Purple Lifeless Redemption is likely 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 due to the dearth of a PC port and Sony’s bumpy backward compatibility assist. The current Purple Lifeless 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 ought to be.
This port not less than clears the abysmally low bar set by Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Version in 2021. As an alternative of being a handy method to relive classics, that janky bundle tarnished Rockstar Video games’ popularity 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 all the medium they usually have been handled like shovelware that needed to be ported to maintain up a licensing deal.
Purple Lifeless 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. This can be a trustworthy port by way of and thru.
Nonetheless, that’s additionally a part of the issue; it’s basically 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 fee is essentially 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 sport 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 may allow a better body fee, too, so there’s no indication this oversight will change. It’s laborious to see how this occurred as a result of, whereas not fairly the identical factor, Digital Foundry was capable of run an emulated model of the Xbox 360 port on PC at 60 frames per second with out inflicting an excessive amount of hassle. Rockstar video games typically have a heft to them and this bump would undeniably assist Purple Lifeless 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 extra options or accessibility settings to streamline the expertise. Entering into and out of the map takes too many button presses. Trying up challenges stays tedious. Being restricted to simply 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 obtained most of those enhancements at no cost by way of backward compatibility. And but, regardless of all these miniscule tweaks, this port nonetheless has worth as a result of Purple Lifeless Redemption stays a basic that ought to be extra broadly accessible. And this goes a bit past yanking it from the PS3’s grasp since there are such a lot of features of this sport which can be timeless.
Its environment is almost unparalleled and outclasses many modern titles. A variety of its map is empty plains and mountains, however, not like many fashionable open-world video games, there’s a deliberate contact to all of it. Its ambient soundtrack stuffed with Spaghetti Western-esque music evokes the appropriate temper that superbly enhances strolling by way of its desolate areas the place encounters are extra particular due to their relative rarity. The dearth 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.
Purple Lifeless Redemption additionally has a few of Rockstar’s most elegant writing and is stuffed with well-realized characters with silver tongues. Protagonist John Marston, being a quick-witted man attempt to reform his life who superbly 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 energetic characters and glorious cinematography that convey every scene to life. Animation know-how has progressed vastly within the time since, however the quite a few detailed mannerisms in Purple Lifeless Redemption’s animations nonetheless outclass many fashionable video games regardless of using lesser horsepower.
The presentation does wonders for its story, however the narrative itself has additionally held robust within the ensuing 13 years. It overcomes its handful of gradual spots to inform a story with one thing to say and with themes that haven’t misplaced their affect. All of this culminates in a superbly orchestrated ending that the open-world style hasn’t been capable of high. The cowboy’s reign could also be over, because the narrative makes clear, however the affect of the finale nonetheless stands tall within the medium.
Seeing Purple Lifeless Redemption’s areas basically get remastered for Purple Lifeless Redemption 2 compounds how a lot this PS4 re-release underachieves. If this port is absolutely the naked minimal, then these sections of Purple Lifeless Redemption 2 display the opposite finish of the spectrum of what may have been if it obtained the scope it deserved. The sport thrives on its thick environment and having a extra fashionable presentation would doubtless solely increase its greatest characteristic. Rockstar as a substitute settled for a bare-bones port realizing it might be ok, and, whereas technically and frustratingly true, Purple Lifeless Redemption deserves greater than “ok.”
Disclaimer: This Purple Lifeless Redemption characteristic is predicated on a PS4 copy offered by the writer. Performed on model 1.02.