Rockstar has detailed two of the upcoming DLC packs for Red Dead Redemption. First up, the Liars & Cheats pack will be coming September 21st. Due to Microsoft and Sony limitations on how many free DLCs Rockstar can release, the free roam pack had to be combined into the Liars & Cheats pack making the pack expand competitive multiplayer as well as free roam. Some of the new features include:
Multiplayer Poker and Liar's Dice Games
One of the most fan-requested features comes to multiplayer.
Multiplayer Horse Races
Ride out against your friends and foes online - with mounted combat guns blazing.
The Explosive Rifle
A devastatingly destructive new weapon with its own new single-player and multiplayer challenges.
7 New Gang Hideouts
Posse up and take on the new Hideouts together to level up quickly.
4 New Hunting Grounds
New Hunting Grounds are now visible on the map for all to see, with some of the most action-packed wildlife hunting yet.
Stronghold Competitive Multiplayer Mode
Teams take turns in attack and defense in multi-tiered Competitive games. Posse Scoring and Leaderboards
Compare stats with other posses and compete to see who are the kings of the Free Roam frontier.
Plus, 15 additional multiplayer characters from the Red Dead Redemption storyline are being made available as multiplayer characters, and more all-new Achievements and Trophies.
The Liars & Cheats pack will be out September 21st for $9.99 or 500 MS points.
In addition to detailing the Liars & Cheats pack, Rockstar has also released the first details on the Undead Nightmare pack which is the first single-player oriented DLC pack.
Unleashed upon the world of Red Dead Redemption, the Undead Nightmare Pack will feature an entirely new single-player campaign that follows John Marston as he tries to find a cure for the highly infectious zombie plague that has spread across the frontier.
In addition to the lengthy single-player adventure, The Undead Nightmare Pack features brand new gameplay mechanics, weapons, zombie animals, mythical creatures and even a brand new secret location.
The Undead Nightmare pack will also be $9.99 or 500 MS points. A release date has yet to be determined.
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Looking for some free stuff? Rockstar will soon be releasing Hunting and Trading Outfits Pack. The pack will make both the Savvy Merchant and Expert Hunter Outfits from the pre-order bonuses free for everyone and will also add compatibility for DLC you haven't bought and downloaded yet meaning if your friend is using a multiplayer character from the DLCs, you will be able to see the same character he does. No specifc release date was given but it should be out within the next few weeks!
Rockstar has announced this morning that the title update to combat Hacker and Cheats in Red Dead Redemption's Multiplayer will be released next Tuesday, August 24th. The update will weed out those who have hacked saved game files (both multiplayer saves and single player saves) and ban them indefinitely from the game's multiplayer.
If you're in line to be swiftly removed from the online west, then you may want to quickly clean your slate. Rockstar is giving all wrongdoers one chance to redeem themselves before meeting their demise come Tuesday - simply follow these two steps carefully and you'll be spared:
- To be spared, any hacked saves that you have will need to be deleted – single player as well as multiplayer. You should be aware that everything is wiped when deleting saves. These are the only exceptions:
- Players would keep any Achievements/Trophies they had already earned.
- All preorder items tied to their accounts would be unlocked for them upon signing in and creating a new save while connected to Xbox LIVE or PlayStation Network
- Any cheats earned through Social Club would be unlocked for them upon signing in and creating a new save while connected to Xbox LIVE or PlayStation Network
- After deleting your hacked game save(s), you will then need to go online with Red Dead Redemption (prior to August 24th) for it to register that you're now playing clean. For single-player saves, you will need to re-play the game while connected until you gain access to the safehouse at MacFarlane's ranch. For multiplayer saves, you will need to play one full game online or do one Gang Hideout.
The measures being put in place are firm, but fair. The fact hackers and cheaters are being given a chance to avoid banning is more than generous of Rockstar, considering the problems these players have caused. Want to keep playing Red Dead's Multiplayer? Follow the steps listed above and get yourself clean; if not, don't complain when you meet with fate next Tuesday, you've received an overly fair warning to say the least.
Rockstar has handled this entire problem extremely well, and other developers with popular multiplayer games should definitely follow suit.
For more information on your impending doom, read up on Rockstar's article covering the update and who it will affect.
Wanna ride a bull but are a long ways from getting to level 50? Need a nice little boost? Look no further than Red Dead Redemption's double XP weekend! Starting this Friday, August 13th at 1PM Eastern you get double the XP for your deeds in multiplayer, good or bad. To find the starting times for your location, head on over to this site that will show you the time in your timezone.
Here is a list of the new achievements included with the Legends and Killers DLC pack for Red Dead Redemption. The pack will be released tomorrow.
AXE MASTER
Complete all Tomahawk challenges in Single Player.
CALL IT A COMEBACK!
Come back from a 2-0 deficit and win a Hold Your Own game.
DOUBLE BAGGER
Double capture 3 times in a single Gold Rush map.
HAIL MARY
Get a kill greater than 35 yards with a Tomahawk.
HEADHUNTER
Kill 5 players via headshot in a single Shootout or Gang Shootout.
LEGEND OF THE WEST
Reach level 50 and pass into Legend.
ORIGINAL GUNSLINGER
Get 25 Deadeye kills with Red.
REEEEAL GOOD
Get 25 Dynamite kills with Pig Josh.
STICK AND MOVE
Get 3 kills with knives or throwing knives in a single competitive match.
WHO NEEDS DEADEYE?
Kill 3 or more players in a standoff or showdown.
Rockstar has released the trailer for "Legends and Killers", the first DLC pack for Red Dead Redemption featuring nine new map locations, eight multiplayer characters from Red Dead Revolver and a Tomahawk projectile weapon.
The title update promised by Rockstar last month to counter hacking, cheating and bullying in Red Dead Redemption's Multiplayer has just been released. You will be prompted to download the update when you next start the game and sign into Xbox Live / PlayStation Network.
The new anti-griefing measures to counter bullying in Multiplayer Free Roam include:
- While in Multiplayer Free Roam, if a player achieves a kill streak of 6 or more without dying, they will become a Public Enemy and receive a $1000 bounty.
- While in Multiplayer Free Roam, if killed three times by any human player and each death is within 80 seconds of respawn, the victim is given the option to respawn away from the area.
Also included in the title update are fixes for numerous issues brought to Rockstars' attention, these are:
- Players now have the ability to swap shoulder buttons L1/L2, R1/R2.
- Players now have the ability to save game with cheats turned on.
- When playing the game with Region set to Asia, incorrect button prompts were displayed.
- Downloadable Outfits were not appearing in Change Outfits Menu after being unlocked.
- Invincibility cheat was turned off when activating Dead Eye.
- Occasionally, the player would not recover from being drunk.
- It was possible to have two player horses, with one permanently following the player.
- If equipped with the bandana, sliding doors would temporarily attach to the player’s head.
Be sure to check out the article regarding this update on Rockstar's News Wire for information on how to contact Rockstar regarding any issues you are still having after updating, and to report any issues which have not yet been fixed or officially recognized.
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Thanks for your support everyone!
The second DLC package for Red Dead Redemption, the Legends and Killers Pack, will be available for download from Xbox LIVE for 800 Microsoft Points and PlayStation Network for US$9.99 on August 10th. Rockstar announced the official release date earlier today; you can read their full article on Rockstar's News Wire.
For more information on what is included in the DLC, check out our past news articles covering the package:
Rockstar has updated the official Red Dead Redemption DLC page with four new screenshots of the upcoming Legends & Killers Pack, the second DLC offering for the game so far. These shots show more of the Red Dead Revolver characters fighting it out in Redemption's Multiplayer, along with an interesting use of the Tomahawk.
The characters from Revolver sure do fit the atmosphere well, and their models appear to have been revamped to take advantage of Redemption's spectacular graphics - after all, Revolver was a long time ago in game design terms. It's mind-blowing looking at how graphically and atmospherically different Revolver and Redemption are, and by how much the graphics and rendering have improved in only 6 years.
Remember, the Legends & Killers Pack hits Xbox LIVE (for 800 Microsoft Points) and the PlayStation Network (for US$9.99) next month. No specific date has been announced yet, but we'll be sure to keep you informed.
According to NPD Group, Red Dead Redemption has sold roughly 2.5 million copies since its release in the US - making it the best-selling title of 2010 thus far. The game sold 1.5 million in May, and nearly 1 million in June, which is an impressive carry-over from its release month. Compared to other sales in June, the Xbox version of Redemption was the most sold game with 582.9K, with the PlayStation 3 version siting solid in 3rd place with 380.3K.
Top 10 Game Sales, June 2010 (US)
- Red Dead Redemption, Xbox 360, Take-Two 582.9K
- Super Mario Galaxy 2, Wii, Nintendo 548.4K
- Red Dead Redemption, PS3, Take-Two 380.3K
- New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Wii, Nintendo 200.9K
- Just Dance, Wii, Ubisoft 174.8K
- Wii Fit Plus, Wii, Nintendo
- Toy Story 3, Nintendo DS, Disney Interactive
- UFC 2010: Undisputed, Xbox 360, THQ
- Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4, Wii, Warner Bros.
- UFC 2010: Undisputed, PS3, THQ
In the UK however, Red Dead Redemption is the second best-selling title for January-June 2010; being beaten by Just Dance for the Wii. It's important to note however, that Just Dance has been available for six months now, compared to the six weeks that Red Dead Redemption has been available. Redemption should be in first place following July sales, one would suspect.
Top 10 Game Sales, January-June 2010 (UK)
- Just Dance - 940.358
- Red Dead Redemption - 819,161
- Bad Company 2 - 590,580
- Modern Warfare 2 - 540,761
- Wii Fit Plus - 499,998
- Wii Sports Resort - 439,920
- 2010 FIFA World Cup - 396,858
- Aliens vs Predator - 359,968
- Final Fantasy XIII - 339,996
- FIFA 10 - 318,719
Furthermore, THQ has blamed Red Dead Redemption for their 2010 offering of UFC not selling as well as was expected. When speaking with MCV this week, THQ's UK marketing director, Jon Rooke, said that "sales [of UFC] were softer than where we would have liked them to be," adding that it was "largely down to Red Dead Redmeption. Rockstar have probably taken a fair amount of our market share. They shipped 5m units, taking a lot of consumer dollars,". However, Rooke said that he expects sale figures for UFC to pick-up in the coming months.
It's definitely impressive to see Red Dead Redemption is still selling in large numbers, and the fact that its success is affecting other game releases proves its popularity, showing that people are choosing it over anything else on offer. Hopefully it can hold onto its #1 position in the US (and soon, the UK) and become the best-selling game of 2010 overall.
Sources: DLR (US Sale Stats), VideoGamer (UK Sale Stats), CVG (THQ)
Red Dead Redemption's Multiplayer is a thoroughly enjoyable experience, and one certainly not to be missed, however several types of players have become rather prominent online recently: hackers, cheaters and bullies. The "players" in these categories have been ruining the online experience for others, especially those new to the game and new to the multiplayer side of Red Dead.
Rockstar stated earlier today that they are aware of "rotten apples persist[ing] in the online world, [who are] trying to make the experience unpleasant for everyone else" and will be taking measures to counter this on-going issue. A title update, which is expected within the next month, will detect online cheaters and ban them from the multiplayer-side of the game for a period of time decided by Rockstar. Our guess is that the type of cheating / hacking being performed by the player in question will define the period of time in which they are excluded.
Included with the update will be some new features to help prevent constant bullying of players, Rockstar described it like this:
Those who are being bullied repeatedly in Free Roam will be given the option to flee by Transporting and respawning in a region of the map of their choosing. And those who are bullying repeatedly will face a new challenge: when a player gets a 6 kill streak in Free Roam, they will become "Most Wanted." This alerts other players of their status as a player-killer, and also sends NPC law response after them.
Kudos to Rockstar for being proactive in working to prevent this type of anti-social, and down right frustrating, behavior. It is refreshing to know that they're monitoring Red Dead's online world and ensuring we can all enjoy it without a few bad apples spoiling the fun.
