12 Best Western-Themed Video Games Ever
1. Red Dead Redemption
Rockstar’s sprawling open-world oater is a culmination of every Western-themed game that came before it – it’s also, as indicated by it’s top spot position, the best.
The tale of John Marston is one that’s well-trodden – although Rockstar’s take on the retired outlaw, back out on the lam, has been given a fresh spin – but the true genius of Redemption lies in its missions and those wonderful side quests, all of which have names that could easily have been devised by the secret forefather of Elmore Leonard and Cormac McCarthy - ‘Spare the Rod, Spoil the Bandit’ and ‘Let the Dead Bury Their Dead, prime cases in point.
Early scuffles on small farms soon widen to small settlement showdowns and, in a mission that takes its difficulty cues from a certain GTA helicopter mission, ‘We Shall Be Together in Paradise’ blows the game apart, like an exploding powder keg, opening up Redemption’s map to epic proportions. It’s from this point the game enters classic territories, where players can do some hearty exploring of a map littered with lots to do, hit certain criteria to unlock new outfits (this is a lot more addictive than it sounds) or continue John Marston’s odyssey to its poignant and - spoiler alert – tragic dénouement.
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Do you believe this is the definitive western gaming list? Or should Call of Juarez made the cut? Spread your comments below, like a loud buckshot.