Despite the 8-year gap between the release of Red Dead Redemption and Red Dead Redemption 2, there are still plenty of things that the original game actually did better. While Red Dead Redemption 2 is beloved for its world, characters, story, and pretty much everything, a few elements were left out that allowed Red Dead Redemption to succeed.
Red Dead Redemption: All Signature Guns of the Van der Linde Gang
The Van der Linde gang in Red Dead Redemption 2 all have distinct personalities and desires, which are somewhat represented by their guns.
With many similarities between Red Dead Redemption and Red Dead Redemption 2, why not look into the things that made them different, and more importantly, the things that Red Dead Redemption managed to do better than its modern sequel, even with its advancements to graphics, gameplay, and story?
8 Enemy Reactions to Bullets
Funny Ragdolls and Limb Impacts
As immersive as Red Dead Redemption 2 is, it lacks a few elements that the original had. One such element is the enemy reaction system. Enemies in Red Dead Redemption 2 will fall down rather fluidly, but shooting weapons from their hands and watching them limp around isn’t as possible as it is in Red Dead Redemption.
For the original Red Dead Redemption, players were able to shoot weapons repeatedly out of enemy hands, forcing them to run and pick up what they lost. Individual limbs would also matter on what’s been shot, and to make things even better, the ragdoll physics had strong Spaghetti Western vibes over realistic impact.
7 Strangers and Creeps
Stranger Missions Are Far Stranger and Bleak
Arthur Morgan meets a colorful cast of side characters across the world of Red Dead Redemption 2, but while they are strange, they’re not outright creepy. Some of these characters are trying to create mechanical life, or to impress a woman with feats of danger, but there’s nothing to make the skin crawl quite like the strangers in Red Dead Redemption.
From grief-stricken old ladies suffering with dementia, cannibals, and even a Strange Man who seems to know all about John Marston, there’s something so impactful, bleak, and hopeless about the characters John Marston meets, leaving a lasting impression that perhaps this is the end of the Old West once and for all.
6 Carrying Every Weapon with Ease
There's No Need for Horse Storage
With such levels of immersion, Red Dead Redemption 2 made it essential for players to think about their loadout. After all, it wouldn’t make sense if Arthur Morgan could stash dozens of guns underneath his shirt, so players were limited to two revolvers and two rifles for the back and shoulder. This is something that Red Dead Redemption didn’t have to worry about.
For Red Dead Redemption, players could use the weapon wheel to pull out any weapon that they had purchased without worrying about any space. Sure, it was fun for Red Dead Redemption 2 to make players choose loadouts and swap between weapons, but it was nice to just have everything on hand in the Wild West with the original game.
5 A Simpler Wanted System
A Bandanna Halts All Criminal Activity
The expansive clothing options of Red Dead Redemption 2 meant that not every Arthur Morgan had to wear his iconic hat and jacket, but that also meant that the wanted system was revamped. Arthur could be spotted in town after committing a crime based on what he was wearing, as he might have already been seen with a certain attire on, thus making a bandanna to hide his face pointless.
Red Dead Redemption: 8 Things To Do In Your First Few Hours
Starting a new playthrough of Red Dead Redemption can be a little bit overwhelming, so here's what to get up to in the first few hours.
Red Dead Redemption didn’t use such a complex system, and so long as players wore a bandanna, they wouldn’t get a bounty for John Marston, nor would they incur a loss of honor. To top it off, the law wouldn’t chase John endlessly after they had been killed, and witnesses didn’t travel across counties just to report a petty crime, so while Red Dead Redemption 2 had a more complex wanted system, the original game’s was less frustrating to work with.
4 Gambling Games
Liar’s Dice and Other Minigames Provide a Real Winner
Red Dead Redemption 2 had quite a few fun minigames to its name, with more of a focus on a detailed poker system than anything else. However, these were games that had already been seen in Red Dead Redemption. Sure, the fishing was elite and immersive, but it’s hard to beat what Red Dead Redemption had with games like Liar’s Dice.
Liar’s Dice was one of the many minigames in Red Dead Redemption, and most certainly its best. Every game could be fun and intense, allowing players to bluff or be tactical with their approach to victory. Outside of Liar’s Dice, there were even Horseshoes, and Arm Wrestling, things that were lacking in the sequel.
3 The Vibes of a Spaghetti Western
The Original Doesn’t Shy Away From Spaghetti Western Influence
Red Dead Redemption 2 is an immersive staple of the Western genre, providing players with the definitive experience for those seeking out the Old West in virtual form. However, while the riveting detail and immersion of the realistic West is great, there’s something nostalgic and aligning with Red Dead Redemption’s influence from Spaghetti Westerns.
Red Dead Redemption wasn’t trying to be overly realistic in design and character, and that paved the way for a more movie-like experience, with fun characters, expected visuals, and settings. Red Dead Redemption brings fun Spaghetti Western vibes to its design with its choice of music and location, while Red Dead Redemption 2 prefers to keep things calm and realistic.
2 Being John Marston
John Marston’s Character and Attention Receive Justice
Red Dead Redemption 2 is set in 1899, which is 12 years before Red Dead Redemption. The John Marston that players meet as part of the Van der Linde gang is one who acts very young and immature, and he can ask some really stupid questions that make players wonder how he went from a foolish man into a polite and confident gunslinger in just over a decade of mental development and experiences.
Red Dead Redemption: All Outfits (& How to Unlock Them)
There are a total of eighteen outfits in Red Dead Redemption you can reveal and unlock, some of which will grant special bonus effects when worn.
Even the John Marston seen in the epilogue of Red Dead Redemption 2 isn’t all that smart, but once players jump into the original Red Dead Redemption, they are faced with a Legend of the West. For many, John Marston doesn’t live up to Arthur Morgan, but he doesn’t have to. John’s character in the original game is far more mature and of its time period.
1 It’s an Undead Nightmare Out There
A Separate Zombie Mode Makes Sure the Original Game Never Rots
There are many creepy elements to the open world of Red Dead Redemption 2, and with literal UFOs, fourth-wall-breaking preachers, and ghosts, there’s one thing completely lacking and that’s zombies. Red Dead Redemption 2 lacked any DLC, with a higher focus placed on Red Dead Online as opposed to expanding single-player content, much like the success of GTA Online stopped single-player DLC from appearing in Grand Theft Auto 5.
Luckily, Red Dead Redemption didn’t have that focus, and Undead Nightmare crawled from its grave to provide players with a terrifying expansion where the undead walk the earth. Undead Nightmare was incredible, and the lack of an Undead Nightmare 2 haunts Red Dead Redemption 2, proving yet another stellar reason why Red Dead Redemption earns its crown.
Red Dead Redemption
- Released
- May 18, 2010
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs
- Developer(s)
- Rockstar San Diego
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Adventure
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Android, iOS
