Red Dead Redemption is out now on PS4 and Nintendo Switch and, unsurprisingly, it’s a straightforward upgrade to the revered Western odyssey. During the initial announcement, Rockstar Games never revealed any technical specifications, simply calling it a “conversion” that didn’t mention anything about visual improvements or 60fps support. That appears to be the case, judging by the new press release – dropped on launch day – which states that regardless of platform, the game is locked to 30 frames per second. The new information, however, is that Double Eleven Studios’ port runs at 1080p resolution on the Nintendo Switch and PS4, going up to 4K resolution on the PS4 Pro and PS5 (playable via backwards compatibility).
Keep in mind that this is a port of a 13-year-old game, so it’s no surprise that the Switch runs it at Full HD resolution. The portable console has proven itself worthy of running new open-world titles like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt at 720p when the console is docked. Meanwhile, Digital Foundry claims that while the PS5 port of Red Dead Redemption doesn’t bring any interesting improvements, the image and shadow quality are better than the Xbox Series S/X version, although the latter runs the original Xbox 360 version via backwards compatibility. without any additional work done on it. The lack of 60fps seems like a major trade-off for gamers, given that this is the benchmark for modern console gaming, which isn’t helped by the hefty $49.99 price tag /Rs. Price of 3,639.
The version comes with all the goodies of the Game of the Year Edition, including the Tomahawk, Explosive Rifle and Golden Guns, as well as unlockable trophies. There is also new localization support and the package is included with the Undead Nightmare zombie add-on. The port reeks of an attempted cash grab (much like GTA’s remastered trilogy), despite comments from the CEO of parent company Take-Two that $49.99 is the “commercially accurate” price for one. standard port. The price doesn’t make much sense either, considering Take-Two has already remade Mafia from the ground up with an expanded story and gameplay, which is priced at just $40/Rs. 2,199, while this simple port without upgrade costs $50.
A PC version is also not in sight and that’s ironic, considering you can run Red Dead Redemption at 60fps through the Xenia emulator. Others are upset by the events leading up to the reveal, where the port was given a new title: “Rockstar Games Presents: Red Dead Redemption”, leading them to believe that a remaster was imminent. The game follows former outlaw John Marston as he travels across the sprawling American West to locate the last remaining members of the notorious Van der Linde gang. The game also introduced the honor system, in which NPCs would react kindly if John had performed positive acts, and harshly if his morals were flawed. This version also does not include multiplayer.
Red Dead Redemption is now available on PS4 and Nintendo Switch.
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