PC players are already accustomed to having most Rockstar games show up on the platform later than their initial releases. Grand Theft Auto III and its follow-ups were released on the PC a year after the PS2 debut. The same happened with Red Dead Redemption 2, which was released one year after it appeared on Xbox One and PS4. While some other titles like L.A. Noire and Max Payne 3 only had a delay of a few months after their console debuts, Grand Theft Auto V had a two-year delay and didn't get the updates that the eventual PS5 and Xbox Series X/S ports did. Nothing feels as prolonged as Red Dead Redemption, which debuted on the PC one year after the PS4 and Switch ports, which were 13 years removed from the game's debut on the Xbox 360 and PS3. After 14 years of petitioning and begging, Red Dead Redemption is finally available on the PC, and the question is whether the very long wait was worth it.

It is the turn of the 20th century, and change is happening. The railways have been completed, and more people are starting their migration westward with rapid ease. Cars and electricity are starting to become part of everyday life, and the lawless nature that has defined the Wild West is ending. You play the role of John Marsden, a one-time member of the Van Der Linde gang who has changed his ways for a more peaceful and lawful life. That doesn't last for long, as he's been roped into a government job to take down the last remaining members of his old gang.

The story is a familiar one for fans of the Western genre, and the characters keep it memorable without veering into bad stereotypes. The most interesting character out of the whole lot is your own. Unlike the protagonist in Rockstar's other open-world games, you're a fully heroic protagonist instead of an anti-hero. You'll still act like an outlaw, but you aren't going to partake in activities like robbing businesses or sleeping with the brothel women. He's practically an anomaly, as the role of the good guy hasn't been attempted since this title.

As far as gameplay goes, Red Dead Redemption takes on some of the hallmarks that Rockstar is known for in its open-world games. Most missions tend to be rather involved, as doing something like helping to find some cattle rustlers can naturally lead to something bigger in that same mission. Somehow, your journey veers into unexpected scenarios, such as you suddenly taking part in the war in Mexico before returning to the U.S. to finish the mission. These kinds of events felt unnecessary when the game debuted, but over time, they've been criticized less since that still pales in comparison to the various detours you take in the sequel.

One major change to the system is the splitting of the Wanted system into two different metrics. Fame is a basic one that you get for finishing missions, and it acts as a barrier to unlocking more missions. Honor is the thing that's closer to the Wanted mechanic, as a low amount of honor means that more law enforcement and bounty hunters will be after you; having a high amount of honor means that townsfolk will be more accommodating, and shopkeepers will give you discounts. The change makes sense, since you're playing more of a hero than villain, and it does a good job of helping you stay in character instead of defaulting to a life of mayhem in other open-world titles.

The main missions can get a little ridiculous, but the various side activities are good. You can go hunting for animals to sell their pelts, or you can hunt for people as a bounty hunter. Other side activities include going for a drink, taking in a movie, or playing poker for cash. The one thing tying together all of these activities is how they seem to naturally flow into one another. Hunting for a rare creature, for example, may help you stumble upon someone being chased by coyotes, and that may lead you into town to find some aid while also engaging in a classic duel. It feels organic and engrossing enough that you won't mind the distractions.

When it comes to traversal, it's all about horses. You won't ever jump into an actual car, despite their introduction into the world at this time. Controlling a horse is enjoyable, but you will need to worry about maintaining their stamina and not pushing them so much that they'll kick you off the saddle. While you can try to commandeer another horse, you'll rarely need to do that because you can always whistle for your own horse to come toward you. Unlike with vehicles, combat on a horse is much more manageable because there's less of a risk of losing control and crashing than compared to driving around in the streets of a city.

Combat feels like the opposite of the Grand Theft Auto series when it comes to its strengths and weaknesses. Melee combat feels a tad awkward, as punching someone never feels as satisfying as it did in Rockstar's crime opus. That won't matter as much because the gameplay feels good. Using the keyboard and mouse is always optimal, but those using a controller will appreciate the auto-lock, even though manual aim isn't as sluggish as expected. This is especially true when the Dead Eye mechanic kicks in; the slow motion really helps to dial in your aim for the perfect shot. One thing that is pretty cool is that you have an option for a more non-violent approach. You can lasso enemies and hogtie them; the mechanic makes you formidable if you run out of ammo.

All of these things get better fleshed out in the sequel, but that isn't a knock against the original. One can argue that this makes the game feel more focused. The world you wander through isn't too large, and despite the various systems in place to make the game feel like a living world, you're never too far from your main objective, so you can always keep the story moving forward. There aren't too many systems to juggle, and the cast of characters is small enough to keep the story from having too many loose threads. For those whose first experience with the series was with Red Dead Redemption II, this is a game that will be easier to get into and finish.

This version of the game no longer has a multiplayer mode, and while that is a shame, it's also understandable since it only consisted of a simple deathmatch and capture the flag mode. There won't be many people who will miss it since the game includes the previously released DLC and cheats for the game. This includes Undead Nightmare, which takes the open-world sandbox and gives it a zombie-filled twist set as an alternative epilogue to the main game. It sports the same features as the main game, such as a lengthy campaign with a good deal of side-quests. It's a bit tougher than the main game, as zombies are still tough to take down unless you get in some well-aimed headshots. What unexpected is how darkly funny it can be; many characters spout lines of dialogue that almost make you feel like you're playing a parody of a zombie game. It's really funny, and the fact that it's immediately accessible from the main menu means that you can play this first, if you don't mind some spoilers for the main game.

The sound remains as good as ever, even after all of these years. The voice acting is absolutely superb, and the dialogue has a perfect mix of drama and humor that Rockstar was getting a very good handle on at this point. The soundtrack is a mix of the more modern dramatic Westerns and classic Spaghetti Westerns, so the themes are very appealing to fans of the genre. Sound effects are also crisp and not overwhelming, and the game sounds great if you run it through a good sound system. Overall, it remains a delight for the ears.

The graphics, on the other hand, are a disappointment. When looked at as a product of its time, the game looks quite good. The characters look good, their mouth movements look natural, and there's a good amount of detail in the environments. The towns all sport a decent amount of people and animals, and while the lighting techniques aren't very advanced, the game can still look picturesque at the correct angles. The game sports all forms of upscaling, but you'll never need them because the game hits 60fps even with hardware that's close to a decade old.

The problem is that when you compare this version to the Xbox 360 title running on an Xbox Series X, there is no graphical difference whatsoever. The polygon count for the models hasn't changed, which might not be bad for the character models, but that means wagon wheels look awkward. The story is the same for the textures, which look fine from a distance but terribly blurry when the camera gets close. Pop-up is still a thing the game suffers from, and the animations and shadows can look a bit rough; this feature is actually new to this port. One new improvement is that the lighting has improved, making the game look brighter, while HDR also gives the game more vibrancy.

The lack of overall graphical touch-ups highlights the one big hang-up people will have with Red Dead Redemption: the price. This game is going for $50 at launch, and there's no discount on Steam. Some will argue that at least we aren't seeing a situation like Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy Definitive Edition, where the game was completely butchered at launch. However, when you see things like the controller prompts still belonging to the Xbox 360 era and no visual improvements, the price begins to sting.

On the Steam Deck, Red Dead Redemption hits the native 1280x800 resolution once you make your way through the Rockstar Games launcher. The game doesn't choose a preset, so while you can choose to go with Ultra, you're better off going with High to hit a stable 60fps. Then again, you might want to go to Low with FSR off, as that'll get the game looking like the Xbox 360 version while providing over three hours of battery life on the LCD version of the Deck. It would've been nice to see the game last longer on one charge on the portable device, but getting a portable version of the game at all is pretty great.

Even after 14 years, Red Dead Redemption remains a good example of how to do a proper Western in video game form. The main adventure is more focused than the sequel due to the relatively smaller cast and scope of your travels, but there are also plenty of side-quests that make it worthwhile to divert from the main questline. Undead Nightmare remains one of the better zombie games out there, and it still feels distinct after all these years. You just wish that there was more work done to the graphics outside of adding HDR and upping the brightness, especially since they're charging $50 for a 14-year-old port. The game is still worth adding to your library, but you might want to wait for a very good discount.

Score: 7.0/10