If anybody knows how to make a console game that makes the world sit up and notice, then it is Rockstar Games. As creators of some of the most iconic, innovative, and controversial games of all time, they have created a series of games that have defined a generation. Even dating back to the release of Grand Theft Auto 3 over 20 years ago, they completely redefined gaming and consistently punched through boundaries to change the landscape of game and gaming design forever.
Today, we will explore why Red Dead Redemption is simultaneously one of the most improved
franchises of games ever created and why individual titles within the trilogy are some of the greatest in the history of video console gaming. Rockstar consistently strives for greatness and creates titles that will blow people away. For example, Grand Theft Auto is a game that went from a birds-eye view to a game where you can play casino games against other people online!
While it doesn’t have the same feel as a digital casino, especially when the variety of roulette game options continues to expand nowadays, it shows how much they continually think outside the box when designing these feature titles. For those who remember the hysteria and accolades that game received at the time, it was simply a sign of what was to come for one of the world’s leading gaming brands. Now we can easily earmark Grand Theft Auto as Rockstar’s most outstanding achievement, but we believe Red Dead Redemption marks the steepest learning curve for the New York-based company.
Red Dead Revolver
Scrolling back through the history books, Red Dead Revolver was the first installment of the iconic gaming trilogy. It is hard to believe that it’ll be the 20th anniversary of this release next year. Having successfully ventured into so many corners of gaming genres, the Wild West was the latest in a long line of backdrops for Rockstar’s astonishingly consistent catalog. However, it may have been their most ambitious plan to date, and it took a few bites of the cherry to get it right.
When Red Dead first hit the shelves, the PlayStation 2 and XBOX version didn’t receive the same rave reviews as the future installments, but it set the foundation for what was to come.
Unfortunately, by Rockstar’s standards, it wasn’t successful and received mixed critical reviews.
The production and development were jammed between the colossal releases of Grand Theft Auto Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, too. So a lot was going on at Rockstar around this time, and it may explain why the first game of the trilogy fell slightly flat.
Red Dead Redemption
Six years later, following an extensive project development that saw Rockstar develop the story and the character of John Marston and augment the size of the map in which you could roam, critics were unsure of what to expect. It would take a brave man to write off Rockstar and their game-designing credentials, but if the first part of this trilogy was anything to go by, then Red Dead Redemption was likely not to offer much either.
The aptly named Red Dead Redemption was a monstrous success in every conceivable way. It was redemption for Rockstar, for the heat they took for the first game in 2004, and set up the platform for the colossal third chapter of the incredible franchise. The game was lauded primarily for its extensive map spread across the old Wild West and the soundtrack and camera angles akin to a Sergio Leone film.
As a result, it won numerous awards, the critical acclaim was universal and unanimous, and it is regarded as one of Rockstar’s most outstanding achievements. Therefore, by default, it is one of the most exceptional video game achievements of all time.
Red Dead Redemption 2
Some gamers can be forgiven for thinking that Red Dead Redemption 2 was the sequel to the first. It was, in a way, but it is also the third chapter of the phenomenal trilogy. Red Dead Redemption 2 is widely believed to be the finest installment. The game was scored perfectly by many top gaming magazines and newspaper reviews. Building on the unbelievable map and musical features of Red Dead Redemption I, the map grew into bolder and bigger storylines.
In addition, the game was widely praised for its immersive features and the extensive minigames you could play online. The expansiveness of the project drew plaudits from many inside the world of console gaming. It’s the ability to draw in so many realistic features while combining them with the serenity and tranquility of moving across one of the most significant maps in the history of video game design.