Red Dead

Red Dead is a series of western action-adventure video games^[1][2][3] developed by Rockstar San Diego and published by Rockstar Games. The first game, titled Red Dead Revolver, was originally released for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox in May 2004. The second game, Red Dead Redemption, was released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in May 2010. A downloadable content pack for Redemption, titled Undead Nightmare, was released in October 2010. The third entry in the series, Red Dead Redemption 2, is scheduled for release in Q3/Q4 2017 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Games

Red Dead Revolver

Red Dead Revolver, set in the 1880s, follows bounty hunter Red Harlow, as he uncovers the plot that killed his parents and exacts revenge. Originally developed by Capcom, borrowing elements from their 1985 title Gun.Smoke, the project was scrapped in 2002.^[4] Subsequently, Rockstar Games purchased the game and expanded on it. Changing the feel from that of an American Western to a Spaghetti Western allowed the developers to add more blood and over-the-top characters. The game reproduces a "grainy film" effect and uses music from various Spaghetti Western films, including those composed by Ennio Morricone.

Red Dead Redemption

Red Dead Redemption takes place in the year 1911, during the decline of the American Old West. A spiritual successor to Red Dead Revolver,^[5] the game follows John Marston, a former outlaw, while he sets out to hunt down his former gang members. Marston's wife and son are taken hostage by the government in ransom for his services as a bounty hunter. Having no other choice, he sets out to bring his three former gang members to justice. Upon its release, Red Dead Redemption was met with high critical acclaim, averaging 95% on both review aggregate websites Metacritic and GameRankings, making it one of the highest rated video games for both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on both websites. It won several "Game of the Year" awards. Reviewers praised the visuals, music, acting, open world gameplay and the story. As of September 2011, the game has sold over 12.5 million total copies.^[6] A Game of the Year edition containing all additional content was released in October 2011.^[7]

• Undead Nightmare is a non-canon expansion that follows the exploits of John Marston, as he searches for a cure for an infectious zombie plague that has swept across the American Old West. A standalone disc, titled Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare Collection, which does not require the original Red Dead Redemption game to be played, was released in North America on November 22, 2010.

Red Dead Redemption 2

Red Dead Redemption 2 is scheduled for release in late 2017 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.^[8]

Reception

The Red Dead series, particularly the second game, is critically acclaimed. Red Dead Redemption won numerous awards, including Game of the Year by GameSpy and GameSpot, and is considered to be one of the greatest games of all time.

Sales

As of August 2015, the Red Dead franchise has shipped over 14 million units worldwide.^[13]

References