IT'S been 13 years since players first stepped into the leather chaps of John Marston, star of cowboy sim Red Dead Redemption. 'Grand Theft Auto with saddlesores', Rockstar's epic is considered one of the greatest games of all time, even though it's been firing blanks on Sony machines since last October after being mysteriously pulled from the PlayStation's online service.
As a rootin' tootin' rebel with a cause forced to hunt down members of his old gang, RDR sticks up every sagebush saga that's ever moseyed down the Hollywood trail, with non-stop gunning and many an hour staring at your horse's arse on the lonesome trail.
With plenty of grizzled shootouts and cigar-chomping heroism given the epic veneer of Leone's best, it still plays a mean game, though much like a leathery Clint, this cowboy is beginning to show its years.
Ever since Red Dead Redemption 2 landed in 2018, fans have been begging Rockstar to give the original a lick of paint and bring its clunkier mechanics into line with 2018's superior sequel. After all, the games are very much two halves of the one saga, with the second acting as a prequel to the first.
The original also infamously never saw light of day on PC, meaning there's plenty of varmints itching to get back in the saddle.
After years of waiting, our wishes may finally be granted, with rumours swirling like tumbleweeds that Rockstar are closer than you think to heading way out West again. In 2022, an insider leaked that a remake of Red Dead Redemption was in the works, but after the abysmal response to their ham-fisted Grand Theft Auto remasters (which somehow managed to be worse than the originals), it was promptly scrapped.
In late June, however, hopes were raised thanks to an unlikely source – a bunch of South Korean bureaucrats. Yes, the Game Rating and Administration Committee of Korea – infamous for letting the cat out of the bag with early age ratings for everything from the Silent Hill remake to Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – have posted official ratings info for an upcoming Red Dead Redemption remaster, with insiders saying it could be announced as early as August.
We still don't know if this is a lazy port, spruced-up remaster or fully-fledged re-make a la The Last of Us. We've been burned once with the Grand Theft Auto disaster, but if handled with the respect it deserves, Red Dead Redemption (arguably the developer's finest game – up there with San Andreas) would be an incredible proposition on modern rigs, and sure to have fans jigging around like gold prospectors.
Rockstar, of course, are staying tight-lipped in the face of mounting evidence. Until we get official confirmation, the return of the ace cowboy remains just a rumour.
