Pink Useless Redemption is without doubt one of the PS3 period’s greatest video games. However it has been kind of thrown within the county jail and the important thing has been buried someplace within the plains of Gaptooth Ridge because of the dearth of a PC port and Sony’s bumpy backward compatibility assist. The latest Pink Useless Redemption PS4 port lastly frees it from its last-last-gen jail, however there are too many components that maintain it from being the unmitigated success it needs to be.
This port at the least clears the abysmally low bar set by Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Version in 2021. As an alternative of being a handy solution to relive classics, that janky bundle tarnished Rockstar Video games’ repute with its downgraded visuals and appalling quantity of bugs (a lot of that are nonetheless there even after just a few patches). These three video games have been so pivotal to the complete medium and so they have been handled like shovelware that needed to be ported to maintain up a licensing deal.
Pink Useless Redemption on PS4 is decidedly not that. It runs easily and appears higher than the unique with out sacrificing any of what made the PS3 model particular in 2010. It is a devoted port via and thru.
Nonetheless, that’s additionally a part of the issue; it’s primarily a premium upscaling with absolutely the naked minimal of options. It does run at 4K on PS4 Professional and PS5, however the texture high quality is actually the very same and infrequently doesn’t maintain up underneath scrutiny. Noticing the marginally stronger shadows requires zooming in on side-by-side comparisons.
The body charge is probably the most egregious instance of its technical stagnation as a result of, regardless of it solely outputting at a better decision, it nonetheless runs at 30 frames per second. Taking part in a hardly remastered PS3 recreation from 2010 on PS5 at 30 frames per second is ridiculous and a big issue why it doesn’t really feel like a real improve.
Rockstar additionally refused to remark when requested about the opportunity of an replace that might allow a better body charge, too, so there’s no indication this oversight will change. It’s exhausting to see how this occurred as a result of, whereas not fairly the identical factor, Digital Foundry was in a position to run an emulated model of the Xbox 360 port on PC at 60 frames per second with out inflicting an excessive amount of bother. Rockstar video games typically have a heft to them and this bump would undeniably assist Pink Useless Redemption really feel extra responsive.
The gameplay and methods are additionally unchanged. Whereas its mechanics haven’t withered an excessive amount of since its first launch, there aren’t any further options or accessibility settings to streamline the expertise. Stepping into and out of the map takes too many button presses. Wanting up challenges stays tedious. Being restricted to only three save slots and having vestigial choices within the menu like enabling autosaves simply additional present how little this port was tailored for contemporary methods and sensibilities. There’s not even a half-assed Photograph Mode.
Rockstar treating this negligible improve as a premium launch is staggeringly conceited, particularly since Xbox house owners bought most of those enhancements at no cost via backward compatibility. And but, regardless of all these miniscule tweaks, this port nonetheless has worth as a result of Pink Useless Redemption stays a basic that needs to be extra broadly accessible. And this goes a bit of past yanking it from the PS3’s grasp since there are such a lot of features of this recreation which are timeless.
Its environment is sort of unparalleled and outclasses many up to date titles. A number of its map is empty plains and mountains, however, in contrast to many trendy open-world video games, there’s a deliberate contact to all of it. Its ambient soundtrack stuffed with Spaghetti Western-esque music evokes the fitting temper that fantastically enhances strolling via its desolate areas the place encounters are extra particular due to their relative rarity. The shortage of Ubisoft-style icons additionally cuts down on the noise and makes all of it simpler to soak in. It’s not a guidelines, however a world meant to be lived in, one which doesn’t hit the simulation and animation-heavy extremes of its follow-up.
Pink Useless Redemption additionally has a few of Rockstar’s most elegant writing and is filled with well-realized characters with silver tongues. Protagonist John Marston, being a quick-witted man attempt to reform his life who fantastically balances his capability for compassion and power, is the clearest instance of this. And whereas fade-to-black transitions are dated, cutscenes are remarkably constructed with full of life characters and glorious cinematography that deliver every scene to life. Animation know-how has progressed drastically within the time since, however the quite a few detailed mannerisms in Pink Useless Redemption’s animations nonetheless outclass many trendy video games regardless of using lesser horsepower.
The presentation does wonders for its story, however the narrative itself has additionally held sturdy within the ensuing 13 years. It overcomes its handful of sluggish spots to inform a story with one thing to say and with themes that haven’t misplaced their influence. All of this culminates in a fantastically orchestrated ending that the open-world style hasn’t been in a position to high. The cowboy’s reign could also be over, because the narrative makes clear, however the influence of the finale nonetheless stands tall within the medium.
Seeing Pink Useless Redemption’s places primarily get remastered for Pink Useless Redemption 2 compounds how a lot this PS4 re-release underachieves. If this port is absolutely the naked minimal, then these sections of Pink Useless Redemption 2 exhibit the opposite finish of the spectrum of what might have been if it bought the scope it deserved. The sport thrives on its thick environment and having a extra trendy presentation would seemingly solely enhance its greatest characteristic. Rockstar as a substitute settled for a bare-bones port realizing it will be adequate, and, whereas technically and frustratingly true, Pink Useless Redemption deserves greater than “adequate.”
Disclaimer: This Pink Useless Redemption characteristic is predicated on a PS4 copy supplied by the writer. Performed on model 1.02.
