Is Red Dead Redemption A GotY Contender?
View Large ImageIt's usually a bad idea to make predictions concerning annual awards, especially when the game in question hasn't even arrived on store shelves just yet. Even so, given the early critical acclaim Rocktar's Red Dead Redemption has received, it doesn't seem too silly to consider it as one of 2010's best.
Granted, the competition for such a lofty award will be stiff - as it is most every year - as we've already seen legitimate contenders in God of War III, Heavy Rain, and Mass Effect 2, and looking down the road, we have to look at LittleBigPlanet 2, Halo: Reach and Gran Turismo 5. But even so, concerning RDR, we've seen a 9.75 from Gamer Informer, a 9 from a UK publication, and a perfect 10 from OPM, so if scores from major websites are as high, we really do have to say this hotly anticipated Western-themed adventure will rightly claim its spot amongst the 2010 elites. The official trailer was enough to give me goosebumps; it looks great, it sounds great and apparently, it plays great, too. I've often compared it to last year's Assassin's Creed II (and I may or may not be accurate) and if RDR has that level of polish, it's going to be one hell of an achievement.
While we've had Red Dead Revolver, Gun and the Call of Juarez titles, we've never really had a defining Western shooter, you know? I almost want to give RDR a nod at the end of the year simply for being the first landmark title to feature a true-blue Old West setting and premise. I think I'll always have a special place in my heart for Heavy Rain and what it did for the industry, but there are other titles this year that can also have a big impact. And you know, here's what does it for me: I really don't like Westerns. I've never liked those movies; I think just about every last one of them is overrated (with the possible exception of "Tombstone," just because Val Kilmer saying "I'm your huckleberry" still gets a grin out of me). And yet, Red Dead Redemption is one of my most anticipated games of the entire generation. ...how can that be? I couldn't possibly care less about cowboys and junk like that.
Well, it's because I really love and appreciate fantastic efforts in gaming, regardless of the concept, and RDR appears to be something well worth my time. The only question left is if it can stand with the other 2010 heavyweights come December 31...
5/14/2010 Ben Dutka
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Comments (101 posts)
VicTheMighty
Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 10:54:18 AM
In comparison let's say that UC2 is also linear but its gameplay makes up for it with alot of variety. FFXIII's combat system was very decent but also had it's annoying flaws. (like not being able to move/group or spread your party in combat and always get hit by AoE attacks) And in the end it was just always the same thing... After playing FFXIII, even if it is pretty and I nearly unlocked all trophies... I'd give it a 6. There was no real challenge and I don't ever feel like playing it again lol
Last edited by VicTheMighty on 5/15/2010 10:56:19 AM
1 up, 1 down
OtisFeelgood
Friday, May 14, 2010 @ 9:41:56 PM
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4 up, 2 down
Vitron
Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 7:21:34 AM
0 up, 0 down
Snaaaake
Friday, May 14, 2010 @ 9:53:49 PM
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3 up, 2 down
WorldEndsWithMe
Friday, May 14, 2010 @ 9:57:19 PM
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I think this will be one of the biggest contenders along with GOWIII, but if we are going by Spike VGA's I think they learned that giving GOTY to a PS3 exclusive pisses off too many xbots so they may not do it again. A multiplat is likely and no multiplat this year is as big as RDR. I can't wait to play it.
2 up, 3 down
Danny007
Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 8:10:20 AM
0 up, 0 down
WorldEndsWithMe
Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 3:40:30 PM
0 up, 0 down
Ole_Gunner
Friday, May 14, 2010 @ 9:58:12 PM
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0 up, 2 down
Qubex
Friday, May 14, 2010 @ 10:35:44 PM
Q!
"play.experience.enjoy"
Last edited by Qubex on 5/14/2010 10:39:29 PM
3 up, 3 down
kraygen
Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 12:35:49 AM
4 up, 2 down
Milonakis
Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 10:40:57 AM
2 up, 1 down
Kai200X
Friday, May 14, 2010 @ 10:00:44 PM
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1 up, 1 down
Shams
Friday, May 14, 2010 @ 10:12:20 PM
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2 up, 1 down
Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 12:20:45 AM
0 up, 0 down
Shams
Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 3:26:20 AM
TLAD had less emphasis on vehicular variety, since you had to ride your bike to complete most of the missions, but the pacing of the story was good enough (even with the abysmal character development). In many ways, it was very much a western (besides the midwestern accents), but I'm expecting more emphasis on item collection, exploration, presentation, and character and story. The visuals are supposedly bar-raising for the open-world sandbox genre. So, I'm expecting at the very least an excellent cinematic experience, even though I'm not exactly a fan of cowboy films, let alone cowboy games.
0 up, 0 down
Milonakis
Friday, May 14, 2010 @ 10:18:00 PM
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1 up, 4 down
aaronisbla
Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 2:38:40 AM
3 up, 0 down
chedison
Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 11:10:07 AM
0 up, 1 down
Qubex
Friday, May 14, 2010 @ 10:38:12 PM
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Its going to be a Red Dead year...
Q!
"play.experience.enjoy"
2 up, 1 down
BeezleDrop
Friday, May 14, 2010 @ 10:49:49 PM
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Off Topic,
Castle Crashers is coming to the PSN!! Epic news!!
3 up, 1 down
WorldEndsWithMe
Friday, May 14, 2010 @ 11:08:01 PM
2 up, 1 down
Gordo
Friday, May 14, 2010 @ 10:51:49 PM
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I loved God of War III but was left slightly disappointed with it. Wonderful graphics and use of technology but in my opinion it had old fashioned gameplay and a pretty ordinary story.
My first playthrough of Heavy Rain on the other hand, was the best 10 hours of video game experience ever. It immersed you in the story and the lack of a game over was a stroke of genius.
So personally, Heavy Rain for game of the year. You need to reward innovation and enterprise.
Though with Heavy Rain, GOWIII, FFXIII, GT5 and every thing 2010 has turned out to be an excellent year.
3 up, 3 down
WorldEndsWithMe
Friday, May 14, 2010 @ 11:09:01 PM
5 up, 7 down
Mavfan321
Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 1:17:47 AM
4 up, 1 down
spiderboi
Sunday, May 16, 2010 @ 1:29:07 PM
0 up, 1 down
I_defenestrate
Friday, May 14, 2010 @ 10:55:18 PM
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The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly ftw.
1 up, 1 down
booze925
Friday, May 14, 2010 @ 11:02:54 PM
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u said u hope RDR has the same level of polish as AC2...
GOD i hope not.
still, this game looks promising.
4 up, 1 down
stemon
Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 12:08:19 AM
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(also the MP is looking awesome to give the game even more longevity it gonna pull me away from BFBC2 lol)
0 up, 0 down
kraygen
Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 12:41:29 AM
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One thing I know for sure tho, is that coming this tuesday, I'll be killing townsfolk right and left! Killing poor innocent civilians should be an excellent way to make a name for myself and get the sheriff after me. Can't wait!
2 up, 2 down
The X Factor 9
Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 1:02:16 AM
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Should be a great game though. I'll wait to see if the 360 or PS3 version is better before I buy. Surprisingly, I actually preferred GTA4 with the 360 controller.
I think this game will be in the running for GOTY. There's a long way left though. So many games left to be announced.
0 up, 1 down
godsman
Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 9:41:35 AM
0 up, 0 down
BikerSaint
Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 5:35:23 PM
<<<<<Within a month or so, you see prices around $40-45.>>>>>
I'm a games collector & I'm always watching for lowered prices, so I seriously doubt that it will drop in 1 or 2 months. Usually it's a much lesser titled game that might wind up going that route once all the hype has already been deflated(like "The Saboteur", but it was still a great game in my book).
But not such a hugely anticipated game such as RDR and from Rockstar, who puts out hits after hits.
At the very least, maybe after 4 to 6 months, would be a more of a realistic thinking for a RDR price drop.
This is just my own opinion, of course
Last edited by BikerSaint on 5/15/2010 5:37:22 PM
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aaronisbla
Sunday, May 16, 2010 @ 1:52:42 AM
0 up, 0 down
Mavfan321
Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 1:15:43 AM
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1 up, 0 down
FM23
Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 1:18:49 AM
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Last edited by FM23 on 5/15/2010 1:21:42 AM
1 up, 0 down
Natalisrubbish
Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 1:22:06 AM
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3 up, 3 down
Snicket
Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 2:04:27 AM
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FAIL
Check out the westerns of John Ford, if you think those are over rated then you have no soul.
4 up, 1 down
Snicket
Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 1:12:23 PM
4 up, 0 down
natho86
Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 2:22:16 AM
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2 up, 0 down
aaronisbla
Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 2:39:24 AM
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4 up, 1 down
chedison
Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 11:37:29 AM
1 up, 0 down
___________
Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 3:48:23 AM
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ME2, GOW3, heavy rain, GT5, agent, LA Noire, the last guardian, true crime, mafia 2, crysis 2, crackdown 2, alan wake (which im playing now, AND LOVING!!!!!!!!!!), splinter cell conviction, assassins creed brotherhood, medal of honor, COD black ops, and god knows how many others.
all have a much better chance of getting GOTY.
though i have only heard really good things about it, besides its repetitiveness which is no surprise since it is a R* title.
i got my PSM3 june edition in yesterday and they gave it a 9.5 not bad there normally really hard markers!!!
but than, hey, no one ever thought GTAIV would of got GOTY and it did.
almost every single title that gets GOTY simply does not deserve it!
COD MW over uncharted AND bioshock?
really????????????
come on, both uncharted and bioshock are 100000000000 times better than COD MW!
1 up, 9 down
Deleted User
Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 4:44:19 AM
Why would Splinter Cell Conviction win? It's just a standard Splinter Cell game.
Alan Wake hasn't been received that well by critics considering it took 5 years to make.
The next COD won't win because we get one every year, that also applies to Assassins Creed. COD:MW won because it was a fresh take on the usual WWII shooter, sold bucket loads and pretty much became an online phenomenon.
I don't think Heavy Rain or The Last Guardian will have enough mass market appeal to win (not a reflection on either game, just my opinion).
I think of what you listed only GT5 and God of War have a chance because they are both exceptional games with huge mass market appeal (I would include Halo:Reach in that bracket as well). I assume Red Dead Redemption will be the same.
If it turns out to be "GTA:IV in the Wild West" I will be championing RDR for Game of the Year!
5 up, 1 down
___________
Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 8:01:43 AM
obviously you have not played conviction because its NOTHING! like its previous games.
unfortunately, but i guess you have to take the bad with the good.
it hasn't?
so why does it have the lowest review score of 7 which was from edge, all the others ive seen are a 9 that seems extremely well received to me!
COD and MoH only could win because of the sheep.
a game does not need to be good to win GOTY these days, nor does it to get good reviews.
look at halo ODST its CRAP! and most sites gave it a 9.
50 bucks says if it was not for uncharted 2, MW2 would of got the honors.
heavy rain SHOULD win GOTY because not only is it the best game i have ever played, its actually revolutionary.
there is not one game that has come out this gen that i would call revolutionary.
as cliffy b put it "in a way it gave birth to its own genre."
GOW3 should not win GOTY because it is by far the worst in the series.
even chains of Olympus was better!
i was really disappointed with GOW3!
the first hour or so with Poseidon made me sh*t my pants, and have my jaw through the floor.
but after that it was letdown after letdown.
RDR does not have what it takes to become GOTY.
even in a quiet year where there was not many good titles releasing it would still struggle because it has nothing that has not been done before.
there is nothing in the game that makes you go wow.
GOW3 had the titans, ME2 had the amazing story, heavy rain had everything, alan wake has by far the best story in a video game EVER!!!!!
better than assassins creed 2 and MGS4 PUT TOGETHER!!!!!!!!!!
theres a massive twist towards the end that no one will expect, im still in disbelief.
3 up, 7 down
Oxvial
Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 9:22:22 AM
Stop trolling ahole.
5 up, 2 down
Vitron
Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 10:14:23 AM
Last edited by Vitron on 5/15/2010 10:19:32 AM
5 up, 0 down
Jawknee
Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 11:24:41 AM
The only one on your list i see coming close if not winning it is God of War III.
"RDR does not have what it takes to become GOTY."
But Call of Duty does? Uh huh....I think this is the dumbest post by you yet.
Last edited by Jawknee on 5/15/2010 11:26:22 AM
4 up, 0 down
Deleted User
Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 1:53:32 PM
"COD and MoH only could win because of the sheep."
But you suggested them as being way better candidates for GOTY than RDR in your first post?
I think you are a sheep.
Last edited by n/a on 5/15/2010 1:54:24 PM
5 up, 0 down
aaronisbla
Sunday, May 16, 2010 @ 2:12:11 AM
"its sad when a developer brings his game down, they should be striving for perfection, their game should be bringing them down not the other way around!"
Why should anyone take what he says seriously? Oh yeah _____ im still waiting for you to tell me wtf that means
2 up, 0 down
SmokeyPSD
Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 4:04:50 AM
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0 up, 0 down
FullmetalX10
Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 4:38:16 AM
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Anyways, big-ass line-up this year, lots of PS3 exclusives, so I don't know.
1 up, 0 down
Deleted User
Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 5:22:58 AM
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Portal 2 (a true sequal to the orange box game)
Crackdown 2 (playing the frist one now and boy did i miss this game)
Halo Reach one word that well decibe this well be overated but i will still play this game.
as for the Ps3 there are to many to list of the games i want. so what does that tell u. Ps3 > 360 but it is great to own both systems
Currenly playing
Ps3 - Heavy Rain (my pick for goty so far)
360 - like i said crackdown but i'm also playingconviction
0 up, 0 down
Bjorn77
Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 5:59:26 AM
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1 up, 0 down
JackC8
Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 7:34:41 AM
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2 up, 0 down
Danny007
Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 8:12:01 AM
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3 up, 1 down
Perry Katy
Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 8:46:49 AM
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4 up, 1 down
Mounce
Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 10:43:05 AM
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3 up, 0 down
Jawknee
Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 11:15:26 AM
5 up, 1 down
MyWorstNightmar
Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 1:01:55 PM
How about we play RDR before crowning it with anything.
2 up, 0 down
hadouken
Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 10:44:51 AM
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Now, I hope it stays a true western none of that sci-fi super natural stuff that was in the other game.
2 up, 0 down
MyWorstNightmar
Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 11:02:09 AM
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1 up, 2 down
Jawknee
Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 11:29:30 AM
Dude we are PSN buddies, when are we going to be Wii buddies? hahaha
0 up, 0 down
MyWorstNightmar
Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 12:53:06 PM
0 up, 0 down
Vitron
Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 9:02:50 PM
0 up, 0 down
Jawknee
Sunday, May 16, 2010 @ 11:47:11 AM
the Wii does suck when it comes to online interaction and game play.
SMG2 FTW!
0 up, 0 down
Jawknee
Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 11:28:53 AM
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1 up, 2 down
MyWorstNightmar
Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 12:58:52 PM
Anywho, way too soon. Must see the new Call of Dooty first before I make my selection. ;o0
1 up, 0 down
hafizahid
Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 11:31:03 AM
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1 up, 0 down
Shams
Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 12:28:00 PM
0 up, 0 down
BeezleDrop
Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 12:17:59 PM
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It won't get GOTY but GOW3 was freakin' bad as hell, I haven't said "Oh sh!t!!" so many times in my life. As a matter of fact, the only part I didn't like about GOW3 was the length of the game. Epics moments, definitely. It has perfect scores for a reason.
I believe _________, was kidding. Red Dead has been in development for 5 years and it is bringing down perfect scores, and Alan Wake that has been in development for about the same time, maybe 9's but mostly 8's. Which isn't bad but not as good as expected. The same with Conviction, they are not GOTY material just face facts. Those aren't bad scores mind you, I do want to try Alan Wake and the only good thing about Conviction was Co-op which was pretty fun.
Last edited by BeezleDrop on 5/15/2010 12:22:08 PM
1 up, 0 down
KingRD7
Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 12:47:41 PM
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1 up, 0 down
MyWorstNightmar
Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 12:55:58 PM
Now go and play some video games you little rascal.
1 up, 0 down
Alienange
Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 2:09:34 PM
1 up, 0 down
tes37
Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 1:19:06 PM
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1 up, 0 down
MyWorstNightmar
Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 4:40:19 PM
1 up, 0 down
Alienange
Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 2:08:23 PM
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Did someone say Mario Galaxy 2? LOL! The first one didn't have to contend with R*.
0 up, 0 down
MyWorstNightmar
Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 4:42:57 PM
0 up, 0 down
Alienange
Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 7:29:37 PM
Also, looking at MG's 4 year hiatus, well, that doesn't mean anything either. It had been 4 years since San Andreas when GTAIV came out. Take a look at the reason. They went from PS2 to PS3. MG on the other hand was already on the Wii. What took them so long to make another installment with the same game engine for the same system? You think there's going to be 4 years worth of innovation in MG2?
Nintendo doesn't know what to do with their franchises. They're out of ideas and it's about to show when the world is handed MG2. Sure it'll be fun, but it definitely won't be GotY.
1 up, 1 down
Jawknee
Sunday, May 16, 2010 @ 11:51:09 AM
1 up, 0 down
MyWorstNightmar
Sunday, May 16, 2010 @ 3:15:15 PM
And they do know what they are doing with their "franchises". Look what they just did with "new super mario bros wii", great game. And I can't wait for Metroid Other M and the next Zelda to come out for the Wii. Pikmin 3 is in the works too.
My complaint is that I want a new franchise to come out other than Mario, Zelda, and Metroid. I wish they could come up with something fresh that impresses equally with those.
0 up, 0 down
Beamboom
Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 3:27:03 PM
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Heavy Rain is NOT a game, end of story. It's an interesting experiment indeed, and I do not regret buying it simply to support originality. But as it's not a game it can never win any GAME award title.
0 up, 4 down
Danny007
Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 9:15:58 PM
1 up, 0 down
Beamboom
Sunday, May 16, 2010 @ 10:40:26 AM
And those of you who thumb me down, you don't really want the games to develop in a direction where your input strictly speaking no longer is required?
Red Dead on the other hand, now this looks like a *real* game in my book. It will be a sheer joy to dive into this world!
Last edited by Beamboom on 5/16/2010 10:54:41 AM
0 up, 0 down
FxTales
Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 7:16:06 PM
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1 up, 0 down
Natko
Sunday, May 16, 2010 @ 2:50:29 AM
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0 up, 0 down
Jawknee
Sunday, May 16, 2010 @ 11:48:29 AM
Not GOTY.
0 up, 0 down
Natko
Sunday, May 16, 2010 @ 4:06:09 PM
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0 up, 0 down
StangMan80
Sunday, May 16, 2010 @ 6:17:48 PM
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I can't wait tell the 18th RDR and MNR demo.
0 up, 0 down
sha4dowknight05
Tuesday, May 18, 2010 @ 3:12:58 PM
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Ars Technica said that the XBOX 360 version has a slight graphical advantage in it? I really can't believe this since, they really didn't have proof of any real graphical advantage. They said they were switching back and forth trying to compare the 2 consoles. There really isn't proof as really this review seemed very biased as they stated that they have 16 people playing one the 360 and 3 people playing on the PS3, that tells me this probably isn't a real comparison. The only true way you are really going to determine if a console has better graphics on the other is:
- same tv
- same HDMI cable
- Same tv settings
- Same console display settings
- same gameplay time
- playing both games at once
- same person playing for the same set of time
- same gameplay video setting on default or custom
- real life comparison can't watch a video on the web.
- same lighting in rooms
- Switching the tv back and forth doesn't count as you are loosing view time on both systems.
I really don't like people saying the xbox 360 has better graphics because there really no proof unless you see it in real life both compared side by side with legit people both not biased. You can't just listen to an expert go on about it sounding real smart about it saying the 360 has a slight shaper picture. To me the criteria above is really the only way to compare video games on graphical dominance. Though I don't really mind that the 360 has a slight advantage, as long as it is exclusive to ps3 that's fine, But just wanted to get a point out.
Here's their story:
Our review copies of Red Dead Redemption have arrived, which means it's time to get to work on some coverage. Rockstar sent both a PS3 and a 360 version of the game, and many people are wondering which version to get, so we thought we'd do a quick comparison.
This is non-scientific, but after playing an hour of both games, and switching back and forth between the two systems on our display, it's clear that the 360 version has quite the graphical advantage. It's sharper, with much less aliasing. The faces of the characters were clearer in the opening section. Gameplay sections likewise looked better, with smoother graphics across the board. The PlayStation 3 version looked impressive, but there was a noticeable jump in quality while playing on the 360.
Keep in mind that the game doesn't look bad on the PS3—not by any stretch—but based on our time with the game and direct comparisons, the 360 version looks better. If you purchase the PS3 version of the game you're not going to be let down, but if you have the choice, pick up a copy for the 360.
Here's another reason to buy the game for the Xbox 360: if you dislike playing with strangers, there are 16 Ars Technica members in the game's thread playing online with the 360 version, compared to three on the PS3. If you're going to be playing, sign up!
Why did we decide to write this post for this particular game? It's rare we get sent both copies of a game, and there has been some discussion about which one to get. Let us know if this is something you're interested in seeing in the future, and we'll try to provide more of it when we can.
Last edited by sha4dowknight05 on 5/18/2010 3:20:00 PM
1 up, 0 down
eLLeJuss
Reply
Friday, May 14, 2010 @ 9:34:28 PM