Review: 'Red Dead Redemption'- A Masterpiece of Mythic Violence
Civilization and its malcontents meet their maker in this sepia-toned, bullet-time, bloodbath
From the makers of Grand Theft Auto IV, new western title Red Dead Redemption is quickly becoming legend.
The game’s bleak realness, tragic arc, and notable glitches might be why makers Rockstar and publisher Take-Two soft-peddled its release. It was a profoundly difficult game to make, and few review copies of the game went out before ship date in May. The game was expected to sell five million copies within one year of release.
Shocking watchers, the game has sold five million copies in less than three weeks. It’s single-handedly boosted the stock outlook of Take-Two. It’s become a most-talked about game on the web, trumping even World Cup fever in the UK. This is not just because of its copious bounty, treasure and sport hunting.
Red Dead Redemption accomplishes the near-impossible. The ambitious, $100 million sleeper of a mega-hit manages to make all its precedents feel like antecedents. From this point forward, an entire generation will refer to a game as the major landmark in an increasingly vibrant, violent genre.
New Release Tuesday: March 16, 2010
- SuicideGirls: Guide to Living (DVD, Blu-Ray)
A bunch of tattooed girls who listen to Morrissey and Atmosphere get naked. And somehow life is involved.
- God of War III (Playstation 3)
The final installment of the epic Sony franchise pits Kratos in a vengeful rage of awesomeness against titans scaled to the size of the Empire State Building. An immediate GOTY candidate.
- The White Stripes – Under Great White Northern Lights (CD, DVD, Blu-Ray)
This concert film follows Jack and Meg White’s 2007 tour throughout Canada. I don’t think it’ll be as good as Strange Brew, though.
New Release Tuesday: March 9, 2010
- Final Fantasy XIII (Playstation 3, Xbox 360)
One of the most celebrated video game franchises makes its next gen console debut. Expect an epic RPG sure to lay waste to your social life.
- Gorillaz – Plastic Beach (CD)
Your favorite band consisting of animated primates returns with their 3rd studio album. You’ve got ample time to take it in before their upcoming appearance at this year’s Coachella music festival.
- Capitalism: A Love Story (DVD, Blu-Ray)
Michael Moore’s latest doc examines America’s fascination with making rich people richer and taking a fat shit on everyone else.
New Release Tuesday: March 2, 2010
- Where the Wild Things Are (DVD, Blu-Ray)
Spike Jonze takes one of the most beloved children’s stories and turns it into the longest, most awesome music video ever made.
- Ponyo (DVD/Blu-Ray combo pack)
The latest from Japan’s most prolific animated filmmaker, Hayao Miyazaki brings us a tale of a boy and his goldfish that turns into a girl for some reason.
- Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (Playstation 3, Xbox 360, PC)
EA’s alternative to Modern Warfare 2, as if you really needed one. Drive vehicles and destroy environments while getting your kill on.
- MLB 10 The Show (Playstation 3, PSP, Playstation 2)
Sony’s exclusive franchise prides itself on being the most realistic baseball simulation each season. How real? So real that steroid-era players like Nomar Garciaparra and Eric Gagne are injury-prone and mere shadows of their past selves.
'It's getting hot in here, so take off all your clothes'
Dante’s Inferno illuminates a very manly, muscular Hell
New surveys of youth religiosity indicate atheism and religious relativism are on the rise, but notions of the afterlife, heaven and hell persist stubbornly.
Even after we’ve long abandoned God or the notion of the ‘one true path’ to him, we’re all very content to believe in a magical land where the pricks get pricked and Mormons are locked up behind pearly gates for eternity.
Which is to say, Hell remains other people’s idiotic superstitions, and Dante’s Inferno – the new video game from Visceral – is more of an allegory about modern life than the life after this one.
Black Dynamite, Good Hair, Aliens vs Predator: New Release Tuesday February 16, 2010
- Black Dynamite (DVD, Blu-Ray)
Get this critically acclaimed blaxploitation homage flick now, sucka!
- Good Hair (DVD)
This documentary narrated by Chris Rock looks into the African-American haircare obsession. It’s unbe-weave-able.
- Aliens vs. Predator (Playstation 3, Xbox 360, PC)
What happens when you merge two of the most awesome sci-fi franchises of all time? You get a fairly decent first-person shooter.
BioShock 2, Massive Attack, A Serious Man: New Release Tuesday February 9, 2010
- BioShock 2 (Playstation 3, Xbox 360, PC)
Return to the underwater city of Rapture to eviscerate splicers with a big-ass drill for an arm while taking in creepy Art Deco design and story elements inspired by Rand and Orwell.
- A Serious Man (DVD, Blu-Ray)
The latest from the Coen brothers. Do you really need more information than that?
- Massive Attack – Heligoland (CD)
The band that bred the “trip-hop” genre is back from a seven-year hiatus to regale us with all kinds of electronic goodness.
- Gil Scott-Heron – I’m New Here (CD)
One of the most powerful voices in black music has a new album 40 years after his solo debut. It’s released by XL Recordings, so yah, it’s going to be awesome.
- Dante’s Inferno (Playstation 3, Xbox 360, PSP)
The game developers who brought us Dead Space now brings us to Hell with this action-fest loosely based on Dante’s The Divine Comedy. We’re talking loose like Kardashian loose, though. Sure it’s a blatant God of War rip-off, but it’s got gore and titties. We’re in.
