Red Dead Redemption Multiplayer Preview

“A cowboy is a man with guts and a horse”. So says one of the most famous quotes from the days of the Wild West. Just as the sun sets on the vast, rough terrain that is the world in Red Dead Redemption, an experience is offered that truly aims to make you feel every bit like a cowboy. Once you enter into the multiplayer component that the game offers, you’re suddenly part of something special; an experience that goes beyond what we already expect from a third-person multiplayer offering, giving us something that fits seemingly perfectly into the Western setting that is Red Dead Redemption. Forget about the comforting atmosphere of contemporary Liberty City, because it’s every man for himself in the Wild West.

Developer Rockstar San Diego have made it clear that the multiplayer in Red Dead Redemption is going to be something special. It is clearly focused on distancing the online experience from other third-person multiplayer offerings, instead offering something that falls in line with the game’s setting. It’s not just a matter of creating a few maps, some game modes and throwing gamers in there with some weapons and upgrades, but rather offering a new and improved experience that is deep and, most importantly, enjoyable. Being a Western, it’s obviously important to have that sense of being a cowboy in the West, as well as creating and controlling a character that you can recognize and eventually build up as you play.

Just as with Grand Theft Auto IV, you’ll be able to enter into an online world that is similar to the one in the single-player component. Free Roam replaces the lobby system, allowing you to join up with friends throughout the world to form posses of up to eight players. Posse leaders can send invites to friends, who can then warp directly to the posse leader’s location. Once a posse is formed, you’ll have the world to explore and take on. There are a number of different things you can do as a group, meaning the Free Roam mode is more than its name actually insinuates. You’ll be able to take over gang hideouts from enemy AI, participate in sharpshooting challenges, or even hunt animals.

The Free Roam mode seems to offer a lot more than the one in GTA IV, even though you had an entire bustling city to work through. This world is bustling with characters and wildlife, so don’t expect things to quiet down once you head online. Forming a posse with friends allows you to participate in a number of great activities, and the game throws plenty of challenge your way whenever you feel like tackling some enemy gunslingers. All of your actions in Free Roam also contribute to your XP total, which allows you to level-up and unlock new weapons and horses. There are a number of challenges to tackle as a posse, each of which offers a certain amount of XP, depending on your actions. While in Free Mode, you can earn up to 50 XP levels, giving you access to new weapons and horses along the way.

Hunting challenges have you moving to an area on the map where dangerous animals can be found, challenging you take on waves of them with your posse. The Survivalist challenges involve you searching for rare herbs, sometimes in areas that are protected by aggressive and highly dangerous predators. Lawbringer challenges have you taking over gang hideouts throughout the world from enemy AI, and at times you’ll have to take over a number of hideouts within a set time. The Outlaw challenges can be completed while you have a bounty over your head, and can involve you earning a killstreak or recruiting a posse in which players earn a bounty themselves. The Sharpshooter challengers aren’t restricted to Free Roam and can be completed in any mode during multiplayer. They involve things like shooting a weapon out of an enemy’s hand, shooting a hat off an enemy’s head, or knocking the weapon and hat off an enemy within a few seconds.

The Lawbringer challenge seems to be the most challenging and enjoyable of the bunch, as you’re taking on intelligent and aggressive enemy AI. The Hunting and Survivalist challenges give a great opportunity to explore the land with your posse, but being able to play in an intense and wild gunfight in the Wild West takes the cake. Hoards of enemies flood your location while you’re trying to take control of a hideout, and it actually offers a great sense of accomplishment once that final enemy has been taken down.

If you feel so inclined to tackle the more competitive side of things, Red Dead Redemption will offer deep and original multiplayer game modes for you to take on. In their ever-so-obvious attempt to make this as genuine a Wild West experience as possible, Rockstar San Diego have implemented a dueling system that takes place before each match. Once a mode is chosen, each player in the match is lined up either across from each other (for team matches), or in a circle facing different directions (individual matches). When the prompt appears on screen, you pull your weapon and shoot wildly until the last man’s standing. Whoever is left gets some extra XP and bragging rights.

The Free For All mode is as you’d expect; every man for himself in a wild, gun-slinging, bullet blasting shootout. Either reach the score limit first or have the most kills by the end of the time limit to win. I got to play this mode in the small and charming Mexican town of Chuparosa. Weapon and ammo boxes are scattered throughout the area, but are not so obvious as to standout from a distance. You’ll have to take note of item locations on the map HUD, while Deadeye can be filled up at one or two discretely placed locations. Deadeye is actually really important and you’ll have to take advantage of it if you have any chance of winning. The weapons aren’t over-powered and don’t have the accuracy you might be used to from GTA IV. Truth be told, the weapons actually shoot and aim as you would probably expect them to in the era, so you’ll need Deadeye in order to quickly take down an opponent with some strategically placed shots. Time doesn’t slowdown when using Deadeye in multiplayer, but you’ll still be able to mark shooting points on a number of enemies.

The Goldrush mode is a slight variation on the good ol’ Free For All mode, having players vying for bags filled with gold that are scattered throughout a map. While killing other players will earn you XP, the aim is to collect as many bags as possible and deliver them to the designated chests in the town. Goldrush really seems like the kind of mode that will keep you coming back to the multiplayer component, as kills don’t really matter in the thick of things. You’ll get the occasional player that just sits on a roof, taking out players as they fight for the bags in the middle of the town, but they’ll end up losing the match because they won’t have collected any bags. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable and hilarious match that can bring on frustration: I was gunned down a few times only moments from dropping my bag of gold in a chest, only to have my killer swipe my bag and get the points for themselves. Frustrating, but really, really fun.

The Gang Shootout mode is Red Dead Redemption’s version of Team Deathmatch, with players automatically placed in teams (typically criminals versus lawmen). I played this mode in the frontier town of Armadillo, which acted as a perfect location for the match. Its wide main street and plentiful weapon and Deadeye placement made it a lot of fun to play. It’s clear that certain areas are going to require specific tactics in order to avoid death. Chuparosa was a small, circular town with nowhere to hide, so all of the action took place in the middle and no real tactics were needed. Armadillo, however, is much larger, and it’s wide main street acted as a haven for those taking refuge on building roofs and in-between buildings. Streaking through the middle of town wasn’t a wise move, as bullets came in from every direction as I ran from one end to the other.

Gang Match mode has you protecting a bag at your base while also trying to infiltrate the enemy’s base, stealing their bag and returning it to your base. Bases aren’t typically located close together, meaning you’ll need your trusty horse to get from one base to another. I played this in Diez Coronos, and the harsh landscape actually made for a great experience. I tried to move around behind the enemy base in order to steal their bag without them noticing, but I was eventually spotted by an enemy who was returning from my own base. It’s far more challenging than it sounds, because the bases can be easily protected, but not so easily infiltrated, so it makes for a back and forth tussle between the two teams.

Rockstar San Diego seem to have created an online experience that really takes advantage of the environment, implementing components that genuinely make you feel like you’re in a Western setting, fighting for supremacy in a tough Wild West environment. Everything from forming your own posse to the duels that precede each match give the whole experience a feel that reminds you where it’s set. It never really takes you out of the setting, and the multiplayer experience looks to expand on what we got with Grand Theft Auto IV. It’s fun, challenging and deep, and just like the single-player component, it will probably introduce you to new things every time you turn the game on. Red Dead Redemption looks set to offer something completely original for online gaming. Ride ‘em Cowboy.

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