Hello Enthusiasts,
Rockstar Games sure knows how to make a game that people get excited for. The company behind GTA isn't a one-trick pony, as they also have a series set in the old west. Today, we look at the newest entry into that series, Red Dead Redemption 2. Now, I don't do a lot of online gaming, so I am going to just be reviewing the single-player game. As always, there will be some Spoilers Below.
This game is a prequel to the previous title, Red Dead Redemption. In this game we play through the story as Arthur Morgan, an outlaw who runs with a gang led by Dutch Van Der Linde. The game picks up after a job that went very, very wrong, and the gang has fled from the law by traveling into a snowstorm on a mountain. This is where the tutorial takes place, as Arthur practices his hunting, horse riding, fighting, and shooting in order to keep the gang alive in this deadly wilderness. Eventually, everyone is able to leave the mountain and head to a more traditional old-west setting. From here the game does become more of an open-world game. I won't give away too much of the story, as it is far more compelling than I would have ever imagined it could be and I would hate to spoil it all. Just know that this is far from the weaker story-telling that can come from the single player campaign in GTA. I also loved that parts of the story were told from the perspective of Arthur's journal, as it added some additional back story and allowed us to see his character grow.
Let's take a look at the pros first. To start, this game is beautiful on just about every scale imaginable. The characters are incredibly lifelike, the landscape is vast and breathtaking, and the objects in the world are insanely detailed. Honestly, an alternate name for this game could have "Attention to Detail: The Game", as everything seems to have been thought of. Arthur's clothes will get dirty and muddy based on what he's been doing, the snow will get caught in his beard if you choose to grow one, and blood from wounds will stain his clothing. The detail doesn't stop with the visuals either, the sound in this game is phenomenally well done. The soundtrack is perfectly fit for a western, and the in-game dialogue is recorded in multiple ways to match what your character is doing (for example, the characters will yell if they are riding their horses with a bit of distance between each other versus if they are riding closer together). The sounds of nature are incredible too, with different animals having distinct sounds that can be identified without even seeing them. The actual gameplay is wonderfully executed as well, with outstanding gunplay, realistic movements, etc.
Long story short, if you are looking for a game that obviously had a lot of attention and care from the designers and developers, you found it here.
However, the game is not perfect. The biggest problem is the travel, as you are going to spend literal HOURS just riding your horse from location to location. I understand that there was a whole lot of effort put into the horse riding, and you will end up caring a lot about your main horse, but it ends up getting real monotonous. I feel like a better system would have been one like what some other games have done, where you have to ride to a location to discover it, but then make fast travel available. The game does offer a "Cinematic Mode" where you don't actually have to control the horse as you ride to your destination, but it takes just as much time, and you can't walk away or anything because you can still get attacked by bandits and the like while in this mode. My other issue is with the in-game money. I enjoyed this system at the beginning, as I would hunt and rob for a dollar or two (which is more than it sounds like in the old west), and slowly start to accumulate cash. I had to think about the things I would buy and how much work went into each cent. Then, around halfway through the game, one of the main story line missions basically eliminates the need to worry about your money and you can almost spend as you please. It wasn't a huge thing, but it did slightly impact my enjoyment of the game.
Basically, this game is awesome, though not entirely perfect. The main story is compelling, the side quests are fun, and you'll likely have a good time for a lot of hours. If you really aren't a fan of open-world games overall this is not for you, because it is very open world, but otherwise I think everyone can get something out of this title.
I give Red Dead Redemption 2 a 9.5 out of 10.
Sincerely,
The Bored Enthusiast
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