Summary
A video compares the Xbox 360 version ofRed Dead Redemption’s graphics to those of the recently announced Nintendo Switch port. Fans have been dismayed to hear that the long-rumored remake/remaster of the classic western game by Rockstar Games was neither a remake nor a remaster, but rather a standard-issue port ofRed Dead Redemptionwith minor technical upgrades.
Red Dead Redemptionwas originally released in 2010 for the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3. It was a critical and commercial success that eventually spawned a technically ambitious and hugely successful sequel,Red Dead Redemption 2, in 2018. Word of some kind of rerelease of the 2010 classic has made the rounds for months, with some suggesting it would be a full remake more in line withRed DeadRedemption 2’sgraphical and mechanical stylewhile other rumors hinted at a simple remaster.
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After the trailer dropped on August 7, fans were letdown upon learning that whilethe long-rumored re-release ofRed Dead Redemptiontips more into remaster territory, the graphical differences between the original 2010 Xbox 360 release and the announced 2023 Nintendo Switch port were slight and hardly perceptible. A video released by YouTube channel GameXplain pits the two versions separated by 13 years against one another in a side-by-side comparison, which was easy enough to do since the same trailer was used for both releases.
There are differences between the versions to be sure, butit’s easy to see why fans who had hoped the beloved originalwould get a graphical upgrade on par with its sequel were letdown. Fidelity has been upped a notch, with many of the game’s finer details like facial features and the distinction between blades of grass or tree leaves being more visually apparent. But graphically,Red Dead Redemptionremains largely the same. Perhaps the biggest difference is in the lighting. Scenes depicted on the Nintendo Switch side of the split screen have a warmer, slightly more stylized hue than the original. Other than that, though, the two versions are nearly identical.
The port ofRed Dead Redemptionandits zombie-themed DLCUndead Nightmare, both of which are also coming to the PlayStation 4 but, strangely, not to PC, will retail for the startling price of $49.99 even though it lacks serious graphical and mechanical upgrades and is, in essence, the same game released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2010.Red Dead Redemptionwill release digitally at first with a physical release slated for October 13.
Red Dead Redemptionis available now for PS3 and Xbox 360 with PS4 and Switch versions coming August 17.
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