Red Dead Redemption (NSP, XCI) ROM + v1.0.4 Update

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 and follows John Marston, a former outlaw whose wife and son are taken hostage by the government in ransom for his services as a hired gun. Having no other choice, Marston sets out to bring three members of his former gang to justice.

GAMEPLAY

Red Dead Redemption is a Western-themed action-adventure game played from a third-person perspective. The player controls John Marston and completes missions—linear scenarios with set objectives—to progress through the story; in the game’s epilogue, the player controls John’s son Jack. Outside of missions, players may freely roam the open world environment, consisting of the American states New Austin and West Elizabeth—fictionalized versions of the Western United States—and the fictional Mexican state of Nuevo Paraíso.

Different breeds of horses are the main forms of transportation, each with different attributes. Horses must be tamed in the wild, stolen, or purchased to use them. The player can utilize trains and carriages for quick travel. The game’s undeveloped land makes up the largest portion of the game world, featuring various rugged and vast landscapes with occasional travelers, bandits, and wildlife. Urban settlements range from isolated farmhouses to crowded towns.

The player can witness and partake in random events as they explore the game world, including public hangings, ambushes, pleas for assistance, encounters with strangers, ride-by shootings, and dangerous animal attacks. Optional side activities are also available, such as dueling, bounty hunting, herb collecting, gambling, and hunting. Red Dead Redemption uses an Honor system, which measures how the player’s actions are perceived in terms of morality.

Morally positive deeds, such as capturing an outlaw alive or saving a stranger, will add up to the player’s Honor. Conversely, negative choices such as murder will subtract from the player’s Honor. This works in conjunction with the Fame system, which affects how non-player characters (NPCs) react to the player based on their Honor. If the player has high Honor, NPCs will greet them and they will receive discounts in some stores if low, NPCs will act insecure and establishments may close their doors. The player can disguise themselves by wearing a bandana when performing criminal acts.

SETTING AND STORY

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 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 several 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 part 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.