Over the course of last week - IGN have been publishing a series of highly comprehensive articles relating to Red Dead Redemption, an upcoming game from Rockstar, as well as its relation to other games and how it could possibly change the future of games.

Part One: The Revolution of Red Dead - the story behind the journey from Red Dead Revolver to Red Dead Redemption. "By 2006, a core team was in place, headed by veterans of the first game as well as talent plucked from Rockstar's many global studios. Christian Cantamessa, whose experience from working on GTA: San Andreas no doubt helped when fulfilling the scope desired for the new game, was joined by Ted Carson, Josh Bass and Daren Bader from Red Dead Revolver as work began in earnest on what's Rockstar's most ambitious game to date."

Part Two: Into The Wild - Solving the challenges of creating an open world game without the advantages of a structured and dense urban landscape. "Red Dead Redemption is a game that's more than strong enough to stand on its own two feet, and those scanning the skies for news of the next GTA should halt their search; the answer to where the open world genre is going next is just around the corner."

Part Three: The Rockstar Effect - How Rockstar's games have pushed the frontiers of gaming. "For nigh on twelve years Rockstar has been pushing boundaries, pursuing unexplored areas and delivering games that have been both bold and unique. It's somewhat appropriate then, that its latest sees them returning to the Wild West with Red Dead Redemption, and it's tempting to see a little of the company's character embodied in the heroes that typify the narratives of the era."

Part Four: Rockstar Next - What Red Dead Redemption could mean for Rockstar's future games. "In order to get a handle on what Rockstar will be offering next, it's worth looking at what's important to them now – and Red Dead Redemption's embellishments to the open world template give a good idea of what direction its games are taking."