Red Dead Redemption 2 Review

December 2, 2018 LoadingXP red dead redemption 2, rockstar games

Red Dead Redemption 2
Developer: Rockstar Games
Publisher: Rockstar Games
Reviewed On: PlayStation 4
Available On: PlayStation 4, Xbox One

Many, if not all AAA games are highly anticipated and hyped up before release. Marvel’s Spider-Man had some big shoes to fill with the PS2 game being such a nostalgic success. Every game in the Elder Scrolls series is looked towards with immense excitement and expectation. These days games are judged before they even have a chance to be truly experienced. In the case of Red Dead Redemption 2, a sizeable amount of time dedicated towards it is required.

This is both good and bad. Being a purely console-released game most of the player base will consist of casual players. They may not want to put 100+ hours into a game before moving onto the next. In terms of this game’s quality, it improves on most aspects of Red Dead Redemption, while still lacking in some areas mechanically. Playing as the outlaw Arthur Morgan running from the law with the notorious Van Der Linde gang after a job gone wrong, you ride all across the west in search of fortune and freedom. For its merits as a stand alone game it certainly doesn’t disappoint. It boasts one of the most filled and interesting open worlds since Nintendo’s Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The story line has a few interesting twists and turns, and much more.

This game would undoubtedly take double the amount of time to play without your constant companion: your trusty steed. Horses come in several different breeds and colours, each with their own benefits and drawbacks. Shire horses are big and strong and can withstand a lot of damage, which is handy for if you need a guaranteed getaway and don’t want to worry about your horse not making it. However they are fairly slow and cumbersome and don’t always offer the best solution to long distance travel. Adversely, race horses such as the Arabian breed are incredibly fast and nimble. This makes long distance trips easier but they will fall easier and cannot withstand as much damage.

Just like the first Red Dead game horses can be found in the wild and tamed. In addition to this they can be stolen, bought or given to you throughout the course of the story. This makes it incredibly unlikely that you will ever be without some sort of horse at any time. One of the only downsides to horses is that they can get you into a lot of trouble. During my time playing I have had more bounties put on my head because of my horse running over someone by accident than actual crimes committed. Emotional connections with your horse can sometimes be hard to establish due to their generally poor movement paths being so frustrating. They are also fairly unstable and most of the horse deaths I have heard of and experienced myself are due to tripping on small rocks or wildlife rather than bullet wounds.

Horses are (like most everything in this game) highly customisable. Saddles, saddlebags, bedrolls, saddle cloth, mane styles, mane colour, tail style and tail colour can all be altered. This is done at stables. Dotted throughout the map you can also buy, sell and store kept horses. Stolen horses will be sold at a lower price at stables however and are better sold for more at a “horse fence” which is essentially horse laundering. For the sake of realism and challenge, you automatically store your non essential guns on your horse. This means that when you dismount to start missions you will need to first remove whichever guns you think you will need. There have been a few instances where I have been caught out in the open with only my trusty revolver. My rifle would have been much better in the situation, but as it was still on my horse I had to improvise. This has lead to many varied firefights, usually against the odds which have been a real highlight for me. A few good guns and a decent horse is all you really need to see you through this game. Luckily, both are pretty simple to obtain.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a game about gunslingers and cowboys without some of shooting. Like horses, guns can be obtained in many different ways. Gunsmiths in towns are the most obvious and consistent way of picking up the latest new firepower but come with a price. Stealing from fallen foes, finding weapons in the wild and being given them are all cheaper ways of obtaining weapons. Gunsmiths also offer a wide array of customisation options for your guns. This ranges from stat improvements to gold inlay engravings and coloured metals. These are a great way of making something generally seen as just a tool a part of your character. If you manage to make all your guns match and look good at the same time it helps ingrain the feeling of being a gun-slinging bad ass.

Guns come in a few different types with different intended usages. Revolvers and other sidearms are the workhorse of your arsenal. They are good and reliable in most situations. You will never be without a sidearm as they are never stored on your horse. Arthur can keep up to two sidearms on him at all times after unlocking the second holster fairly early on. Repeaters are rifle-like in appearance but fire much faster. They have decent damage and are generally for mid range combat. Rifles and sniper rifles are for only the longest range battle, often when your target can’t even see you. They can all be equipped with scopes of varying lengths and boast massive damage. Lastly, shotguns work best when employed at the closest range. While they can be equipped with slugs for slightly improved range and accuracy they are best for clearing a house quickly or when protecting an ally. Switching between the vast amount of guns at your disposal can sometimes get annoying however. Later in the game you will have about 4 different rifles stored on your horse at all times. As these all share a similar purpose it feels cluttered scrolling between them.

While riding through the dusty plains of the west to the swamps of the bayou in the south east, you will inevitably get dirty. In addition to your character showing obvious signs of this (dirty clothes, face etc.) so will your guns. Over time, your guns will become dirty and will require maintenance. Every once in a while it’s advised to stop and give your weapons a fair servicing and clean to ensure efficiency. Dirty guns will receive debuffs to stats such as damage and effective range. This is another example of Rockstar going above and beyond to drive home the idea of harsh realism. In the weeks and months leading up to the launch of this game a lot was said about the lengths it would go to make itself as realistic as possible. It definitely hits that target.

A returning feature of the Red Dead Redemption is Deadeye system. This feature slows time and gives Arthur the ability to tag multiple targets and let off a volley of highly accurate shots. Use of this feature drains your Deadeye meter which you replenish by drinking alcohol, tonics and smoking. Deadeye is invaluable when it comes to killing multiple enemies at once and as you’ll spend the majority of the game out gunned it’s pretty useful. It also made me feel like a true rootin’ tootin’ wild west gun-slinging legend. Certain ammo types such as the split point bullet also consume the Deadeye meter slower so you can use it more often.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is without a doubt one of the most interesting and filled-out open worlds I have ever experienced. Random events are constantly happening to add to your immersion in an untamed western America. For example, when walking through town one day a man was thrown out of the window of a saloon in front of me. Shortly after, a man followed him. Angrily shouting about how the thrown man had made advances towards his wife, they fought and one was knocked out. The victor then returned to the bar and kept drinking. This is just one example in a slew of possible random events while completing basic tasks. Variety is key in a game as big as this and these random encounters help keep everything interesting. This is a crucial thing as a large bulk of this game is spent travelling from point A to point B. Something to fill the space in between those is a welcome addition.

In addition to this, while regular side missions are plentiful and fleshed out to a very high standard. “Stranger missions” are equally interesting. Every once in a while when riding through the country side you will be asked for aid by a stranger. Tasks can range from very simple things such as giving someone a lift on your horse back to a town. Or more complicated ones like saving a kidnapped loved one. Missions like these can award “honour” points and random physical rewards for good deeds done. However, sometimes that helpless woman on the side of the road beckoning for help is actually part of a gang who are hiding round the corner waiting to rob and kill you.

Red Dead Redemption has always put some focus on toeing the line between right and wrong and this is a good way for the player to see this interaction clearly. If you stop and help you may gain honour and possibly some cash for your troubles. However, you equally may be robbed and you, or worse your horse, killed. It also shows what a good job Rockstar has done making NPCs far more than one dimensional and have real and accurate reactions and intentions.

In the general shops of towns and cities and littered across the map you will find an assortment of food, alcohol and miscellaneous items such as cigarettes. The purpose of these items is to refill Arthur’s “cores”. These are meters in addition to your Health, Stamina and Deadeye meters that dictate how fast these meters regenerate. Throughout the game you must remember to eat fairly and maintain a decent standard of health. Eat too much or too little however and you will gain or lose weight, your “cores” will also suffer as a consequence. Yet another element of realism added to ensure your immersion in a very convincing world. Horses also have Health and Stamina cores preventing you from travelling flat out constantly and these must be refilled by cleaning your horse and feeding it regularly. Horses will also be scared by predators and gunshots and will buck you off if spooked. This is generally unobtrusive and easily avoided.

One of my favourite features during my time playing has been the way the game treats hair growth. Both Arthur’s beard and head hair can be cut, styled and generally customised in many ways. Best of all however is the hair grows naturally over time. Therefore if you set out wanting a huge beard and shoulder long hair you will have to wait a fair amount of time in game. Hair tonics can be used to heighten the rate of growth and are actually required to reach the longest lengths. Personally I have spent several hours over my time playing just sat in a barbers chair deciding which style of moustache best says “give me all your money or I will shoot you in the face”.

I feel that going too deep into detail about the story would be a disservice to people who have not yet played the game. Therefore I will keep it as brief as I can. As I mentioned above, you play as Arthur Morgan. An outlaw on the run after a robbery gone wrong, you ride with the Dutch Van Der Linde gang. Dutch Van Der Linde is an charismatic, idealistic, driven leader who only wants the best for his band of renegades. He sees himself as a father figure and mentor to many of the gang.

Every member of the gang (there are twenty) feels incredibly unique, and it is clear to see that great care was taken into making sure no member was overlooked or replicated to fill out the numbers. Each member will offer you quests to complete and will reward you with various rewards for completion. Each gang given quest can either end up with just a gain in money or vastly progressing the story. You don’t know which before you start. This adds a great sense of mystery as to what might happen next and helped keep the missions exciting and me wanting more.

As you go through the game you will notice changes in characters’ personalities and mannerisms. Travelling, gunfights and general rough living conditions clearly takes it’s toll on these people and it truly shows. I can say the story is generally good, coming to a rather depressing and then satisfying conclusion. However, in spite of the game’s obvious work on character development I found myself struggling to care about these characters. Deaths of gang members, while holding an initial shock, were without any real lasting emotional effect.

This could be due at least in part to the lack of a obvious main villain for the bulk of the game. A villain to focus on and take revenge on for his actions would have served this game as a good focal point to attach more meaning to the events later on.

Final Thoughts:

Red Dead Redemption is a very complex game. On the one hand it offers the best open world experience in recent years. On the other, the moving mechanics and gun-play don’t seem to have really advanced since the first game. Of course this can be put down in part to the continued use of the RAGE engine but I feel like some innovation could have been made to make the experience a bit more free flowing and intuitive.

However, you cannot take away from the clear gargantuan effort that has gone into this game. Rockstar should be commended for it. They learned from the complaints of Grand Theft Auto 5 feeling slightly empty and filled this game with almost endless things to do. Hopefully this will translate into the game’s online mode. In addition the extreme measures taken to make the world realistic in many more ways than I can mention here makes for a very fun all round experience. This game made me feel like a I was a badass Cowboy. I’d say that is worth £50/$60 of anyone’s money, any day.