So, after my first 12 hours of Red Dead Redemption, I'm going to say its an obvious front runner for GOTY (Game of the Year). Of course that is tentative, and I haven't played the game I'm most looking forward to, Fallout 3: New Vegas but that's another story. This review is all about Red Dead Redemption and everything about this game is beautiful. I think I stood for 20 minutes watching storm clouds roll in, rain, lightning and then roll out. Imagine yourself in one of those scenes in an old western where a cowboy is staring out over the plains. It stretches as far as the eye can see. That is Red Dead Redemption.

The dialogue is delivered extremely well. I would say as convincing, if not more so than Mass Effect 2. The characters all have their own nuances and ways of delivering lines. They really feel like individuals rather than just another character. I absolutely cannot stress enough how amazing the voice acting is in the game.

I played with a surround sound television and was blown away by all of the ambiance and sound effects. From the horse trotting to gunshots in the distance, it all sounds awesome. The guns look and sound excellent as well. I've stuck with my Winchester rifle for most of the game, so I can't really comment on the other weapons, but from what I saw they were given just as much attention as my Winchester. Powerful, accurate and a hell of a lot of fun to shoot.

The visuals are something to see. The draw distance is unbelievable. To some that doesn't matter, but to me it's a big deal. Literally, anything you see in the distance you can get to. The vistas are jaw dropping. I can't count the number of times I've stood at the edge of a mountain and just gazed over the plains, watching life happen. Also, the animation for dialogue is great. As I said before, each character is animated in such a way so that when they deliver their lines, they feel real.

The world absolutely feels alive. Every NPC goes about their daily lives doing what they do. Men will tip their hat and say "how do ya do Mr.". Stay in one spot long enough and you are likely to hear some pretty interesting conversations. I've encountered several hilarious exchanges in the cut-scenes alone.

The game isn't without its faults though. While very rare, I do notice hiccups or hitches in gameplay. On one ocassion, and only once, the game froze on me. That was after my 11th straight hour of gaming though, so I can't complain too much. In one instance a character whom I relied on to start a mission got his horse stuck in-between two trees. On another I hit my guide button during a cut-scene, came back to the cut-scene and all the audio was gone. So that was a bummer.

"One big glitch, when a man flew."
 

All in all it has been a great experience so far. It kind of makes me wish I had lived back then. I think it would have been a good time. Also, the soundtrack is pretty awesome. I can't wait to download that. A word of warning, the game features some very adult language and activity. I knew Rockstar wouldn't let me down.