Red Dead Redemption - Xbox 360

Rockstar’s latest addition to their critically and commercially successful Western, Red Dead Redemption, may not look like a lot on paper, but in reality offers a good amount of upgrades for the game that will enhance your continuing experience playing the title. Focusing mainly on the multiplayer experience, Legends and Killers gives RDR fans some new ways to enjoy one of the best games of 2010.

The Legends and Killers downloadable content pack allows gamers to play in a number of different locales from what’s available in the original game. In an open-world game like this, multiplayer maps are really just different areas of that larger world. But gamers who’ve experienced both the single and multiplayer flavors know that the online options only explored a handful of the areas available in the Old West world of RDR in their original incarnation. In Legends and Killers, you’ll play multiplayer matches in nine familiar locales, including:

• Rio Bravo – The mountainous area between Tumbleweed and Fort Mercer, Rio Bravo is full of places to hide and creep on enemies. And also the name of the best (and only) movie to star both John Wayne and Dean Martin. On this map you can play Gold Rush, Gang Shootout or Shootout.

• Fort Mercer – You’ve probably played in Fort Mercer a number of times; either in the single player storyline as you hunted down Bill Williamson, or in free roam mode to grind your character’s level. Now you can play it in multiplayer modes including Shooutout, Gang Shootout, Grab the Bag and Gold Rush. 

• Thieves Landing – It was somewhat surprising that Thieves Landing wasn’t one of the original multiplayer areas, considering its inspiration as a den of inequity and violence. But it’s here now and you can play Shootout, Gold Rush, Gang Shootout, Hold Your Own and also Grab the Bag, with weapons like the Springfield rifle and the auto shotgun.

• Tall Trees – In single player, you don’t really get to Tall Trees until the end, so it’s nice to great to play a bit in the woods in multiplayer, especially when you notice the new environmental effects like ground fog hanging around. Horses are there for you to traverse the large snowy areas in modes like Hold Your Own. 

• Escalera – Shootout and Gang Shootout are great ways to experience the so-called Capital city of the south of the border areas of Red Dead Redemption. Lots of cover is available for you to get behind and spray the enemy with your Semi-Auto pistol and Winchester Repeater. 

• Blackwater – The biggest city of RDR is the backdrop for some furious action with the high-powered pistol. Hold Your Own gets even more action-packed when you throw in the possibility of shooting down from the rooftops.

Weapon-wise, the Legends and Killers DLC only offers one significant upgrade, but it’s a very cool one. Tomahawks fill your thrown weapon slot on the wheel of killing opened up with the left bumper button, but they are very different from the molotovs and dynamite sticks that you normally see in that space. A Tomahawk to the face is not only satisfying to pull off, but will also earn you a one-hit kill if delivered directly to the face. Tomahawks are so good, they should have been there in the original game.

There are also some new environmental effects that add some crucial atmosphere to the game. Some levels feature ground fog and enhanced dust effects. Others take place during lightning storms, with bolts hitting the ground during gameplay. There also seems to be a new graphical indicator for when you get headshots, giving you a more visible indicator of when you’ve plugged an enemy’s cranium. Small things, yes, but it’s nice to see the developers trying to improve your experience for no other reason other than you deserve it.

This new DLC pack also offers hardcore gamers the ability to play with characters from the original Red Dead Revolver. None of these character skins offer anything different in terms of gameplay or abilities, but it’s still cool to see them. They include:

• Red Harlow
• Jack Swift
• Mr. Kelley
• Annie Stoakes
• Buffalo Soldier
• Shadow Wolf
• Ugly Chris
• Pig Josh

Red Dead Redemption’s Legends and Killers DLC pack will be available on August 10 for 800 Microsoft Points or $9.99 on PSN.