Do you remember when the internet was about to ride their horses and take over Rockstar Games’ headquarters to tell them that their re-release of Red Dead Redemption was a bad idea? Apparently, that was just the very vocal minority.
The Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 port (it’s backwards compatible on the PlayStation 5) was released today, Friday, August 17, and in the lead up to it, it was the most popular game on the PS5.
Reddit got wind of how many people were flocking to Red Dead Redemption and it’s gotten people talking.
[deleted by user]
by inPS5
So, what does this all mean? Did millions of people buy the re-release of Red Dead Redemption on the PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 5? Not exactly, but it’s probable.
If a game is trending on the PlayStation Store, this means that a huge chunk of the playerbase is looking it up on the PlayStation Store. Until Rockstar Games releases sales figures, which should happen anytime between this week and its next earnings report, this is the best metric we have to gauge the popularity and success of this controversial release.
If we’re being honest, it’s come to a point that it’s useless to rant about “‘bad” releases anymore. In an ideal world, we’d all get a fully remastered version of Red Dead Redemption. It doesn’t even have to be a full-on remake. We can use last year’s CRISIS CORE –FINAL FANTASY VII– REUNION as a reference, which was a mighty fine modern rendition of a PSP title. Alas, we didn’t get it. The worst part is that those who had valid complaints about Rockstar’s most recent release are probably feeling deflated right now for wasting their energy for nothing.
If it’s any consolation, Red Dead Redemption on the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and the Nintendo Switch appears to be running very well.
Because of precedence, there was concern that Rockstar would do a poor job porting Red Dead Redemption, especially on the Nintendo Switch. Thankfully, this wasn’t the case. Playing Red Dead Redemption on either console makes for one pleasant experience. There’s minimal to zero visual or performance problems. You can’t help but wonder if Rockstar had missed out by not porting Red Dead Redemption on the PC, therefore the Steam Deck, as the Nintendo Switch can run it with minimal issues.
If you haven’t played Red Dead Redemption on an Xbox One or Xbox Series S/X before, it’ll be easy to forget that you’re playing a 13-year-old open-world western built for platforms that are nearly old enough to drink in some countries.
Of course, we can’t just forget about the obvious omissions or the fact that it’s priced like a game developed specifically for current-gen consoles. It’s hard to justify Red Dead Redemption’s pricing when it lacks the original’s online features as well as its multiplayer modes. Not to mention, it’s still very much a game that came out two generations ago. The textures and models still look dated, while the animations haven’t aged well. If anything, the fantastic art design and atmosphere are a testament to Rockstar’s timeless design choices.
Sure, the price point of Red Dead Redemption on the PS4 and Switch feels silly when it lacks any notable upgrades but, we’ve just shown that most people won’t bother doing some quick maffs – they just want their western fix.
Ultimately, players can rest easy knowing that this isn’t a case of GTA Trilogy remastered – the re-release is the same Red Dead Redemption most of us came to love over a decade ago, warts and all.
