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Platform: PlayStation 4 | Developer: Rockstar Games | Publisher: Rockstar Games | Release Date: 10/26/2018
Outlaws Until Death
With a game like Red Dead Redemption 2, there’s so much ground to cover to explain how engaging and extraordinary the title is to fans who waited years for its arrival. There’s the story, which features a 50+ hour adventure into the boots of a stone-cold outlaw turned man of redemption. There’s the gameplay, which immerses you into the strikingly detailed American Old West locale with realistic people, weapons, animals, weather, and environments to interact with. There’s the soundtrack, which smoothly translates to capture the task at hand, be it calm exploration on horseback or the robbing of a heavily guarded train.
The amount of content hosted in the single-player portion of Red Dead Redemption 2 is quite staggering and almost a year after its initial release, I get goosebumps about the moments that ascended beyond the traditions of an interactive experience.
John Marston has a strong presence in the game and its epilogue sequences, although the main protagonist Arthur Morgan shines during the players’ time with the loyal member of the Van der Linde gang. Serving the needs of the group has been Arthur’s primary goal since he was taken in by Dutch van der Linde and raised as a son the elder leader never had. Arthur is tough, realistically portrayed, and relatable, especially as the story slowly progresses and exposes the effects of running from the law and leaving messes where there shouldn’t have been any. It’s important to like the character you’ll be playing as, and Arthur Morgan is more than equipped for anyone to understand his motives, whether playing as a good guy or ruthless outlaw from beginning to end. Rather than the simple greeting option John had in RDR1, Arthur can interact with every NPC with dialogue options that are both friendly and aggressive.
You may find yourself knocking down a patron in the salon and can apologize or instigate further, resulting in a brawl from fellow inebriated visitors. Perhaps you’re exploring the vast landscape and come across a man that wants to challenge your gun-slinging skills, and you engage in a friendly content. Or maybe you find yourself choosing whether to spare someone who witnessed an earlier crime before deciding to kick them off a mountain top to alleviate one more problem for the gang. RDR2 is full of moral and impactful character choices.
Even with the freedom to choose how Arthur interacts with the world, you’ll find yourself in the midst of an engaging story with several chapters that detail how the West is vastly changing into something more civilized, much to the dismay of the many outlaws you’ll come across. None, however, are more resistant than Dutch, whose series of escalating plans for true freedom come at dangerous prices the gang is slowly unable to keep paying.
Building upon the story elements of Grand Theft Auto V, RDR2 features seamless cutscene to mission interactions, with no further game loading other than retries and fast-traveling options. Heists also play a significant role in the game and include sub-missions that prepare for the centerpiece missions contained throughout the game chapters. Some missions are straight-forward, and others get down-right chaotic, testing your ability to pull off quick shots of your weapons and rhythmic galloping of your horse as you escape the law and rival gangs across the land. There is so much content in RDR2, even without exploring the evolving Red Dead Online multiplayer options.
Officially out of beta earlier this year, RD Online allows you to create a custom gunslinger and interact with several characters from the game’s main story and features narrative content to compliment the slew of multiplayer options. Rockstar’s most recent updates promise to allow for roleplay functionality, with players able to become Traders, Bounty Hunters, and Collectors as a primary role for more immersive action when playing alone or with friends and others in the lobby.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is slower-paced than most games but has a buildup element in its storytelling that few games can replicate. Rockstar releases continue to demand the attention of millions of gamers when a new title releases and RDR2 does just that. It’s an emotional journey that moves on as players find their groove in the online portion. It’s one of their best games to date and the ultimate western game experience.
"America, 1899. The end of the Wild West era has begun. After a robbery goes badly wrong in the western town of Blackwater, Arthur Morgan and the Van der Linde gang are forced to flee. With federal agents and the best bounty hunters in the nation massing on their heels, the gang must rob, steal and fight their way across the rugged heartland of America in order to survive.
As deepening internal divisions threaten to tear the gang apart, Arthur must make a choice between his own ideals and loyalty to the gang who raised him. "
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