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Okay ResetEra: which Red Dead game is the greatest, and why?

Which Red Dead game is your favorite?

  • Red Dead Revolver

    Votes: 48 13.9%

  • Red Dead Redemption

    Votes: 121 35.1%

  • Red Dead Redemption 2

    Votes: 176 51.0%
  • Total voters
    345

Deleted member 249

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
28,828
I guess that Red Dead Redemption 2 has been out long enough that most of the people who have played it can form their opinion on where they stand on the game now. So—which of the three games in this series do you think is the best? Is it the underrated cult classic Red Dead Revolver, the unassuming, stylistically striking western that kickstarted this series? Is it Red Dead Redemption, the game that brought Rockstar's traditional open world formula to a rich western setting, and became among the most beloved games of all time? Is it Red Dead Redemption 2, the game which brought Rockstar's focus on realism and pacing, and on prescribed storytelling in a systemic world, to its culmination?

Which one is it, and why?

vous-souvenez-vous-red-dead-revolver.jpg

Red-Dead-Redemption.jpg

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Vern

Vern

Banned
Oct 26, 2017
5,097
Revolver because it's not bloated and boring. Wish they'll make a new one, redemption is boring.
 
Nintendo

Nintendo

Prophet of Regret
Member
Oct 27, 2017
13,352
Red Dead Redemption 2. The biggest and most immersive game I've ever played.
 
CloseTalker

CloseTalker

Member
Oct 25, 2017
30,506
RDR2 has some of the most impressive storytelling I've ever seen in a game, but RDR1 is still an incredible story as well, and the game part isn't terrible. So RDR1 wins.
 
DailyCalmSpirit

DailyCalmSpirit

Banned
May 17, 2018
3,454
Gotta day Redemption 1 is better in the end.

2 has a better story, but, the story in 1 is still great, and has a great game to back it up. Can't say the same for 2.
 
Cess007

Cess007

Member
Oct 27, 2017
14,070
B.C., Mexico
Arthur Morgan managed to overcome John Marston as the best character from RDR for me, and I loved the character of John. The story and the gameplay were simply excellent to me.
 
Lady Bow

Lady Bow

Member
Nov 30, 2017
11,271
Red Dead Redemption 1 is my favorite. Enjoyed John Marston's story a lot more and it overall felt more like a spaghetti western game which I really enjoyed. RDR2 is bogged down with too many annoying systems and the abundance of player animations for every little thing is a pain in the ass. Not to mention the input lag which makes it 10x worse and a slog to play.
 
Datajoy

Datajoy

use of an alt account
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
12,081
Angola / Zaire border region.
Red Dead Redemption 2.

Red Dead Redemption is an amazing game, but Red Dead 2 is simply an astonishing accomplishment that surpasses its predecesor in every way imaginable.
 
C.Mongler

C.Mongler

The Fallen
Oct 27, 2017
3,876
Washington, DC
Narrative wise, RDR2 wipes the floor with RDR1. Gameplay wise, RDR1 annoys me less.

Both are great though; never played Revolver.
 
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Gravity Insanity

Gravity Insanity

Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,261
Red Dead Redemption 2 is the best. It has the best story with an incredible cast of characters. Better gameplay which is pretty similar to most Rockstar games. Music can be debatable, but I prefer RDR2.

The greatest Rockstar Games character of all time, Arthur Morgan. Such a complex character.
 

Deleted member 35011

User requested account closure
Banned
Dec 1, 2017
2,185
RDR2 is a much more polished game, but a lot of the stuff it adds has me going like "This makes the game a lot deeper, more immersive, realistic, and impressive. But it's less fun and more impressive to me." RDR1 was just fun.
 
Violet1370

Violet1370

Member
Oct 25, 2017
354
United Kingdom
RDR2 is better than 1 in every single way imo. Replayed 1 right after i beat 2 and i still love it but 2 is just so much better, especially story and characters are far far better in 2. Never played Red Dead Revolver.
 
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vestan

vestan

#REFANTAZIO SWEEP
Member
Dec 28, 2017
24,605
Red Dead Redemption.

First of all, the ambient music when travelling on horseback is way fucking better. This is one of the biggest disappointments IMO when it comes to 2. Secondly, 1 absolutely nails the story and themes it's trying to tell. Despite 2's advancements in gameplay, it feels like a retread narratively. John is a way better protagonist than Arthur and this is only further proven in the epilogue. While simpler and a lot more "gamier", RDR1's gunplay is at least functional on consoles.

RDR1 also has that charm that the second sorely misses. Characters like Irish, Reyes, Landon etc are just way more entertaining than the strangers from RDR2.

Seriously though, talking about retreads, the Unshaken and That's The Way It Is moments are just RDR2's Far Away and Compass. It's just cheap as fuck really. The worst thing about this game was how predictable the main story felt, I was waiting to truly be surprised but nothing.





RDR2 feels more like a revisionist western rather than a spaghetti western which is just eh.

The epilogue is the best part of RDR2. It fleshes out Uncle, Abigail, Jack and provides some much needed context on their lives after Dutch's gang. It really makes the ending to RDR1 hurt that much more.

2 is the biggest disappointment this gen for me. I genuinely believe Red Dead Redemption shouldn't have gotten a prequel. You can really tell that they had no intention on making one while developing RDR. Despite all that, it's still an absolutely fantastic game and easily the second best game of 2018.
 
Vern

Vern

Banned
Oct 26, 2017
5,097
Shameful all the replies are talking about redemption 1 vs 2 and no one is talking about revolver at all. :/
 
False Witness

False Witness

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,227
I love John Marston's story in Red Dead 1, but I think Revolver was by far more interesting. Plus you had multiple protagonists. Also, you fight dynamite wielding Pig Josh. It's great.
 
Courage

Courage

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,978
NYC
I just finished RDR2's main story today and can comfortably say it's the best game Rockstar has put out since Bully or San Andreas. For such a sprawling game it's stunning how focused it is in terms of creative vision. It's Rockstar making the ultimate Rockstar game in many ways.

Also, Arthur Morgan <3
 
semiconscious

semiconscious

Banned
Nov 10, 2017
2,140
far prefer red dead redemption. by the end of chapter 2 of rdr2 i was completely tired of the gang, period. screw the lot of'm :) ...
 
Unicorn

Unicorn

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 29, 2017
9,506
I need to go back and play Revolver, but I've played through that game many times and certainly prefer it to Redemption 1 for style alone carrying it ahead.

I played about 30ish hours of Redemption 2, but still need to see more before I can say it's better than Revolver.
 
Artdayne

Artdayne

Banned
Nov 7, 2017
5,015
I find it pretty fascinating how Arthur Morgan went from "boring" pre-release to a beloved icon after people played the game.
 
Rune Walsh

Rune Walsh

Too many boners
Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,018
RDR2 got two cries from me whereas RDR only got one.
 
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GroovySnake

GroovySnake

Member
Jun 10, 2018
622
USA
RDR2 for me by far, but I do love all three. To me it elevated the story of the series, and the world was more fun to explore than ever.
 
chrisPjelly

chrisPjelly

Avenger
Oct 29, 2017
10,491
Honestly, even with the big flaws, RDR2 is still the better game for me. Better quests, story missions, main character isn't an errand boy pushover, and WAAAAAY more likeable characters. RDR1 was bogged down with typical cynical R* satire, which is great for GTA and Bully, but it just sucks out all the potential fun of the spaghetti western genre.
 

mouzone

Member
Oct 30, 2017
241
Red Dead Redemption 2 is better than Red Dead Redemption in literally every single aspect.
 
Atomic Playboy

Atomic Playboy

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,897
Portland, OR
I never played Revolver. Red Dead Redemption 1 is a brilliant game; it actually convinced me to buy an Xbox 360 (long story short, my friend had a 360 and RDR sent to my house while he was in the Army, when he came home he naturally took them back, and I was so enthralled with the game that I bought it and the system so I could continue). It's an absolutely magical experience. RDR2 improves on it in the most important way; story (and characters). The story in RDR1 was great for the time, but the characters already felt ridiculous in 2010; looking at them in 2018 (or whatever year it is dammit), they are like the worst elements of GTA. Look at this comical drunken Irish stereotype! Here's a silly grave-robbing lunatic who might be a cannibal or maybe a necrophiliac; you decide! Isn't it hilarious how this revolutionary can't remember his lover's name? Marvelous! Coming back to RDR1 is rough now because the characters are so sophomoric and it spoils an otherwise excellent narrative.

RDR2 has some issues with controls and gameplay, no doubt (although not anywhere near the level that many users here would have you believe). But the characters feel better than anything in RDR1. The story is better than all of RDR1. The world is more alive than RDR1. The presentation is the best I have ever seen in regards to visuals, atmosphere and the level of detail in the world itself. It's not a flawless game by any means. But it takes the thematic elements that made RDR1 so engaging in the first place and improves upon them in a more mature presentation that is more compelling than its predecessor. RDR1 is great; RDR2 is slightly greater.
 
Linus815

Linus815

Member
Oct 29, 2017
19,679
I don't think I've ever been as invested in a videogame narrative as much as I was in RDR 2's. This is easily Rockstar's finest work yet. Much deeper and nuanced than their usual output, and Arthur Morgan is hands down the best character I've ever played as.

I also replayed RDR 1 right after finishing 2 and I think that even gameplay wise, 2 is better. The gunplay in particular, just feels much more satisfying in 2. But it's clear that both games have different goals in mind. 1 feels like a collection of great western movie moments, and it's accompanied by a more arcadey, faster paced gameplay. RDR 2 feels like a simulation of outlaw life in a specific period; it's a much slower burn and the gameplay reflects that too. Of course, RDR 2's gameplay does have problems, but overall I still enjoyed it more. Once the PC version hits and the high framerate negates some of the sluggishness, it'll be even beter.

As for Revolver.... I wouldn't even consider it a good game honestly.
 
KushalaDaora

KushalaDaora

Member
Oct 27, 2017
7,838
Flux said:
Revolver was pretty fun and probably a better video game than the other two but I don't remember much of anything about the story. I only remember the main character's father dying at the start and someone singing sombre song over a gravestone. There were a lot of shanties in that game too from what I vaguely recall.

Anyways, I think RDR 1 is slightly better than 2 and the best overall. Arthur is a better character than John though.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

I can't speak for RDR but I played Revolver recently and it's not fun at all, some levels are ridiculously hard (I nearly gave up on mansion level, battlefield level, and fort level) and the shooting are goddamn awful.

That being said a lot of the bosses are pretty fun and something you typically see in Japanese games. Dude that straps himself with dynamite then kamikaze rush you, alchemist dude with an army of midget clown , dude with shoulder mounted mortar, native american dude that jump from totem to totem.
 
gforguava

gforguava

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,692
Red Dead Revolver. It is stylish as hell, gonzo, spaghetti western pastiche that doesn't bite off more than it can chew.

The Redemption games, particularly Redemption 1, are bland(though technically impressive) stabs at western fiction, working in a...I don't know, a post-revisionist style that is as played out as the traditional western was before revisionist westerns kicked in.

Redemption 2 is a fantastic smorgasbord of stuff but even amidst all of that grandeur none of it was as memorable to me as Annie Stoakes protecting her property or Jack Swift versus those annoying carny pricks.

And the loading screens, too good:
 
Tibarn

Tibarn

Member
Oct 31, 2017
13,369
Barcelona
RDR II. Never played Revolver, and never finished RDR I. The game world and story in II are far more engaging to me (even if the story is really slow), Arthur is just a better MC and travelling with all the gang feels more unique.
 
WieDerrickWie

WieDerrickWie

Member
Jul 4, 2018
650
I absolutely love Revolver and am still bitter Rockstar has chosen to ignore it.
That said, I recognize Redemption 2 as the best in the series.
 
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