With cards down and guns drawn, this is it.

Oh, yes, my friends, my nerd side is showing. I have seen the gaming light and I must share the good news with the world! Plus, I've always wanted to write a video game review. Yesterday, I donned my cowboy hat and gun holster, and took on the rugged, unforgiving wasteland that is the early 1900's Western United States in Red Dead Redemption.

The game is set in 1911, right before the first world war, in small towns around the "Wild West" and Mexico. In the single player campaign, you play as outlaw John Marston, a former gang leader whose previous life consisted of robbing banks, holding train passengers hostage, and killing anyone who got in his way. Because of his lawless former self, John's family is now in danger, and he must either kill or subdue his previous gang members in order to protect his family. Despite his noble mission, karma seems to have played its hand, and it seems as if the whole of the West wants something from him; be it his help or his life.

Right off the bat, you learn how to break and ride a horse, shoot a gun, lasso and hogtie an enemy, and play side games such as poker and horseshoe. The single player campaign is a great way to learn the controls, which can be a little confusing as certain controls only apply to certain situations, and may change depending on what you are doing. The targeting system can take a little getting used to, but once you set yourself down and seek out missions which require you to hunt down bandits, you quickly start to learn how to shoot like a pro. One of the more interesting things about combat in RDR is the simple fact that it works like real life. If you shoot a bandit in the leg, he is going to fall over and try to limp away. If you shoot him in the hand, he drops his gun and takes off running, and of course, if you shoot them in any vital part of the body, it's lights out. And because the game is a 3rd person platform shooter, you are allowed to take cover and pop out in order to fire at the target, which makes the combat system seem pretty life like.

Now, the campaign is incredibly well thought out and very captivating, but for the most part it's got nothing on Uncharted 2. No, where this game shines is the multiplayer. In Red Dead Redemption, you can take a custom character of your choice into the full single player campaign world without the campaign. You can do absolutely everything that you can do in the campaign, but you can do this with friends online. Create posses of 2 to 8 people, raid a mine, steal their gold, and take off. Get 5 other friends together and play a high stakes game of poker. There is so much you can do in the multiplayer, including hunting, shootouts, and taking over gang hideouts. And just like any other online multiplayer shooter, you quickly join in 16 player matches that range from a capture-the-flag type game to a normal style deathmatch, called Shootout. All of this gives you experience, which leads to better horses, guns, and different characters that you can use in the multiplayer world.

Basically, this game is quite amazing, and I think that each and every one of my none existent readers should try this game if you own an PS3 or a 360. Now, just because this game is one of the best I've ever played before, that doesn't mean that it is perfect. Frame rates sometimes run slow, and as beautiful as the world around you is, (and believe me, the stars at night alone are captivating) the character models don't look nearly as good as some other games, and I really could do without some of the language in the game. Still, the complaints are little and the enjoyment is huge. Red Dead Redemption may not be classified as a new type of shooter, it will always be seen as one of the best. Rockstar, you've finally reached what you were trying to do with Grand Theft Auto. And for that, I take my hat off to you, ladies and gentlemen.

Photos courtesy of IGN.com