rockstar is never gonna peak....i feel that gtav is gonna be the end all be all of open world games....its gonna set a new standard for how open world games have to be in the future

I really have no complaints at all when it comes to Red Dead. If anything, I have been spoiled by its incredible narrative, engaging story and down right perfect rendition of that Spaghetti Western atmosphere

Wait.. isn't Max Payne only the second game they've done since Red Dead? isn't it a little early to start calling RDR a "peak" of any sort?

I mean, I loved it and thought it was a great game, but just because LA Noire and Max Payne 3 (supposedly) don't live up to the lofty goals set by Red Dead, that doesn't mean R* can't or won't get any better.

gtaiv on pc is the best r* game

hopefully max payne 3 on pc will change that

gtaiv on pc with a few mods, thats something, graphically at least, next gen consoles won't do

gtaiv on any platform is an amazing social critiqe, and the bredth and depth of the world only rivaled by skyrim/oblivion/morrowind

red dead was a great game, beautiful, atmospheric, but, it was ultimately shallow compared to gtaiv

RDR was Rockstar best game this gen and also one of the top games overall of the PS3/360 gen. The only thing disappointing about RDR was their was no PC version for the PC Rockstar fans. Just imagine the mods that could of been created for this game.

I think Max Payne 3 is better. I found RDR to be quite boring, in all honesty.

They actually peaked in about ten years ago, they have been doing the same game since then.

I really liked LA noire but then I am a sucker for 1940-50 games!

I really cried at the ending of Red Dead Redemption it was really emotional so I agree to this.

No fucking way.

Honestly, I was not very excited going into Max Payne 3, but I bought it because it was R* and I trust them. After playing through the Singleplayer, I can say WITHOUT A DOUBT that this is my FAVORITE ROCKSTAR GAME to date and I've played them all.

Story - 10/10 Shit gets real. Not predictable. Keeps you hooked. Protagonist isn't some fancy pants do-gooder. A real guy with real flaws makes for a much more interesting story.

Dialogue - 10/10 Is actually funny. You'll want to listen to every word.

Music/Sound - 10/10 Excellent music and ambient music throughout the game. Variety of sound options with surround settups/headphones etc. Sounds Amazing on Astro A40s. Hear where your enemies are coming from.

Graphics - 10/10 Looks as beautiful as RDR and LA Noire and better in a few places because it's not open world and they can spend more time and energy on details. The best part is that it doesn't feel linear either. The action pushes the game forward constantly and you enjoy every fucking second of the ride. You don't feel like its a hassle to finish the game. I've played games like that. This isn't one of those whatsoever. I was Blown Away in every chapter.

Environments - 10/10 Fucking goregous. Sao Paulo. Wow. THe game does an excellent job of shifting your environment to mix things up too because the story is told Quentin Tarantino style (which I fucking love because it keeps you engaged and thinking).

Environmental/Character Detail - 10/10 Papers flying, Windows breaking, prostitues boobs jiggling and countless other details that add to realism

Action- 10/10 On par with Uncharted 3 (which is a huge fucking compliment). So far I've played 13/17 chapters and it hasn't topped the Plane Sequence in my opinion, but overall it has more frequent moments that make you say OH SHIT that are just as good as Uncharted if not better in a few spots. The transitions between cutscenes and gameplay make you feel like a total badass when you get control.

Please stop wasting your precious time reading this and go buy the fucking game. You will not be disappointed.

I dont agree that R* "peaked" with RDR at all! RDR was a narrative masterpiece and one of my favorite games this gen, but I think it's on-par with GTA IV in many ways.

LA Noire was flawed but still a masterpiece IMO.. Haven't played Max Payne 3 yet, but it seems to be receiveing great reviews. I don't think GTA V will let fans of the series down. The fans that abandoned the series because the dark and more mature and realistic tone of GTA IV didn't appeal to them, might not come back for GTA V, but they have 3 fantastic Saints Row games to play if they want that "classic" GTA III/Vice City/San Andreas cartoony action.

I don't think R* have peaked at all.. with each 3rd person action release this gen, they have consistently pushed boundaries in terms of gameplay, narrative delivery, and graphics.

Has R* closed? No. Has every game they are ever going to release come out? No.

This articles beggars belief.

To be honest, this article and some of your comments are utterly retarded. I understand that everyone has their own tastes but to say that Rockstar peaked with Red Dead Redemption is naive.

Also, for anyone disagreeing that Max Payne 3 is a stellar game you're either A) Too young to even know what Max Payne is B) Compare everything to an open world environment like RDR or GTA 4. Most fall into category B, and the fact they say it's lackluster and most review sites are scoring it 9 and above...clearly your opinion is sucking donkey anus.

I'll tell you one thing...

I've played the original Max Paynes and Rockstar's rendition is keeping it in line with the originals. It closely resembles the first 2 games and I think that's the point.

Red Dead Redemption is a Rockstar IP while Max Payne was originally done by Remedy, so in a way, Rockstar had to follow what Remedy did or they would piss off the original series fan base.

At first I didn't like Max Payne 3... I have to admit, but then once I figured out how to play without dying every 5 seconds, it became a totally different game to me and I found myself playing and losing track of the time. I don't usually stay focused on a game so much that I lose track of time, so that must mean something.

I just played the first few parts in Favela and the game is really starting to pick up. I also really enjoyed the boat sequence.

One more thing... when I was walking through Favela, I kinda had the feeling that Rockstar stole the whole "cinematic interactive walking through a village" thing from Uncharted 2 and 3. That's totally an Uncharted thing and it seems like Rockstar tried duplicating it. That's just how I feel.

Not including the Team Bondi developed L.A. Noire, Red Dead Redemption was Rockstar's most recent open world game. Open world games are Rockstar's specialty and where they really shine. So how can one truly say they have hit a peak? Wait until GTA V and only then shall we see the true state of Rockstar Games.

For the record, GTA IV and RDR are by far my two favorite games of this gen, so I have VERY high expectations.

Such a stupid article... Has rockstar peaked? How can you even know? I loved red dead redemption. I'd say it's my favorite game of all time. But how can you respect rockstar and say they've peaked? They've still got so much potential...

I want a RDR port to the vita.

@PersonMan I got the same feeling when I entered that Favela level. It wasn't a bad thing, but I did get the sneaking feeling that it had been done elsewhere.

I personally really enjoyed the first 2, so it was cool for this one to finally come out. I'm glad they've shown they can do other things besides GTA.

I also hope that if Rockstar does a sequel or anything that's close to L.A. Noire, despite severing ties with Team Bondi, I hope they add more replay value. I thought it was a great game, somewhat repetitive but it was new...I just couldn't bring myself to play it again.

On a side note, does anyone remember Smuggler's Run on PS2?

I completed everything in RDR but got like 1/2 to 3/4 through GTA4 and just got tired of it. Maybe somewhat because of a been there done that thing but also the friends calling you just got old. I would be on a mission and someone would call to play darts or whatever and I'd say not now then they would like me less?? It started to be to muchs Sims like and order your character to go on dates and crap. I hope 5 goes back more like 3. I'll still check out 5 most likely because it does look good.

MAx payne 3 owns all action titles to date

single player and multiplayer are awesome

How can you say a company "peaked" when they arn't done creating yet?
Thats like saying Ferrari "peaked" at the 458, when in reality, the engineers are continually refining and evolving.

R* has always been ten steps ahead of us..

we thought we knew what to expect with San Andreas and that totally blew us out the water..

i still say GTA4 was a tech demo to see what they could do and just wet our appetite..while the following downloadable content was just a "see..we could do this all day with our fingers tied behind our backs"...

Red Dead Redemption was there love child of awesomeness..

GTA5 will be their magnum opus this generation..

Say what you want, when Rockstar releases a game I know I will have an interest in it. There was only I think one game I didn't care for and it was their over the top Bully game. Everything else has had me enjoy it one way or another.

Then when they put their effort into it, there games are extremely hard to pass up. Max Payne, GTA, LA Noire etc...You could say they hit a peak after every major release. But they had me back when they made GTA and Smugglers Run.

Eh... It's way too early to claim such a thing. The only Rockstar-developed game to come out since RDR in 2010 is Max Payne 3, and Max Payne 3 is awesome and - to me - more fun than Red Dead Redemption. If you envision a studio's success as a simple bell curve where the only place to go from your highest Metacritic game is down, you're doing it wrong.

Agreed. Nuff said

Who here has actually finished San Andreas? I don't know why everyone talks about GTAIV at all. If you finished both IV and SA than you would know the author should be talking about how RDR and GTA:SA were .... on par. :P

I only think that people would agree with me if they had actually finished San Andreas which I'm sure to many people did.

NO WAY!

Max Payne's Social Club Crews that get involved in regular TDM, via "Crew Fued" is revolutionary!!

R* is getting better and better.

GTA shooting system is so outdated... that's why I prefer RDR.

I absolutely disagree. How can you say a company has reached its peak when it's still developing games? That's like saying the same thing for a director or musician; experience and maturity can do wonders to one's product.

Anyway I believe Rockstar is doing just fine. I'm one of those people who will buy a game with no prior knowledge because their logo is on the box.

I loved GTA 4 (I always prefer realism and it was my first PS3 game) and I loved RDR.

LA Noire was okay gameplay-wise, but it was also unique and innovative and Rockstar didn't actually develop it.

I haven't played Max Payne 3 yet but I've seen the first twenty mintues and I was already hooked. If it's anything like the second game, which still holds up today, then I'll be totally satisfied. And with the amazing graphics, the more realistic tone and neo-noir atmosphere (one of my favorite genres), and the beautiful gore and animations, I think it may just surpass GTA or RDR as my favorite Rockstar game.

I'd agree, except RDR is far from being the best game they've made so far. I still think Bully is the most immersive and rich game I've played. Just nailed the atmosphere and story.

I actually found myself bored pretty often while riding around in RDR, it was like Far Cry 2 with the Jeep...just get me to the fucking mission. And this is coming from someone who has spent countless hours roaming around watching sunsets in Just Cause 2.

Red Dead Redemption was just in a whole league of it's own. In terms of a second RDR, I think a prequel is more likely than a sequel as RDR is set during the end of the wild west. Playing as a younger Marston during his time with Dutch seems more likely or even a new character and new setting.

The first post pretty summed up Red Dead for me, it was a very special game, nothing really compares to it. It was Rockstars best game but i disagree that its them at there peak, saying that assumes that it was the best they could do. I dont think thats the case, ive no faith in any other developer like i do with Rockstar, they're like the HBO of gaming, they stand out from the crowd and im sure there will be another Red Dead style quality from them in the future.

Two additional points, i cant wait for GTAV, i think it could be the best GTA. My other point, GTA radio stations are some of the funniest stuff ive ever heard, ive actually pulled over in the game just to listen to the likes of Lazlo or judge grady and would be in the stitches laughing.

Max Payne 3. Enough said. It's amazing in every single way. Rockstar has done it again.

What? I just completed Part 2 of Max Payne 3 and all I can say is.... it's arguably their best game yet this generation. And it isn't even an open-world game they usually make. The favelas scenery was just breath-taking.

Can I get an opinion from a MF that has actually played Max Payne 3.

Waiting on the PC version....c'mon man!!!!

Nope. They peaked in the PS2 era. With GTA: San Andreas and Manhunt. I dont think they will ever bring back anything as awesome as those games with todays graphics.

The funny thing is none of the GTA titles held any of my interest as well as the Red Dead Redemption titles, for some funny reason none of them appealed to me ( I own all of them but this is for collectors reasons ). Max Payne 3 I can't get out of my PS3 because I am having way too much fun, single and multiplayer. I can honestly say I was never a big fan of Rockstar but when Max Payne 3 hit that all changed. I loved remedys take on Max Payne and I think Rockstar also loved it and that is why we have this Incredible game to play now.

for me R* are the only developers who are better than Naughty Dog.

both are class above the rest.

I never expected this to get such a response. I just want to point out that I love Max Payne 3, and Rockstar games in general, I just feel that now they are more interested in telling the story than providing a game.

Having said that, even at their worst, Rockstar are still better than most.

I'm not having LA noire banded as a rockstar game. It wasn't so it doesn't count. They had some input into it as a publisher because team bondi were making a pigs ear of it and it showed in the final product. Red dead redemption was good but if you remove the rose tinted glasses for a moment a lot of the missions were very similar to each other and the shooting mechanics left a lot to be desired.

Moving onto GTA the last really great one was vice city. The consensus on having to do weightlifting in San Andreas at the time was that it was a chore and boring but for some reason everyone is now looking back in it fondly. Not me. GTA4 was an attempt at a more serious GTA world but they did take out the fun factor until the expansion packs were released.

If they learn from this and incorporate the fun into GTAV and include Vegas in the map then this could be rockstars defining glory.

I don't agree with this article

I agree totally with this, sad but true.

Welcome to the next step in the industry of capitalism.