Rockstar have once again lived up to their name and truly proven exactly why they are the rockstars of the gaming industry with their latest title ‘Red Dead Redemption 2’.
Set 12 years prior to the original Red Dead Redemption and following the story of Arthur Morgan, the game immediately shows you its keen eye to detail as Arthur’s gang trail through snow. The game makes this mechanic feel heavy, as you automatically move slower and sink into the snow, leaving footprints behind with each step.
This attention to detail is seen throughout the entire game. The footprints are also left in mud and cover the tires of carriages; should you crash while on horseback, you will come flying off. During dialogue, if the characters moves further from one another, each will begin to shout (which would suggest many lines of dialogue would have been recorded twice, as you can tell it’s not just a raised volume. Both the player and their horse now have health and stamina bars and each must be kept clean and with a full stomach. The level of gun customisation can spur on an attachment with the weapon, as players are able to change the colour, metals, carvings and varnish, and even have it engraved.
At times, some aspects of the game may seem annoying with things such as not being able to carry as many weapons as you would like instead having to keep some on your horse which you can often forget; walking away only to realise you must now walk back to your horse; when you want to purchase something you must browse a catalogue and if you close this by accident you will have to begin back at page one. The lack of a dual fast travel system can be infuriating and put you off from wanting to do certain side missions, knowing you could travel there to do the mission but once completed, you then have to travel normally as the fast travel system only works one way.
The world truly feels alive and you do become lost in it with the many engaging side missions which have stories of their own, the various activities such as poker, dominoes, five finger fillet, hunting, fishing and even an entire theatre show.
The final grievance is with the combat. It’s the usual Rockstar auto-aim fire. With RDR2, the “deadeye” system makes a return in which you can slow down time lock on to multiple enemies or areas of one enemy and this can make for many hilarious results.
It may be unfair to say Arthur Morgan is a better protagonist/anti-hero than John Marston, as this is a longer game with much more dialogue. If you were a fan of John Marston, you will love Arthur Morgan.
Although there are a few criticisms to be found with the game, it is quite honestly one of the most immersive and detailed games I have ever played and found almost impossible to put down. It is a wild west lover’s dream and it might just be the 2018 game of the year.
Tyler Denyer
Image: Rockstar Games