On October 26th, the gamer population, this writer included, was at his crowded local video game retailer, chomping on the bit to pick up the long awaited release Rockstar Games’ Red Dead Redemption 2.
Technically the third game in the series, Red Dead Redemption 2 serves as the prequel to 2010’s Red Dead Redemption, and is a legendary experience so far. I’ve managed to put in 30+ hours of game play in, and I haven’t even scratched the surface. Don’t get your dusty chaps in a bunch though, this review is spoiler-free.
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As a member of the Van der Linde gang, you play as Arthur Morgan, right-hand man to Dutch Van der Linde. Arthur and the Van der Linde gang are on the run after a botched robbery in Blackwater. Arthur is a good man, but far from being a wholesome man. He’s an outlaw, after all. Those who played Red Dead Redemption should feel right at home with Arthur as he hunts, and “dead eyes” his way through the untamed land of the Wild West, that is slowly being modernized by civilization. Red Dead Redemption 2 is set in five fictional states of the United States, and its boundaries can be crossed over and explored, but could come with a price on your head, and not just from the Pinkertons.
Red Dead Redemption 2 offers up one of the richest, most detail-oriented games that you can ever play. With that said, you can’t have a game like this that controls like an old lame horse. The controls are fluent and natural. The entire first chapter will get you acclimated to riding your horse, as well as dead-eyeing enemies and hunting. There are over two hundred animals to study and hunt, so you can claim meat and craft tools and supplies out of the hides.
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One of my favorite parts about playing games like this are the voice actors. The superior writing of Rockstar’s Dan Houser, Michael Unsworth, and Rupert Humphries goes hand in hand with the voice actors they choose for the parts, and it never disappoints. The soundtrack is also beautifully done in the “Spaghetti Western” ambiance by composer, Woody Jackson. Mr. Jackson composed the original soundtracks for Red Dead Redemption and Grand Theft Auto 5.
During the course of my travels, I did start to feel a bit overwhelmed. I got to a point in the second chapter where I started the game over again because I didn’t want to miss anything. If you’re wondering about having a 4K-TV, I’ve been playing on an old 720p TV and it still doesn’t detract from the beauty. I did run into some minor glitches here and there, but Rockstar really took their time to polish, and gloss over this amazing experience.
As of now, Red Dead Redemption 2 offers over 80+ hours of gameplay in the single player game, and will offer online “rootin tootin” fun in the future. I don’t want to speculate, but if its anything like Grand Theft Auto 5’s online experience, a lot more fun times are to be had for a long time to come.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is out now for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. GO GET IT!!!
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