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.
Member the games you used to play? We member. The basement at the Hardcore Gamer office has a section known as the Crust Room, with an old grey couch and a big old CRT TV. All the classic systems are down there collecting dust, so in an effort to improve the cleanliness of our work space, we dust off these old consoles every so often and put an old game through its paces, just to make sure everything stays in working order. We even have a beige computer with a floppy disk drive.
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, Link Home Page 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. Honestly, I agree with most of this. I do think that Red Dead Redemption 2 forces you to do far more menial tasks that I feel like most other developers would never think to include. Being forced to pick up your weapons from your horse and equip them to Arthur before heading out in the wild is a far cry compared the hundreds of other games in existence that allow you to carry near-infinite weapons on your person. In addition to having to physically pick up items off of the shelf in a general store, the lack of a fast travel system early on, and the need to do other small chores such eating food in order to keep up your Cores, these tasks do seem almost boring and their inclusion could be questionable.
Now, while I enjoy that Red Dead Redemption 2 has built in so many things that force you to slow down, I think it's important to note that this probably isn't something I would want to see from every video game in existence. Trust me, I enjoy how streamlined most other games are now as much as the next guy. But in Red Dead Redemption 2 , I think I've started to see early on in my playthrough the larger purpose that Rockstar has with all of these added elements to the game.
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.
When out in the world of Red Dead Redemption 2 , your progression in the game's main story will largely be driven by heading to the yellow waypoint markers that will get you to a character that will begin a new story mission, typically one of the Van der Linde gang members or another character of note.
When you reach a destination after traveling on your horse, before you actually embark or reach the waypoint to begin the mission (or speak with a character that might initiate a mission), bring up your weapon wheel to make sure that you're carrying the equipment you intend to bring with you on the mission ahead. Whether that's your trusty carbine repeater and a shotgun for those brutal gunfights, or a bow and tomahawk for stealthier missions, always check when you're by your horse to make sure that you have the right tools for the job, otherwise you'll find yourself at a loss and may not be able to (easily) return back to your horse before the mission is over.