7 Things Red Dead Redemption Does Better Than GTA V

I recently bought Red Dead Redemption played it for the first time ever. I realized that I now have the rare experience of playing GTA V before Red Dead. This has provided me with a unique insight about both games’ mechanics. So, instead of a normal review, I present you with:

7 Things Red Dead Redemption Does Better Than GTA V

1. Weather Effects

Sure, sure, the rain effects in GTA V are pretty. When it rains, the roads glisten in the light. Also, characters’ clothes get wet and stay that way until a little after it stops raining. I think roads may become more difficult to drive on during bad weather, but none of this compares to when a storm rolls in when playing Red Dead Redemption.

Dark clouds fill the sky and thunder crashes while you ride across the country on your horse (or mule). Rain makes the dirt damp, and puddles will form in the irregularities of roads. If you’re lucky, you may even see lightning flash in the distance. All this makes for a cool and unique gameplay experience.

2. Free Roam

Both Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption feature expansive open worlds to explore. GTA V’s world is definitely fun to drive around in, but the city and countryside seems really compacted. For me, riding for miles across a intentionally empty desert landscape is much more preferable. One can truly get lost in Red Dead’s open world, which truly defines the term “free roam.”

3. Side Quests and Random Events

Occasionally (by which I mean rarely) in GTA, random events will spawn in the map. The thing is, these some of these supposedly “random” events are scripted to occur, and actually impact the story. While this feature is a good idea on paper, it doesn’t give the player much freedom to create their own story outside of the campaign. Even stranger missions (side quests) are sparse and usually not interesting.

Red Dead Redemption perfects side quests and random events. Random events happen way more frequently and with a variety of different scenarios. There are many stranger quests as well, each with their own plot tree (that don’t always end with the player killing the stranger; cough, cough GTA).

4. Shooting

Auto-lock is a common mechanic in all Rockstar games. In Grand Theft Auto V, auto-lock makes shooting stupidly unchallenging. While you technically can turn this feature off, it then makes shooting practically impossible.

Red Dead’s auto-lock system is a bit different. Instead of targeting an enemy on the other side of the screen (as it is in GTA V), the player must aim relatively close to the enemy in order to lock on to him/her. Simply put, it’s better this way. Besides, auto-lock fits the tone of Red Dead better, since John Marston is supposed to be somewhat of a dead-eye.

Note: Red Dead Redemption also has a “Dead-Eye” (bullet time) Mode, which is much better than Michael's special ability in GTA.

5. Hunting

GTA V offers a hunting mini-game to players that want to make a quick buck (Get it? Like the deer?). Basically you go to a specific area where that is populated by wildlife and, well, hunt. After you kill an animal, you take a picture of it with your cellphone and soon after are awarded with cash.

RDR’s hunting system is much more fleshed out. A variety of creatures populate the open world (including a jackalope), all of which/whom can be skinned for resources. These materials can then be sold to shops and are sometimes needed for side-quests. There are also 10 hunting challenges which, upon completion, contribute towards a hidden outfit.

6. Cover System

In Grand Theft Auto V, all the characters tend to stick to cover, making it a bit hard to navigate quickly during a fast paced shootout. John Marston is much less adhesive, and can slide to cover from long distances. Plus, he can crouch! I’m not talking about the sill hunch that the characters do in GTA. John Marston straight up squats right in the middle of battles, so you can avoid enemy fire without getting to cover.

7. Story

GTA’s plot is by far more interesting and exciting than Red Dead’s, but it is so loosely connected and lacking in flow that I sometimes thought, “Why am I doing this again?”

Red Dead on the other hand, has an actual story. You know, with a sense of direction instead of cashing out for complete chaos and fancy explosions? Even though the gameplay during Red Dead Redemption’s single player is very repetitive, I found the story that was being told more enthralling than GTA V’s.

Conclusion

If you came to this review looking for a score, here it is: I give Red Dead Redemption an 8.5/10.

Note: I’m gave GTA V a higher score than Red Dead Redemption because of its gameplay versatility and general fun factor.