My latest Game Pass obsession is a vampire-punching action game that could be Red Dead Redemption 2's wacky alternate timeline

GamesActionMy latest Game Pass obsession is a vampire-punching action game that could be Red Dead Redemption 2’s wacky alternate timelineWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. GamesActionMy latest Game Pass obsession is a vampire-punching action game that could be Red Dead Redemption 2’s wacky alternate timelineWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Focus Entertainment) There are few moments in Evil West as satisfying as the meaty wet thud of uppercutting a vampire for the first time. Don’t get me wrong, I love a well-placed headshot as much as the next third-person shooter fan, but there’s something so deliciously, comically visceral about introducing Jesse’s gauntlet to the jaw of a Sanguisuge Vessel and watching it stagger back in confusion. I’ve had my eye on Evil West since it launched back in 2022. Like many of us with monstrous backlogs, however, I never got as far as clicking “add to basket”. Cue my excitement at seeing the rootin' tootin' vampire shooter getting added to the Xbox Game Pass roster last month. I’m on a bit of a cowboy kick, having recently playedRed Dead Redemption 2for the first time as well, but this Wild West is teeming with far more bloodsuckers than Arthur’s. Coming off the back of something so intense, I’m grateful for Evil West on many accounts. Vampire bat country (Image credit: Focus Entertainment) All hat, all battle(Image credit: Focus Entertainment)Evil West shows that there’s more to the American frontier than Red Dead Redemption 2 All hat, all battle (Image credit: Focus Entertainment)Evil West shows that there’s more to the American frontier than Red Dead Redemption 2 (Image credit: Focus Entertainment) Evil West shows that there’s more to the American frontier than Red Dead Redemption 2 One thing I noticed – and loved – immediately about Evil West is its simplicity. In a game landscape filled with sprawling 100-hour RPGs, each brimming with dense main and side quest material, collectibles, craftables, complex combat systems, and more, this no-fuss single-player action game feels like taking a full-bodied sigh. Evil West is a love-letter to mid-2000s action games in the best of ways. It cuts through the noise to deliver punchy yet intuitive combat that doesn’t take hours to master, a dynamic setting with an immediately likeable protagonist, and from what I’ve played so far, the start of a focused, linear storyline to keep you barreling ahead. I was sold almost instantly. But as I race through this veritable feast of vampires, gore, bandits, and more, my mind keeps circling back to a very different video-gamified take on the perilous Wild West. Red Dead Redemption 2 is the kind of game I love to death and probably won’t replay anytime soon because of it. Rockstar’s wide open plains of the American heartlands paint a beautiful, troubling backdrop, and as gruff outlaw Arthur Morgan stares down the barrel of a life of sin, the catharsis of it all is a unique kind of gut wrenching. Meanwhile, Jesse Rentier is an entirely different hero; he’s here to have a good time, and he doesn’t feel bad about it. (Image credit: Focus Entertainment) When it comes to riotous, nostalgic joy, Evil West more than packs a punch. When it comes to riotous, nostalgic joy, Evil West more than packs a punch. I don’t feel bad about it either. I’m not comparing Evil West and RDR2 as games, but as totally discrete Wild West adventures that represent two contrasting takes on an action-packed epic. It’s fun to imagine Arthur Morgan tearing monsters to shreds in the afterlife, but I probably wouldn’t have even put the two games in the same sentence had I not recently rolled credits on one of them.SonySanta Monica’s fellow 2022 offeringGod of Warshares way more of a similarity when it comes to combat feel – and perhaps that’s why Evil West feels like such a breath of fresh, blood-tinged air to me right now. Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more That being said, the older-school gameplay doesn’t come without its fair share of lovable clunk. The frame rate and picture quality leave much to be desired on my Xbox Series S, but toggling the camera shake off helps alleviate a lot of that sluggishness. There are moments early on where I kind of wished for a peek behind the curtain at who Jesse Rentier really is, from his motives to his background, and being walked through each of his combat mechanics can feel a tad like too much hand-holding. Similarly, I can see anyone who feels strongly (note: not me) about the wholeyellow paint on interactable objects debatehaving a field day over the white-highlighted ledges dotted throughout the environment, serving as directional signposting. This is a 2022 game that has all the reckless abandon of a time long before we had the energy to nitpick stuff like that, though, so it’s not phasing me at all. If you also never got to check out Evil West a couple years back, take this as a sign that it’s more than worth your while in 2024. It might not possess the razor-sharp technical mastery you’d expect from thebest action gamesof our time, but when it comes to riotous, nostalgic joy, Evil West more than packs a punch. And a few bullets to boot. I finally got around toplaying Red Dead Redemption 2 for the first time, and it’s changed my opinion on fast travel in open world games. 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favorite in the first place” GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension"2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package"3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure"4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years"5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths"1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show"2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie"3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action"4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien"5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite"1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat"2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses"3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist"4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands"5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place” GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS 1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension” 1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension” 1 Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension” 2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package” 2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package” 2 Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package” 3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure” 3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure” 3 Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure” 4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years” 4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years” 4 Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years” 5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 5 Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show” 1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is 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Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 4 The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 5 Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat” 1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat” 1 Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat” 2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses” 2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses” 2 Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses” 3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 3 Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” 4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” 4 Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” 5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place” 5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place” 5 Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”