Rockstar‘s Red Dead Redemption looks great, as the video above shows. I like the trimmed down UI, and the quick shot of the “store” UI looked pretty slick as well. Interesting choice for that persistent mini map in that lower left. Looks like it with lifted right from Grand Theft Auto IV.

The popularity of themes seem to come in in waves on every medium: books, television, movies and games are no different. Sci-Fi is popular for a while and then Fantasy then World War Two games take the spotlight. Now it seems we have moved once again into the territory of the wild west. Rockstar’s Red Dead Revolver is getting a sequel with Red Dead Redemption and Ubisoft‘s Call of Juarez also getting the sequel treatment with Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood. Codemaster‘s is publishing the steampunk-ish Damnation which includes it’s own western overtones, and now Red Steel 2 is going to the wild west. That’s four all due to hit the market very soon.

So with all these western games looming what does this mean for the players and developers? Well it’s a underplayed theme in a lot of regards, it’s not another fantasy game nor a World War II shooter so it will feel fresh. It’s been a while since Gun, Call of Juarez, and Red Dead Revolver and even longer since my favorite western shooter LucasArts Outlaws. While not an original setting it’s definitely a good time for the market to see the wild west make a comeback. So I think the potential for some great gameplay his here.

Giving players a fresh new environment to explore is always a plus, but it also puts a lot of pressure on the game developers, your environment won’t add much to your appeal if you are just another wild west shooter. A player isn’t going to want to experience the same desert setting, with the same dried up ghost towns, the same weaponry and the same bad guys. Unlike fantasy and sci-fi where ranges are broader and pretty much anything goes, the westerns genre can’t be as capacious. It’ll be up the the developers to draw clear separation between their product and others coming to market.  A theme doesn’t guarantee results, you’ll need solid game play, a good story, excellent controls and UI, on top of that fresh theme to really pull it off, in other words, a solid user experience as a whole.

BioShock used a unique setting and rich story to engage players and move away from other horror-themed shooter. Gearbox‘s Borderlands is doing a good job as well. Being a pseudo-apocalyptic sci-fi wasn’t enough they went with a different art style and a new direction in co-op gameplay separating themselves from the approaching wave of apocalyptic MMOs. It’s a good direction and the distinct style and approach is separating them from the masses.

In a surge of western themed titles a developer has to work to standout or risk their title following into more of a me too spot. Oh… and yes, that is Freddie Pharkas: Frontier Pharmacist up above.

Rockstar has been setting sales records with their new DLC The Lost & The Damned for Grand Theft Auto IV, putting the ultra-violent shooter back in the limelight. I am a fan of the GTA series and enjoy the light RPG element, fun missions, and realistic environments. GTA IV didn’t disappoint, but one thing lingered, one bothersome UI element that created some frustration. That damned cell phone.

Using the cell phone is much like using cell phones in the real world, you’re going to want to chuck it out the window after five minutes or so . I like the idea. Why wouldn’t Niko Belic carry a cell phone and what a cleaver way to hide menu elements. I am all for stylized UI. Anything to further draw player’s focus on the experience is, in the immortal words of Tye Tribbett, ‘Good in the hood.’ However, GTA IV is a good example of how not to incorporate a stylized interface. Hit the break and I’ll explain the three things that bother me about the cell phone menu.

First: It’s too small. Even on my 42″ HDTV, it can be difficult to read. I have to squint, lean forward, and turn my head and bulge my eyes like a tarsier. PC users probably won’t have the same issues but on my 360, I found the experience lacking. I found, after a while, I knew where I was going from sheer memorization. It’s annoying to realize I am memorizing the location of fake contacts on a fake cell phone to make fake calls in a fake New York. It would have been nice to be able to adjust the size on my own or have the game pause and zoom into the phone held in Nico’s hand.

Second: Interaction with the phone feels wrong. It’s clunky and cumbersome. (Maybe it feels too realistic. heh.) Niko can still move while making a call (I’ll get to that in a minute) so all the movement controls are left active. Forcing you to move with the same thumb you’d use to navigate with the D-pad is frustrating. Plus to make matters worse, the A button selects, and the B button cancels and on the 360, the A button is also the run button. So if you were running along (done on the 360 by tapping A) and then pull up your cell phone, bam… you’re making a call.

Third: The action doesn’t slow, but you do. When you pull out the cell phone Mr. Belic starts walking and stops shooting. In fact he can’t do anything else. He just walks. Are you in a gunfight? Too bad, you’re now walkin’. Too much heat on you and you need to call off the cops? Find a cozy spot and hope you don’t get an answering machine. While minor, it makes GTA needlessly difficult at points. I cannot count the times that I was running from the cops or in a gunfight and my cell phone goes off. I am all of a sudden on a call and strollin’ beacuse of that troublesome A button answered the call. You know that button I was tapping so I could sprint away from the cops? That one. Now I am watching Niko answer his phone and agreeing to go to a strip club with his cousin, as the cops catch up and proceed to Rodney King his Eastern European ass.

GTA IV does a lot of things right, the health and armor meters incorporated into the mini map was a nice touch, it really is a great game, controls and UI/UX issues aside. Small minor tweaks in the interface and experience would have gone a long way and could have really sharpened the interaction and helped make that robbery / car jacking/ murder /assassination / vandalism / racketeering / excessive violence all the more rewarding.