In 2010, Rockstar Games releasedRed Dead Redemptionto widespread critical acclaim, and followed up on the game eight years later with the massive blockbuster success that wasRed Dead Redemption 2. Now rumor has it that Rockstar Games may be actively working on a remaster of the originalRed Dead Redemption, and while nothing has been confirmed, it’s certainly an exciting prospect.
ARed Dead Redemptionremastercould finally bring the classic open world western game to PC, plus it could bring the story to all those fans who playedRed Dead Redemption 2but missed out on the original. This way millions ofRed Dead Redemption 2players who never played the original game can see what happens next in the story.
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TheRed Dead Redemptionremaster would also mark an opportunity to address a lingering question that some fans have about both it andRed Dead Redemption 2. Namely, why doesn’t John talk about Arthur in the originalRed Dead Redemptiongame, as it takes placeafterthe events ofRed Dead Redemption 2? Please keep in mind that this post will haveSPOILERSforRed Dead RedemptionandRed Dead Redemption 2.
The originalRed Dead Redemptiongame is all about John Marston hunting down members of theVan der Linde gangto win the freedom of his family back from the Bureau of Investigation. This brings John in direct contact and conflict with characters like Bill Williamson and Dutch Van der Linde. And while they talk about their past in the Van der Linde gang, somehow the topic of Arthur Morgan is never brought up, despite Arthur being such a significant person in their past.
In fact, Arthur Morgan plays an integral role in saving John Marston’s life at the beginning ofRed Dead Redemption 2, helps save John’s son Jack, and is essentially Dutch’s righthand man for the bulk of the game. Despite Arthur being such an important character in the world ofRed Dead Redemption 2and particularly for people likeJohn Marstonand Dutch Van der Linde, he doesn’t get so much as a mention.
Now, there are some possible explanations for this. In theRed Dead Redemption 2Epilogue, it’s suggested that John simply doesn’t like talking about Arthur, and that could very well be why he never brings him up during the events of the originalRed Dead Redemption. Another reason is that it’s been 12 years or so since the events ofRed Dead Redemption 2, and so a lot of time has passed since Arthur’s death.
While these are possible story reasons as to why John doesn’t talk about Arthur inRed Dead Redemption, there is a real world reason for it as well. The real reason why John doesn’t mention Arthur in the originalRed Dead Redemptionis simply because Rockstar Games hadn’t invented him yet.Red Dead Redemption 2is a prequelthat introduces numerous characters that are never mentioned or seen inRed Dead Redemptionas none of them had been dreamed up, and Arthur Morgan fits firmly in that camp.
There are justifications thatRed Dead Redemptionfans could use to hand-waveArthur Morgangoing completely unmentioned in the original game, like John not wanting to talk about Arthur or the time that has passed between the two games, but it still is odd enough that people have had to ask this question. If rumors of aRed Dead Redemptionremaster are true, then Rockstar Games could use the opportunity to add mentions of Arthur Morgan here and there.
This would help theRed Dead Redemptiongames feel better connected and help add to the realism. But while a potentialRed Dead Redemptionremastercoulddo this, it doesn’t mean that it necessarilywoulddo this. On the contrary, the more likely scenario is that a potentialRed Dead Redemptionremaster would simply be a copy+paste job in terms of gameplay and story, with Rockstar spending its efforts sprucing up the graphics and controls, ala the upcomingGrand Theft Auto Trilogy.
TheGrand Theft Auto Trilogymay be the best indication of what fans could expect from the rumoredRed Dead Redemptionremaster. The graphics will likely be modernized and there may be a new control scheme, but the story cut-scenes, beats, and developments will stay the same. It really depends on what Rockstar wants to do with a hypotheticalRed Dead Redemptionremaster, and it will be interesting to see what it ultimately does if the project materializes.
For now, theRed Dead Redemptionremaster has not been confirmed and it may or may not exist. The only Rockstar Games projects that fans know about for sure are the upcomingGrand Theft Auto Trilogyand thenext-gen ports ofGrand Theft Auto 5andGTA Online.
Red Dead Redemptionis out now for PS3 and Xbox 360.
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