I became a Western game fan with Lucasarts Outlaws all those years ago. Played nearly every one since then, from Desperados, to Red Dead Revolver, to Gun, to Call of Juarez and its sequel. All of these have had their share of fun, but also a good deal of problems. You had to really love the genre to overlook the issues.Red Dead Redemption, I think, changes that. For the first time there's a Western game I don't have to make excuses for.I'll start with the early history of the game: Red Dead Revolver. As with the others, it had plenty of problems, but its style and charm won me over (even after nearly breaking the controller in some of the harder duels). The art style was great, the music was perfect, and the gameplay was, for the most part, pretty fun. It had a couple unique mechanics, like the quick-draw mini-game that used the analog sticks to mimic the actual motion of drawing and aiming your gun, to great effect, even if some of the enemies felt cheap. Dead Eye mode was neat. Running around and climbing things was a bit stiff, but certainly functional. Aiming and shooting wasn't too bad. One of my favorite aspects was the diversity in the weapons. Even if there wasn't a huge discernible gameplay difference between different rifles, shotguns, or pistols, I appreciated the visuals, and some of the higher level pistols were beautifully designed. All in all, Red Dead Revolver had a lot of potential, even if it wasn't great.Redemption builds off that potential, but takes it leaps and bounds over the original. If Revolver built the launch pad, Redemption has now colonized Mars.Rockstar San Diego has succeeded in creating what feels like a real living breathing place. It's the sort of world where I'm perfectly content just roaming around exploring, rather than following the story. I'd honestly have been satisfied with the open world alone, even though the story is great. I love riding out into the wilderness and encountering new animals (there are a ton of different species, which really helps with the immersion - in other games where you see the same 10 animals it takes you out of the experience). There are also people all over, doing their own thing. Traveling, hunting for treasure, fighting with each other, robbing each other. You can participate or not! It's also a beautiful world. Along with the animals, the appropriate plants and landscape really sell the world. And the skies! Really pretty skies. And then there are the towns, also appropriately populated, and each with their own set of activities. I enjoyed a game of poker last night (the guy I played with was a pansy, he busted out quick). I've also been having a good time going after bounties and doing night watches at Bonnie's place.The action mechanics all work very well. Shooting is genuinely fun. I feel like a gunslinger. The sound effects have good power to them, and the guns handle in a believable and satisfying manner. I also really like the way Rockstar handled the way characters react to being shot. Not only do they use rag doll physics, but they react to where they're shot. We've seen this idea in other games before, but this is the best execution I've seen of the effect so far. I'm really looking forward to finding some of the rare guns in the game to see how they all handle.Riding is pretty fun, too. While not as simple to control as those in Gun, perhaps, the horse handle more realistically, and riding is very satisfying in its own right. They move the right way, and I loved the little touches like the way they slide down steeper inclines. They also spook when snakes are nearby. The idea that you can keep one horse and build its loyalty and trust is great. Unlike other games, where the horse function like cars that you can hop in and out of, in Redemption you're rewarded for taking care of one horse for an extended period. I actually grew attached to mine. There are many different breeds of horses, too, a first for games that I know of.And then there's the story! The story is solid. And interesting premise, with lots of fun characters along the way. I must say, I really enjoyed the interactions between Marston and Bonnie. She's a great character. The voice acting is pretty darn good. Definitely some of the best I've heard in games. Marc Alaimo as Reverend Ray in Call of Juarez is still my favorite, but the voices of Marston, Bonnie, and Leigh Johnston are up there. It's such a relief to not want to skip through every cutscene.I have a feeling Red Dead Redemption will be occupying a lot of my time these next few months. I haven't even tried the multiplayer yet (some friends who were going to get the game bailed on me -- their loss!), and there are tons of challenges and side missions to complete yet. I recommend this game not only to Western game fans, but to fans of immersive open-world gameplay done right.