Red Dead Redemption is the story of former outlaw John Marston and will take place at the turn of the 20th century when the “lawless and chaotic badlands began to give way to the expanding reach of government and the spread of the Industrial Age.”

“Along the way, players will experience the heat of gunfights and battles, meet a host of unique characters, struggle against the harshness of one of the world’s last remaining wildernesses, and ultimately pick their own precarious path through an epic story about the death of the Wild West and the gunslingers that inhabited it.”

“The team at San Diego have massively exceeded our expectations with the sheer depth of experiences in Red Dead Redemption,” said Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games. “The seamless combination of breathtaking beauty and intense action, all woven together with strong plotlines in a massive vibrant, rural environment is mind-blowing. We think this game helps to push the limits of what an open-world gaming experience can be.”

The game will use Rockstar’s proprietary RAGE game engine, which was used in Table Tennis, Grand Theft Auto IV and Midnight Club: Los Angles.

The game will feature an open-world environment which will include frontier towns, wildlife-packed prairies and mountain passes.

I went over to Best Buy in El Cajon for their midnight event to see what was going on, and there were tons of people lined up days in advance to get a chance to buy a PS3. It’s pretty insane to think that some people had been there for several days already, and from the news reports around the country some people braved getting shot at to get their PS3. I’ve spent the last year and a half of my life working on Playstation3, so it represents more than just a game console to me. It’s an awesome feeling to see hundreds of people camped outside Best Buy trying to get their hands on something you helped create.

I also met a playstation fan that had come out to watch the launch affair even though she wasn’t getting a PS3 herself until later on. Talking to her (and seeing everyone in line) made me remember why I got into the games industry in the first place. We do it to entertain people.. we do it to inspire people.. a video game can be a very powerful and moving experience, and I’m just happy to have had a part in it all.