, the camera would suddenly lock onto him versus your character and literally follow him wherever he went; leaving you unable to see or control your character. At another time, I found myself hop ontop of a space ship to run across it and literally dropped into the graphics for the space ship, leaving my character sitting inside the programmer's wireframe graphic and literally unable to escape; forcing me to restart from an earlier point.

           

-          Audio: High

o   Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 has a relatively high audio quality, featuring a rather impressive musical score as well as some pretty decent voice acting. To begin, this title continues the Star Wars tradition of having absolutely amazing music. This title features a full musical score comparable to the films with a song/tune for every scene that varies its pace and tempo on the tension of the moment.

o   The voice acting generally equally impressive and demonstrates the skill of many of the actors. The voice talents of Sam Witwer returns as "Starkiller" as well as Matt Sloan with a rather impressive re-mastering of James Earl Jones' rendition as "Darth Vader" and Tom Kane as an equally well-done "Yoda". Almost all of the voice actors nail their lines perfectly, expressing the proper amount of emotion to each scene to really carry their performance without the need of live actors.

o   All voice actors, except for one. Cully Fredricksen as "General Rahm Kota" suffers from a very mixed performance that truly retracts from the gameplay in such a way that it is distracting. While his performances in cutscenes are decent, his performances in the actual game are not. I'm not sure whether it is bad editing or bad acting, but almost every line he says while in gameplay sounds incredibly hollow and strange; with pronunciation placed on the wrong words and syllables and the emotions seeming all wrong. Generally, this wouldn't cause that much of a problem, except that you listen to him, quite literally, through almost the entire game; creating a massive audible distraction.

-          Gameplay / Playability: Moderate

o   Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 is an extremely mixed bag when it comes to gameplay, but we feel that it has a moderate level of quality. First off, there are multiple levels of difficulty that players may choose between to provide them whatever level of challenge suits them; allowing for mediocre players to enjoy the story without suffering and hardcore players to enjoy a challenge. Likewise, whether you played the original game or not, it will provide you full instructions on how to properly use all of your powers in almost every manner that might arise. Players are faced with a fair number of different challenges and puzzles that keeps most of the gameplay fun and engaging. Likewise, there is a host of different kinds of enemies that tend to be very inventive and have their own weaknesses and ways to battle them.

o   While the overall performance of the game is fun, they start to run into problems in the later half of the game. It seems like they ran out of ideas on how to properly handle the title. First, you are placed on a planet called Dagaboh in order to train and learn more about yourself, much like Luke Skywalker did in 5th and 6th film from the Star Wars movies. As a fan myself, my heart jumped at the opportunity to explore the caves and possibly fight my characters "worst fears and problems". What occurred was a one minute scene where you jump your character up onto the path next to your ship and run down it, only to go through several minutes of cutscene and just time skip to the next level without anymore than a one sentence explanation as to what happened. From there, the game attempts to build tension by simply throwing progressively more and more of previously seen enemies rather than coming up with anything new. Finally, the last boss battle with Darth Vader is probably the most boring thing sequence I have ever played; lasting 24 minutes of real time that consisted of the exact same sequence of three events repeated over and over and over as you slowly chip away at his health.
          

-          Dollar-Value: Low

o   Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 has a relatively low dollar-value due to poorly executed and incredibly short gameplay. To start, this game was only about 4 to 6 hours long for the single-player story mode; by far one of the shortest games I have played on the newer consoles. While players can also play challenge modes where they must complete a set gameplay "challenge", these will only last you so long and I found I had completed all of them in less than an hour. Not only that, but when you count the graphical glitches, audio frustrations, and absolutely atrocious gameplay problems later in the game; this title is not worth the $60USD price tag that is currently attached to it.

Recommendations

-          While the concept was good and the kid-friendliness was decent, the delivery was horrible. If you would like to enjoy a good Star Wars title, I can only heavily recommend the first Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. If you have already enjoyed this title, you might also try out titles like Ratchet and Clank or Jak and Daxter. If you are looking for an equally good and M-Rated title, Devil May Cry, Dante's Inferno, and God of War are also great choices.

Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare

Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare Review

Kid Safe: Low                     Game Quality: High

Genre: Open World Action/Adventure

-          This game takes place where choice is everything. Rather than providing a set story that a player has to follow, they are provided a world that they can explore and do as they wish with a focus similar to an action movie. Likewise, as players adventure through this title they will find alternate means of completing their tasks including battles, negotiation, and puzzle solving.

Internet Requirements: Moderate

-          This game features a moderate amount of online content. To begin, this game is downloadable content that can be acquired through purchase on the internet; however a hard copy is also sold in stores. That aside, the game, just as with Red Dead Redemption before it, boasts a modest online multiplayer mode where individuals may play with others through the internet. It should be noted that the hard copy sold in stores boasts extra multiplayer content through the "Liars and Cheaters" and "Legends and Killers" content that is included on disc.

Story Summary: In Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare, players once again hop into the well

worn boots of ex-outlaw John Marston, who we met in Red Dead Redemption. This title takes place during unaccounted time from the first title, roughly three quarters of the way through the main story. The game takes on a wonderful campy feel and generally embraces spooky pop-culture references like the "Haunted Mansion" at Disneyland and Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho". Opening on a stormy night on the frontier, we find that the dead have begun to rise from their graves to consume the living and that a plague is spreading through the civilizations of the Old West that is turning regular folk into cannibalistic monsters with a thirst for human flesh. As Marston, you adventure across the entire world from the original game, which has now taken on a spooky, undead twist. You are on a mission to not only protect the settlers of the old west and find out why the dead are rising but hopefully find a cure for your wife and son who have become infected monsters themselves.

 

Kid Safe: Low

-          Foul Language: Moderate

o   Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare contains a moderate amount of Foul Language in the form of the following observed words: d*mn, s*it, h*ll, b*stard, and f*ck. It should be noted that this is a notable improvement to the "High" rating that Red Dead Redemption previously received, although I suppose it helps when the majority of characters that the player encounters are moaning and groaning monsters. While this title does feature some harsher language such as "f*ck", the cussing is kept to a rather impressive minimum given the horror element and the fact that an average individual would be screaming obscenities out of fear.

-          Violence and Gore: Very High - Not Recommended for Children

o   As would be expected with a zombie game, especially one from Rockstar studios, Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare has a very high level of Violence and Gore. The majority of enemies that players will run into are zombies and therefore corpses; many of them appearing heavily wounded, rotten, and oozing puss, blood, and organs. Likewise, players will witness cannibalistic attacks where zombies will attack living human beings who will scream in pain as they are quite literally eaten, usually spraying blood and leaving a pool of blood beneath them. To Undead Nightmare's credit, these scenes are not overly graphic, as very often zombies are simply seen over their victims with red spray shooting out rather than gruesome scenes of torn flesh and sinew.

o   Players will also run into living humans that they can kill as well as characters that were well established as previously living in the first game. Players may kill any living human they find, however that is not many; likewise there are several characters throughout the world who have gone insane and will attack Marston, thus forcing players to kill them. Likewise, multiple characters from the previous games (the reviewer counted six in total) become infected and zombified, forcing Marston to kill them. Killing zombies must often be done by shooting them in the head, resulting in the zombie's skull exploding in a spray of blood and viscera.

             

-          Sexually-Related Content: Low

o   Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare has relatively low sexually-related content with the exception of two points. The first item of note is that players will run into female zombies that are wearing corsets and lingerie; these items are non-revealing in terms of genitalia but are sexually suggestive. Secondly, there is a very odd (and unexplained) scene where there is a zombified prostitute that suggestively touches her body and rubs her breast when you approach her before running away hand in hand with another male zombie; this is the only zombie that ever shows this behavior.

-          Use of Drugs and Alcohol: Very Low

o   Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare features a single observed instance of alcoholic consumption in which the Marshall pours Marston a shot of whiskey while they are talking. Not shocking giving most barkeeps are probably slavering beasts at this time.

             

Game Quality: High

-          Graphics / Visuals: High

o   Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare makes up for some of its predecessor's faults and demonstrates a high level of visual and graphical quality. Using the already established landscapes from Red Dead Redemption, this title takes the already magnificent open-world of the Old West and repaints it for a more "spooky" setting. Whereas most of the original game was during bright, sunny days or moonlit, starry nights; Undead Nightmare has a far bleaker tone. The majority of the game seems to take place during dusk and night, with the occasional daybreak brightening the world; and the rolling hills and lands are almost always covered by a soft mist and fog that adds to the atmosphere of this game. Likewise, the horse mechanics return and are just as impressive as ever, boasting realistic equine movements which is rather uncommon in the current market. Finally, the subtle and realistic facial expressions continue to impress.

o   Sadly, Red Dead Redemption is still not without faults. We experienced several graphical glitches, most often with characters model. In one instance, we found that when you jump a certain distance from a ledge Marston will quite literally hover over to the ledge. In another instance we found a zombie that ran at us only to suddenly sink up to her waist into the ground graphics; snarling and eternally stuck. Likewise, while the facial expressions of characters are generally high quality, the lip synching still needs some works; as we experienced multiple situations where audio and graphics were not working together properly.

           

-          Audio: Very High

o   Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare features a very high quality of audio and sound. To begin, Rob Wietoff returns as John Marston along with a fair number of the original voice cast to share their talents in Undead Nightmare. The voice acting is, once again, spot-on; with each character providing properly emotive delivery and really lending weight to the drastic situation. Likewise, the already established ambient qualities return; lending realistic quality to the sound of this game across the board with everything from thundering footsteps to the soft rustle of tumbleweeds across an empty town. Lastly, the already impressive music has been reworked for Undead Redemption; with composers having mixed previously "rustic" cowboy music and adding a pleasantly spooky edge to them.

-          Gameplay / Playability: High

o   Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare displays a relatively high quality of gameplay and playability. For those who never played the original Red Dead Redemption: the game immediately starts off by fully explaining almost all of the controls before ever sending you into the vast hordes of the undead; with the exception of three zombies that help you learn the basics of shooting and hog tying. From there, Undead Nightmare retains its previously impressive third-person shooting mode while adding additional weapons for players to try out. From there, players also are able to use their slow-motion shooting (called Dead Eye) more frequently than the original game in order to help them against the vast amount of zombies they will be facing. Finally, characters are able to create new items including Blunderbuss ammunition out of the pieces of their slain enemies.

o   Undead Nightmare does suffer from some gameplay difficulties. The first problem is that horse wrangling, something used to catch the exclusive Four Horses of the Apocalypse, is never explained; the game relying on the fact that you played the first iteration of the game. This is a large problem as horse wrangling is especially difficult with the Four Horses and takes multiple steps in order to complete. Secondly, the shooting system for Red Dead Redemption is built for medium to long range engagement and not for the hand-to-hand combat that the undead bring to the table. Occasionally the gunplay gets buggy and does not work properly due to this fact.
          

-          Dollar-Value: Downloadable Content - Very High / Hard Copy - Moderate

o   This might seem like a very strange split, so allow me to explain. The downloadable version of Undead Nightmare is only $10 U.S., for this you will be receiving approximately 6 to 8 hours of brand new story-mode gameplay as well as several new online gameplay modes for playing in multiplayer with other people around the world. This is a phenomenal value and many games are charging $50 or $60 for the same amount of content. However, if you are buying the hard copy from stores, this content will cost you $30 U.S. because of the added "Liars and Cheaters" and "Legends and Killers" expansions packs. This is not quite the same value as the "Legends and Killers" expansion adds extra characters and places for characters to go to in the multiplayer free roam and the "Liars and Cheaters" extra characters, locations to go to, the ability to play poker and liar's dice online, and a new game mode. Generally these will be of no use if you do not use the internet often and will only be useful if you play Red Dead Redemption multiplayer extensively.

Recommendations

-          Sadly, as previously mentioned, the Old West and Zombie related games both have issues producing any titles that are not M-rated. Good fallbacks still stand for now including games like "Resident Evil" for zombie games and "Infamous" for open-world games.

As always, should you have any questions or concerns., I continue to encourage you to contact us. I hope this guide has proved useful. Enjoy.

Red Dead Redemption

Red Dead Redemption Review

Kid Friendly: Very Low                Game Quality: High

Genre: Open World Action/Adventure

-          (This game takes place where choice is everything. Rather than providing a set story that a player has to follow, they are provided a world that they can explore and do as they wish with a focus similar to an action movie.)

           

Internet Requirements: Moderate

-          (This game features a moderate amount of internet usage. While it does have a good deal of offline content that can be played without internet connection; this title also offers plenty of online content which includes a multiplayer-mode as well as extra levels and gameplay which may be bought and downloaded online.)

           

Story Summary: Red Dead Redemption is a breathtaking story of blood, violence, and redemption in the

 American Old West. The main character is John Marston, an ex-outlaw who has been

 captured and blackmailed by the newly formed FBI. With the agency holding his family

 hostage, Marston is forced to trek across the Old West to find his old gang mates and

 bring them to justice, dead or alive. On his journeys he meets a great number people;

 both equally savory and unsavory as he follows a trail of blood in an attempt to find

 peace.

Kid Safe: Very Low

-          Foul Language: High

o   This game features a large amount of foul language including f*ck, s*it, d*mn, c*nt, c*ck, and other words. Fascinatingly enough, the foul language does not often come from the main character, John Marston; who in fact very often presents himself in a very cordial and well-mannered fashion except when he is dealing with some of the more unsavory characters of the title. Instead, almost all of the foul language is found in the interactions with most of the other characters of the game; who generally are criminals, drunks, rapists, lunatics, etc.

-          Violence and Gore: High

o    This game features a great deal of violence and gore. Leaning towards realism, this game does not falter on many interactions that occurred in the American Old West. When playing this title, individuals will use firearms to shoot anyone they so choose in the world (however the story only focuses on killing criminals). These deaths will also reveal realistic sprays of blood followed by spasms and collapsing of a dead body. Aside from killing humans, an entire set of challenge levels encourage you to hunt, kill, and skin wild animals in the world; leaving their maimed bodies lying where they fell. Finally, there are some disturbing scenes where story-arc characters are brutally beaten and bloodied; namely a young woman by the name of Bonnie who, after being kidnapped from her home, is hung after been beaten and raped by a gang of men.

-          Sexually-Related Content: Very High - Not Recommended for Children

o   This game features a large variety of sexual content and nudity. There are multiple references to rape, sexual deviancy, sexual intercourse, as well as the presence of prostitutes in all towns. To begin, on more than several occasions, there will be discussion among criminals and the main characters about the forcible rape of women; one of the main examples being the previously mentioned Bonnie who was kidnapped from her home and found beaten and bloodied by a gang of men. Next, there are several references to bestiality (engaging in sexual activity with animals); one such example being a side mission you do for a gentleman who is missing his "lady". When you go to the location you find a young woman brushing a horse, only then do you find out the horse is the one the man is pining over. Upon returning the horse, you find out that he wishes to engage in bestiality with the mare; the young woman leaving you with the phrase "You probably don't want to watch what these two have planned together. Finally, there are blatant scenes of sexual intercourse; one such example showing a young man and woman, only half-clothed, having sex on a table; stopping when you walk in with the half-clothed woman running out.

-          Use of Drugs and Alcohol: High

o   This game features a large amount of drug and alcohol usage. To begin, you may at anytime go to a bar or saloon in game and continue to imbibe alcohol. In doing so, your vision gets progressively more blurred and your character begins to stumble about, bump into people, and appear generally intoxicated. Eventually you will collapse and black out. On top of this, there are more than a couple cut scenes where your character is scene smoking cigarettes extensively.

Game Quality: High

-          Graphics / Visuals: Moderate

o   The graphics and visuals for this title are generally of very high quality. The game portrays a very realistic depiction of the desert including: blowing dusty winds, camouflaged animals running about in the brush, mountains off in the distance, the dirty, grainy look of a town that has been resting in a desert area, etc. Likewise, this title bolsters an impressive physics engine for all of the units and characters; allowing them to flow very realistically, rationing their weight here and there as they move around in the world. I would like to make a special note for the design of horses which, being an equestrian myself, acted rather and moved very much like real horses (something that is rarely done well in most games).

o   However, for as impressive as the graphics generally are, there are some rather sufficient flaws as well; as this game is absolutely riddled with glitches and errors that tend to effect gameplay. On one occasion I returned to my horse to find him floating in the air with his hitch as his only tether to the world, as though gravity were turned off. On yet another occasion, when picking up an individual up off the ground, they suddenly were stuck in the environment and my character was acting as if he was carrying something that wasn't there. Sadly, a large number of very similar stories have been reported across multiple gamers.

-          Audio: High

o   The audio, much like the graphics, are of a generally high quality. The music and sound add incredible ambiance to the gameplay, altering the mood of the scenes quite drastically. When traveling on horseback, the overbearing sound of hoof beats will be the primary sound with your partner's voice tapering up and down with it based on where he is riding in relation to you. Indeed, other times music will take over with a soft acoustic playing as you walk through town, only to be dominated suddenly by a quick and frantic tune as bandits stir up travel in the saloon in front of you. Not only this, but the game features recognized actors and voice actors including Kevin Glikmann, Spider Madison, and Ben Davis.

o   Once again however, like the graphics, this title suffers from audio glitches as well. These faults were generally only found in the voice acting and sound bites rather than the music. Occasionally a sound bite would break, causing an odd, audible squeaking or popping noise. Likewise, once or twice I watched as a character's lips moved and produced no sound, only to hear it a second later due to poor lip synching. Luckily, unlike the graphical difficulties, these were far and few between.

-          Gameplay / Playability: High

o   This game tends to have a rather high playability that add to an intense and immersive feel to the game. To begin, the open world is absolutely huge, featuring one of the largest environments that Team Rockstar (the developers) have ever put into a title. This allows players the freedom to go to and explore an entirely fleshed out world with citizens, businesses, homes, families, and anything else they could imagine. On top of this, many cities feature mini-games that players can enjoy including poker, blackjack, liar's dice, horseshoes, and other such games. A player can literally burn hours just on these alone.

o   However, the open world is as much a blessing as a curse. Generally a player is expected to ride everywhere in the world in real-time, spending almost as much time trying to get to a mission or level as they do actually playing it. A player may even be deterred from playing solely due to the length of time it takes to get around and complete missions. While the game does offer two means of skipping this, the stagecoach and the fast travel system, it does nothing to encourage their usage. The stagecoach costs in-game money to spend. Likewise, I was never even made aware of the fast travel system by the game and had to be informed outside of the title by someone who found it by accident.

-          Dollar Value: High

o   All in all, this game is generally of a high dollar value. It offers a truly expansive world and story that can take well over 30 hours to complete if you only stick to the single player mission. From there, this title also offers a robust online experience where individuals may play online multiplayer with other players around the world and other battle each other several different modes. On top of this, the game already bolsters a list of new missions and levels that can be purchased and downloaded online to increase the amount of gameplay you have available. If you are alright with the intense amount of adult-oriented content and the occasional graphical glitch, this game features almost triple the amount of content than most games on the market for the same price.

Recommendations:

-          If the adult content is unacceptable, several other games may be right up your alley. If you are looking for a title with an intense, action oriented story, you may wish to check out Uncharted for the PS3. Likewise, Infamous bolsters a strong open-world environment with a superhero overtone. Sadly, the Old West has yet to be produced in a kid friendly manner and lacks any games under an M rating.

Finally, I apologize for the length of this review however the sheer size led to the size of the review
itself. It even caused me to rework the design of my reviews in several ways. As always, if you have any questions, feel free to contact me.