If I worked for Microsoft, right now I'd be extremely annoyed and stalking the hallways looking for someone to fire.  After a huge investment of both time and money Xbox 360 versions of Red Dead Redemption haven't been making it onto the shelves, investigation into the cause of the shortage reveals that the issue is with transportation of the 360 version of the game to the stores, an issue that doesn't seem to be occurring to the same extent for the PS3 version.  Whatever the exact cause, I'm sure it's resulted in at least some people buying on PS3 rather than 360 - something that I personally did.  If people want to buy a new game and they can't, someone somewhere has miscalculated something.

Roll on digital distribution?

But these things only become an issue for big-title games with high demand, so is Red Dead Redemption worth the wait for those not fortunate enough to have bagged a copy yet? I've put together a 5 point review to help you make your mind up.

1 - Quiet Brilliance.

I can remember very specific parts of both Halo 3 and GOW2 that gave you such a Hollywood, extravagantly amazing impression you knew instantly you were in the presence of a great game.  Red Dead Redemption is a different kind of great game.  It's breathtaking views, perfected controls, size and scope, story, quality of voice acting and everything else are all quietly brilliant.  It may be the case that you'll be playing for what feels like an hour before you notice how good an experience it is and how much depth there is to the game. But then you'll notice you've been playing for 4 hours and looking back you'll be astounded. Red Dead Redemption doesn't shout about how amazing it is, it just stays quietly in the corner, standing on it's head juggling flaming javelins waiting for you to notice.

2 - Side Quests, strangers, Random Events

Sandbox games like this live or die on the quality of the "extras" in the game. We love sandbox because it's our own game and we like to do things when, where and how we like and Red Dead Redemption won't disappoint you at all in this area. Side quests are split between core-skill type challenges like collecting herbs and animal skins, shooting challenges like taking hats off people with a bullet, while mini stories based around strangers give you plenty to do and bring an amazing depth to the story, the Red Dead Redemption world and the era in general. As well as the Treasure Map there are the Random Events that occur throughout the world as you  travel around. Be it a robbery, an escaped criminal, an animal attack, a damsel in distress, a gunslinger looking for a fight or a resident lady of the night being abused, there is always something to do.

3 - Horses Vs Cars?

There is a lot of travelling between areas and a lot of horse riding within missions, and open world adventures by their very nature involve lots of sandbox milling around. Your mode of transport then is super important, and on balance I think GTA 4 pulls this off better with cars than RDR does with horses. Horses seem to lack the obvious differentiation and lack the feeling of prestige and achievement in bagging yourself some sporty number.  I also think the horse riding element is less exciting than the thrill of driving around a modern city. This isn't to say that the horses aren't good fun, it's the best horsey fun I've had in a game since I last met up with Epona, but if I want to enjoy travelling long distances i a sandbox game I think the cars of GTA edge the horses of RDD.

4 - Cow Boys are cool again.

There is a time in every boy's life when cowboys are the coolest people on earth, but while this has
probably worn off for most of us, Red Dead Redemption restores them to their former glory: John Marston is an instant gaming legend and the breadth and depth of non-playable characters is very impressive. I feel spoiled rotten by the time and effort that has gone into both researching the characters and the quality voice acting and animation in them.  The result is not just an absorbing and believable Western game but a western experience. From heart break, disgust through confusion and respect right to happiness and fear you'll meet all manner of characters in Red Dead Redemption.

Should you buy this game? Well, that's not really the best question to ask. Can you not buy this game? There are so many excellent points to Red Dead Redemption you can't let this one slip by. It's another gem from Rockstar and one which sandbox games from now on will be judged by. It's a full on western experience as much as it is a game and John Marston is a cool cat you can't miss out on.

9/10