Red Dead Redemption 2 may just signal the dawn of a new era for open-world games, and it’s an experience that I have no doubt players will be investing tens (if not hundreds) of hours into its immense, deep world and completing its story full of action, suspense, and deeply investing character moments. Over the course of its journey, you can easily see the ways that Rockstar Games has not just focused on delivering a world that is massive in scope, but far richer in the ways that it builds on everything that the studio has done in its past games and enhances them for a new generation. Red Dead Redemption 2 aimed high in delivering players a living, breathing world, and it has surely hit its mark as Rockstar’s deepest, most immersive experience yet.
One of the spookier finds thus far has been the discovery of a woman chained inside of an outhouse. She’s been disfigured and continues, with apparent difficulty, chanting off numbers in a specific order. If you’d like to see or hear her for yourself, you can head to the Braithwaite Estate. On the outer edge is the outhouse with the inmate in question. What’s her story? What do the numbers lead to? Is she locked in there for good reason? Or is it simply because she’s differ
It’s safe to say that Red Dead Redemption 2 is easily the most visually-impressive game Rockstar has ever created. While it’s difficult for open world games to compare to more linear, focused experiences due to the amount of content shoved onto screen at once, there were times when I thought I was playing a CG movie. Maybe that’s a little bit of hyperbole as there are still some compromises that are taken, but for the most part this is arguably the best looking game of the year. Character models are remarkably detailed, even with the most insignificant individuals, and the open world is absolutely gorgeous. Not only does it have an incredible amount of variety, from industrial cities to snowy mountains, but the way settings are organized bring the world to life in a sensational way. From a pure visual aspect, the only negative notions are minor ones, namely beards can sometimes look like they’re pulled off a character creator, and the rendering and reflections when moving through water has a strange issue on the sides of the screen. Animation is the only other aspect that can be bothersome at times. Don’t get me wrong, everything is animated meticulous, from faces to actions, but when you need to interact with something in the world, it can put you into an animation that takes a lot longer than you’d hope for. Other than that, I was blown away with what Rockstar was able to accomplish, as the world of Red Dead Redemption 2 is simply breathtaking.
Calling Red Dead Redemption Grand Theft Equine is a dumb joke, even by my standards, but the GTA influence is as visible as the scars on John’s face. The game is played in a large open world map that spans part of Mexico and part of the western American frontier, divided into three regions that are unlocked as the story progresses. John’s actions can influence his fame and honor which have an impact on how townspeople react to him. Helping innocent people fight off bandits may improve his reputation but gunning down those same innocent townsfolk will have the opposite effect. Like GTA titles there is a wanted system, where if John decides to commit crimes he can attract the attention of the law and depending on how far he wants to take it this may escalate into military involvement. John can surrender to the law men, kill them all or simply high tail it out of there until the heat dies down. The problem with the last two options is the law might give up on John but that just means they’ve decided to send a bounty hunter after him so they don’t have to deal with him themselves.
That was just one of the few examples where the game’s setting really honed in on the idea of Red Dead Redemption 2 delivering a world that looks and feels dynamic, and yet there were still plenty of other moments that genuinely had me surprised at the depth of interaction that it offers. Random encounters on the road in particular always feel like they offer some new interesting twist or story moment to remember, like when I helped a man wrangle in his horse and lassoed it back to him, or intervening as a woman was about to about to be attacked by a pack of wolves.
Is the truth really out there? At least in the Red Dead Redemption universe, that seems to be the case. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, just head between the „N” and „O” of New Hanover on the map, and you’ll come across an old building. Inside, you’ll be met with a pretty weird scene. There are beds lining the sides of the building, with a desk at the end. On the desk lies a note, which rather cryptically hints for you to come back to the building, or stay there, until about 2
John Marston. The man, the father, the legend. A seasoned outlaw with a moral sense of right and wrong. His past still haunts him as he seeks to live out his final years with his family. Blackmailed into working for the government, John must eradicate his past gang members in return for amnesty. We can only sympathize with John as he looks to bury his demons. Because of that, going through his journey brought us a big sense of pride and victory as we move into the final chapters of his journey. Finally, Palworld Accessories after having brought down all of your required targets, Rockstar lull you into a false sense of security, playing missions on John’s family ranch along with his son. It seems like everything panned out okay in the end for our lovable outlaw. WRONG. John was betrayed by the government and shot down outside his family home while defending his son and wife. This was a truly soul wrenching moment which broke our hearts. While it may of been a piece of scripted brilliance on Rockstar’s part. it also meant the death of one of gaming’s greatest characters and I’m afraid it is something we can never quite forg