redemption

Since Jeff can't attend the 26th annual Game Developers Conference on March 5 in San Francisco, we're doing the next best thing and bringing part of the show to him!

General Manager Meggan Scavio is our guest today and we're getting all the details on the upcoming show, like the split among console, PC, and mobile gaming, the rise of independent game developers, and sequelmania! We'll also rant about 3D games and the convergence of the film and gaming industries.

She'll also join us in the second half of the podcast where we'll run … Read more

Six-Guns is a freemium sandbox cowboy game that models itself after the popular console game Red Dead Redemption. While it may not be on par graphically with the game it resembles, Six-Guns definitely still has good-looking graphics as you explore a huge world and complete quests. The control system is like in many first-person shooters on the iPhone: move your character using a control stick on the left side, and look around by swiping the screen on the right.

The game is set in both Oregon and Arizona (with a way to fast-travel between regions). As you explore, you'll … Read more

After 16 years and countless games and appearances, we finally get to play a new side-scrolling Sonic game in Sonic the Hedgehog 4. A direct sequel to Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles, Sonic 4 propels the franchise into the world of HD gaming but remains loyal to the hard-core fanbase that helped make the franchise so iconic.

Joining us to demo Sonic 4 is Aaron Webber, community manager for the title at Sega. Aaron shares his insight on the game's production, some Sonic trivia, and where the game will go after Episode 1. We'll play through a … Read more

The Nintendo Wii is the only console that doesn't support HD gaming (or at least that's what Jeff tells me), but all that could change according to Metroid's co-creator Yoshio Sakamoto, who recently spilled on the next Nintendo system.

In a recent interview with 3D Juegos, Sakamoto gives little detail about the forthcoming console, but assures gamers that the new machine will "leave you all with your mouth open." Jeff and Wilson envision a virtual reality-style helmet with an integrated gyroscope, but it's anyone's guess this early in the game.

Remember the video of the double rainbow guy that flooded our in-boxes and Walls for a solid two weeks? Paul "Bear" Vasquez is the he man behind the camera and plans on squeezing as much Internet exposure out of it as possible, starting with two new video advertisements for Microsoft Windows Live Photo Gallery and Windows Live Essentials.

It's a clever move for Microsoft to use the flash-bang recognition of this kind of viral video to sell software, which begs the question--why isn't The 404 making money on this video with YouTube's profit sharing plan? Thirty-five thousand views and we're still eating ramen noodles with clearance-special spaghetti sauce!

We're running low on voice mails, so give us a call at 1-866-404-CNET (2638) or e-mail the404(at)cnet[dot]com and tell us what's on your mind! It could be a question for a specific host, a comment about an episode or just about the show in general; audience participation is a big part of what we do, so we're anxious to hear from you!

Led by hot demand for the Xbox 360, the video game industry scored its third best-selling May, trailing only 2009 and 2008. Revenue was down compared with a year ago due to lower console prices, according to the latest figures released Thursday by The NPD Group.

For the month, total revenue from gaming consoles, hardware, and software slipped 5 percent to $823.5 million, compared with $865.7 million a year ago. Video game hardware took the hardest hit, dropping 20 percent to $241.5 million from $303 million a year ago. Though sales were strong, lower hardware prices added … Read more

Don't bother taking your iPad to Yankee Stadium--it's banned the device, along with other laptops. Also, Intel announces new ULV chips; Asus bundles Kindle software on laptops; and [Spoiler Alert] we skip out on the "Lost" island for the last time.

Also, for reasons too complex to go into here, we end up discussing, and digging up the opening sequence from, the '80s sci-fi TV cult classic "Automan" (it's basically Desi Arnaz Jr. meets "Tron").

Our current video game obsession is Red Dead Redemption, and not satisfied to merely play the … Read more

From the same development team behind Grand Theft Auto comes Red Dead Redemption, the story of an ex-outlaw named John Marston who has been given a second chance at life. Set at the end of America's Wild West, Redemption is a truly ambitious effort from every angle.

Does Redemption hold water on its own, or is it just Grand Theft Auto on horseback?

Jeff: Too many generalizations have been made that label Red Dead Redemption and Grand Theft Auto as the same game. Sure, at their basic cores the titles are similar, but on the surface Red Dead Redemption does a much better job at creating compelling narrative and emotionally charged characters. A big reason for its success is the time period in which Redemption does a convincing job at recreating.

Players are thrown into the end of the iconic Old West, where everyone knows one another and all there is to do is travel from town to town on your horse. It's because of this that everything your character does in the game carries that much more weight with it. Everything has a consequence and Redemption does an impressive job at making you think twice before acting.

The main exposition of Redemption takes a healthy amount of time to fully unravel, which allows for plenty of opportunities to explore the desert. We really enjoyed the fact that no side mission is meaningless because every action is documented via fame and honor, two of the game's RPG-style metrics. For example, the more "known" your character becomes can dictate whether he'll receive a discount at a general store. If he becomes more feared, people on the street will look the other way in passing. Redemption also incentivizes the player to cooperate with certain tasks and complete specific side missions in order to unlock bonuses like new outfits.

As we mentioned earlier, each character is impressively fleshed out with some voice-acting performances (Marshall Johnson immediately comes to mind) rivaling those of live-action dramas. The dialogue is calculated, believable, and is arguably the best display of human interaction as told through a video game.… Read more