Summary
- A remastered version of Red Dead Redemption could bring better graphics, visuals, and realism to the beloved game.
- Fans could see more random encounters, new side quests, and improved NPC interactions, adding depth and diversity to the open world.
- The remaster may include new achievements, expanded customization options, enhanced duel mechanics, and improved sound design and cinematics. The map may also be expanded to include new areas like Mexico.
Red Dead Redemption and its sequel are considered two of the best games ever made, and fans were overjoyed to hear that the game's developer, Rockstar Games, is likely working on a remaster of RDR. A recent update to the Rockstar Games website referencing Red Dead Redemption is an even stronger indication that fans will soon be able to play as John Marston in a remastered version of the game. While players may have to wait a pretty long time for an RDR 3, the idea that a remaster of the original is releasing is exciting enough to soften the blow.
The original Red Dead Redemption, which was released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2010, follows the story of John Marston after the events in Red Dead Redemption 2. A key sticking point for a lot of fans is that the game is limited to older generation platforms for most, and the game has never been released on PC. A remaster not only enables the developers to bring the game up-to-date but also opens the door to a plethora of opportunities for new gameplay mechanics and improvements.
10 Better Graphics and Visuals
Even though the original game, which was released over a decade ago, had some of the best graphics for its time, those visuals haven't aged well, especially in the wake of the amazing fidelity players can experience in Red Dead Redemption 2. Graphics and visuals are obvious areas where the RDR remaster can improve and potentially even achieve better results than in the second game (third, if counting Red Dead Revolver).
Back then, character models were pretty blocky for today's standards, textures were sometimes ugly, and edges would look choppy because of a lack of good anti-aliasing. While the open world setting was pretty impressive for the time, better visuals of the game's landscapes would also help add to the realism and better immerse players in the world the developers have created.
9 More Random Encounters
The original RDR didn't lack random encounters, as there were actually a few in the title that didn't make their way into the sequel. That being said, RDR 2 completely expanded on and increased the number of random encounters, making the world feel more alive and realistic. While it's expected to re-introduce scenarios from the first game, there's now a whole world of possibilities.
Imagine walking in on an active robbery from a random NPC or maybe having to deal with a cowboy who drank a bit too much at the saloon. There's so much more that can be added to the title to add diversity and realism to the open world.
8 Additional Side Quests
Though there were many side quests in the original game, releasing a remaster enables the developers to create even more unique side missions. In addition, it's possible that they even enhance portions of the main story, like letting players experience and live out more of the life of Jack, the son of John Marston, much like the last chapter of RDR 2.
Related: 10 Red Dead Redemption 2 Side Quests With The Best Rewards
One of the best things about Red Dead Redemption 2 is the sheer quantity of side quests in the game. Players can get lost for literal in-game days following a chain of side quests before ever returning to the main story. While the original RDR certainly had some of these, adding more to the game would help better flesh out the world and give players more things to do.
7 More Realistic NPC Interactions
While the main characters players interact with in RDR have unique personalities that flesh them out as fully realized characters, other NPCs in the game leave much to be desired. Characters that don't have main speaking roles in the game can sometimes behave in weird ways or not react at all, with unexpected and hilarious results. These small things all go a long way in shattering player immersion.
While RDR 2 certainly improved on these encounters, it would be quite a feat for Rockstar to improve on the formula again and give even more personality to random NPCs. Immersion can also be enhanced by having the NPCs interact with each other more. It would also be wise to bring back a few of the interactions from the first game, like arm wrestling.
6 New Achievements and Trophies
It's natural that the upcoming Red Dead Redemption remaster would include new achievements, as the original game was on the PS3 and Xbox One. This would give completists entirely new tasks in the game that differ from the original release and could assist in exploring the new, potentially expanded open world. Regardless of whether Rockstar adds new and unique content to the game, it would make sense for it to update achievements for a new generation of gamers.
5 More Outfit and Cosmetic Options
Players can change their outfit in the original RDR, but the customization options pale in comparison to its follow-up title. Limited to just selecting an entire outfit rather than individual pieces in his wardrobe, the old game lacked a high level of variety and customization. In the RDR remaster, expanding on customization would only make sense, so players can style John Marston as they please.
In the original, most of the game was spent donning Marston's famous leather vest and cowboy hat, but it doesn't have to be that way for the remaster. It will also be interesting to see whether the developers decide to implement the hair growth mechanic in the game because seeing John with a long beard and mustache would be a nice added touch.
4 Better Duel Mechanics
One of the cooler mechanics in RDR 1 that changed in RDR 2 was duels. In the first game, players could challenge characters in the world to a duel. Upon agreeing, players would then enter a special scene specifically designed for the scenario. Sadly, this mechanic was somewhat obtuse and hard for most gamers to figure out.
In RDR 2, duels do exist, but it isn't exactly obvious how to engage in them outside specific missions or scenes. It would be great to return the old mechanic to its former glory and make it a more central part of the game, while also implementing some of the new mechanics from the second game or creating an entirely new thing altogether.
3 Better Sound Design and Soundtrack
An often overlooked aspect of video games is the sound design and soundtrack, which were both superb in Red Dead Redemption 2. Over the past decade, sound design has come a long way, and developers have become even better at helping players immerse into the game world with incredibly realistic audio.
While the first game did have an impressive catalog of tracks, the sequel took things to the next level, with contributions from the likes of Willie Nelson and D'Angelo. It'll be quite interesting to see how Rockstar approaches the sequel in terms of music and how it re-imagines some of the more iconic tracks from the first game.
2 More Dramatic Cinematics and Cutscenes
While there's certainly high drama in RDR, the inferior graphics of the time, especially with character faces and expressions, can sometimes ruin what would otherwise be a visceral or emotional cinematic. Compared to 2010, the amount of detail designers can now pack into facial expressions is quite impressive. These improvements should automatically raise the drama in cutscenes, but it'll also be exciting to see what new camera angles and character performances the creatives decide to implement to take the cinematic elements of the title to the next level.
1 Expanded Map
In the original Red Dead Redemption, players were limited to the West Elizabeth and New Austin areas. In contrast, Red Dead Redemption 2 opened up the map to the east, doubling the size compared to the first game. Players may be able to see how places like Saint Denis and Valentine look now that decades have passed. What could be even more amazing is if the developers decided to expand the map to the north and south, potentially even exploring Mexico, which was only possible to visit in RDR 2 with a glitch.
Source: LunarGaming/YouTube
