A masterpiece, striking the perfect balance of fun and emotional open-world gameplay
NOTE: THIS GAME JUST TOUCHES ON THE SINGLE PLAYER. I HAVE NOT PLAYED THE MULTIPLAYER. CHECK OTHER REVIEWS FOR OPINIONS ON THAT IF THAT IS WHAT YOU'RE AFTER!
What is it about?
It's American Old West in 1899. The Wild West is being tamed. The days of the outlaw are dying out, with the few that are clinging on to it finding out the hard way. We follow the life of Arthur Morgan and the notorious Van der Linde gang, which is as close to family as Morgan has.
We follows the gang as they try to survive, get that one big score and find a better life for themselves, or the while they are pursued by lawmen, fellow gangs and Pinkerton agents.
The Review
Back in 2010, Red Dead Redemption was released on Xbox 360 and PS3. It wasn't just Grand Theft Auto in the Wild West, it was a near-revelation, showing that Rockstar could not only pull off a open-world game that was fun but also a game that was mature and tell a down-to-earth story. A great game that stood alongside GTA, instead of its shadow.
To say that Red Dead Redemption 2 has surpassed it is almost an understatement. This is a game that had high expectations and has not only met them, but made it look so easy that it's quite breathtaking how good this game is.
This is a very detailed game. Even if you're PC isn't a powerful, future-proof kind of rig, it's still looks fantastic on high settings and damn good on medium. Places just look breathtaking and you come across locations and sites that make you pause rather than just glance and pass them by and the way cinematic are used just add to the visual flair.
But it's not the surface that gives it the visual appeal it's the way that everything seems natural. The way people and animals go about their lives, the conversations you can overhear, the layout of locations and establishments. the details on items and weapons, etc, the world feels alive and not in a artificial way.
You could argue that characters in Red Dead Redemption 2 aren't the most visually impressive in a AAA game, but they feel as real as they can get in a game. The conversations they have is charming and you really begin to feel emotionally tied to people, whether you love them, hate them, find them charming, creepy, etc. Other great small touches are a journal that is joy to look through and newspapers that are fun to read, detailing exploits not just touched by your hands.
The music just adds another delightful slice to the thick layer of presentation, especially in the later stages of the game.
Of course, you can have a beautiful game but it all becomes nothing but a pretty, expensive picture if the game is not up to scratch and while it's bursting at the seams, it's held together.
The controls can be a bit finicky at times (especially when picking up items that are close together) and take a while to get use to, but after a while the latter is cleared up and becomes second nature and the former is never a deal breaker.
The missions are excellent fare and don't always end up with shooting someone, with a favourite standout being a drunken night out with a fellow gang member. There are a few key choices in the game that can have an impact (there is also a morality system, but this has less of an impact on the story, more helpful to see how good or bad you are). Optional missions are worthwhile as they opened up to anecdotes and fun missions that make them more than throwaway distractions.
Outside of missions, the game rewards exploration. There is some repetition to what you can encounter but mostly just when you think you've seen what this game has to offer, it subverts your expectations by throwing something new or calling back to a moment you thought was insignificant such as one very early mission ends up having huge ramifications down the line. And hunting and fishing can take up huge hours, being frustrating at times but hugely satisfying when you catch a big game fish, a legendary predator or snag a perfect pelt. A few side-quests are long scavenge hunts, so if you are someone who considers 100% a game to collect EVERYTHING, you are in for the long haul.
There are some weird gameplay choices, like fast travel (which has to be unlocked) only available while camping or at your home base (same for crafting), Eagle Eye (allows you to highlight tracks and items/collectables in close range) only being temporary instead of being able to keep it on for good and no-mid auto-saves for missions. These don't even really impact the game negatively, it's more of a chin-scratcher.
But really the biggest issue (PC wise) is the technical issues. Still the game has crash issues, loading issues, bugs and even some glitches. These are the closest to deal-breakers but honestly, the game is so damn great that if you experience these, you grin and bear it. And you maybe lucky to not experience these at all. Even at full price, this game more than justifies its worth.
This is more than just some violent open-world with shooting and collectables. This is a gritty adventure with a tale worth seeing to the full end, with flair, personality and substance to last for a long, long time.
Rating: 10/10
NOTE: THIS GAME JUST TOUCHES ON THE SINGLE PLAYER. I HAVE NOT PLAYED THE MULTIPLAYER. CHECK OTHER REVIEWS FOR OPINIONS ON THAT IF THAT IS WHAT YOU'RE AFTER!
What is it about?
It's American Old West in 1899. The Wild West is being tamed. The days of the outlaw are dying out, with the few that are clinging on to it finding out the hard way. We follow the life of Arthur Morgan and the notorious Van der Linde gang, which is as close to family as Morgan has.
We follows the gang as they try to survive, get that one big score and find a better life for themselves, or the while they are pursued by lawmen, fellow gangs and Pinkerton agents.
The Review
Back in 2010, Red Dead Redemption was released on Xbox 360 and PS3. It wasn't just Grand Theft Auto in the Wild West, it was a near-revelation, showing that Rockstar could not only pull off a open-world game that was fun but also a game that was mature and tell a down-to-earth story. A great game that stood alongside GTA, instead of its shadow.
To say that Red Dead Redemption 2 has surpassed it is almost an understatement. This is a game that had high expectations and has not only met them, but made it look so easy that it's quite breathtaking how good this game is.
This is a very detailed game. Even if you're PC isn't a powerful, future-proof kind of rig, it's still looks fantastic on high settings and damn good on medium. Places just look breathtaking and you come across locations and sites that make you pause rather than just glance and pass them by and the way cinematic are used just add to the visual flair.
But it's not the surface that gives it the visual appeal it's the way that everything seems natural. The way people and animals go about their lives, the conversations you can overhear, the layout of locations and establishments. the details on items and weapons, etc, the world feels alive and not in a artificial way.
You could argue that characters in Red Dead Redemption 2 aren't the most visually impressive in a AAA game, but they feel as real as they can get in a game. The conversations they have is charming and you really begin to feel emotionally tied to people, whether you love them, hate them, find them charming, creepy, etc. Other great small touches are a journal that is joy to look through and newspapers that are fun to read, detailing exploits not just touched by your hands.
The music just adds another delightful slice to the thick layer of presentation, especially in the later stages of the game.
Of course, you can have a beautiful game but it all becomes nothing but a pretty, expensive picture if the game is not up to scratch and while it's bursting at the seams, it's held together.
The controls can be a bit finicky at times (especially when picking up items that are close together) and take a while to get use to, but after a while the latter is cleared up and becomes second nature and the former is never a deal breaker.
The missions are excellent fare and don't always end up with shooting someone, with a favourite standout being a drunken night out with a fellow gang member. There are a few key choices in the game that can have an impact (there is also a morality system, but this has less of an impact on the story, more helpful to see how good or bad you are). Optional missions are worthwhile as they opened up to anecdotes and fun missions that make them more than throwaway distractions.
Outside of missions, the game rewards exploration. There is some repetition to what you can encounter but mostly just when you think you've seen what this game has to offer, it subverts your expectations by throwing something new or calling back to a moment you thought was insignificant such as one very early mission ends up having huge ramifications down the line. And hunting and fishing can take up huge hours, being frustrating at times but hugely satisfying when you catch a big game fish, a legendary predator or snag a perfect pelt. A few side-quests are long scavenge hunts, so if you are someone who considers 100% a game to collect EVERYTHING, you are in for the long haul.
There are some weird gameplay choices, like fast travel (which has to be unlocked) only available while camping or at your home base (same for crafting), Eagle Eye (allows you to highlight tracks and items/collectables in close range) only being temporary instead of being able to keep it on for good and no-mid auto-saves for missions. These don't even really impact the game negatively, it's more of a chin-scratcher.
But really the biggest issue (PC wise) is the technical issues. Still the game has crash issues, loading issues, bugs and even some glitches. These are the closest to deal-breakers but honestly, the game is so damn great that if you experience these, you grin and bear it. And you maybe lucky to not experience these at all. Even at full price, this game more than justifies its worth.
This is more than just some violent open-world with shooting and collectables. This is a gritty adventure with a tale worth seeing to the full end, with flair, personality and substance to last for a long, long time.
Rating: 10/10