Red Dead Redemption

This is a good article. Click here for more information.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Red Dead Redemption
Developer(s)Rockstar San Diego[a]
Publisher(s)Rockstar Games
Producer(s)
  • Steve Martin
  • Josh Needleman
  • David Kunkler
Designer(s)
Programmer(s)Ted Carson
Artist(s)
  • Joshua Bass
  • Daren Bader
  • Nick Trifunovic
Writer(s)
Composer(s)
SeriesRed Dead
EngineRAGE
Platform(s)
ReleasePlayStation 3, Xbox 360
  • NA: May 18, 2010
  • PAL: May 21, 2010
Switch, PlayStation 4
  • WW: August 17, 2023
Genre(s)Action-adventure
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Red Dead Redemption is a 2010 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar San Diego and published by Rockstar Games. A successor to 2004's Red Dead Revolver, it is the second game in the Red Dead series. Red Dead Redemption is set during the decline of the American frontier in the year 1911. It follows John Marston, a former outlaw who, after his wife and son are taken hostage by the government in ransom for his services as a hired gun, sets out to bring three members of his former gang to justice. The narrative explores themes of the cycle of violence, masculinity, redemption, and the American Dream.

The game is played from a third-person perspective. The player can freely roam in its interactive open world, a fictionalized version of the Western United States and Northern Mexico, primarily by horseback, and on foot. Gunfights emphasize a gunslinger gameplay mechanic called "Dead Eye" that allows players to mark multiple shooting targets on enemies in slow motion. The game uses a morality system by which the player's actions in the game affect their character's levels of honor, fame, and how other characters respond to the player. An online multiplayer mode is included with the original release, allowing up to 16 players to engage in both cooperative and competitive gameplay in a recreation of the single-player setting.

The game's development lasted over five years, and it became one of the most expensive video games ever made. Rockstar improved its proprietary game engine to increase its technological capabilities. The development team conducted extensive research, including field trips to Washington, D.C. and analyzing classic Western films, to achieve realism for the game. The team hired professional actors to perform the body movements through motion capture. Red Dead Redemption features an original score composed by Bill Elm and Woody Jackson. The game's development received controversy following accusations of unethical working practices. The working hours and managerial style of the studio was met with public complaints from staff members.

Red Dead Redemption was released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in May 2010, and for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 in August 2023. It received critical acclaim for its visuals, music, performances, gameplay, and narrative. It won several year-end accolades, including Game of the Year awards from several gaming publications, and is considered by critics as one of the best video games ever made. It had shipped around 23 million copies by 2021, making it one of the best-selling video games. After the game's release, several downloadable content additions were released; Undead Nightmare, later released as a standalone game, added a new single-player campaign in which Marston searches for a cure for an infectious zombie plague. A prequel, Red Dead Redemption 2, was released in October 2018.

Gameplay[edit]

Red Dead Redemption is a Western-themed action-adventure game played from a third-person perspective. Players control John Marston and completes missions—linear scenarios with set objectives—to progress through the story; in the epilogue, players control John's son Jack.[3] Outside of missions, players may freely roam the open world, consisting of the American states New Austin and West Elizabeth—fictionalized versions of the Western United States—and the fictional Mexican state Nuevo Paraíso.[4] Different breeds of horses are the main forms of transportation, each with different attributes. Horses must be tamed in the wild, stolen, or purchased.[5] Players can utilize trains and carriages for quick travel.[6] Undeveloped land features rugged and vast landscapes with occasional travelers, bandits, and wildlife. Urban settlements range from isolated farmhouses to crowded towns.[7]

Red Dead Redemption features a cover system that lets players hide behind objects and reach out to fire on people and animals.[8]

Players can witness and partake in random events, including public hangings, ambushes, pleas for assistance, encounters with strangers, ride-by shootings, and dangerous animal attacks. Optional side activities include dueling, bounty hunting, herb collecting, gambling, and hunting. Red Dead Redemption uses an Honor system, which is increased by morally positive deeds, such as capturing an outlaw alive or saving a stranger, and decreased by negative choices like murder. The Fame system affects how non-player characters (NPCs) react to players based on Honor.[9] If players have high Honor, NPCs will greet them and they will receive discounts in some stores;[10] if low, NPCs will act insecure and establishments may close their doors. Players can disguise themselves by wearing a bandana when performing criminal acts.[9]

Gunfights are an essential gameplay mechanic. Players can take cover, target a specific person or animal, blindfire, and free aim.[8] Individual body parts can be targeted to take down targets non-lethally. Weapons include revolvers, pistols, rifles, shotguns, knives, explosives, and lassos.[11] Aiming utilizes a gunslinger gameplay mechanic known as Dead Eye, a targeting system allowing players to slow down time and mark targets. Once the targeting sequence ends, players fire to all marked locations in quick succession.[12] The Dead Eye system upgrades and grants more abilities as players progress.[9]

The game introduces the bounty system, a crime-governing mechanic inspired by Grand Theft Auto's wanted system. When players commit a crime, witnesses run to the nearest police station; players can bribe or kill them before they reach the station, negating consequences. Once the law is alerted, the Wanted meter appears with a bounty set on players' heads. The bounty grows higher as players commit more crimes, and more lawmen will be sent to hunt them;[9] after committing enough crime, the U.S. Marshals or Mexican Army will be sent. To evade law enforcement in pursuit, players must escape a circular zone or kill all lawmen in a town. If players escape, bounty hunters will continue to track them.[13][14] The bounty will remain on their head until they pay it at a telegraph station or present a pardon letter.[9]

The online multiplayer allows up to 16 players to engage in competitive and cooperative gameplay in a recreation of the single-player setting. Each game begins with a Mexican standoff, of which the survivors move to any part of the battlefield in preparation for respawning enemies. Event types include deathmatch scenarios and capture the flag variants. Crates contain extra weapons, ammo, and other powerups. Players can level up and complete weapon challenges to earn rewards such as new character models, golden weapon skins, new titles, and new breeds of animal mounts.[15] Multiplayer features open-world gameplay, wherein players can form or join a group of up to eight players in a "posse" group and partake in hunting or attack other gangs or posses.[9] In some game modes, players are unable to kill each other.[16][b]

Plot[edit]

In 1911, the family of former outlaw John Marston (Rob Wiethoff) is kidnapped by Bureau of Investigation agents, Edgar Ross (Jim Bentley) and Archer Fordham (David Wilson Barnes), who force him to hunt down his former gang members in exchange for his family's return. John first goes after former ally Bill Williamson (Steve J. Palmer), who now leads his own gang that terrorizes the residents of New Austin. He arrives at Williamson's stronghold at Fort Mercer, but fails to persuade him to surrender, resulting in John being shot and left for dead. Rescued by local rancher Bonnie MacFarlane (Kimberly Irion), he helps her with several jobs around her farm, while formulating a plan to attack Williamson's gang. John makes a number of allies to help him carry out the attack, including U.S. Marshal Leigh Johnson (Anthony De Longis), con artist Nigel West Dickens (Don Creech), treasure hunter Seth Briars (Kevin Glikmann), and an arms smuggler known as "Irish" (K. Harrison Sweeney). Ultimately, John and his allies storm Fort Mercer and kill all of Williamson's men but learn that Williamson has fled to Mexico to seek help from Javier Escuella (Antonio Jaramillo), another former ally of John. John parts ways with his allies and travels to Mexico.

Upon his arrival in Nuevo Paraíso, John becomes involved in a local civil war between Colonel Agustín Allende (Gary Carlos Cervantes), the state's tyrannical ruler, and Abraham Reyes (Josh Segarra), the leader of a rebellion against Allende's government. John works with both sides in exchange for help in tracking down his targets. When Allende decides to turn on him, John is rescued by Reyes and vows to aid the rebels in gaining an advantage. During a raid on a Mexican Army fortress, the rebels help him find Escuella, who reveals that Williamson is under Allende's protection. After killing or capturing Escuella, John hands him over to Ross and Fordham. Reyes eventually leads an assault on Allende's palace, and John helps him chase and execute Allende and Williamson when they attempt to flee. Leaving Reyes to rule Nuevo Paraíso and lead his revolution to Mexico's capital, John returns to the United States.

In Blackwater, Ross and Fordham enlist John's help in tracking down Dutch van der Linde (Benjamin Byron Davis), his former gang's leader and John's former mentor. Dutch has recently formed a gang with disaffected Native Americans, with whom he shares a hatred for the government and modernization. Aided by Ross's associates, John finds Dutch's stronghold in the mountains. After helping Ross and Fordham thwart Dutch's robbery of the Blackwater Bank, John partakes in the U.S. Army's assault on Dutch's stronghold. Chased to a cliff, Dutch concedes defeat and warns John that the Bureau will not give him peace, before committing suicide. Afterward, Ross honors their agreement and allows John to be reunited with his family.

Returning to his ranch, John reunites with his wife Abigail (Sophia Marzocchi), son Jack (Josh Blaylock) and former gang member Uncle (Spider Madison) to attempt an honest life again. However, this peace is short-lived as Ross betrays John and leads a U.S. Army unit in an attack on his ranch. John tries to fend them off, but the attacking force is too large, and Uncle is killed. John helps his family escape and stays to face the attackers, who kill him and leave. In 1914, Jack buries Abigail next to John after she dies, before tracking down a newly retired Ross to confront him about John's death. Jack kills Ross in a duel.

Themes and analysis[edit]

The second player character, dressed as an outlaw, looks mournfully at his gun.
Jack Marston's adoption of his father's outlaw status in the game's ending has been viewed as commentary on the theme of redemption: as a manifestation of it;[17] the tragic irony of it;[18] or of its absence and impossibility, and instead the inevitability to repeat the cycle of violence.[19]

Red Dead Redemption explores themes of the cycle of violence,[18] faith,[20] governmental control,[21] law and order,[22] the loss of innocence and freedom,[23] manifest destiny,[24] masculinity,[25] social change,[26] and redemption;[27] it also received commentary for its representation of Native Americans[28] and violence.[29] IGN's Erik Brudvig considered it a commentary on modern political issues such as racism and immigration;[30] writer Dan Houser said the story was not intended as a satire of contemporary America but parallels were inevitable due to the similarities of the time period.[23] Some scholars identified the game conforms to neoliberal values,[31][32] particularly in its depoliticizing of the sufferers of corporate greed,[33] though others felt it ridicules the selfishness of neoliberals.[34] Matt Margini described the narrative as a tragedy, citing Aristotle's proposal that the hero is neither good nor evil and "tragic heroes are tragic because they bring about their own fall, despite having good intentions".[35]

Several scholars noted that, despite the use of the word "redemption" in the game's title, such a feat was impossible for John;[20][27] Reid McCarter of Bullet Points Monthly described the use of the word as "bitterly ironic" due to the inability of reinvention for both the characters and the country.[27] Margini wrote the final chapter allowed the player to feel they had achieved the promised redemption,[36] only for it to be taken away by the story's end.[37] Conversely, Kotaku's Heather Alexandra felt John achieved his redemption upon sacrificing himself to save his family.[38] Benjamin J. Triana found that, while John's death "implies transcendence", it is not overtly sacrificial, nor does it represent John as a hero.[39] Gamasutra's Richard Clark considered the depiction of redemption to be "cynical and overly simple".[20] Red Dead Redemption also explores the impacts of the cycle of violence,[18] most notably represented through Jack's continuation of his father's failures by adopting the outlaw status.[19][40][41] NPR's Jason Sheehan considered the game a tale of "the senselessness of violence used to solve violence begetting only more violence".[42] M. Melissa Elston found that, like other modern media, it attempts to "reframe the violence and simplistic moral dualism of previous pop-cultural representations of the Old West".[43] The game drew some commentary for its depiction of violence; Margini considered it justifiable since "violence means something".[44] Timothy J. Welsh felt similarly, adding it is "just a game", but recognized the worrisome nihilism it could perpetuate if generalized.[45] Christopher Bartel rebutted this sentiment, expressing hesitancy at the moral justification of virtual murder and noting "even hard-core gamers might balk at virtual sadism".[46]

The game presents the ethos of the American Dream in its formation, in contrast with the modern-day representation in Grand Theft Auto IV (2008).[47] While John's violent past rendered him unable to achieve redemption, it also impacted his son's own ability to achieve the American Dream as he becomes an outlaw like his father.[27] The game also features commentary on freedom and control,[42] and the manner in which societal change acts as a catalyst for losing one's control and compromising their morality.[48] The journey from the open fields to the city of Blackwater represents civilization's control over the natural world, though the player lacks control during the opening sequence in which John leaves Blackwater, only gaining it when reentering the city later in the game.[21] While Red Dead Redemption grants the player freedom, they ultimately lack control over the narrative as "being free to do things is not the same as being able to change things", an ideology directly reflected in John's inability to prevent his own death.[49] Triana felt the ending allowed the player to properly understand John's rejection of a developing society and institutions due to the misery endured from the government.[50] The game also demonstrates the disparities of economic inequality;[51] Sara Humphreys identified a connection between MacFarlane's Ranch and the class conflict of Johnson County, Wyoming in the late nineteenth century.[52]

While marketing materials presented John as a traditional cowboy—isolated and violent,[53] a "white, heteronormative, rugged individual"[54]—his behavior and ambitions in the narrative are generally unconventional.[53][55] His ambiguity and internal conflict lead him to exhibit "weariness more than manliness".[56] Regardless, John continues to perpetuate stereotypes in some instances; he continues to preserve lives in his missions for the government despite his bitter opposition to them, described as an enactment of Theodore Roosevelt's masculine ideals.[57] Triana found the game's masculinity to be plural, with the male lead generally pitted against other men, though recognized the dominance of the characters often shifted throughout the narrative.[58] He also recognized that John's challenges reflected those of straight, cisgender men in the modern era.[59] Margini blamed John's downfall on "the false promises of a world built on hypermasculine ideals", emphasized by John's unsuccessful attempts to adopt a new form of masculinity and play an empathetic father to Jack.[60] WiderScreen Ajankohtaista's Juho Tuominen and Olli Sotamaa described John as an idealist and Jack as "the educated youth, a version of a new kind of woke man".[61] The representation of female characters is mixed; Bonnie MacFarlane is presented as "insightful and resourceful" instead of simply "a woman masquerading as a male figure", though still defers to simple domestic tasks in the presence of her father,[62] and on one occasion becomes the damsel in distress.[18] Meanwhile, Abigail is presented as "the good prostitute who serves as a handmaiden" and later becomes "the nagging wife", and other female characters exist simply to reflect back onto John, both positively and negatively.[18]

In further opposition with the American Dream, the game's representation of Native Americans is bleak, cruel, and violent.[47] Jodi A. Byrd identified that, in the game's title, "Red Dead" signaled the genocide of the Native Americans.[63] McCarter of Bullet Points felt, while the killing of Native Americans is explained in the context of the story, it is "a shaky rationale meant to echo the rhetoric" surrounding the genocide and forced relocation.[27] Elston recognized the Native American character Nastas as an example of Gerald Vizenor's "manifest manners", a falsification of the indigenous experience being told as truth.[64] Dr. Esther Wright proposed Native American characters were included only to justify and complement the white characters' otherness as oppositional to the government and civilization, describing it as "a disingenuous oversimplification and (mis)use of the complexities of Native American genocide".[65] She also opined that, while John is not overtly racist, his participation in an attack on an Indian reservation implicates him in "a micro-scale recreation of racist, genocidal violence".[65] Margini considered the representation could either be an example of dark satire, or "a crafty way of excusing their genocide at Marston's hand", aligned with a wider erasure seen in other Western media.[66] Triana wrote Native Americans "end up victims to the game's evil social forces" due to John's priority of reuniting with his family.[50]

Development[edit]

Part of Red Dead Redemption's leadership team: (left to right) technical director Ted Carson, art director Josh Bass, and producer Steve Martin at the Game Developers Choice Awards

After the May 2004 release of Red Dead Revolver, publisher Rockstar Games wanted to create its own Western video game from scratch;[67] it had acquired Revolver from Capcom in 2003 after years of development and completed development within nine months.[68] Early development began in 2005, and full development commenced in 2006, following the formation of a core development team.[69] Rockstar San Diego's 180-person team co-opted Rockstar's Leeds, New England, North, and Toronto studios to facilitate development between a full team of over 1,000.[67][70][71][72][73] Having exhausted the use of previous hardware on other projects, Rockstar felt inspired after realizing the potential power of the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.[67] Analyst estimations place the game's combined development and marketing budget between US$80 million and US$100 million, which would make it one of the most expensive video games to develop.[74] The game's development received controversy following accusations of unethical working practices at Rockstar San Diego, including twelve-hour workdays and six-day weeks, with a lower-than-the-industry-average salary increase.[75][76]

Red Dead Redemption's 1,500-page script was written in two years.[77] Taking inspiration from films like The Wild Bunch (1969), High Plains Drifter (1973), Unforgiven (1992), and The Proposition (2005), the team felt that most Western fiction takes place between 1840 and 1880, and that Red Dead Redemption's setting in 1911 allowed a more intriguing analysis of the transformation from "the old West" into the modern world.[78] Regarding the game's depiction of violence, the team wanted it to "feel slightly raw and unpleasant", attempting realism without exaggeration.[79] The open world was created to represent iconic features of the American frontier. The team organized field trips to Washington, D.C.,[67] visiting the Library of Congress and the National Archives Building, captured a multitude of photographs, and analyzed various classic Western films, television shows, and novels.[80][81] The team considered creating the open world one of the most technically demanding aspect of the game's production, in terms of filling the world with enough content to interest players.[67]

Like other projects since Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis (2006), the game uses the proprietary Rockstar Advanced Game Engine (RAGE) to perform animation and rendering tasks, and the Euphoria and Bullet engines for further animation and environment rendering tasks.[80] Overhauling the potential processing power of RAGE allowed the game to create a high level of detail, including realistic animations and detailed textures.[78] The potential power of the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 experienced through the development kits motivated the team to begin development, and to create a game that could fully render the countryside, which was difficult to achieve on previous hardware.[67] The developers at San Diego sought guidance from other Rockstar studios experienced with developing open worlds,[67][80] particularly Grand Theft Auto developer Rockstar North.[4] The game was envisioned to improve the core mechanics of Red Dead Revolver by scaling it up to the standard of other Rockstar games, maintaining key gameplay elements like the Dead Eye and dueling mechanics but majorly overhauling the experience otherwise.[80] In particular, the team faced a challenge in creating realistic movement for the horse, resulting in the engagement of a stunt horse to simulate movement for the designers.[82]

As the story developed, a range of characters were organically created based on the period;[4] Red Dead Redemption features around 450 characters.[77] The game required a large amount of character dialogue in order to feel alive, comparable to Rockstar's previous game Grand Theft Auto IV. Researchers at Rockstar developed a style guide based on real sayings of the time period.[79] Rockstar hired Rod Edge as the full-time director to handle the game's performances,[83][84] recorded using motion capture technology, with additional dialogue and sound effects recorded in a studio;[85][86] the performance capture was recorded in Santa Monica, California.[87]: 6:03  After an audition process, Rob Wiethoff was selected to portray John Marston.[85] John was developed to be a nuanced character, as opposed to an explicit villain or hero,[80] and a "family man".[81] Steve J. Palmer, who portrayed Bill Williamson, felt that John and Bill represented siblings in their former gang, while Dutch van der Linde was more of a parental figure.[88] Benjamin Byron Davis, who portrayed Dutch, was told that Dutch was a well-read, charismatic former gang leader who had "lost his mind".[87]: 11:59 

Red Dead Redemption is one of the first games by Rockstar to use an original score. Music supervisor Ivan Pavlovich cited the large scale of the game as one of the largest difficulties when producing the score; to achieve an effective gaming experience, the game could not solely feature licensed music, like previous Rockstar games.[89] In 2008, Rockstar engaged musicians Bill Elm and Woody Jackson, who collaborated to compose approximately 200 tracks for the game over 15 months.[90][91][92] The original score and subsequent album were both recorded and mixed at Jackson's studio, Electro-Vox Recording Studios in Los Angeles, and mastered at Capitol Studios.[89] When researching music for inspiration, Jackson found that there was no "Western sound" in 1911; he felt that the soundtracks of 1960s Western films, such as Ennio Morricone's work on the Dollars Trilogy, was more representative of Western music.[93] Rockstar also consulted musicians who played traditional Western instruments, such as harmonica player Tommy Morgan.[94] The game also features vocal performances by Ashtar Command, José González, Jamie Lidell, and William Elliott Whitmore.[95]

Release and promotion[edit]

Red Dead Redemption received an extensive marketing campaign, including an exhibition at PAX East in March 2010.

An early trailer for an untitled Western project by Rockstar Games for PlayStation 3 was shown at Sony's E3 conference in May 2005; it was a technology demonstration of RAGE, and theorized to be a sequel to Red Dead Revolver.[96][97] Rockstar officially announced Red Dead Redemption on February 3, 2009.[98] The debut trailer was released on May 6, 2009, introducing the game's protagonist.[99] The game received an extensive and expensive marketing campaign,[100] during which Rockstar partnered with several companies and media outlets, including IGN, GameSpot, LoveFilm, Microsoft, and YouTube.[101] To encourage pre-order sales, Rockstar collaborated with several retail outlets to provide pre-order bonuses, including exclusive in-game horses, outfits, and weapons.[102] Rockstar also released a special edition of the game in special packaging, with a copy of the soundtrack.[103] The game was exhibited at PAX East in late March 2010, with a 15–30 minute playable demonstration.[104][105] Rockstar released a Facebook application, Red Dead Redemption: Gunslingers, in April 2010.[106] The following month, Red Dead Redemption: The Man from Blackwater, a machinima short film directed by John Hillcoat, aired in the United States on the television network Fox.[107] The game missed its original projected late 2009 and April 2010 release dates,[98][108] pushed back to May 18, 2010, in North America, and May 21 internationally, citing the "optimal time frame" for release.[109]

Downloadable content (DLC) for the game was released following its launch,[110] with focus on maps and game types suggested by the community.[111] Outlaws to the End, released on June 22, 2010, added six cooperative side missions for multiplayer. Legends and Killers was released on August 10, 2010, and added multiplayer characters from Red Dead Revolver, as well as new map locations and a Tomahawk weapon. On September 21, 2010, Liars and Cheats added competitive multiplayer modes, minigames, characters, and a weapon.[112] Hunting and Trading, released on October 12, 2010, added a jackalope to the game's world, and some additional outfits.[113] Undead Nightmare adds a single-player campaign, set in a non-canonical, zombie apocalypse-themed alternate reality with ghost towns and cemeteries full of zombies, wherein John searches for a cure to the zombie outbreak.[114] It was released on October 26, 2010, as DLC and in late November as a standalone expansion pack.[115] Myths and Maverick released for free on September 13, 2011, adding additional characters and locations to the multiplayer.[116] A Game of the Year Edition containing all downloadable content was released for both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on October 11, 2011, in North America and on October 14, 2011, internationally.[117]

Microsoft added the game, along with Undead Nightmare, to its backward compatibility list for Xbox One, the successor to the Xbox 360, in July 2016;[118] Red Dead Redemption had been one of the most requested titles for the feature.[118][119] The game's sales position on Amazon.com spiked following the announcement.[119] The release runs at a smoother frame rate on the Xbox One.[120] In April 2018, the game received an update as an "Xbox One X enhanced" title, making it playable at 4K resolution (an increase from the game's original 720p resolution) with graphical improvements on the high-end revision of Xbox One, called Xbox One X.[121] The Xbox Series X and Series S can also play the game, with the higher-end Series X running it with its Xbox One X-specific enhancements.[122] Sony added Red Dead Redemption and Undead Nightmare to its PlayStation Now cloud gaming subscription service in December 2016, which allowed them to be played on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Windows;[123] they were removed in October 2022.[124]

According to industry sources, Rockstar shelved a Red Dead Redemption remaster after the poor reception of Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition (2021), instead increasing focus on development for Grand Theft Auto VI.[125] Media speculation restarted in June 2023 after the Game Rating and Administration Committee in South Korea gave Red Dead Redemption a new game rating,[126] and in July after updates to Rockstar's website included minor changes to the game's logos and achievements.[127][128] In August, Rockstar announced the single-player modes of Red Dead Redemption and Undead Nightmare would release for the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 on August 17, developed by Double Eleven. Physical versions were released on October 13.[2] Reactions to the announcement were mixed, with the trailer receiving mostly dislikes on YouTube; some journalists and players appreciated the game becoming available on modern consoles, but lamented the lack of visual and frame rate upgrades, absence of a Windows release, omission of multiplayer, and US$49.99 price point.[129][130][131] An update in October added an option to increase the frame rate from 30 to 60 frames-per-second when played on PlayStation 5 via backward compatibility.[132]

Reception[edit]

Critical response[edit]

Red Dead Redemption received "universal acclaim" from critics, according to review aggregator Metacritic.[133] It is among the highest-rated games on Metacritic,[137] and is ranked the sixth-highest rated PlayStation 3 and seventh-highest rated Xbox 360 game.[138][139] Brudvig of IGN described Red Dead Redemption as "a must-play" and "one of the deepest, most fun, and most gorgeous games around";[30] GamePro's Will Herring named it Rockstar's best game to date, a culmination of its previous successes.[10] Simon Parkin of Eurogamer concluded that Red Dead Redemption was "a blockbuster video game: a string of cinematic set-pieces and flawed yet endearing characters nestled within an orthodox narrative structure, seasoned with generous pinches of extra-curricular tasks".[6]

IGN's Brudvig identified that Red Dead Redemption's narrative themes reflected modern society, including racism, government power, and immigration;[30] Will Tuttle of GameSpy found that they occasionally felt "preachy", but were typically more nuanced than expected.[136] Mike Channell of Official Xbox Magazine (OXM) considered the death of the Wild West a pressure that loomed over the narrative.[140] Matt Bertz of Game Informer felt that the narrative momentum suffered from the length of the missions in Mexico, but praised the game's ending for using a "sense of immersiveness only a video game can impart".[12] IGN's Brudvig similarly lauded the game's climax as one of the best in gaming.[30] Herring of GamePro was surprised by the likability of John Marston, describing him as "one of the more sympathetic antiheroes in recent memory".[10] He also felt that, despite being based on caricatures of Spaghetti Western films, the game's secondary characters were "interesting enough that they never feel contrived";[10] conversely, Paste reviewer Kirk Hamilton opined that the "clichéd and unlikeable" supporting characters undermined the narrative.[141] GameSpot's Justin Calvert applauded the detail of the "deeply flawed but very likable" Marston, noting that his scars and outfit made him feel more believable.[9] Brudvig of IGN wrote that Marston's motivations were occasionally confusing and felt alienated from the narrative.[30]

The song "Far Away" by José González plays as Marston enters Mexico in a scene described by critics as "perfect" and "beautiful".[142][143]

Game Informer's Bertz named Red Dead Redemption the "best-looking Rockstar game to date".[12] IGN's Brudvig lauded the environmental details and noted that the game's dynamic events and weather provided a rich experience for players.[30] GamePro's Herring considered the game's open world superior to its contemporaries, appreciating the change from Grand Theft Auto IV's "brown, muddy 'realism' filter".[10] Tuttle of GameSpy named the game's environment its most impressive element, praising the ecology and geography.[136] Parkin of Eurogamer noted that the world was as dense as Grand Theft Auto IV's Liberty City while maintaining the Western theme of isolation.[5] Edge felt that the world felt emptier than Liberty City, but "Rockstar proves far better at guiding your eye to the relevant parts".[7] Reviewers praised the side missions that appear throughout the game world;[5][12] Scott Sharkey of 1Up.com described them as "perfect little micro-dramas".[134] Edge wrote that the variety in side content avoided the repetition present in Assassin's Creed.[7]

Bertz of Game Informer wrote that Red Dead Redemption "tranpose[d] the Grand Theft Auto gameplay template onto a Wild West setting".[12] Good Game reviewer Stephanie Bendixsen felt that the game used the best elements of Grand Theft Auto IV.[144] GameSpot's Calvert lauded the bounty system for adding consequence to the player's actions.[9] The horseback controls received praise from critics;[12][145] GamePro's Herring found that they added authenticity.[10] Parkin of Eurogamer named the relationship between the player and their horse as among the game's greatest successes, but noted some awkward controls, particularly when running.[5] Edge felt that the Dead Eye mechanic "puts gunplay on a pedestal";[7] Brudvig of IGN wrote that it "makes you feel like a classic gunslinger".[30] Eurogamer's Parkin compared the combat favorably to Rockstar's previous titles, particularly praising the horseback shootouts, but criticized the "sticky and outdated" cover mechanic.[6] Bertz of Game Informer found the aiming and cover system to be as "airtight" as in Grand Theft Auto IV, and lauded the uniqueness of the weapons and animations.[12] OXM's Channell commended the variety and handling of the weaponry.[140] G4's Jake Gaskill opined that the Dead Eye "can feel a bit too powerful at times".[146]

GameSpy writer Tuttle found that the minimalist score added to the world's authenticity.[136] Herring of GamePro compared the soundtrack favorably to Ennio Morricone's work on the Dollars Trilogy.[10] Eurogamer's Parkin named it "standout", praising the use of multiple instruments.[6] Calvert of GameStop described the soundtrack as "superb", though noted that it "occasionally swells up without reason".[9] PSM3's Andy Hartup wrote that the music complemented the action and scenery, never feeling intrusive.[147] Paste's Hamilton thought that the score was integrated into the world seamlessly.[141] The game's vocal tracks also received praise;[147][148] the scene wherein Marston enters Mexico was described as "beautiful" by GamesRadar's Matt Cundy due to the use of the song "Far Away" by José González.[142]

Red Dead Redemption's multiplayer received mixed commentary. Bertz of Game Informer described it as "a fully featured complement" to the single-player.[12] GamePro's Herring praised the variety of modes and open gameplay, but noted that it put more responsibility on the players for keeping the game interesting.[10] Calvert of GameSpot felt that there was a lack in customization options for players.[9] Sharkey of 1Up.com criticized the leveling mechanics.[149] G4's Jake Gaskill echoed this sentiment, noting that the game often respawns players in close proximity to the opposition.[146]

The Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 versions of Red Dead Redemption and Undead Nightmare received "generally favorable reviews" according to Metacritic,[150] and 65% of critics recommended the game, according to OpenCritic.[151] Several reviewers praised the portability and performance of the Switch version[156][157][158] and considered it an improvement over Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition;[154][159][160] GamesRadar+'s Joe Donnelly favorably compared it to Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (2005) for putting an impressive open world on a handheld console.[161] Eurogamer's Oliver Mackenzie favored the PlayStation version over Xbox due to anti-aliasing, shadows, and upsampling enhancements, though noted improvements were otherwise sparse and criticized the lack of updates to menus and art.[162] Push Square's Robert Ramsey lauded the increased resolution but bemoaned new animation errors and the lack of frame rate upgrades.[155] Reviewers criticized the US$49.99 price, particularly due to lack of visual improvements, gameplay enhancements, and omission of multiplayer;[156][152][163] Nintendo Life's PJ O'Reilly called the release "bare-bones".[153]

Accolades[edit]

Red Dead Redemption won the Game Developers Choice Award for Game of the Year.

Red Dead Redemption received multiple nomination and awards from gaming publications. At the Spike Video Game Awards in 2010, the game received ten nominations and went on to win four awards: Game of the Year, Best Song in a Game ("Far Away"), Best Original Score, and Best DLC (Undead Nightmare).[164][165] The game led the 14th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards with nine nominations and five awards, winning Action Game of the Year and Outstanding Character Performance for Wiethoff's portrayal of John Marston.[166][167] At the 11th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards, Red Dead Redemption won four awards of five nominations, including Game of the Year and Best Game Design.[168][169] It received ten nominations at the 9th Annual Game Audio Network Guild Awards,[170] of which it won four: Audio of the Year, Music of the Year, Best Interactive Score, and Best Dialogue.[171] The game was not nominated for any of the jury-based awards at the British Academy Games Awards as Rockstar did not submit it for consideration.[172] The game appeared on several year-end lists of the best games of 2010, receiving Game of the Year wins from outlets such as 1Up.com,[173] Computer and Video Games,[174] Digital Spy,[175] Gamasutra,[176] Game Informer,[177] GameSpot,[178] GameSpy,[179] GamesRadar,[180] Good Game,[181] The Guardian,[182] Kotaku,[183] and VentureBeat.[184]

Award Date Category Recipient(s) and nominee(s) Result Ref.
British Academy Video Games Awards March 16, 2011 GAME Award of 2010 Red Dead Redemption Nominated [185]
Game Audio Network Guild Awards March 3, 2011 Audio of the Year Red Dead Redemption Won [171]
Music of the Year Red Dead Redemption Won
Best Interactive Score Red Dead Redemption Won
Best Dialogue Red Dead Redemption Won
Sound Design of the Year Red Dead Redemption Nominated [170]
Best Soundtrack Album Red Dead Redemption Nominated
Best Cinematic/Cut-Scene Audio Red Dead Redemption Nominated
Best Original Instrumental "Main Theme" Nominated
Best Original Vocal – Pop "Dead Man's Gun" Nominated
"Far Away" Nominated
Game Developers Choice Awards March 3, 2011 Game of the Year Red Dead Redemption Won [168]
Best Game Design Red Dead Redemption Won
Best Technology Red Dead Redemption Won
Best Audio Red Dead Redemption Won
Best Writing Red Dead Redemption Nominated [169]
Golden Joystick Awards October 29, 2010 Ultimate Game of the Year Red Dead Redemption Nominated [186]
Action/Adventure Game of the Year Red Dead Redemption Third [187]
Interactive Achievement Awards February 11, 2011 Action Game of the Year Red Dead Redemption Won [166]
Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction Red Dead Redemption Won
Outstanding Achievement in Gameplay Engineering Red Dead Redemption Won
Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction Red Dead Redemption Won
Outstanding Character Performance Rob Wiethoff as John Marston Won
Game of the Year Red Dead Redemption Nominated [167]
Outstanding Innovation in Gaming Red Dead Redemption Nominated
Outstanding Achievement in Animation Red Dead Redemption Nominated
Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design Red Dead Redemption Nominated
Spike Video Game Awards December 11, 2010 Game of the Year Red Dead Redemption Won [164]
Best Song in a Game "Far Away" by José González Won
Best Original Score Red Dead Redemption Won
Best DLC Undead Nightmare Won
Studio of the Year Rockstar San Diego Nominated [165]
Character of the Year John Marston Nominated
Best PS3 Game Red Dead Redemption Nominated
Best Action Adventure Game Red Dead Redemption Nominated
Best Graphics Red Dead Redemption Nominated
Best Performance by a Human Male Rob Wiethoff as John Marston Nominated
December 7, 2012 Game of the Decade Red Dead Redemption Nominated [188]

Sales[edit]

Prior to the release of Red Dead Redemption, Michael Pachter of Wedbush Securities estimated that it would need to sell at least 1.75 million units (generating US$80 million) to break-even, and 3.5 million units (US$160 million) to earn a profit. According to Joystiq, a source at Rockstar claimed that the game required four million sales to recoup development costs, but that the publisher expected to lose money and was more interested in proving the talent of Rockstar San Diego.[189]

Red Dead Redemption was the best-selling game of May 2010, selling over 1.5 million copies, according to the NPD Group.[190] It sold over five million copies in its first three weeks.[191] In June 2010, distributor Take-Two Interactive CEO Ben Feder stated that the game was nearing profitability for the company.[192] By September 2010, the game had shipped 6.9 million copies,[193] exceeding Take-Two's performance expectations for the quarter.[194] It was the fifth best-selling game of 2010;[195] the Xbox 360 version was the ninth best-selling individual platform game.[196] The game sold 8 million copies by February 2011, contributing to a 7.7 percent profit increase for Take-Two for the quarter.[197] It shipped 8.5 million copies in its first year,[198] and over 11 million copies by August 2011, 2 million of which were retail units of Undead Nightmare.[199] By February 2017, Red Dead Redemption had shipped over 15 million units.[198] As of September 2021, the game and its prequel had shipped almost 62 million copies combined, with Red Dead Redemption around 23 million units shipped, making it one of the best-selling video games.[200]

The game topped the charts in the United Kingdom following its release,[201] maintaining the top position until the release of Lego Harry Potter: Years 1–4 in June 2010.[202] According to GfK Chart-Track, 65 percent of UK sales in the first week were on Xbox 360.[203] The game was the fourth best-selling game in the United Kingdom in 2010, as well as the fourth best-selling PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 title.[204] The game sold over 95,000 units in its first week in Japan; the PlayStation 3 version was the fourth best-selling game of the week with over 70,000 sales, while the Xbox 360 version was seventh with over 25,000 sales.[205]

Legacy[edit]

Critics concurred that Red Dead Redemption was among the best games of the seventh generation of video game consoles.[206][207][208] Eurogamer's Dan Whitehead hoped the eighth generation of consoles would offer "similarly powerful experiences".[206] In September 2013, IGN ranked Red Dead Redemption the fifth-best PlayStation 3 and seventh-best Xbox 360 game.[209][210] In February 2015, GamesRadar ranked it sixth on its list of best games, recognizing its superiority in narrative over Rockstar's 2013 title Grand Theft Auto V.[211] In July 2015, the game ranked tenth on USgamer's "The 15 Best Games Since 2000" list; Jaz Rignall described it as "one of the finest open world games so far seen", praising its gameplay, visuals, soundtrack, narrative, and characterization.[212] GamesRadar+ named it the fourth-best game of the decade in December 2019, comparing it favorably to other sandbox games Grand Theft Auto V and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (2015).[213] The game ranked high on several best game lists determined by the public; it featured seventh on Good Game's "Top 100 Games" list, and fifth on IGN's "Games of a Generation" list, as voted by the program and website's respective audiences.[214][215]

A prequel, Red Dead Redemption 2, was released in October 2018 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The game's main story is set in 1899, 12 years before Red Dead Redemption, and depicts John's life as part of Dutch's gang alongside Bill, Javier, Uncle, Abigail, and Jack. Players control fellow gang member Arthur Morgan.[216]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Additional work by Rockstar North, Rockstar Leeds, and Rockstar New England.[1] Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 versions developed by Double Eleven.[2]
  2. ^ Rockstar addressed the game's griefing problem by introducing a Friendly Free Roam in an update on October 23, 2010.[16]
  3. ^ Edge originally gave the game 9/10,[7] but retroactively changed the score to 10/10.[135]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Rockstar Games 2010, pp. 15–17.
  2. ^ a b McWhertor, Michael; Carpenter, Nicole (August 7, 2023). "Rockstar's bringing Red Dead Redemption to modern platforms". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on August 7, 2023. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  3. ^ Alexandra, Heather (May 10, 2018). "I Love Red Dead Redemption, But I Don't Want To See John Marston Again". Kotaku. G/O Media. Archived from the original on May 10, 2018. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c Robinson, Martin (May 9, 2012). "Red Dead Redemption: Into the Wild". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on August 27, 2012. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  5. ^ a b c d Parkin, Simon (May 17, 2010). "Red Dead Redemption Review". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. p. 2. Archived from the original on May 20, 2010. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  6. ^ a b c d e Parkin, Simon (May 17, 2010). "Red Dead Redemption Review". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. p. 3. Archived from the original on May 20, 2010. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  7. ^ a b c d e "Review: Red Dead Redemption". Edge. Future plc. May 17, 2010. Archived from the original on May 18, 2012. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  8. ^ a b Kolan, Patrick (May 18, 2010). "Red Dead Redemption AU Review". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on August 27, 2012. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Calvert, Justin (May 18, 2010). "Red Dead Redemption Review". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on November 6, 2013. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i Herring, Will (May 7, 2010). "Red Dead Redemption Review". GamePro. International Data Group. Archived from the original on May 22, 2010. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  11. ^ Rockstar Games 2010, p. 13.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i Bertz, Matt (May 17, 2010). "Red Dead Redemption Review". Game Informer. GameStop. Archived from the original on May 20, 2010. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  13. ^ Rockstar Games 2010, p. 12.
  14. ^ Bogenn & Barba 2010, pp. 13–16.
  15. ^ Yoon, Andrew (April 8, 2010). "Red Dead Redemption's online 'Multiplayer Free Roam' revealed". Joystiq. Weblogs, Inc. Archived from the original on April 10, 2010. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  16. ^ a b R* Q (October 8, 2010). "Friendly Free Roam, Coming Very Soon to Red Dead Redemption Multiplayer". Rockstar Games. Archived from the original on January 14, 2014. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
  17. ^ Hieftje, Shin (April 16, 2014). "What Makes A Game Ending Memorable?". Game Informer. GameStop. Archived from the original on April 19, 2014. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  18. ^ a b c d e Margini 2020, p. 56.
  19. ^ a b Heritage, Stuart (July 19, 2017). "Do we need Red Dead Redemption 2 when the first provided gaming's best moment?". The Guardian. Archived from the original on July 19, 2017. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  20. ^ a b c Clark, Richard (September 15, 2010). "Opinion: How Faith Is Treated In Red Dead Redemption". Gamasutra. UBM plc. Archived from the original on May 11, 2012. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  21. ^ a b Pallant 2013, p. 140.
  22. ^ Whitaker 2023, p. 63.
  23. ^ a b Robinson, Martin (February 27, 2010). "Red Dead Redemption: Once Upon a Time in the West". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on July 30, 2014. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  24. ^ Spring 2015, p. 214.
  25. ^ Humphreys 2012.
  26. ^ Spring 2015, p. 213.
  27. ^ a b c d e McCarter, Reid (August 8, 2016). "Red Dead Redemption Never Escapes the Past". Bullet Points Monthly. Archived from the original on October 2, 2016. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  28. ^ Wright 2021, p. 8.
  29. ^ Margini 2020, p. 45.
  30. ^ a b c d e f g h Brudvig, Erik (May 17, 2010). "Red Dead Redemption Review". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on August 27, 2012. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  31. ^ Humphreys 2012, p. 210.
  32. ^ Westerside & Holopainen 2019, p. 5.
  33. ^ Humphreys 2012, p. 211.
  34. ^ Tuominen & Sotamaa 2021, p. 17–20.
  35. ^ Margini 2020, p. 8.
  36. ^ Margini 2020, p. 6.
  37. ^ Margini 2020, p. 29.
  38. ^ Alexandra, Heather (May 18, 2017). "Red Dead Redemption Is All About Failure". Kotaku. Gawker Media. Archived from the original on May 18, 2017. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  39. ^ Triana 2015, pp. 15–16.
  40. ^ Roberts, David (December 17, 2015). "Watch gaming's most satisfying character switches". GamesRadar+. Future plc. Archived from the original on October 12, 2015. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  41. ^ McLevy, Alex; Dowd, A. A.; Barsanti, Sam; Hughes, William (May 20, 2020). "Games over: The best endings in gaming". The A.V. Club. G/O Media. Archived from the original on June 12, 2021. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  42. ^ a b Sheehan, Jason (January 23, 2017). "Reading The Game: Red Dead Redemption". NPR. Archived from the original on January 24, 2017. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  43. ^ Elston 2013, p. 142.
  44. ^ Margini 2020, p. 73.
  45. ^ Welsh 2016, pp. 167–168.
  46. ^ Bartel 2012, p. 13.
  47. ^ a b Gwaltney, Javy (October 17, 2016). "The Virtual Life: Red Dead Redemption, Grand Theft Auto IV, And The Great American Lie". Game Informer. GameStop. Archived from the original on January 4, 2019. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  48. ^ Triana 2015, p. 2.
  49. ^ Margini 2020, p. 105.
  50. ^ a b Triana 2015, p. 13.
  51. ^ Humphreys 2012, p. 204.
  52. ^ Humphreys 2012, p. 207.
  53. ^ a b Triana 2015, p. 18.
  54. ^ Humphreys 2012, p. 206.
  55. ^ Margini 2020, pp. 49–50.
  56. ^ Margini 2020, p. 62.
  57. ^ Humphreys 2012, p. 203.
  58. ^ Triana 2015, p. 9.
  59. ^ Triana 2015, pp. 16–17.
  60. ^ Margini 2020, p. 55.
  61. ^ Tuominen & Sotamaa 2021, p. 18.
  62. ^ Humphreys 2012, pp. 207–208.
  63. ^ Byrd 2014, p. 345.
  64. ^ Elston 2013, p. 149.
  65. ^ a b Wright 2021, p. 9.
  66. ^ Margini 2020, p. 28.
  67. ^ a b c d e f g Onyett, Charles (May 8, 2009). "Red Dead Redemption: A Man and His Horse". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  68. ^ Hester, Blake (October 17, 2018). "How the Red Dead franchise began". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on October 17, 2018. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  69. ^ Robinson, Martin (February 23, 2010). "The Revolution of Red Dead". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on August 24, 2012. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  70. ^ Webster, Andrew (July 15, 2010). "Rockstar cleans house, Red Dead Redemption team axed". Ars Technica. Condé Nast. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
  71. ^ Hester, Blake (January 7, 2022). "The Version Of Bully 2 You'll Never Get To Play". Game Informer. GameStop. Archived from the original on January 8, 2022. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  72. ^ Purchese, Robert (April 12, 2011). "Red Dead Redemption was for PS2, Xbox". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on July 4, 2022. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  73. ^ "A Fistful of Video Game Dollars". The Independent. London. May 21, 2010. p. 20. Archived from the original on August 18, 2022. Retrieved August 18, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  74. ^ Schiesel, Seth (May 16, 2010). "Video Game Review - 'Red Dead Redemption' Brings Old West to Life". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 28, 2014. Retrieved September 4, 2014.
  75. ^ Rockstar Spouse (July 1, 2010). "Rockstar Spouse's Blog - Wives of Rockstar San Diego employees have collected themselves". Gamasutra. UBM TechWeb. Archived from the original on August 23, 2014. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
  76. ^ McWhertor, Michael (January 15, 2010). "IDGA Condemns Alleged Rockstar Work Conditions". Kotaku. Gawker Media. Archived from the original on March 29, 2012. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  77. ^ a b Walla, Claire (May 18, 2010). "Red Dead Redemption's Cinematic Ancestors, From John Ford to Sergio Leone". Vanity Fair. Condé Nast. Archived from the original on April 13, 2015. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  78. ^ a b Cabral, Matt (April 7, 2010). "Interview: Christian Cantamessa – Red Dead Redemption". GameFan. Paper Planet LLC. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
  79. ^ a b Onyett, Charles (May 11, 2009). "Red Dead Redemption: Into the Wild West". IGN. Ziff Davis. p. 2. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  80. ^ a b c d e Staff (February 11, 2010). "Red Dead Redemption Exclusive Q&A". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on November 13, 2014. Retrieved August 29, 2014.
  81. ^ a b Snider, Mike (May 26, 2010). "'Red Dead Redemption' Q&A with Rockstar's Dan Houser". USA Today. Gannett Company. Archived from the original on December 4, 2010. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  82. ^ GameSpot Staff (May 10, 2010). "Breaking in the Digital Horses of Red Dead Redemption". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on October 31, 2014. Retrieved October 5, 2014.
  83. ^ Robinson, Martin (February 26, 2010). "Red Dead Redemption: Once Upon a Time in the West". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  84. ^ Reilly, Luke (May 22, 2020). "Red Dead Redemption 10 Years On: How Rockstar Won the West". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on May 21, 2020. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  85. ^ a b Stafford, Patrick (June 19, 2013). "What happened to John Marston". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  86. ^ Murphy, Denis (March 28, 2011). "John Marston Speaks! An Interview With Rob Wiethoff". The Gaming Liberty. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  87. ^ a b 10 Years of Red Dead Redemption with Dutch actor Benjamin Byron Davis. MCM London Comic Con. May 22, 2020. Archived from the original on June 5, 2020. Retrieved August 14, 2022 – via YouTube.
  88. ^ Murphy, Denis (September 30, 2010). "Bill Williamson Speaks! An Interview With Steve J. Palmer". The Gaming Liberty. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  89. ^ a b Stuart, Keith (May 26, 2010). "Redemption songs: the making of the Red Dead Redemption soundtrack". The Guardian. Archived from the original on October 8, 2014. Retrieved August 17, 2014.
  90. ^ Weiss, Jeff (November 20, 2013). "Woody Jackson Helped Score Grand Theft Auto, But That's the Least of It". LA Weekly. Semanal Media LLC. Archived from the original on September 30, 2018. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  91. ^ Parrondo, Néstor (September 12, 2019). "Red Dead Redemption 2: así se hizo la banda sonora de uno de los videojuegos mejor ambientados de la historia" [Red Dead Redemption 2: this is how the soundtrack of one of the best set video games in history was made]. GQ España (in Spanish). Condé Nast. Archived from the original on August 9, 2020. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  92. ^ Bonaldi, Mario (November 11, 2018). ""Per un pugno di pixel", parla il compositore di Red Dead Redemption 2" ["For a handful of pixels," says the composer of Red Dead Redemption 2]. Rolling Stone (in Italian). Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on July 9, 2019. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  93. ^ Jeriaska, Jerry (November 4, 2011). "Myths, Mavericks, And Music Of Red Dead Redemption". Gamasutra. UBM plc. Archived from the original on September 30, 2018. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  94. ^ R* Q (July 28, 2010). "Behind the Scenes of the Red Dead Redemption Soundtrack". Rockstar Newswire. Rockstar Games. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  95. ^ "Features: Soundtrack" (PDF). Rockstar Games. Archived from the original on August 12, 2022. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  96. ^ Sulic, Ivan (May 17, 2005). "E3 2005: Rockstar Supports PS3". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on October 11, 2015. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  97. ^ Dunham, Jeremy (May 27, 2005). "The Games of PlayStation 3: Uncovered!". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on September 27, 2012. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  98. ^ a b Robinson, Martin (February 4, 2009). "Red Dead Redemption Announced". IGN. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
  99. ^ Goldstein, Hilary (May 6, 2009). "Red Dead Redemption: Welcome to the Wild West". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on September 11, 2013. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
  100. ^ Martin, Matt (March 4, 2010). "Take-Two failing to make profits in non-GTA years". Gamesindustry.biz. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on August 14, 2022. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  101. ^ "Red Dead Redemption hits the big screen". MCV/Develop. Biz Media. April 5, 2010. Archived from the original on July 15, 2020. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  102. ^ Gilbert, Ben (February 10, 2010). "Red Dead Redemption pre-order bonuses announced". Joystiq. Weblogs, Inc. Archived from the original on February 12, 2010. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
  103. ^ Nunneley, Stephany (March 5, 2010). "GameStop announces Red Dead Redemption pre-order winner". VG247. videogaming247 Ltd. Archived from the original on August 13, 2022. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
  104. ^ Miller, Greg (March 27, 2010). "PAX East 10: Red Dead redemption Progress Report". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on October 10, 2014. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
  105. ^ Fayor, Chris (March 27, 2010). "Red Dead Redemption Preview: 30 Minutes in Rockstar's Wild West". Shacknews. Gamerhub. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
  106. ^ Reeves, Ben (April 12, 2010). "Red Dead Redemption: Gunslingers Hits Facebook". Game Informer. GameStop. Archived from the original on April 14, 2010. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
  107. ^ Nunneley, Stephany (May 26, 2010). "Red Dead Redemption animated film hits Fox on Saturday". VG247. videogaming247 Ltd. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
  108. ^ Reilly, Jim (November 27, 2009). "Red Dead Redemption Release Date Now Official". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on November 2, 2012. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
  109. ^ Jackson, Mike (March 4, 2010). "News: Red Dead Redemption delayed to May". Computer and Video Games. Future plc. Archived from the original on August 22, 2014. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
  110. ^ Makuch, Eddie (July 8, 2010). "Red Dead Redemption getting four DLC packs". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on June 14, 2021. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  111. ^ Brudvig, Erik (September 24, 2010). "Rockstar Talks Red Dead Redemption DLC". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on December 27, 2012. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  112. ^ Totilo, Stephen (July 8, 2010). "Red Dead Redemption Adding Zombies, Multiplayer Poker, More". Kotaku. Gawker Media. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved April 10, 2013.
  113. ^ Sliwinksi, Alexander (October 5, 2010). "Red Dead Redemption adding free outfits and ... jackalopes". Joystiq. Weblogs, Inc. Archived from the original on October 7, 2010. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  114. ^ Reparaz, Mikel (October 14, 2010). "Red Dead Redemption – Undead Nightmare hands-on". GamesRadar. Future plc. Archived from the original on October 11, 2014. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
  115. ^ Cullen, Johnny (October 26, 2010). "RDR: Undead Nightmare disc SKU gets US and EU dates". VG247. videogaming247 Ltd. Archived from the original on October 29, 2010. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  116. ^ Yoon, Andrew (September 1, 2011). "Red Dead Redemption 'Myths and Mavericks' DLC detailed". Shacknews. Gamerhub. Archived from the original on November 1, 2011. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  117. ^ Goldfarb, Andrew (September 14, 2011). "Red Dead GOTY Edition This Fall". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 5, 2014.
  118. ^ a b Frank, Allegra (July 5, 2016). "Red Dead Redemption will finally be backward compatible with Xbox One". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on July 5, 2016. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
  119. ^ a b Hussain, Tamoor (July 6, 2016). "Red Dead Redemption Sales Jump 6000% After Xbox One Backwards Compatibility Announcement". GameSpot. Archived from the original on July 9, 2016. Retrieved July 12, 2016.
  120. ^ Frank, Allegra (July 8, 2016). "Is Red Dead Redemption any better on Xbox One?". Polygon. Archived from the original on July 11, 2016. Retrieved July 12, 2016.
  121. ^ Morgan, Thomas (April 4, 2018). "Xbox One X's 4K Red Dead Redemption looks sensational". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on April 13, 2018. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  122. ^ Sarkar, Samit (September 15, 2020). "Here's how the Xbox Series S and Series X will handle backward compatibility". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on September 16, 2020. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  123. ^ Sarkar, Samit (November 30, 2016). "Play Red Dead Redemption on PS4 and PC next week, thanks to PS Now". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on November 30, 2016. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  124. ^ Phillips, Tom (October 18, 2022). "After six years, Red Dead Redemption has gone from PlayStation streaming". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on October 18, 2022. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  125. ^ Zwiezen, Zack (July 5, 2022). "Red Dead Redemption, GTA IV Remasters Shelved After GTA Trilogy Debacle". Kotaku. G/O Media. Archived from the original on July 5, 2022. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
  126. ^ Dinsdale, Ryan (June 28, 2023). "Fresh Red Dead Redemption Rating Sparks Remaster Rumours". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on July 5, 2023. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  127. ^ Troughton, James (June 30, 2023). "Red Dead Redemption Achievements Get HD Update Amidst Remake Rumours". TheGamer. Valnet. Archived from the original on June 30, 2023. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  128. ^ Bailey, Dustin (July 27, 2023). "Red Dead Redemption remake hopefuls set themselves up for further heartbreak after Rockstar website update". GamesRadar+. Future plc. Archived from the original on July 27, 2023. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  129. ^ Plant, Logan (August 8, 2023). "Red Dead Redemption Fans Protest Release They're Calling Overpriced, Lacking New Features". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on August 8, 2023. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  130. ^ Ngan, Liv (August 8, 2023). "Red Dead Redemption PS4 and Switch ports spark disappointment among fans". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on August 8, 2023. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  131. ^ Ramsey, Robert (August 8, 2023). "Red Dead Redemption PS4 Announcement Gets Slaughtered by Fans". Push Square. Hookshot Media. Archived from the original on August 8, 2023. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  132. ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (October 4, 2023). "Red Dead Redemption Update 1.03 Quietly Adds 60fps". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on October 4, 2023. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  133. ^ a b "Red Dead Redemption". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Archived from the original on September 14, 2023. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
  134. ^ a b Sharkey, Scott (May 17, 2010). "Red Dead Redemption Review". 1Up.com. Ziff Davis. p. 1. Archived from the original on July 24, 2012. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  135. ^ "The ten amendments: we crown seven games from the last 20 years of Edge with a retrospective 10". Edge. Future plc. September 18, 2013. Archived from the original on September 20, 2013.
  136. ^ a b c d Tuttle, Will (May 19, 2010). "Red Dead Redemption Review". GameSpy. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on May 21, 2010. Retrieved May 19, 2010.
  137. ^ "What Games to Play Right Now". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. p. 3. Archived from the original on September 14, 2023. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
  138. ^ "What Games to Play on PS3". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Archived from the original on September 14, 2023. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
  139. ^ "What Games to Play on Xbox 360". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Archived from the original on September 14, 2023. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
  140. ^ a b Channell, Mike (May 17, 2010). "Xbox Review: Red Dead Redemption". Official Xbox Magazine. Future plc. Archived from the original on March 3, 2011. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  141. ^ a b Hamilton, Kirk (June 8, 2010). "Red Dead Redemption Review (Xbox 360)". Paste. Paste Media Group. Archived from the original on May 29, 2020. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  142. ^ a b Cundy, Matt (July 5, 2010). "Amazing. It's another classic gaming moment, courtesy of Rockstar". GamesRadar. Future plc. Archived from the original on February 23, 2015. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  143. ^ Serrels, Mark (December 24, 2010). "Gaming Moments of 2010 #1: Red Dead Redemption". Kotaku. Gawker Media. Archived from the original on December 27, 2010. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  144. ^ O'Donnell, Steven; Bendixsen, Stephanie (May 31, 2010). "Good Game Stories - Red Dead Redemption". Good Game. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on June 4, 2010. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  145. ^ Cowen, Nick (May 18, 2010). "Red Dead Redemption video game review". The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. Archived from the original on May 21, 2010. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  146. ^ a b Gaskill, Jake (May 17, 2010). "Red Dead Redemption for Xbox 360". G4TV. G4 Media. Archived from the original on May 25, 2010. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  147. ^ a b Hartup, Andy (May 17, 2010). "Review: Red Dead Redemption". PSM3. Future plc. Archived from the original on May 19, 2010. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  148. ^ Plunkett, Luke (June 8, 2010). "My Highlight Of Red Dead Redemption Is...This Song". Kotaku. Gawker Media. Archived from the original on June 10, 2010. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  149. ^ Sharkey, Scott (May 17, 2010). "Red Dead Redemption Review". 1Up.com. Ziff Davis. p. 2. Archived from the original on September 12, 2011. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  150. ^ a b c "Red Dead Redemption and Undead Nightmare". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Archived from the original on January 22, 2024. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  151. ^ a b "Red Dead Redemption (2023) Reviews". OpenCritic. Archived from the original on January 22, 2024. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  152. ^ a b Quesada, Daniel (August 17, 2023). "Análisis de Red Dead Redemption, el viaje a PS4 y Switch de uno de los mejores juegos de la Historia" [Analysis of Red Dead Redemption, the journey to PS4 and Switch of one of the best games in history]. HobbyConsolas (in Spanish). Axel Springer SE. Archived from the original on August 18, 2023. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
  153. ^ a b O'Reilly, PJ (August 18, 2023). "Red Dead Redemption Review (Switch eShop / Switch)". Nintendo Life. Hookshot Media. Archived from the original on August 18, 2023. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
  154. ^ a b Gruenwald, Michael (August 17, 2023). "Red Dead Redemption im Switch-Test: Auch auf der Nintendo-Konsole ein grandioses Erlebnis" [Red Dead Redemption on the Switch test: A great experience on the Nintendo console too]. PC Games (in German). Computec. p. 2. Archived from the original on August 18, 2023. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
  155. ^ a b Ramsey, Robert (August 23, 2023). "Mini Review: Red Dead Redemption (PS4)". Push Square. Hookshot Media. Archived from the original on August 24, 2023. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
  156. ^ a b c Madnani, Mikhail (August 22, 2023). "SwitchArcade Round-Up: Reviews Featuring 'Red Dead Redemption' & 'Quantum: Recharged', Plus New Releases, Sales, and More". TouchArcade. Archived from the original on August 24, 2023. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
  157. ^ Pugliese, Tommaso (August 17, 2023). "Red Dead Redemption, la recensione per Nintendo Switch del classico Rockstar Games" [Red Dead Redemption, the Nintendo Switch review of the classic Rockstar Games]. Multiplayer.it (in Italian). NetAddiction. Archived from the original on August 18, 2023. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
  158. ^ Williams, Leah J. (August 17, 2023). "Red Dead Redemption has earned its homecoming". Gameshub. Archived from the original on August 17, 2023. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
  159. ^ Zwiezen, Zack (August 17, 2023). "Red Dead Redemption On Switch Is Good, But The Price Is Still A Problem". Kotaku. G/O Media. Archived from the original on August 17, 2023. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
  160. ^ Webster, Andrew (August 17, 2023). "Red Dead Redemption works just fine on the Switch". The Verge. Vox Media. Archived from the original on August 17, 2023. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
  161. ^ Donnelly, Joe (August 17, 2023). "Red Dead Redemption on Switch transported me back in time to one of my favorite GTA moments". GamesRadar+. Future plc. Archived from the original on August 17, 2023. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
  162. ^ Mackenzie, Oliver (August 17, 2023). "Red Dead Redemption on PlayStation has one impressive upgrade". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on August 18, 2023. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
  163. ^ Delgado, Manu (August 17, 2023). "Análisis Red Dead Redemption en Switch: el port que una obra maestra merece (Switch)" [Analysis Red Dead Redemption on Switch: the port that a masterpiece deserves (Switch)]. Vandal (in Spanish). Archived from the original on August 18, 2023. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
  164. ^ a b R* F (December 11, 2010). "Update: Red Dead Redemption Wins Game of the Year and Jose Gonzalez Performs "Far Away" Live at the 2010 Spike Video Game Awards". Rockstar Newswire. Rockstar Games. Archived from the original on July 22, 2011. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  165. ^ a b Chester, Nick (November 17, 2010). "Nominees for Spike Video Game Awards 2010 revealed". Destructoid. ModernMethod. Archived from the original on November 20, 2010. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  166. ^ a b Sliwinski, Alexander (February 11, 2011). "Mass Effect 2 wins GOTY, RPG, storytelling awards at DICE 2011". Joystiq. Weblogs, Inc. Archived from the original on February 12, 2011. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
  167. ^ a b "2011 Interactive Achievement Awards". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on February 2, 2013. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
  168. ^ a b Orland, Kyle (March 3, 2011). "GDC 2011: Red Dead Redemption Tops Game Developers Choice Awards". Gamasutra. UBM Technology Group. Archived from the original on May 9, 2012. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  169. ^ a b Thorsen, Tor (March 3, 2011). "Red Dead Redemption lassos Game Developers Choice Awards". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on November 26, 2013. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  170. ^ a b Marie, Meagan (February 8, 2011). "9Th Annual G.A.N.G. Nominees Announced". Game Informer. GameStop. Archived from the original on February 12, 2011. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  171. ^ a b Brown, Nathan (March 7, 2011). "GDC 2011: Red Dead Redemption Wins 4 GANG Awards". Edge. Future plc. Archived from the original on May 31, 2013. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  172. ^ Minkley, Johnny (March 16, 2011). "BAFTA explains Red Dead snub". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on March 19, 2011. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  173. ^ "1UP's 2010 Game Of The Year Awards". 1Up.com. Ziff Davis. p. 4. Archived from the original on May 19, 2012. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  174. ^ "The Top 10 games of 2010". Computer and Video Games. Future plc. December 10, 2010. Archived from the original on December 12, 2010. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  175. ^ Reynolds, Matthew (December 26, 2010). "Feature: Top Ten Games of 2010". Digital Spy. Hearst Communications. Archived from the original on May 30, 2020. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  176. ^ "Gamasutra's Best of 2010: The Top 10 Games Of The Year". Gamasutra. UBM Technology Group. December 23, 2010. Archived from the original on December 25, 2010. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  177. ^ Turi, Tim (January 7, 2011). "Reader & Staff Game Of The Year 2010 Picks". Game Informer. GameStop. Archived from the original on January 10, 2011. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  178. ^ "Game of the Year - The Best Games of 2010". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on June 19, 2013. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  179. ^ Tuttle, Will; Scott, Ryan. "Game of the Year 2010". GameSpy. Ziff Davis. p. 9. Archived from the original on December 26, 2010. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  180. ^ "The Platinum Chalice Awards 2010". GamesRadar. Future plc. December 18, 2010. p. 6. Archived from the original on September 3, 2016. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  181. ^ O'Donnell, Steven; Bendixsen, Stephanie (December 6, 2010). "GG Awards 2010: Game of the Year". Good Game. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on December 9, 2010. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  182. ^ Stuart, Keith (December 24, 2010). "The Guardian Top 20 Games of 2010: part four". The Guardian. Archived from the original on May 8, 2015. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  183. ^ Crecente, Brian (January 25, 2011). "Kotaku's 2010 Game Of The Year". Kotaku. Gawker Media. Archived from the original on January 30, 2011. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  184. ^ Takahashi, Dean (December 15, 2010). "VentureBeat's top ten video games of the year (vote for your favorite)". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on December 18, 2010. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  185. ^ "2011 Winners & Nominees". British Academy of Film and Television Arts. February 15, 2011. Archived from the original on November 8, 2012. Retrieved April 11, 2013.
  186. ^ Nunneley, Stephany (October 29, 2010). "28th Annual Golden Joystick Awards done and dusted, here are your winners". VG247. videogaming247 Ltd. Archived from the original on October 30, 2010. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  187. ^ "Golden Joystick Awards 2010: the full list of winners". GamesRadar. Future plc. October 29, 2010. Archived from the original on October 13, 2012. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  188. ^ Taormina, Anthony (December 7, 2012). "2012 Spike Video Game Awards Winners List". Game Rant. Valnet, Inc. Archived from the original on December 9, 2012. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  189. ^ Gilbert, Ben (January 12, 2010). "Sources: Red Dead Redemption development in trouble [update]". Joystiq. AOL. Archived from the original on January 14, 2010. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  190. ^ Kohler, Chris (July 1, 2010). "May NPD Sales: Red Dead Redemption Kills It". Wired. Condé Nast. Archived from the original on July 23, 2016. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  191. ^ Nunneley, Stephany (June 8, 2010). "Take-Two Q2 2010 financials – Red Dead Redemption moves over 5M units". VG247. videogaming247 Ltd. Archived from the original on June 12, 2010. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  192. ^ Sliwinski, Alexander (June 29, 2010). "Red Dead Redemption will be profitable, Take-Two CEO says". Joystiq. AOL. Archived from the original on July 2, 2010. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  193. ^ Sliwinski, Alexander (September 2, 2010). "Red Dead Redemption has shipped 6.9 million units and counting". Joystiq. AOL. Archived from the original on September 5, 2010. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  194. ^ Bond, Paul (September 2, 2010). "'Red Dead Redemption' boosts Take-Two Q3". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on June 28, 2018. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  195. ^ Martin, Matt (January 14, 2011). "2010 US games sales down 5% to $19.3bn". Gamesindustry.biz. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on January 15, 2011. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  196. ^ Reilly, Jim (May 9, 2012). "The Best Selling Games of 2010". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on December 25, 2012. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  197. ^ Brown, Nathan (February 9, 2011). "Take-Two Profits Rise On Red Dead Success". Edge. Future plc. Archived from the original on May 31, 2013. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  198. ^ a b Makuch, Eddie (February 7, 2017). "Red Dead Redemption Shipped 15M Copies; Take-Two Promises Major Marketing For Sequel". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on April 26, 2017. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  199. ^ Graft, Kris (August 8, 2011). "Take-Two: Red Dead Redemption Ships 11M Units". Gamasutra. UBM Technology Group. Archived from the original on November 10, 2011. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  200. ^ Makuch, Eddie (November 3, 2021). "GTA 5 Sells 155 Million Copies Ahead Of PS5 And Xbox Series X|S Launch In 2022". GameSpot. Red Ventures. Archived from the original on November 3, 2021. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  201. ^ Gordon-Douglas, Christopher (June 2, 2010). "Red Dead Holds Top Spot on UK Sales Chart". PlayStation LifeStyle. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on June 5, 2010. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  202. ^ Cernea, Mihail (June 29, 2010). "UK Charts: Lego Harry Potter Brings Down Red Dead redemption". Softpedia. SoftNews NET SRL. Archived from the original on September 4, 2010. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  203. ^ Ingham, Tim (May 24, 2010). "Red Dead redemption 360 outsells PS3". Computer and Video Games. Future plc. Archived from the original on May 26, 2010. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  204. ^ Stuart, Keith (January 11, 2011). "The UK's top selling games of 2010". The Guardian. Archived from the original on May 30, 2020. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  205. ^ Sinclair, Brendan (October 15, 2010). "Big in Japan Oct. 4-10: Red Dead Redemption, Kingdom Hearts DS". GameStop. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on December 17, 2013. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  206. ^ a b Whitehead, Dan (October 22, 2013). "Games of the Generation: Red Dead Redemption". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on October 22, 2013. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  207. ^ "The Top Ten Games of the Generation". Hardcore Gamer. November 8, 2013. Archived from the original on November 10, 2013. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  208. ^ "Red Dead Redemption - #7 Top Games of a Generation". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on March 18, 2017. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  209. ^ Ingenito, Vince; Davis, Justin; Sliva, Marty; Dyer, Mitch; Sanchez, Miranda (May 3, 2017). "IGN's Top 25 PlayStation 3 Games". IGN. Ziff Davis. p. 3. Archived from the original on August 28, 2019. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  210. ^ Albert, Brian; McCaffrey, Ryan; Dyer, Mitch; Sanchez, Miranda; Ogilvie, Tristan; Tyrrel, Brandin (May 3, 2017). "The Top 25 Xbox 360 Games". IGN. Ziff Davis. p. 2. Archived from the original on November 6, 2018. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  211. ^ "The 100 best games ever". GamesRadar. Future plc. February 25, 2015. p. 10. Archived from the original on May 30, 2020. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  212. ^ Rignall, Jaz; Bailey, Kat (July 28, 2015). "The 15 Best Games Since 2000, Number 10: Red Dead Redemption". USgamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on July 29, 2015. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  213. ^ Meikleham, Dave (December 18, 2019). "Games that defined the Decade: Red Dead Redemption captures a sense of time and place unlike any other". GamesRadar+. Future plc. Archived from the original on December 18, 2019. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  214. ^ O'Donnell, Steven; Bendixsen, Stephanie (August 12, 2014). "Good Game Stories - Good Game Top 100 - Final List". Good Game. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on August 22, 2014. Retrieved August 23, 2014.
  215. ^ Krupa, Daniel (June 4, 2014). "Games of a Generation: Your Top 100". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on June 4, 2014. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  216. ^ Grodt, Jill (September 28, 2018). "The Gang's All Here: The Seven Characters Returning To Red Dead Redemption II". Game Informer. GameStop. Archived from the original on October 4, 2018. Retrieved May 30, 2020.

Bibliography[edit]

External links[edit]