KOCHI: The developer, Rockstar, has been hailed by majority of the gamers for providing us with the two game series that actually do matter: GTA and Red Dead Redemption. GTA is the cool, popular game that gets most of the attention. And Red Dead Redemption is the silent, mysterious stranger who when they walk, have a soundtrack following them. This week, they teased us by announcing the release of RDR 2.
RDR is an open-world action-adventure, and reminiscent of the Wild West. The first game is set in the fictional New Austin and some Mexican states in the 1910’s. With a Good, Bad and Ugly-esque silhouette, the whole game is set in a constant state of twilight, and focuses on shooting and combat.
The role of the protagonist is to ride horses on landscapes scattered with cacti, sit in trains and then shoot a bunch of baddies. The cut scenes are enjoyable too, and the focus on the game’s atmosphere — with the sepia tint, the sheer scale of the open-world game universe and music makes it immersive.
Based on the short trailer, an intense scrutiny reveals the return of beloved characters and hints that it is a prequel, and also — a female protagonist, so fingers crossed for that! It has been a few years since the last game, and they have also made use of the graphical advancement through detailing — like the scurrying of a rat in the incredibly real-looking grass. And it’s not just the description of saloons, costumes and accents that are commendable, the characters in the game are defined, making it more than just another cold-blooded third-person shooter.
And while we are still reeling over the excitement of the RDR 2 which is out only in 2017, Nintendo goes ahead and announces their new console ‘Switch’. The ads show a console that can be plugged into the TV like the Wii, and switched seamlessly into a small tablet version resembling the DS, where you can game on-the-go. This, I feel, doesn’t warrant the anticipation in the absence of good Nintendo game releases. But at least now, videogames are finally picking-up slack in the post-Pokémon GO haze.
(This economics graduate spends her leisure time preparing for the zombie apocalypse)