Rockstar fans were graced with the announcement of Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – Definitive Edition being released digitally this November, remasters of the iconic GTA 3, GTA: Vice City, and GTA: San Andreas. Being more than fifteen years old, the games included in the trilogy are far from new. However, the remastered versions of GTA will offer higher quality in-game features such as GTA 5-style controls, improved targeting, and even a remodel of the mini-map.
Although the graphics and environment of GTA: The Trilogy – Definitive Edition won’t compete against GTA 5’s movie-like world, the nostalgia triggered by driving down Grove Street or walking into Ocean View Hotel will be unbeatable. With this in the works, it isn’t too out of the question to imagine other well-loved games from Rockstar being remastered such as the original Red Dead Redemption. Although the map in Red Dead Redemption 2 is a slightly expanded version of the original with an absence of Mexico, it will be interesting to see if Rockstar does resurrect the sands of New Austin from the perspective of John Marston, fellow gang member of RDR2’s Arthur Morgan.
Revitalizing Red Dead Redemption
Released eight years after the original, RDR2 really is the wild-west version of GTA 5, with realistic landscapes and a multitude of customization options for weapons, outfits, and horses. Performance-wise, there isn’t much RDR1 could bring to the table compared with its successor. The town of Blackwater is much less built up in the original, despite being set after Arthur’s death, and the range of horses available in Red Dead Redemption is limited to only a handful of breeds with no customization options. However, there is something warmly comforting about re-playing a scene for the first time in ten years and feeling the joy that only comes from reliving fond memories.
Although the maps from the first and second Red Dead Redemption are largely the same, one point of interest for a RDR1 remaster would be the look of the Mexican map on modern-day consoles. Sandy citadels nestled amongst cactus-sprinkled red rocks with a touch of improved graphics would certainly be something for fans to get excited about. Although RDR1 is still available on the Playstation Store, a remastered version would give people an incentive to re-explore the original map just to see what it looks like built for something more advanced than a Playstation 3.
Another reason why a remastered RDR1 would be great is that after playing the sequel, players got to know RDR1’s protagonist John Marston a lot more than they did the first time around, seeing him through the eyes of a fellow gang member. This also goes for Jack Marston, John’s son, with who Arthur interacts multiple times in the sequel.
Of course, if Rockstar ever did consider remastering the original RDR, the expansion Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare would also be in demand for a remastered version. The zombified version of John Marston’s New Austin, released just in time for Halloween 2010, was available to buy five months after the original and offered a completely different take on the wild west. A brushed-up resurrection of Undead Nightmare’s four horses of the apocalypse would be a treat for Red Dead fans indeed, along with the last surviving bigfoot whose skeleton can now be found somewhere in the mountains of RDR2.
Whether or not Red Dead Redemption players will see a remastered version of the original is unknown, especially with GTA: The Trilogy – Definitive Edition and the Grand Theft Auto 5 next-gen update underway. Nevertheless, it would be a much-welcomed announcement for those who prefer the dusty tracks of New Austin to the highways of Los Santos.
GTA: The Trilogy – Definitive Edition releases November 11, 2021 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.