User blog:JackFrost23/RDR: A Work of Art?

Just so we're clear, I have a habit of calling things art that aren't crusty old oil paintings as most people usually think when they hear the word.

I, on the other hand, attach the word to more modern things some/most people dismiss as not being art: television shows, films, comic books, manga, record albums, novels and, occasionally, video games.

And I'd like to add a video game to that list: Red Dead Redemption.

This game really is a masterpiece:

From the lush graphics to the diverse, ever-changing landscapes; from the interesting characters to their well-written dialogue; from the depiction of the age to the harsh-but-approriate social commentary of that age (and, by extension, every age that has come after); this game is top notch.

Even the glitches (most of which seem to fall into the 'amusing' category) do not detract from the game.

And speaking of amusing, there are several spots where I laughed out loud at some of the dialogue, for instance when John becomes exasperated with Landon Ricketts for translating the easy Spanish. Some parts of this game are genuinely funny.

I also think that Rockstar should be given major credit for having the nuts to kill off the main character. In a world where any licensable character escapes death no matter how ridiculous the odds just to keep the cash flowing in, to have Rockstar unambiguosly put their's in his grave as part of a natural (and logical) story progression is a very brave move that really should be acknowledged.

I'm not sure why Rockstar decided to expend so much effort on this game, but the results speak for themselves every time I turn on my XBOX.