Jump to content

Review: Red Dead Redemption 2

From Craftpedia


With the release of the eagerly awaited Red Dead Redemption 2 on the horizon, they will be thrust into the spotlight once again. That being said, nothing is ever perfect and we all make mistakes, and Rockstar has been no exception over the years. Whether it is being nit-picked to death by their players or condemned within the media, no publisher inspires as many positive and negative reviews as Rockstar. But all publicity is good publicity. ri

But unlike many others that I've talked to about this, I don't find myself turned off by any of these aspects of Red Dead Redemption 2 . In fact, I think these elements are Red Dead Redemption 2 ' s biggest strength from what I've played so far. Rather than just feeling like I'm another bland avatar that is filling a void within this larger open-world, Red Dead Redemption 2 is forcing me to live the actual (fictional) life of Arthur Morgan.

Now, while I enjoy that Red Dead Redemption 2 has built in so many things that force you to slow down, I think it's important to note that this probably isn't something I would want to see from every video game in existence. Trust me, I enjoy how streamlined most other games are now as much as the next guy. But in Red Dead Redemption 2 , I think I've started to see early on in my playthrough the larger purpose that Rockstar has with all of these added elements to the game.


This is just a small problem, but it doesn’t make sense to me why you can’t run in camp. I get that they want you to slow down and talk to your crew, but come on. Sometimes they have nothing to say and all I need to do is get to my tent so I can fast travel, or go to bed. Arthur's bed, I should mention, is always the furthest away from the gate. It's like a weird punishm

In a time where open-world games are a dime a dozen, my problem with most titles in the genre is that they rarely force you to engage with the world that has been laid out. Instead, developers just use the confines of an open-world to place the structure of their game inside of, because it's the normal thing to do more often than not nowadays. Simply existing in an open world games Dlc-world though isn't enough when you don't feel any sort of connection to the environment that you're within. Forcing you to explore and take your time in the world allows you to get to know the area which you find yourself in. This is something that I think The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild did so perfectly last year , and it's something that I think finds success here in Red Dead Redemption 2 as well.


It's more than just pointing out that people can't come back for the grave. There are no continues in real life. That much is obvious. What I will say though is that I'm coming at this from a humorous perspective. I'm engaging my fellow fans in a conversation to laugh about all of the ridiculous stuff that goes down in Red Dead Redemption II . Maybe the things that happened to me didn't happen to you and vice versa. Some of these issues may not even be alarming to others. That's fine too. Again, all I'm trying to do is engage in the conversation. I also want to make it clear that I'm having an enormously good time with the game. It's everything I wanted from a sequel and more. Well, mostly. I would have preferred it not to be a prequel, but that's a whole other rant. There are some light mission spoilers ahead, but I keep the exact details to a mini

Don’t be deceived by the number at the end of the title, Red Dead Redemption 2 is a direct prequel to its predecessor. The story takes place years before our last adventure as we follow Arthur Morgan and the Van der Linde gang. If you recognize the latter name, it was the group of outlaws that John Marston rode with back in the day. As you can expect, you’ll see our loveable Marston often, who is perfectly implemented into the story. It’s not too much fan service or focus, but just enough so he’s a solid supporting role, especially in the later half of the campaign. He has his own arc, but it’s all about Arthur and his issues. The first couple of chapters in the story, Arthur is an unlikable individual. It takes him a little while to find his footing as he’s an overly serious character who never breaks a smile and plays the rough cowboy to a T. His relationship with the group, including the gang’s leader, Dutch van der Linde, is what stands out among everything else. It’s the little things around the camp; the songs, the gestures and the interactions that expand our protagonist’s likability, and you begin to better understand him. Even the most insignificant faces seem to bring out the more positive aspects out of Arthur more than the main story ever does, and it’s sad that it’s something players can completely overlook, especially considering entering the camp setting forces the player to move at a snail’s pace.


Another thing that doesn't make sense is the beginning concerns water. No matter what you do, there are certain areas in the snow-covered mountains you need to tread water in. How is there not a scene immediately afterward of Arthur freezing himself to the bone, or at least getting sick? In the grand scheme of problems, this is a very minor one, but it was enough where it got me to think. Again, the beginning just has a lot of issues with