Red Dead Redemption (2010)

Alright my first video game review awesome! Well I'll start this one off by stating that Red Dead Redemption is currently my third favorite game of all time. Simply put it an amazing game. I don't think I'm alone in thinking that. It's sold millions of copies and I'm sure that every person who has played it feels similar to me. But that just begs the question, what exactly makes this game so brilliant? Well I can't speak for the millions of people who have experienced it. But at the very least I can explain why I love it so damn much. Then again that is generally the point of me having this blog right?

I wish I could have a beard like that. It just screams badass....or his hat.

Well first I think I should tackle this from a gaming perspective. The game takes place in 1911 in the old west. You play as John Marston, a former outlaw now trying to make a much better life for his family. However, it turns out that his family is being held captive by the government and he's now being manipulated to hunt down his former gang and kill them in exchange for his family. It's a brilliant setting for a game and it establishes a very strong reason for John to go pick up his gun again. Anyway as far as the graphics go, they are amazing. The entire game is so beautiful and it really gives you the feeling of being out there in the deserts and wastelands. I especially like the level of detail to John's face, specifically his scars. He looks like he could be a real person. As for gameplay, the controls are a bit weird to get used to, especially the whole Dead Eye targeting. What is Dead Eye you ask? well it's what makes gunplay so damn cool in this game. Basically time slows for a period of time and you can target specific things with the targeting reticule. Then you shoot and John blows away all the targets in an epic way that is not unlike something out of an old Western movie. It's epic as hell but it requires a bit of practice. At least for me it especially in the beginning of the game. It's the kind of game that you need to play it in order to get good at it. In other words, don't expect to immediately pick it up and be amazing at it. You need to take the time to learn everything. Luckily though the game gives you more than enough opportunity for practice. It's an extremely polished game with so much attention to even the slightest of details. The best part is that Red Dead Redemption has something for everyone. If you enjoy an awesome story that grips you from the beginning all the way to the end, you'll enjoy this game. If you like collecting things and getting everything, this game possesses tons of side missions to occupy your time. Trust me, some of those challenges are difficult to do. If you just play games to pass the time and see them as nothing more than a distraction, well Red Dead Redemption allows you to be an outlaw in the old west, not to mention the Dead Eye function. How fun is THAT?!

Now that I discussed why the game is good from a gaming perspective I'm gonna talk about why I personally like the game so much. First of all to me a game is nothing without characters. John Marston is an incredibly accessible character. He's a nice guy stuck in a bad situation. All he's trying to do is create a new life for himself and his family, hence "Redemption". It's easy to relate to him and feel sorry for him. It makes you want to keep playing to see how things work out for him. Of course along the way you do learn of his outlaw past and how he used to live, as well as why he left the gang. Now for me some of the best interactions are between John and his son Jack. When you see the two of them speak you can tell that John wants only the best for Jack and that desire is what makes him a good father in my opinion. So yeah, basically John is simply one of the best characters I've seen in quite a while.  He makes Red Dead Redemption more than just your average game.

The second thing about Red Dead Redemption is just how poetic and philosophical it is. I won't spoil anything here (lucky for you  if you haven't played the game, I don't believe in spoilers!) but trust me the whole game just makes you think about what the words redemption, betrayal and what "Outlaws To The End" really means. Not to mention John Marston is a surprisingly deep person. Some of his dialogue is just filled with an insane amount of depth that just makes you think real hard about pretty much everything. If you're like me you'll spend countless hours just reexamining life. Yeah this is what happens to me when a piece of media resonates with my soul lol. Well that's how it impacted me. Especially that ending. Damn that was a good ending. It left a huge impression on me. Yes a video game left a huge impression on me....and that's exactly why it stands as one of my all-time favorite games. In my honest opinion I think the plot of Red Dead Redemption is waaaay better than some of the crap Hollywood has been shitting out in the past few years. Plus it kind of makes my prediction of games being the new (possibly even better) medium for telling stories all the more plausible. So yeah if you haven't played Red Dead Redemption yet.......what the hell is wrong with you?! Go get yourself a copy and play this amazing game! Red Dead Redemption is more than just a game...It's an experience! Now go right now and experience it!

"Outlaws To The End" seemingly shallow words, deceptively deep.

Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law

Have you ever sat back at home and wished for a different kind of comedy show? How about one where an old cartoon icon from the 60's plays a lawyer? How about a comedy that pokes fun at serious topics while at the very same time not taking itself too seriously? Well I think I may have found one for you.

I remember a few years back I was up late and I stumbled upon Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law. The show was so damn hilarious I couldn't stop laughing even hours after I had just watched it. This was late night by the way so uhh cue creepy images of me laughing hysterically at 3 AM (Hmm, I wonder if my neighbors heard me. Oh well). It wasn't until years after that night that I actually got the show and began watching it from the beginning. It started off a bit slow but it definitely picks up. Remember everything I said at the start of this post? Well all that stands as an accurate definition of the show. It stars Birdman playing not the role of the hero he once was in the 60's, but as an inept attorney who gets assigned these insanely weird cases which spoofs our own judicial system and in many ways, our very political system. All of the cases have to deal with old Hanna-Barbera cartoon characters. I know it sounds weird, but it just adds to the high amount of creativity this show has. I also see that as an incredibly clever move on the side of the show's creators. Think about it, these cartoon characters were beloved back in the day right? What better way to bring them back to the present day, especially when the ones who watched the old cartoons from the 60's would more than likely be adults now and would require entertainment geared toward them? I dunno maybe I'm over-analyzing this a bit too much but I like to think I made a pretty damn good observation.

One thing I mentioned that the show does extremely well is make light of issues that have occurred (or are still occurring) in our country. Some of the issues satirized are: corporate ownership of media, global warming, lobbying, gun control, women's rights, animal rights, time traveling (in some episodes), and gay marriage. Now what this show does with these topics is very carefully makes fun of while at the same time bringing them to light. The end result is that the episode makes you crack up and then think. That's what I like the most about it. It's something unique to this show, laughing and thinking. Anyway, all that only makes up half of the show. The other half comes in the form of the voice acting. All the characters have fantastic voice actors. My favorite would have to Stephen Colbert who actually voices Birdman's boss, Phil Ken Sebben. The actors all fit the characters perfectly and it gives the impression that they actually enjoy the work and that makes all the difference when it comes to animated shows.

Well if you have never watched the show, I suggest you do so. You won't regret it (at least I hope you don't...I didn't). It has something for everyone, except kids obviously. It's ridiculous and silly, but it's never too silly to the extent where it starts to become annoying. The sole negative is that there are only 39 episodes and they're each about 11 minutes long. It's a damn shame there couldn't be more. But such is the case for such clever television. Oh and for a taste of what to expect from it I have included a picture. Look at it. Thank you for reading this and have a great day!

Can you tell me what the hell is going on here? No? Well go watch episode 14: Back To The Present