Red Dead Redemption

Less than two months out, and Rockstar has already released the first DLC for Red Dead Redemption. Featuring six brand-new co-operative maps, the Outlaws to the End Mission Pack is available for free through X-Box Live & PS Network. You can read all about it over at the official Red Dead Redemption site. You're also getting 10 new trophies as well!



It seems that Rockstar isn't losing any steam when it comes to announcing future content either! Starting in early August, Rockstar is releasing 4 - yes, 4! - packs of add-on content. Primarily for the online Free Roam component, the deluge kicks off with the

Legends and Killers Pack

* 9 New Multiplayer map locations — more than doubling the amount of territories in the Multiplayer Competitive modes
* 8 New Multiplayer characters— play as characters from Red Dead Revolver
* Introducing a new projectile weapon: the Tomahawk, with corresponding Challenges for single player and multiplayer (!)
* New Achievements/Trophies
* Pricing: $9.99 (PlayStation Network), 800 Microsoft Points (Xbox LIVE)

On the heels of the Legends and Killser add-on, will be the Liars & Cheats and Free Roam Packs. No official release date has been set yet, but I imagine they'll come out at, say, the end of August, beginning of September. Included with the Liars & Cheats will be

New Competitive Modes, Multiplayer Mini-games in Free Roam, and more:

* ‘Attack and Defend’ Multiplayer Competitive Mode and Challenges
* New Multiplayer Horse Races complete with mounted combat
* Play as the heroes and villains of Red Dead Redemption as well as 8 additional multiplayer characters
* Multiplayer versions of Liars Dice and Poker from the single-player game (!)
* Introducing a new weapon: the Explosive Rifle, with associated Challenges available in single-player and multiplayer
* New Achievements/Trophies
* Release date TBC
* Pricing: $9.99 (PlayStation Network), 800 Microsoft Points (Xbox LIVE)

The Free Roam Pack

Delve deeper into the world of Red Dead Redemption with new Modes, Challenges and Gang Hideouts to discover:

* Additional Free Roam Challenges
* New action areas and defensive placements
* Posse Scoring / Posse Leaderboards
* New ‘anti-griefing’ measures in Free Roam
* Release date and pricing TBC


That's it for the Free Roam, multi-player add-on content. The fourth and final add-on pack is... well, something of a disappointment. At least upon initially hearing about it. I was expecting something better, but read about it yourself.

Undead Nightmare Pack

Ghost towns and cemeteries come alive in a West gone horribly wrong:

* Brand new single player adventure, Challenges and quests
* 8 New Multiplayer Zombie characters
* Additional animals unleashed in the world (!)
* New Dynamic events
* More details to follow...
* Release date TBC
* Pricing: $9.99 (PlayStation Network), 800 Microsoft Points (Xbox LIVE)



Yeah, zombies. In the Old West. I don't know about you, but I'm non-plussed. Grand Theft Auto got The Ballad of Gay Tony and The Lost and the Damned, and RDR get's this? Hopefully it's something to tide people over until a proper add-on campaign is released.

Read all about it at Red Dead Redemption's official site.

oki9Sedo said:

I'm a huge fan of those incredible American vistas so to see it in video game form is incredibly enjoyable for me.

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As more and more outfits discover the "AFK" mode Rockstar hid within Red Dead Redemption, the amount of -, and quality of the scenic views are bound to increase. One of the better ones so far was put out by Digital Foundry; a lot of the world is neglected, but what's there is great.

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The sky is phenomenal. Without the work Rockstar did on it, the game would've made less of an impact. Compare it to a couple of recent examples from New Mexico.

This game has been absolutely fantastic since I got it on release day. There are a lot of geographical areas that are reminiscent of some areas in the Indy movies, most notably - Last Crusade.

The game play mechanics are sharp and the environment is just breathtaking and enormous as mentioned above. You can just sit out in the wilderness and watch the sunrises or sunsets, the beautiful clouds, rain storms, snow in the mountain areas, trees, vast mountain ranges, plateaus, rivers, animals, trails, towns, etc. You can hunt treasure, hunt animals, order whiskey at a saloon, play poker, blackjack, liars dice, and horseshoe. You can do most of the same in online free roam. The story is well written and grips you from start to end. There are a lot of suspenseful moments and hooks within the story missions and side missions.

I'm really looking forward to the Liars and Cheats DLC, which will feature online horse races(complete with horseback combat), playable poker and liars dice against other players online, and additional story character skins. If you play games at all, at least give this game a serious rental, if not, straight up purchase. It's that good. I've been playing it steadily since day one. That's my two cents on the game.

Got it on release day, had lots of fun playing through, then just couldn't get into it after I finished SP campaign. MP was okay at best, re-play value for me was just "meh." The new DLC will probably breathe a bit of new life into it, but I've already cashed out and traded my copy in. All in all, to be completely honest, I felt it was just an updated GTAIV with a western theme. I appreciate the fact that RDR's graphics and gameplay were far better than GTAIV, but that's to be expected years after GTAIV's release. What Rockstar really did was show how a western game should be, and how successful a game in this genre can be. I hope other developers are taking note.

HovitosKing said:

Got it on release day, had lots of fun playing through, then just couldn't get into it after I finished SP campaign. MP was okay at best, re-play value for me was just "meh." The new DLC will probably breathe a bit of new life into it, but I've already cashed out and traded my copy in. All in all, to be completely honest, I felt it was just an updated GTAIV with a western theme. I appreciate the fact that RDR's graphics and gameplay were far better than GTAIV, but that's to be expected years after GTAIV's release. What Rockstar really did was show how a western game should be, and how successful a game in this genre can be. I hope other developers are taking note.

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Yeah. I think the Single Player can get stale from time to time. I take breaks from it, come back, and it feels refreshing again. I'm now at 95% total completion in SP, btw. I also jump into free roam regularly and there is always something going on. Free roam also gives you(and your posse) a chance to create a game within the game, so to speak. One of my favorite encounters in Free Roam is mutual posse battles. Half of the lobby is split into two groups and battle it out. It's hilarious and extremely fun.

For anyone interested here at The Raven, I found this article about Brad Pitt potentially being considered for the role of John Marston in a Red Dead Redemption movie. The story also made its way over to IGN.

Le Saboteur said:

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HAHAHAHAHA!!! That's gross but funny!

Dr Bones said:

HAHAHAHAHA!!! That's gross but funny!

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Typical Rockstar humor. If you think that's funny, you should see some of the missions and side missions in the game.

The fourth (and final?) DLC for RDR is starting to appear on the 'net. As previously mentioned, the Undead Nightmare Pack unleashes zombies (!) on the world of Red Dead Redemption. Featuring an entirely new mostly single-player campaign, John Marston will have a slew of new weapons with which to slay the undead horde during his quest to find a cure for this mysterious plague.

In addition to this epic new single-player adventure, The Undead Nightmare Pack also features brand new gameplay mechanics, weapons, zombie animals, mythical creatures and even a brand new secret location. All this, plus some exciting new multi-player modes and much more to be revealed very soon.

Check out the page here.



Visually speaking, it looks great. Rockstar has gotten the feel for the zombie apocalypse, and it could be interesting. Personally, I hope this is a one-off event, and get back to Western-themed expansions in the future. Let Valve take care of the zombie apocalypse.

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Interesting tidbit. There is an unrelated bit of precedence for zombies in the Old West. Disneyland Resort Paris features an "undead" Frontierland stemming from events surrounding the Phantom Manor.

*Turns on Xbox*
...
*Orders Microsoft Points*

HovitosKing said:

All in all, to be completely honest, I felt it was just an updated GTAIV with a western theme.

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I disagree to a large extent. Red Dead Redemption is by far the most serious outing Rockstar has produced to date. It's far more subtle than the nihilistic comedy of the Grand Theft Auto series, which has been both refreshing and welcome. Despite the Sergio Leone-like overtones, there's a definite commentary on the so-called American Experience.

This is partially why I'm less than thrilled with the forthcoming Undead Nightmare DLC. Oh, it looks like a blast. I'll buy it, and enjoy it, but it takes away from some of the seriousness of the original title. I was hoping for a new campaign in, say, California during the Gold Rush of 1849.

But let's get back to Undead Nightmare for the moment. For those of you who are still paying attention, it's released tomorrow (Oct. 26) on X-Box Live and Playstation Network. Dig the release trailer on the game's site.



In addition to the hordes of the undead, the plague has given rise to three special "classes" of undead: The Bolter, The Bruiser, The Retcher. Each one has it's own unique traits that you will have to contend with during your search for a cure to the plague that has spread across the world.

The 'Bolter' class is quick and harder to line up in your sights, but more susceptible to damage.

The 'Bruiser' class has a heavy-set frame and moves slower than all other types of zombies, but can overpower you with pure, brute force and a deadly melee attack when in close.

'Retchers' are particularly repulsive creatures that give off a radioactive glow and can inflict damage and impair movement with their signature projectile spew.

Can Valve sue? These are virtually identical to L4D2's Charger, Spitter, and Jockey.



Is that a Sasquatch?! Rockstar has confirmed that you may occasionally run into a Sasquatch while criss-crossing the frontier. What else may we encounter? A werewolf could be interesting...



Perhaps my favourite part of the nightmare is the ability to acquire the Four Horses of the Apocalypse! Yes, the steeds for Death, War, Famine & Pestilence have been loosed upon the world of Red Dead Redemption! You can see them in action on the release trailer, but briefly

-War leaves a fiery trail in its wake.
-Death causes cranial explosions.
-Famine & Pestilence are immortal.

With new suits, the ability to save towns, new achievements and trophies, and new weapons Undead Nightmare is shaping up to be a winner!

Remember all those wonderful Italian horror movies? Well, check out the Italian trailer to the Undead Overrun multi-player campaign!

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All right zombie-killers, let's kill some zombies!

I have been searching for bigfoot since San Andreas... at 12:00 its go time...


Run bigfoot while you still have the chance

The launch trailer is brilliant! I'll probably download UN later this week. I have heard many reports of this being one of the best Zombie games out there, being that it is only a DLC package. I can't wait to play it.

A game has certainly made it if it appears in a question (or rather, an answer) on Jeapordy.






-G

What is obvious question Alex?


Did I get my millions?

Le Saboteur said:

-Famine & Pestilence are immortal.

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....
I wouldn't use those... exact words.

I shot it in the head twice because they called it nearly impossible to kill. . .
Let's just say I lost my horse. . .

Since getting the game in June, I've played quite a bit of it most of the time but have had some periods in which I'd been so busy in real-life that I didn't have time to touch my console at all. That probably explains why only after all this time have I finally completed the single-player campaign yesterday.

And what an ending it was!

In any case, I'll now try to complete the other side-tasks and achievements in the game that I hadn't already completed, start the single-player campaign in the game's DLC Undead Nightmare, and get more into the game's multiplayer.


-G

I just started the Undead Nightmare single-player campaign and it seems to take place in an alternate timeline rather than fitting within the regular game's single-player campaign, though some players have hinted that there may be a way that it fits in after all.

I suppose I'll have to finish it to know for sure either way.


-G

DiscoLad said:

I wouldn't use those.exact words.

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I haven't done any experimenting yet. In hindsight, I believe they were referring to their ability to be- or rather, not killed by zombies and/or wildlife. I may test this out at a later date.

I also inadvertently lost Famine by shooting it in the head. While thinning out a sizable herd near Bearclaw Camp, Famine ran right through my line of fire and caught one right in the forehead for his trouble. Fortunately, you're able to recall each horse via the Blood Pact in your inventory. (It works like the horse deeds in the regular game.)

Goodsport said:

Since getting the game in June, I've played quite a bit of it most of the time but have had some periods in which I'd been so busy in real-life that I didn't have time to touch my console at all. That probably explains why only after all this time have I finally completed the single-player campaign yesterday.

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I've had the game since it initially came out as well, but only finished it a few days before you did. Other games, life, and the sheer fact that riding around checking out the scenery and doing the side missions are just as much fun as the main story! Of the 74-hours of actual game time spent playing, nearly half of that was wandering around Mexico!

Right now, I'm about halfway through Undead Nightmare, and as enjoyable as it is, I sincerely hope RDR receives some legitimate add-on campaigns sometime in the near future.

On a related note, if they didn't want to take the time to create an entirely new map, they could easily expand it with what I've called "The Bounty Killer & Pony Express Addition." This would essentially be an advanced add-on featuring all new bounties and horse races.

For example, as a Pony Express rider you'll be required to deliver something from, say, Blackwater to Benedict Point. You'll either be timed and required to switch horses, or fight off bandits and Indians. Later missions would require you to work with a combination of the three, if not all three options.

The Bounty Killer portion would evolve the current bounty system and make it more complicated. Normally all bounties appear in a handful of locations within a region; this add-on would expand bounties to virtually all locations, as well as across state, county, and national borders. Bounties would vary in reward commiserate with the risk, with those requiring you to cross back and forth from Mexico being the most.

Also: Certain bounties would require you to flush the target from a fortified location such as Fort Mercer or Torquemada. These types of bounties of bounties would be the AAA-like bounties.

Finally, going back to the Pony Express segment, there could be a segment of stagecoach deliveries/robberies. You're either hired to steal or defend a load of gold enroute from Gaptooth Ridge to Blackwater. Other events would follow a similar approach.

Le Saboteur said:

Fortunately, you're able to recall each horse via the Blood Pact in your inventory. (It works like the horse deeds in the regular game.)

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Great thing I have one. Ahem.
. . .