• As a boy, Red's homesteader family was gunned down by outlaws. Taken in by a wise old Indian, he learns the arts of survival and masters the gun. As an adult, Red goes on out into the world with nothing but the clothes on his back, a six-shooter, and a burning need for revenge.

• Hunt down the savage, ruthless killers who took your home & family, as you explore a 3D Wild West map

• Authentic period weapons to choose from -- from knives and revolvers, to double-barreled shotguns and dynamite sticks

• Ride down those outlaws as you shoot from your horse, fight gun duels on top of moving trains, and command stagecoaches in over a dozen exciting chapters

• Full motion cutscenes and breathtaking in-game visuals tell this classic Spaghetti Western story

GREAT THINGS: Graphics, Sound, Dialogue, Music, Story and plenty of ACTION! Also, this game is rated M for Mature, but it's a "clean" Mature. There's no sex, drugs or bad language, just a little blood, which is a refreshing change from the usual Rockstar game.

NOT SO GREAT THINGS: You have to look hard to find any flaws in Red Dead Revolver. I only found two. 1) You pick up and use health bottles even if you're already healthy, which is a waste. And 2) There's a frustrating lack of checkpoints.

That's it! Red Dead Revolver is going on my Must Buy list.

7 of 7 found the following review helpful:


The Most Fun From A Video Game Ive Had In A Long Time  May 30, 2004
An extremely fun game filled with shooting, horseback riding, climbing, bandit killing, slashing, train robbing fun.And I dont care what most people say , the controls on this game are quite easey to figure out and remember ,and the story line is fairly intresting but not quite edge of your seat. There are also a fair number of humorous things in the game to give you a laugh every once and a while so you don't end up screaming at your TV when you can't beat a level on the first try. The Dead Eye Zone can be a bit of fun when you get tired of just blasting away at bandits, especially if you happen to have twin revolvers or Show Stoppers ( basically the same thing , but better )which give you almost automatic fire. One thing I liked about the game is the ability to unlock better things for multiplayer and upgrading things in story mode.This game has a number of things hidden as well, so it would be wise to replay it a couple of times. My only Complaint is that some of the boss battles can be extremely tricky to figure out , or are very hard and frustrating keeping you up for hours trying to beat them. After completing the game I must say I highly recomend it.

7 of 7 found the following review helpful:


Fun game, for awhile  May 23, 2004 By KnotU
Red Dead Revolver is a fun game. The controls are medicore requiring the use of both analog sticks on the controller, similar to Halo. Also, keep those index fingers flexed. You'll have to use the L1, R1, and R2 while running amongst a hail of gunfire dodging objects with the left stick while aiming with the right stick.
The graphics are ok, but become a little blurred after a few feet and blur worse with distance, no that isn't your TV.
Shooting seems off, I seem to be shooting alot of bad guys with magic curving bullets. Point the gun in their general direction, within a foot or two, and you'll likely get a hit. I guess that is suppose to makeup for the controls or am I that good?

Good sounds with mood setting music.

Overall though, it is a fun game. Lots of different settings and landscapes to shoot you way through. I also had hoped for more free movement, but it's mostly linear, straight forward.
Replay value, well, you'd do well to rent it, play through it, and return it.
I haven't tried the multi-player yet. After I master the controls a little more, then I'll invite the friends over for a little cake....

25 of 32 found the following review helpful:


Fun, nice to look at, but lacking in depth.  May 05, 2004 By W. C. Bryant
It's been said of Stephen King before that he could publish a grocery list and it would sell a million copies. The perception of Rockstar Games is very similar these days. From GTA3 forward, the Grand Theft Auto series have been instant classics. That Rockstar is promising to "blow people away" with the upcoming San Andreas title is a scary thought considering how far they pushed the envelope with Vice City. With titles like State of Emergency, Max Payne, and Manhunt, they further solidified an already stellar reputation. Here's a company who puts out games the way gamers want them. No compromises or shortcuts, this crew clearly lives and breathes gaming and it's evident that they enjoy what they do. These days that's something pretty special, as huge production houses churn out/rush out titles that feel like they were made by people who never played them.

The point of all of this is that many people (myself included) probably went out and bought Red Dead Revolver more because it's a Rockstar game than anything else. Sure, it hits shelves at a time where HBO's Deadwood might have rekindled some national interest in Western-style media. But if I'm honest, I don't know that I buy this title on the first day if it's coming from EA, UBI, or some other company.

In that light, Red Dead Revolver is going to be a bit of a disappointment in the long term with people who buy it before checking the reviews. Make no mistake, the game is fun, the storyline compelling, the characters fun and interesting. The game play is solid, the controls easy to get down, there are no major flaws with the game. Except that it's relatively shallow. It is as linear as games can get. There's nothing to be determined or decided, save your shot/hit ratio, the damage you take during a given chapter, and what little extras you unlock. My experience playing is going to be exactly like yours, and yours like anyone else's.

Not that this is a bad thing for everyone. Red Dead plays like an arcade shooter. You play as one of a few different characters, but mostly the main protagonist, Red. With a variety of weapons (which can be upgraded throughout the game) you take down waves of opposition in a number of gritty Western movie-style settings. A ghost town, a graveyard, up in the mountains, on a train, on a ranch, etc. Beyond the normal aim, shoot and run, you also make use of something called "Deadeye Mode", which is a familiar slow-time mode where you can make a series of precise shots against one or more enemies. The third mode of play is QuickDraw, which is just as it sounds. The screen comes up, you pull down on the right stick, push up, and try to line up a number of shots before a slow-time clock runs out. I would have liked to have seen this worked into the game a bit better.

The game as a whole is fun once you put aside what could have been, accept it for what it is and enjoy the experience. It is not a title I will keep long-term, once done with the single player mode, it will get traded in towards something else. There is a multiplayer mode, but it's limited, and doesn't add (in my opinion) anything to the long term playability of the title. I felt Rockstar could have done much more with this title. There are times where you run around town between chapters with no real purpose. Let me get myself in trouble at the Saloon with a bar brawl, or end up in a Quickdraw shootout because I hit on some saucy barmaid that some other tough unwashed thug is interested in. Without some of the freedoms and depths Rockstar has worked into its other titles, you do eventually feel like you're just pulling the trigger in one chapter after another, just going through the paces until the inevitable finale with the men who killed your parents.

I highly recommend renting this game before buying it. I'm glad I played it, and I enjoyed it, but when you're done, there's nothing drawing you back in. Even Western fanatics might not find this one worth keeping long term. Definitely worth playing, but you might be better served hanging on to that purchase money for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas if you're a fan of that series. Make no mistake, this isn't about Red Dead not being considered on its own merits. I'm not holding it up against Rockstar's previous home runs, despite that being what drove me to buy it blind. This game isn't a flop, and it's not going to ruin the image of Rockstar, but my opinion is that it's one of their weaker titles. This game was handed off a couple times, starting with Capcom, ending with Rockstar, perhaps that has something to do with the lack of depth.

Positives:
Graphically impressive, everything is convincingly gritty and bleak. Everything has a spaghetti Western-style feel to it visually.
Solid storyline.
Fun arcade-style gameplay.
Hard enough to be a challenge, easy enough to be fun.
Bull/horse riding, stagecoach driving and train-related opportunities really add to the fun factor.

Negatives:
Restrictively linear, no opportunity for playing outside the lines.
Shallow. I know I keep harping on this, but depth is a hallmark of Rockstar titles.
No real replay value.
Weak online aspect doesn't really add to the game.
After about half the chapters, you start to feel like you've been there and done that.
Wants to be both an action shooter and a story-based adventure game. Doesn't really grab onto either and is sort of missing a real identity.

Rent it. Play it. Enjoy it. Then move on to something else.

High end of the 3 star rating for me.

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