Is Red Dead Redemption the New GTA?

The verdict is in. Red Dead Redemption (RDR) has delivered the goods. High praise has been showered upon this game by pretty much every media outlet there is. While everyone has their own interpretation of what makes the game so awesome, the bottom line is that Rockstar seemed to have listened to some of the criticism levied at Grand Theft Auto IV inserting way more variety into gameplay.

While GTA IV was awesome in its own way, it got repetitive real fast. While RDR still follows the linear approach to a certain extent, you have to appreciate some of the additional stuff Rockstar have incorporated into the game.

The plot thickens
In between story missions, you can rob trains, farm animals, hunt animals, capture outlaws, and take on a plethora of random quests available in the game world, similar to an Role Playing Game.And like an RPG, you can upgrade Marston's abilities, his arsenal of weapons and his attire as you deem fit, which is what adds that extra edge of fun to this game.

Besides the lengthy single player campaign, Rockstar have churned out a full-fledged innovative multiplayer experience. You see the multiplayer lobby in RDR takes place in real time in the game world itself but unlike GTA IV, RDR's lobby is actually populated with things to do. You could form a posse with friends and hunt animals or non playable characters.

Sound and engaging
There's a full-fledged multiplayer component to boot with diverse modes. In addition to this, we hear that the game's technically sound as well and the RAGE engine has once again delivered an engaging high definition world to live in. We can't wait to spend hours on end in this virtual world crafted by Rockstar over a period of five years. The game hits Indian shores next week for the Xbox360 and PS3 consoles. You can be sure we'll carry a review of the game, so watch this space.