MARIA DUARTE picks the best and worst of a crowded year of films
Red Dead reprise is riveting, Kasandra's quest is quality but We Happy Few is fun-free
Red Dead Redemption II
[Rockstar Games]
STEVE JOHNSON picks his favourites from the many memorable albums of the year, and one stunning new festival
SIMON DUFF picks his favourites, from radical African-inspired electronic rhythms to improvisations on the organ
For GORDON PARSONS, a dramatic exploration of the abuse of young men at Medomsley Youth Detention Centre trumps Beckett, a couple of Hamlets and a bracing Candide
From feminist manifestos to exiled lovers to mythic islands, LEO BOIX selects the best fiction, poetry and non-fiction
FIONA O’CONNOR picks books and films that show defiance in the face of violence and injustice
Red Dead Redemption
Rockstar Games
★★★★★
ROCKSTAR GAMES'S previous release Grand Theft Auto 5 was a masterpiece that moved video-game storytelling, setting, writing and gameplay a step further.
The protagonists were brilliantly written. Motivations were understandable, the dialogue superb and tearing around as three of the most degenerate criminals in a fictionalised version of Los Angeles was incredible.
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