In the interest of saving some of you time, let me start by saying this: If you’re a fan of Grand Theft Auto IV, or even just the idea of GTA, and you like westerns — and you wanted so much more from Red Dead Revolver, or you missed it completely like I did — you can stop right here in your internal debate over whether or not to pick up Red Dead Redemption. I might not need to convince of you much more. For the rest of you cowpokes riding the cattle ranch fence about Rockstar San Diego’s amazingly joyous open-world western game, saddle up and leave that skeptical piece of wood behind. Red Dead Redemption  is the real McCoy with a bullet… lots of them.

In classic Rockstar fashion, RDR tells an epic and violent tale that ebbs and flows with emotion, humor and brutality. What makes RDR distinct from its GTA brethren, however, is that it isn’t the story of an up-and-coming criminal. It follows former outlaw John Marston, who is tasked by the federal government to hunt down and kill his former gang mates, in exchange for his and his family’s freedom.

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I think I dig Westerns in the same way I dig the post-apocalypse: it’s a chance to get away from all the stupid bullshit that civilization has brought down upon us and spend a little time in a simpler, if more brutal, world. With the veneer of civilization stripped away we’ve got a pretty clear view of just how good or wicked people are, as well as a chance to be just as good or wicked as we ourselves want to be. I like me some moral ambiguity once in a while but a little bit goes a long way, and I could also use some black and white hats sometimes. Women in bonnets, honest ranchers, and jaded-but-noble lawmen are the good guys. Rustlers, rapists, and snake oil salesmen? Kind of pricks. Easy, peasy. Now you just have to pick one side for yourself and shoot the hell out of the other guys so you can either take their stuff or protect the innocent. Maybe on the way we could chock in some memorable characters and genuine human drama, just to keep everything standing up straight. If there’s time, I mean.

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As you ride the train west from the northern city of Blackwater, you have no idea what’s waiting for you in the frontier town of Armadillo at the end of Red Dead Redemption’s intro sequence. Conversations between other passengers clue you in to the state of the nation, and a quick look out of the window tells you that the territories are as untamed as they are beautiful. But it’s not until you step off the train in the well-worn boots of protagonist John Marston and have to sidestep a drunk staggering out of the saloon that you realize how alive the world feels, and how much fun you’re going to have exploring it. Similarities with recent Grand Theft Auto games are immediately apparent in the controls and the HUD, though both have been improved in subtle but important ways. Those basics, in conjunction with excellent gameplay, a great story, and a sizable multiplayer suite make Red Dead Redemption something very special.

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The American West has made actors famous and writers rich. It has inspired children on the playground and grizzled country singers alike. Its stories of heroes and bandits, gold rushes and simple homesteaders have been fictionalized and romanticized to the point that they’re known the world over. And yet, videogame makers have either ignored the setting or attempted to squeeze it into existing game conventions with limited success. That has all changed now that Rockstar, the group made famous for its Grand Theft Auto series, turned its eye towards the Wild West. No game maker has approached the period with as much passion and power as Red Dead Redemption. This is the new bar that all Westerns must strive to reach.

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