After playing through “”Red Dead Redemption,”” it’s hard to believe the Wild West was historically a time of terrible poverty and despair. It’s hard to believe that some of the only activities were working on a ranch or as a trader in a town, and that the great rush for gold hurt local economies rather than helped them.

Give credit to Rockstar Games. Its developing team creates a world in which you can bounty hunt, fight with (or against) a Mexican revolution, participate in gun duels, hunt wild game to sell for cash, play endless rounds of Texas hold ‘em and ultimately do whatever your heart desires. You wouldn’t expect anything less from the makers of the “”Grand Theft Auto”” series, but “”Red Dead Redemption”” comes off less as a clone of the “”Grand Theft Auto”” games and more as its own brand of entertainment.

The central conflict of the game revolves around a former outlaw named John Marston. He’s been blackmailed into hunting down the members of his former gang and bringing them to justice. Of course, this is easier said than done; you’ll have to build contacts and do assorted menial tasks to even find them. Over the course of the game, Marston’s journey takes him through the American West and Mexico in hot pursuit of his old friends.

In terms of story, the plot suffers in comparison to most modern adventure/open-world games; in more than 30 hours of play, I encountered only four truly compelling supporting characters. This is unfortunate, because most of the game’s narrative is driven through this supporting cast, which results in a weaker overall story than most games of this kind.

Fortunately for “”Red Dead Redemption,”” the game benefits from an engrossing setting. The Wild West, when done properly, can be a fascinating place to spend your time. The graphics are fantastic; a sunset in this game is truly a sight to behold and may be among the best artistic decisions I’ve ever seen.

There are plenty of minor glitches that can be quite jarring, however. Many times a hitched horse will wander off and sometimes characters will not even appear during cutscenes. Luckily, these things don’t break the experience and are easily forgiven when taken in the context of the whole package.

“”Red Dead Redemption”” will keep even the most uninterested soul gaming throughout the summer. Its varied gameplay and captivating setting override its passable storyline and technical faltering to create a game that deserves to sit alongside the rest of your gaming library. If you’re looking for a game that will steal weeks from your life and let you be whatever kind of outlaw you please during the slow summer months, you can’t do any better than “”Red Dead Redemption.””

Score: 9.0/10