Red Dead Redemption 2 is sometimes a liberating, immersive experience, one whose languid pace is justified through its attention to detail, and whose finnicky controls are warranted through the range of interactions they accommodate. Other times, Red Dead Redemption 2 is the most guided, tightly scripted experience imaginable - during these times, the range of actions allowed by the controls are fully utilised, but only EXACTLY when the game allows the player to.
The highs of Red Dead Redemption 2 are in its open world - which truly is something to behold, not so much for its explorative potential but rather its sheer scale and atmosphere makes it worth seeing for its own sake (Shadow of the Colossus comes to mind) - and also in its slow-burn death-of-the-old-west narrative. The tale of the Van der Linde gang, and particularly the redemptive arc of Arthur Morgan, is one I found deeply resonant, though I did have to overcome some dissonance regarding the enormous body count I'd built up - despite the range of interactive possibilities, too often the mission structure resorts to shooting people in ridiculous quantities. This compromises the narrative somewhat, both due to how no-one acts like you're killing THAT many people and because it pushes my suspension of disbelief to its limit regarding the gang's survivability (how the hell did more not die in combat?).
Most of my time with Red Dead Redemption 2 was spent in sheer enchantment. If only it could get out of its own way and let loose, it would be the masterpiece it had the potential to be. It's a lavish production, and though this has its strengths, the game can feel overstuffed and messy as a result. I hope that the team can reign it in a bit next time, not just for the sake of the game but the people working on it too.
The highs of Red Dead Redemption 2 are in its open world - which truly is something to behold, not so much for its explorative potential but rather its sheer scale and atmosphere makes it worth seeing for its own sake (Shadow of the Colossus comes to mind) - and also in its slow-burn death-of-the-old-west narrative. The tale of the Van der Linde gang, and particularly the redemptive arc of Arthur Morgan, is one I found deeply resonant, though I did have to overcome some dissonance regarding the enormous body count I'd built up - despite the range of interactive possibilities, too often the mission structure resorts to shooting people in ridiculous quantities. This compromises the narrative somewhat, both due to how no-one acts like you're killing THAT many people and because it pushes my suspension of disbelief to its limit regarding the gang's survivability (how the hell did more not die in combat?).
Most of my time with Red Dead Redemption 2 was spent in sheer enchantment. If only it could get out of its own way and let loose, it would be the masterpiece it had the potential to be. It's a lavish production, and though this has its strengths, the game can feel overstuffed and messy as a result. I hope that the team can reign it in a bit next time, not just for the sake of the game but the people working on it too.