Red Dead Redemption will be massive

Speaking with IGN, Rockstar's Dan Houser has revealed that, unlike the first game, this title will have a lot more in common with the Grand Theft Auto series, as it takes place in an open, sprawling world split across three territories: traditional Western turf, northern Mexico and then a "modern" town (the game being set at the turn of the 20th century).

Indeed, it seems the only thing carrying over from the original will (it's got no story links to the first game, and stars a new "hero") be its greatest gameplay asset, the "deadeye" quickdraw mechanic, though how this will be tweaked and/or modified for the sequel remains to be seen.

Houser reserves some of his most glowing praise for the scope of the game world, though. "The sense of scale, and the sense of riding across these big areas and exploring these weird corners of the map, that is part of the experience, just as much as having the shootouts and part of the story and adventure. The act of seeing these beautiful views and discovering them for yourself and feeling like it's enormous and I can go over there and see what's up that hill and see for miles in the distance, that is part of the beauty and fun of the game."