The line leading to Rockstar's Red Dead Redemption booth at PAX East was unfathomably long all weekend. As such, I deftly avoided it in my vain attempt to actually have some fun at the show. When the press got exclusive access to the show floor for one brief hour, I figured it was my only chance to play this game that had intrigued me so much. Because of all the attention the game was receiving, my time with it was brief, but I am now even more interested to see how it turns out than I was before playing.

The demo that I was allowed to work through was fairly restricted, keeping me on a specific mission with little messing around off the beaten path. Once I was charged with my task, I raced off to the marker while trying to have as little concern for the world around me as I could muster. Sailing along on the back of my horse was simple and elegant, something that jumped out immediately. Your faithful steed handles well and avoids perils and pitfalls with ease. It's supposedly impossible for the horse to send you plummeting to your death off the edge of a cliff, although I'm sure I will find a way. Horse-riding uses the "carrot" mechanic from Ocarina of Time where you can spur your horse onward, but at the expense of a meter. Once the meter drains fully, your horse can buck you, sending you flying.

While gallopping across the majestic range, there appeared to be plenty to see and do. There were different critters scurrying through the brush and stray travelers crossing my path. The sparseness of the world was really evocative, and strangely full of life. Although Grand Theft Auto IV strove to achieve a living breathing world in the game, it all felt like you were aimlessly wandering through Uncanny Valley City. The lower frequency of interactions with random civilians actually works in Red Dead Redemption's favor by instilling the world with a slightly more savage, lawless feel. As I stomped my way through the armadillos and lizards that kept throwing themselves in front of me, I could have stopped to scrape them off my horse's hooves and skin them to sell later. Unfortunately, nothing was going to tear me off my course. Well, except getting killed by the local Sheriff.

You see, in RDR, you can't just kill indiscriminately and then just wander off without giving things a second thought. Well, that's not entirely true. You can do that, assuming you've killed all the witnesses so that no one can rat you out. If you don't make sure everyone in your sights has run down the curtain and joined the choir invisible, you'll soon find oneself in a firefight on the wrong side of the Law. Luckily, combat in Red Dead Redemption ties the whole experience together making for an engaging ride.

Unlike Red Dead Revolver or Grand Theft Auto IV, Red Dead Redemption has some compelling (and more importantly) fully functional gun play. The cover system is solid enough, and the bullet-time effect makes taking on several enemies while on horseback impressively fun. Slowing time drains a gauge that can only be refilled by killing enemies. Luckily, there's plenty of murder to go around in the Old West and "hero" John Marston is more than happy to be the one to deliver it.

The game seems to offer so much that I'm almost afraid to get my hopes up for it. It really seems like an immersive, exciting approach to the Western genre. This game could have that cowboy spirit that's been missing from other games that have tackled this genre. There were some noticeable bugs in the demo, though. Considering how close to release this game is (not to mention the delays), I'm a little worried that there won't be time to smooth out all the little extra "features" that none of us want. Features like disappearing and reappearing enemies, textureless worlds, getting stuck in the ground, and other quibbles could get in the way of enjoying my first chance at life as a cowboy. Hopefully, I'll be playing a bug-free version of this game in a few short weeks.