Supposedly RDR2 is one of the best games ever but I am not ready. First, I need to play or watch the previous game(s), then I need a machine that can play it.
For the old games my newish computer is fine; for RDR2, we'll see how it runs when I get there.
Starting with the obvious, the wiki entry, but trying to avoid story spoilers.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Dead
Gun.Smoke, 1985, Capcom, for arcade
Red Dead Revolver, 2004, Capcom->Rockstar, for PS2 + Xbox
Red Dead Redemption, 2010, Rockstar, for PS3 + Xbox360 (2024 for Windows)
Red Dead Redemption 2, 2018, Rockstar, for PS4 + Xbox One (2019 for Windows)
I have RDR and RDR2 in my Steam library; I could install and play right now. But what do I need to know about Revolver or the game it was inspired by? Is this something that can be resolved with a few YouTube videos, or maybe even watching an entire playthrough? Can I emulate? I'm OK with playing old games, as long it is good and worth playing, and I can safely get an emulator going.
Reading...
"Red Dead Redemption's Curious 8-Bit Origin Story" (Oct. 20, 2016)
[https://www.vg247.com/red-dead-redemptions-curious-8-bit-origin-story]
Good overview, links to the following 3 videos.
"Red Dead Revolver - E3 2002 Trailer" (video from 2002)
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMRkVyuzG54]
I know its a work in progress trailer, but it looks really muddy and boring
"Red Dead Revolver Retro Commercial Trailer 2004 Rockstar Games" (video from 2004)
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKFljamGsCw]
Also looks muddy and boring, but maybe a little better
"Arcade Longplay [638] Gun.Smoke" (video from 1985)
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZ4LUuk1kAc]
Something about this feels familiar, and its not just the similarity to Commando (same year). I think I may have actually tried this in the arcade when it came out. Back then, if I encountered it, I would have.
The above articles' point, that Revolver has a strong arcade heritage, is made clear in the videos. I don't feel like I need to play Gun.Smoke at all; there's nothing there.
"How the Red Dead franchise began" (Oct 17, 2018)
[https://www.polygon.com/2018/10/17/17986118/how-the-red-dead-franchise-began-angel-studios-capcom-rockstar]
Finally, the series name makes sense - it's Engrish. Red Dead Revolver was born at Capcom, and the boss just thought it sounded good. The American development company they were working with then tried to make it make sense in the story. The company then got bought by Rockstar, and Revolver went with it.
2025.07.31 emulate or watchthrough?
https://www.reddit.com/r/RedDeadRevolver/comments/1hfwq0h/how_to_download_red_dead_revolver_on_pc/
"Use PCSX2"
https://www.reddit.com/r/reddeadredemption/comments/fzkelu/how_to_play_red_dead_revolver_and_rdr_1/
"Xenia-Canary, a xbox360 emulator to play the game better than in xbox360 because you can play at 60+fps using the emulator"
!
https://pcsx2.net/
https://forums.pcsx2.net/
https://wiki.pcsx2.net/
https://wiki.pcsx2.net/Red_Dead_Revolver
