Saddle up, amigos. It’s time to ride into one of the year’s most high-profile games: Red Dead Redemption. Published by Rockstar, Red Dead Redemption attempts to convey the feel of the Mythic West by dropping the player into an expansive, beautiful, and dangerous world. It is a highly ambitious game whose plot and game systems both deserve in-depth analysis. Because of this, we have split up our conversation. This week, we mainly discuss the game’s structure and mechanics while avoiding specific plot details. We cover topics like morality, emergent gameplay, and the viability of the Rockstar formula. As always, we’re interested to hear what you all thought, so feel free to share your experiences in the comments.

Some discussion starters:

- How much time did you spend on the side quests? Were they just a distraction from the main plot or did they offer you something

- Do you have any good emergent stories from your travels in New Austin? With all the angry wildlife, surly townsfolk, and wide-open spaces, strange things are bound to happen...

- Do you think the Rockstar, open world formula is a viable platform to explore other genres?

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Show notes:

- Run time: 39 min 36 sec

- Music provided by Brad Sucks