Why Is Red Dead Redemption A Masterpiece?! 

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I really like how R* portrayed both the Mexican army and the rebels as ruthless. In most games the rebels are always portrayed as noble which isn't always the case irl.

In terms of Jack's fate, I like to go with the theory that after killing Edgar, he did end up being a writer and wrote a book on John's story called "Red Dead". This is based on the "Red Dead" book written by J. Marston that you can see in GTA V in Franklin's book collection

I’ve only seen my husband tear up 4 times. When his dad died, when our 2 daughters were born, and when playing red dead redemption 2. I don’t play them, but I sit and watch him play like I’m watching a movie. They are masterpieces.

When playing as Jack you can hear him make a lot of one-liners when in a shootout, but he says things like, “why am I doing this?” when you kill someone and things like that. It’s been 3 years since John was killed and it’s clear that Jack has already started down the path of the outlaw. It’s only when he kills Ross that his fate is sealed. Outlaws to the end.

Always love that even though uncle is seen as lazy he stands with John to defend the ranch without any complaint, really shows his care for John,Abigail and jack

An Oscar winning performance by the acting male. Great work!

RDR1 has a special place in my heart, i was 11 when it came out and I would watch my dad play it as a kid. He’d tell me what he did in game and update me if he did something or found something new, he’d let me run around Tall Trees and I’d go hunting in game for bears since I was too scared to ruin his game or do missions. When RDR2 came out, we both played it and this time, we could both update each other on what we found in the game and the silly things that would randomly occur to us while playing.

I quite literally lost my job because of this game. I was so hooked on playing it, I just could not let go. Lucky beyond belief I could land a new (better) job shortly after that. I'll never ever in my life experience a game like I did this one. Will stay with me for the rest of my life and have a very special place in my heart.

Here’s a fun fact: John meeting with the Strange Man where he is buried also symbolizes who died at the end. The 3 shots he fired at the Strange Man represent Uncle, Abigail and John while when his gun jams, it represents Jack and how he’s the last one alive.

I once saw a glitch in my game that traded the bird's model with an old man. I thought it was just an old man standing on a roof but when I shot at it, it lifted its legs to its butt and flapped his arms away. Wildest memory from the game.

Nothings more nostalgic than re-remembering playing your first Rockstar game. This game shapped my favorite playable character and NPCs even up to today. The story was a masterpiece and the game was a masterpiece. It's sad game companies don't put as much heart and soul into video games like these nowadays. RDR1 will truly stay an iconic masterpiece of a video game.

Heading Far Away for the first time as a kid immediately made me stop in my tracks, it was one of the first times I’d heard a song that made me feel something. It still gives me some pretty intense chills to this day, especially hearing it in context

Hats off to Rob Wiethoff, No one could have voiced John Marston better. He brought the character to life.

I met the man who played John at a comic con in Kansas City. His name is Rob Wiethoff and he is an absolute gentleman. Same goes for Roger Clark, who played Arthur in RDR2. Both men are nothing short of the nicest men I’ve ever met.

29:30 Multiple recordings with different dialogue is also a feature in GTA V. It’s cool when you’re replaying a mission or just died and had to redo a section. It’s probably a feature in RDR2 as well

in 4-5 playthroughs over 5 years, i just came across one of my favourite random encounters for the first time. in Tall Trees, a couple of guys are finishing up loading crates of TNT onto a cart, and one of them will say something along the lines of "whew, that about does it, i feel like a cigar, you got a light?", the other will strike a match, and they'll both go up in a comically HUGE explosion.

I love dutch's death so much. The way he says, "this one's a good one" then jumps, it's like a moment of clarity before the end, Dutch is faced with a choice, him or John, and before now you can easily be forgiven for forgetting that Dutch essentially raised John as a son, but in the end, he makes the choice any father would for his son.

Another cool detail. If you skin animals that can only be found in New Austin and sell them in Mexico, they are worth 1.5x or 2x times more. Basically contraband. This, among other details, are the reasons I replayed the game several times

I've been playing this game pretty consistently ever since it came out. Few things you didn't mention that I think add to the realism even more: 1.) Bison don't respawn like normal animals in the game. There's a certain number of them, and if you kill them, they're gone. 2.) Selling items to shops is dependent on the item and where you are. For example, if I skin an elk in the northern area and try selling it in Blackwater, I won't get nearly as much money as I would selling it somewhere in Mexico where elk don't exist. It's something small but definitely adds to the feeling of the "open world" being interconnected and different areas being unique. Also, there are some crazy cheats in the game, albeit not as crazy as GTA. One of my personal favorites is the one where people combust into flames upon shooting them lol

the "YOU IMPLORE ME?!" line has always stuck with me, idk why.

i played rdr1 directly after rdr2 a couple years ago. i was surprised just how well it held up after 10 years of unbelievably rapid technological advancements. i still go back and forth between rdr1 and rdr2 as my favorite in the series.

So basically the stranger in the mission, “I know you” is the personification of death or the grim reaper. He’s claims to be an accountant because of all the deaths he has to account for. He also mentions that people have damned him before which could also support this. In RDR2 this is supported by a cabin in the middle of the woods you can find that has an unfinished painting. All around the cabin there’s hints to who lives in the cabin, alongside a poem about a character you met with Arthur earlier in the story that can either live or die depending on your choice. If you keep coming back to the cabin you can see the painting is of the strange man and you can see him appear behind you in a mirror. There is also a man by a campfire that if you talk to him talks about a plague in Armadillo describing it as a curse. If you keep listening to his story he also begins to describe the stranger that was seen in the distance watching over Armadillo. The lore behind the stranger is kinda eerie but I love it.

Man, your introductions to these masterpieces are just insanely good and hilarious! Keep it up Act Man

John Marston is probably THE MOST polite, honorable, and probably the only true "Hero" protagonist out of every Rockstar games' protagonists. Heck he barely even swears the F-word both in and outside of cutscenes and I always find that to be a very charming quality about his character, despite his intimidating persona. He's kind of a "an eye for an eye" type of guy. So when people are nice to him, he'll genuinely treat those people the same way they do him. But when they betray him, well sometimes Rockstar will leave that decision up to you in some key moments.

Graphics were incredible for 2010. Sound design was amazing. Voice acting was up there with everything else Rockstar's put out, that is to say it's incredible. The story ending in a way that shows that even if you do the right thing in the end, your sins will still follow you was at the time pretty unusual and tragically beautiful. It really felt like a Clint Eastwood movie. Like Unforgiven. So yeah. It's a masterpiece

Hearing you talk about how amazing it is when you encounter different dialogue when replaying a scene is wild because Red Dead 2 takes it a step further and has the added effect of characters talking or shouting depending on how far away from them you are or how loud the surroundings are. This game is incredible in every way, but 2 still somehow manages to expand on the detail and immersion on all fronts. I can’t wait for the second review. Thanks for dropping this video!

Some things I would like to point out: 1. There are cheat codes in the game, but they disable saving so it's mostly just for fun 2. There is another reticle I'm pretty sure, I think you had to swap to it in the options but it was definitely the default for online play. It's pretty much the same as the standard reticle but with a circle around the dot to better approximate bullet spread

I’m currently doing a play through of rdr1, after completing rdr2. This series just makes you feel so many emotions throughout the events it’s mind blowing to see a story written so well it can affect your feelings in such a way. Thanks for finally making this review, I’ve been waiting for it. (:

Last time I was this early uncle didn’t have lumbago.

Red Dead Redemption 1 and 2 are my favorite video games ever made. Both games are absolutely unforgettable, and to see the games get even more recognition is amazing to hear. John, Dutch, Uncle, andArthur Morgan are some of my favorite video game characters and are absolutely unforgettable.

I’m so glad you enjoyed this game as much as I did. RDR was the first game my brother and I got for our PS3. As a girl, I never really played video games but playing this game truly made my childhood so special. I’ve beaten it probably 10 times by now. I really hope you play RDR2, personally I think all of your “complaints” were solved and it’s such a remarkable piece of art. Thank you for appreciating it as much as I do :)

There are only two times you can ever feel like you're playing RDR for the first time: When you first play it, and right after beating RDR2. This is arguably one of the best videogame stories ever written.

Playing this game as a kid really opened up my eyes to the fantastic art of storytelling. Absolutely amazing intro by the way.

Just restarted RDR2 with the intent to do all side missions and main storyline missions. All i have to say these games are proof that Gaming is art. Movies are like self driving cars Games allow you to take the wheel.

The ending of RDR: “Get ready to cry over the main character.” RDR2: Get ready to cry *HARDER*

2001-2010 is the golden era for rockstar. GTA VC, SA, 4 and Red Dead 1 are all awesome games.

I've never played a game with that much emotion before. While the ending tugs on your emotions, the mission where you ride your horse into Mexico and the beautiful songs plays is truly incredible

The end of rdr still breaks me to this day. I replayed the final mission as John over and over again thinking that if I just shot enough men I could escape his fate and I was left in tears when I finally accepted the inevitable.

the physics are actually something i am incredibly passionate about in every video game, for me it started with source and ESPECIALLY GTA4. gta4 and RDR1 both used the Endorphin engine (for lack of a better term, it is actually a 3D animation software, which makes it a "dynamic motion synthesis software"), an incredible physics engine for the time that would allow the active ragdolls to behave BEYOND ragdoll behavior. the creators of the engine made some really cool footage showcasing what exactly their engine does differently. A lot of it is that the ragdolls interact with the environment around them in realistic ways and manners, so for example, if the person was shot in the leg, and was near a table or trashcan, the character who was shot, would not be a *dead* registered ragdoll, but instead registered as an active doll. This allowed the the engines AI to kick in and made the active doll reach out to stabilize itself, walk in weird ways to gain balance, and flail to try and re-center its gravity, or generally behave in a realistic fashion. If I was shot in the leg, i would probably behave somewhat how the civs of Liberty City do in gta4, but i dont think i would run away like some of them can lol. Anyway, All of this was happening in tandem with the ragdolls properties having preset values. For example, there is a buff doll, fat doll, woman doll, and default doll. All of those dolls had a variety of weight, strength in particular limbs, mobility, and stability. Developers could change these things and add or remove new properties. This engine i could talk about even more, its my absolute favorite physics engine on the market, and it was WAY ahead of its time. I recommend looking up Cheekens video on it and reading the Pinned comment (lil snippit) " The only time you can experience walking around purely in the Euphoria state is when you are drunk in GTAIV." The developers went on to create the Euphoria engine which was used in LA noir, RDR2 and GTA5. Personally, i played around with it a bit. It was a lot easier to use, and way way less abstract. Euphoria to me however, felt heavier and carried less personality for lack of a better term. IDK to me, in gta4 when i bail out of a heli low to the ground, or jump out a car or off a bike at high speeds, get hit by a vehicle, flying trash can or shot in gta4, watching those reaction animations is way more fun and enjoyable/entertaining. i love them, they are a whole game on their own sorta like beam.NG. The same cannot be said for my experience in GTA5 or RDR2, RDR2 is a tiny bit more responsive to gunfire than gta5 but idk, something has felt off. Big example is gta5 jumping out of a car, you just slide on your face or back, how boring. Anyway love the video, just saw a segment about physics and i got way to excited

@TheActMan My uncle and I enjoyed playing games from time to time... but this was the one game he really dove into. He grew up reading about cowboys and indians and still would read old western novels. We played everything from Donkey Kong to Gran Turismo but this... this was the last game we enjoyed before he passed away. He LOVED the immersion of the old west that he'd read about all his life and watched in tv shows like Deadwood, The Rifleman, and Bonanza. A true classic that should never be forgotten. Both the game, and Uncle Gary lol

Something that stuck with me was how in Mexico John didn’t care who he was helping because men who seek power are all the same. That rebel girl was so starry eyed John emphasized with the pain she would go through as he used to be the same when following Dutch. It made me realize as a very young person to be wary of any that seek power.

I'm glad you haven't touched Red Dead Redemption 2 before doing the first one. You'll see, Red Dead Redemption 2 is a Masterpiece, with a capital M. Arthur Morgan is such an incredible protagonist, just like John was in the first one, the story is really beautiful, epic and emotional, the gameplay mechanics and the possibilities are insane, the open world beautiful and full of life, you'll have one hell of a time and since you already did the first one, it just hits special. Looking forward to your review, probably 8 years from now.

Rdr1 is basically a wild west movie thats playable, its amazing.

I'm almost ashamed to say that red dead has become integral, if not a corner piece of my group of close friends' relationship over the past 3-4 years. We cannot go one day without quoting these characters from both games at eachother, even going as far as calling each other John, Arthur, Micah, and Dutch. I think it really does just go to show how much this game and it's story has impacted so many of us over the years. Growing up, I mainly only played licensed video games, wether it be movie tie ins, or games based around existing characters like the Arkham series. Anything else I didn't really have interest in as there was nothing to hook me because I didn't know the characters. But to this day at the age of 19, red dead one and two are the only completely original games I have ever completed the main story of, and I've done both multiple times. There is just something so special about these games, it really does have something for everyone. I dont think there will ever be another game like red dead redemption.

I love how Rockstar gave us a subtle nod to Jack's future in GTA 5. Inside Franklin's mansion there's a book titled "Red Dead" written by none other than a "J.Marston". Turns out Jack does end up becoming a writer, and writing about his dad, just like he wanted

That game when crossing into the Mexican Border and into Mexico is so amazingly performed....like seriously...riding a horse en el desierto, guitar strums and the sounds of a burro, a Spanish word for Donkey i think

Arguably my favorite game of all time. John's last scene is still as crushing as the first time I saw it.

I've gone through RDR2 3 times at this point, and it still is as fresh as the first time. But this video made me excited to revisit the one that started it all. I had so many good times with this game, and from the looks of it, it still holds up even by today's standards.

The moment you first enter Mexico and that songs plays will always be one of the most iconic moment in gaming history for me. The first time you play and you hear that guitar riff creep in as you make your way to your destination is just peak immersion for me, it was a moment I wish would never end.

I played this game the Summer before my senior year of high school. I remember playing a few missions each day and then having to go to work. At work, I would just think about what was going to happen next in the story like it was a TV show. It's funny, I knew as I was playing it I would have nostalgia from this game and 5 years later I can confirm. One of the greatest stories I've ever experienced.

I like to think that John thought about Arthur before he died. To give his son and wife a chance at a good life. The same thing that Arthur did for him all those years ago.

If The Act Man feels this way about rdr1 then just wait until he finishes rdr2

RDR1 was ahead of its time The world blew me away with how alive it felt and all the activites like Liars dice and poker were great The Ragdoll Physics were amazing with how enemies reacted to being shot and the story was amazing. RDR2 gave me the same feeling when I played for the first time and is easily one of the greatest open worlds of all time.

This is still probably my favorite game of all time. It was one of the only games I could convince my late father to sit down with me and play. You brought back some good memories Acting Mail Man

After finishing RDR2 i ended up playing RDR for the first time. Its been quite a journey.

I know this is a relatively old upload, but 17 minutes in I have to praise the level of passion you put into these videos. It really helps when the creator shows they care about what they’re covering in a video.

Man the ending of red dead still gives me goose bumps to this day despite I beat it 12 years ago

So happy to see you finally cover this amazing game. When I heard you had never played it before I was shocked. Especially when you admitted to not playing the sequel back in your top 10 games of the 2010s. I'm glad you recognize it's a masterpiece and included MANY details of the game that some people miss, including my favorite of the "I Know You" stranger mission. Fantastic review and I look forward to Undead Nightmare and Red Dead Redemption II whenever you get to it!

KCD developers also attempted this. Traveled the country and made the environment so realistic, it's amazing. Especially if you can hop into the car and just drive to those places to reminisce on how it used to look.

Still the best act man intro to date

Love how John, and Abigail marriage is portrayed. You can tell they love each other deeply. But due to personality, and their past They struggle to get where they are.

I think my favorite thing in Rdr1 are the duels. I think R* absolutely nailed that feel you got when you were watching one of those classic spaghetti westerns. I was always impressed with how they implemented it into game.

I love that your content just continues to stay on the up and up in quality. I can tell you take great pride in your work Man. Also how have I not subbed to you yet lol.

Dude it’s almost been a year now, you gotta play the second one it’s so good

This game was absolute mastery and came out at the perfect time, when Rockstar was at their creative peak and the games industry wasn’t utterly corrupted by monetization yet.

"Redemption: The action of regaining or gaining possession of something in exchange for payment, or clearing a debt." in the end, he got his family back and cleared his debt. Goddamn the ending of this game really hit hard.

I'm sure John read that "Tobacco cures tuberculosis" and cringed, since it was TB which killed Arthur, the man who saved his familys life

You know how there are those moments in some games where you see something, maybe a view from a mountain top, maybe some interaction you can have with an npc, whatever it might be, and you are so stunned by the level of detail and care in the game that you are at a loss for words. That happened consistently throughout RDR2, but the biggest one for me was seeing a snake slithering around outside if valentine, and before I could shoot it a hawk swooped down, picked it up and carried it off.

Red Dead Redemption (one) was my favorite of the two, I don't know why I just love everything about it. I hope Rockstar either releases an actual remaster of Red Dead Redemption, or they make an alternate Red Dead story based on the life of Landon Ricketts.

Returning to this review after watching Act Man play RDR2, it’s intriguing and insane how much everything ties in together between this and RDR2.

I just played and finished the main campaign too. I'm now in the DLC and oh man it's something. I really liked John... I can't wait to see him before the first game, how he became the person he was in RDR1. His death scene and acting was so good, I couldn't help not to feel sad. I've knew exactly that both Arthur and John dies at the end, but still took me by surprise and couldn't help not to be sad.

This opening has to be the best video ever made on RU-vid. Man I swear I wish I would’ve went into RU-vid to do stuff like this. Red dead redemption was freaking awesome ahead of its time.

29:36 if you ever play rdr2, they have multiple dialogue recordings depending on distance. one speaking normally and another shouting if you’re far away

I don't remember exactly what side character it was that John interacted with but the foreshadowing was excellent. When the game ended that one line of dialog not only applied to John but many of the characters in the game. "The devil is an accountant, and everybody pays."

The 4 main songs of the game are incredible and so well placed, far away plays when you first lands on mexico, compass plays when you finally can see your family,oh, bury me not when john dies and dead man's gun at the credits after seeing jack with john's gun

my girlfriend played the second one first not knowing the first games story just knowing it picked up where it left off after the events of red dead two I envy her to this day being able to experience the gangs down fall in chronological order was something truly moving to her she loved it and has been gaming ever since I would give anything to replay these for the first time

The Act Man takes video games reviewing to a whole other level and I love it

Holy shit the German guy you kill in the duel is the German guy that gives you a gold bar when you save him in 2.

Did you know that when john trys to shoot the strange man he fires 3 shots withe the 4th jamming. The three 3 shots represent John,uncle and Abigails deaths by the end with the 4th jamming being jack living and surviving the end of the story

One thing I noticed in GTAV, was that they also recorded multiple dialogue for missions, so if you died or had to quit and come back later, they would have slightly different conversations, or a different take of the same lines. It felt pretty interesting to hear that.

It pains me to know that you haven’t played rdr2, especially when you have this level of love for rdr. It excels in all of the subtle things that fans of video games as an art form will greatly appreciate. It’s as close to a perfect game as I’ve ever seen

For the record: orange juice and mustard go together quite nicely in a glaze for pork chops.

RDR1 is my most favorite game ever. The first time I sat down and watched my dad play this, I had to try it out but never got to until this year.

I love that you brought up the ragdoll physics, they're so memorable and so well done. Still my favorite to this day. They used very similar physics in GTA IV and it's always been disappointing to me that after these two titles, they changed for the worse 😕

Red Dead Redemption 1 was one of my favorite games as a kid. It's like a very long and interactive Clint Eastwood movie while you feel like a badass in the combat sections. I played Red Dead Revolver when I was even younger and I just had pure excitement playing this game back then

damn how often i replayed the last mission back in the day desperatley trying to save john. it broke my heart :(

I'd give all my guitars away for a full remastering of this brilliant game.

I remember when "Angry Joe" use to put this kind of love into his video game reviews. I am glad "The Act Man" doing video game reviews the entertaining way. Thank you.

I dont care how long it takes. But with how good this video was, I'm just excited for a Undead Nightmare and RDR2 review!

WE NEED RED DEAD REDEMPTION 2! Please Actman! You would love it The game is a masterpiece!

it's good to see more of this game. i remember playing it many years ago, near the date it released and i missed absolutely everything because i didn't understand english fluently as i do today. understanding the story now still hits the nostalgia just fine.

If he had this much fun with Red Dead 1, imagine the joy he’ll have in Red Dead 2.

Undead Nightmare is still one of my favourite zombie game. Glad it is not getting overlooked!

RDR wouldve been even more incredible if there were multiple endings and choices of how his story ends how like black ops 2 & gta5 give you different choices with potentially different outcomes, which would also add replayability on top as well, but still a game way ahead of its time. 😍

Picked up and just finished Red Dead for the first time after watching this video. Very glad I did as it now holds a spot in my top ten. The second I beat the game I went out and bought RD2. Looking forward to playing that, and keeping my fingers crossed for an Acting Male video on it in the near future

I’m so glad you noted early on how amazing the soundtrack is. Easily in my top 3 video game soundtracks of all time. I remember playing RDR2 and thinking I really missed the soundtrack from the first Redemption. Then, you play the Jim Milton Rides Again Mission, and it all comes full-circle.

The fact that you Actman have not touched rdr2 makes this review special. You will realize the nostalgia feeling towards rdr1 is real. Playing in order of release was a wise choice man 🤘

The ending to Red Dead Redemption was great on it's own,but with Red Dead Redemption 2 its even better,it's a perfect ending for these 2 legendary games. And Jack putting his father's gun in his holster after killing Ross is a perfect way to end everything that has happened,from the gang's downfall,Arthur's death John building his home,John avenging Arthur,John hunting down Bill, Javier,and Dutch,John's death,and finally Jack avenging John. Perfect ending to a perfect series

Just finished the first one. Im so happy I have undead nightmare and RDR2 left to play