With players having to juggle a multitude of relationships and the gang’s well-being throughout the game, director Sam Peckinpah’s The Wild Bunch is most likely the film that will have some of the largest thematic ties to Red Dead Redemption 2 . The plot of the film will likely sound familiar to Red Dead fans, as The Wild Bunch focuses on a gang of outlaws around 1913 led by the aging Pike Bishop (William Holden), who is seeking one final score in a massive train robbery.
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 Banner 6.1 Genshin 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
Seeing as Red Dead Redemption 2 has officially been announced to the masses, albeit with no idea what the game is about (John Marston’s name is not even mentioned), I thought I’d voice some thoughts. While I wholeheartedly enjoyed both Red Dead Revolver and Red Dead Redemption, I am worried by Red Dead Redemption 2. Aside from hype, which apparently can’t be stopped, seeing as the collective internet ethos freaked the hell out, let me explain why it’s important to be cautious with something like this.
Before diving fully into my gripes with something that only has just shy over a minute of game footage that’s been shown, let me explain what made the other two games so special. Both, Red Dead Revolver/Redemption were games that touched on a part of American mythos in the best of ways. Even other cultural mythos play into what makes these games so great, with many different backgrounds showcased. Each game is a unique tail of one man’s quest deeply personal to them. Not only exploring the characters presented fully, but also putting forth some of the best storytelling for video games of such a genre at each respective time. Each felt like a true American western tale.
Until Rockstar reveals more, though, I will keep being nervous over just what Red Dead Redemption 2 is. A lot of rumors are floating around that it’s a prequel. If it is, they could knock it out of the park, I just don’t want them relying on The Magnificent Seven to do it. Give us an American classic, something steeped in our own mythos, while keeping it fresh. Running and gunning is fun in games, but you can get that anywhere ( GTAV /any shooter ever). Let’s see a western tale more in truth with reality than Hollywood. There are so many other stories out there that get overlooked. If it is a prequel, the fall of John Marston’s gang could be done with style. How cool would it be to build up a bandit posse only to have it all ripped away (or in Marstons case, walking away)? Usually in games where the player must form a crew ( Mafia III /GTAV), it’s to set out on some serious mayhem and succeed. To have a game where the player forms their crew only to have it taken away would be the ultimate middle finger to that style of storytelling in gaming. Especially coming from Rockstar. Not only would it flip the script, but it would show Rockstar can even go against their own grain, while not borrowing from Hollywood.
But unlike many others that I’ve talked to about this, I don’t find myself turned off by any of these aspects of Red Dead Redemption 2 . In fact, I think these elements are Red Dead Redemption 2 ’ s biggest strength from what I’ve played so far. Rather than just feeling like I’m another bland avatar that is filling a void within this larger open-world, Red Dead Redemption 2 is forcing me to live the actual (fictional) life of Arthur Morgan.
While Red Dead Redemption 2 is clearly a game that we think highly of here at DualShockers , it’s not one that is infallible by any means. In fact, since its release this past Friday, the most common complaint that I have heard not only from some of my friends but fellow writers here at DualShockers is that Red Dead Redemption 2 is far too slow and plodding. Even after getting past the game’s initial opening hours and having the world start to open up, traveling from one location to another takes far too long, animations are too slow, and there’s not the typical intuitiveness that streamlines many of the systems and mechanics that you might find in other open-world games.
GTA IV had a great multiplayer mode, but the greatest thing Rockstar did was release two single player expansions for the game. Red Dead Redemption received a fantastic standalone adventure in Undead Nightmare, and GTA V got nothing. Instead, Rockstar focused on improving the game’s online after launch, going so far as to launch it as its own separate product. Rockstar has been putting more and more focus on multiplayer modes, which is a shame because their stories are some of the best in the industry. The move away from single player content could completely change what Rockstar is about, we want them to continue making the games they are great at making while innovating as they have been for ye