Red Dead Redemption 2 is the Deepest, Grandest World That Rockstar Games Has Made Yet
Though dual wielding is such an iconic part of Westerns, it’s never been a part of the Red Dead series. The ability to fire two guns simultaneously has to be one of the most electrifying feelings in video games. At the end of the trailer, during the shot of the seven riders, we get a glimpse at one of the rider’s dual wielding pistols. This doesn’t indicate that the player themselves will be able to do this, but the fact that it’s a primary characteristic of a main focus of the trailer does give us hope. It’s not crazy to think that in a game that may have an RPG skill tree, a player could unlock the ability to fire two pistols simultaneously. At the very least, we’ll have the opportunity to fight with or against a character with the ability to shoot multiple people at the same t
If there’s one thing Rockstar nails, it’s scope. Their games might not be as 'deep’ of role-playing games as their Bethesda counterparts, but they’re every bit as meaty and way more technically advance. Rockstar’s major releases always push the boundaries of what people think is capable on the current hardware. They take their engine and push it to its absolute limits. With the recent release of PS4 Pro and Xbox’s Project Scorpio imminent, look for Red Dead Redemption 2 to be featured heavily on both of those platforms. As technology progresses and Palworld accessories the tools game developers have multiplied exponentially, so does Rockstar’s vision of what a video game can be. Look for Red Dead Redemption 2 to be the prettiest game you’ve ever laid your eyes
In fall of 2016, Rockstar teased us with several images that hinted towards the existence of Red Dead Redemption 2 before finally dropping its first trailer. It’s now been almost a full year since that trailer released. The game was originally slated to hit shelves in the fall of 2017, but the recent delay means that the total time between announcement and release will have been roughly a year and a half. While many are still incredibly excited about the game, these long, drawn out pre-release cycles tend to detract from a game’s impact upon release. Rockstar would have been better off announcing the game in one fell swoop six months before release and then going quiet until lau
One of the interesting, yet grotesque mechanics in Red Dead Redemption was the skinning of hunted animals. The animal itself was full of blood splatter and oddly accurate noises. Now, we didn’t get a look at whether or not that exact process is part of this new Red Dead adventure, but we were treated to a hint at a possible new mechanic. One of the scenes shows a man guidimh his horse back to what seems to be his home. The horse is carrying a deer carcass, as well as a few other supplies. Does this mean that players will not only have to kill animals, but also harvest them by taking their entire carcass back to base? We really have no idea, but it would add a lot of depth to a repetitive, yet fulfilling mecha
One of the more gritty locations in Red Dead Redemption 2 is called the Meteor House. Dubbed so, because everybody inside the house appears to have been utterly disemboweled by a stray meteor. If you’ve got a mind to check out the scene, you can head just West of Brandywine Drop, keeping South of the Abandoned Trading P
As for the main story, it’s entertaining but far from revolutionary. It has its highs and lows, the lows being the lack of development outside anyone who’s within the Van der Linde gang. You get to meet a plethora of characters through Arthur’s journey and yet most of them only appear in one or two missions, outside of a couple of exceptions. Red Dead Redemptions 2 moves at an incredible pace to the point that most people in the world are disposable and sometimes unnecessary, making me wish there was more of a focus on specific story beats as it’s spread too thin in spots. With that said, outside of the phenomenal core cast, what Rockstar does right is create exciting scenarios. This is something the company is known for, crafting well-designed and often comical heists that are sure to go awry. Whether it’s robbing a train or a stagecoach, or simply walking through town, each chapter has a handful of standout missions that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Granted, the other missions are mostly broken up into your standard affairs, but at least they’re kept lively thanks to Arthur generally being assisted by another member of the gang.
Throughout this review, I may have seemed a little hard on Red Dead Redemption 2, but the overall package is nothing short of spectacular. It has its share of issues involving controls, but the vast majority of the experience is unforgettable. Rockstar has created the single most immersive Wild West game yet, with an intelligently-written story, a compelling core cast of characters, highly-engaging scenarios and a diverse open world to explore. The visuals are also truly stunning, with a substantial amount of detail put into each environment and character model, not to mention the extraordinary lighting techniques. The world is just ripe for exploration; it may not be the densest place out there, and I do wish there was a larger emphasis on hunting, but there’s still a ton to see and do. With around fifty hours to complete the main campaign, and even more if you do all of the other side activities, a game such as Red Dead Redemption 2 doesn’t come around this often. All I can say is wow.