By Matthew Scott Hunter
‘Red Dead Redemption’ (M)
A Western winner
*****
Rockstar
Xbox 360
It’s always a major event when a new “Grand Theft Auto” comes out, and this week is no different since “Red Dead Redemption” is essentially “Grand Theft Auto: Early 1900s Edition.” With a vast open frontier that makes Liberty City look positively quaint, this game manages to pack in every classic Western motif and nuance with room to spare. Notably tipping its cowboy hat to the works of Clint Eastwood (particularly “Unforgiven”), Redemption puts you in the boots of John Marston — a reformed outlaw-turned-family man, who’s murderous past has caught up with him. But it’s not a problem a good six-shooter can’t solve.
With deadly precision, “Redemption” hits all the major bullet points of the genre. You can rob a train, evade a posse, stop into a saloon, cheat at poker and have an old-fashioned gunfight with the guy who catches you with aces up your sleeve. You can be the wandering hero that helps every pathetic soul on the trail, or you can be the fearsome outlaw who robs enough banks to pay his own bounties. No matter what you do, you’ll be doing it in front of gorgeous desert vistas. At the end of the single-player campaign, you can join an online gang of outlaws or a posse to bring such gangs to justice. It adds tremendous replay value, ensuring that you won’t be riding off into the sunset for a long, long time.
‘Split/Second’ (E10+)
****1/2
Disney Interactive Studios
Xbox 360
“Split/Second” has decided that merely driving laps is boring, so it’s thrown a few obstacles in to spice things up. You’ll have to outrun collapsing bridges, dodge incoming missiles from helicopters and follow semi trucks that have a nasty habit of dropping their shipments of exploding barrels. As you drift around corners at breakneck speeds, the world will literally be falling to pieces around you, exposing new roads while blockading others. Races can be a bit chaotic and confusing the first time through, but you’ll definitely want to hit these tracks a second time.
‘Skate 3’ (T)
***1/2
Electronic Arts
Xbox 360
It’s not a huge evolutionary leap from its predecessors, but “Skate 3” addresses many of the series’ nagging problems. You can teleport from challenge to challenge, eliminating all the time wasted in transit, and you’re now in a much more skater-friendly environment, so you don’t have to worry about being chased off by authorities. The analog stick-based tricks remain intuitive and infinitely superior to “Tony Hawk’s” button-based system, and it’s still great fun to see which bones you’ve broken after every spectacular wipeout.
‘Nier’ (M)
**1/2
Square Enix
Xbox 360
The hero of “Nier” is so forgettable, they didn’t even bother to name him, so it’s a good thing he’s eventually joined by the likes of a talking book, a floating skeleton and a foul-mouthed vixen. But even the motley crew of companions you amass isn’t enough to separate this adventure from the pile of generic RPGs. The environments are as drab as the story — which is a surprise since Square usually spoils us with eye candy. It’s a shame, because with its blend of classic combat, puzzles and sidescrolling elements, “Nier” could’ve been something special.
