Red Dead Redemption 2 (2018)

Gorgeous graphics, obviously. Do these need to be commented on? It's well-known to be one of the most graphically beautiful and detailed games ever made, and it holds up as such to this day.

Arthur is widely regarded as one of the best video game characters of all time, and for the most part I have to concur. I'm a John Marston kind of guy myself, but I grew to love Arthur more than I ever could've expected, and he and his writing and development certainly deserve the love and praise they received. I could write you an essay on how vital and important it was for RDR2's protagonist to be a gentle, fundamentally kind-hearted and artistic man in a world of game protagonists who take pride in being violent and "gritty" and apathetic. I loved all of the other characters, too, with some obvious meant-to-be-hated exceptions -- personal favourites are Sean, Karen, Hosea, and (a less popular pick) Molly.

The dialogue and voice acting are great, charming, witty -- can't think of any duds in the major cast.

The story takes a while to get going, but God when it does it blows you away. There's a reason this game had a lot of grown adult gamers crying.

I had far fewer issues with the gameplay than others did. I'm accustomed to the sort of clunky RDR style of movement -- sure, sometimes I would try to turn and fall flat on my face over a small stone on the ground instead, but honestly that just added to the hilarity at times -- and I had no particular problem with the slow realism of looting, skinning, opening cupboards, etc. I found it appropriately weighted and immersive.

There is an online mode to the game, but I haven't dabbled in it much myself. I hear it's not as active or well-maintained as GTA online (obviously), but from what I've seen of others playing it in videos and such it seemed much the same as single-player, just with more chaos. I seem to recall there is something of an Online mode storyline/'campaign' as well for those interested.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is an otherworldly experience, yet one of the most grounded games I have ever played. Every single detail comes together to create a fantastic and rich tapestry of love, life, longing, tragedy and nature.

Let me be clear here, I am not an active advocate of Rockstar games. Other than a few games like the Red Dead saga, and possibly GTA4, I find their catalog of psychopathic murder simulators to be... less than endearing. The GTA original trilogy is a gameplay mess and a ripoff of decent films with none of the seriousness or intrigue left. GTA 5 was even worse, with its insanely nihilistic, criminally cynical and overall immature outlook on humanity, criticizing everything that it depends on to thrive(capitalism, big business, greediness etc). So, to my shock, Rockstars next game was Red Dead 2, one of the most beautiful creations I have ever interacted with.

What can I not say about this game. First, lets analyse the world and its gameplay. This game absolutely carouses its details, and I really mean that. Arthur retina reflects images, you can see people carry out daily routines, animations of your player and the NPCS are modeled as accurately and physically as possible. This decoration of details creates one of the most immersive and authentic video game experiences ever. This was the only game that truly made me FEEL like I was living an experience, out of thousands. Made me feel like I was simply watching a, technologically impossible, high quality film reel of an outlaw in 1899.

The story, is quite incredible. I'm only really going through the parts I think are important since the original story is too long and convoluted to truly explain in this kind of review. Also if you get confused at the terms I use, I highly recommend you get a copy of this game for yourself. Let's start with the camp, the camp interactions outside of the cut scenes make the characters almost seem like living breathing humans instead of a storytelling tool. If you're lucky you can attend a celebration where you drink and tell tales of action, heroism and immaturity, knowing all these happy memories become nostalgic ones as the inevitable looms around the horizon.

This game has some of the best depictions of American capitalism and industrialization, treatment of Native Americans during the manifest destiny period, Lawful precision versus criminal ugliness, true tangible redemption and masculinity I have seen in a video game, hell maybe in most media these days excluding books. Let's get it out of the way, Arthur Morgan is a terrible person and thinking otherwise borders on naivete. He has killed thousands of lawmen, did 'dirty work' for a corrupt debt collector, has threatened to murder people without rhyme or reason. But what truly makes his redemption stand out is, despite the fact he knows he can't possibly make up for his incredulous sins, he still tries simply to do good. I think the honor system is a simple and ingenious system which is deeply flawed due to the lack of a cool down between low honor and high honor acts. I think this depiction of peaceful good in a video game really adds to the theme of mature masculinity, definitely one of the best depictions of it in any video game. I think AAA games generally lack this type of masculinity due to 3 reasons -

1. AAA games in the 2000s - 2010s(some of the highest grossing games ever) focused on simply "edgy" male characters that barely had any defining traits so that the player could project onto said character.

2. AAA games mostly focus on making streamlined gameplay instead of a good story with fragile relatable characters.

3. In the current gaming space(2020 to current) there hasn't been a focus on male characters and their emotions.

RDR2 breaks all of these conventions by making potentially the best male character in gaming history. After getting Tuberculosis on his own accord by beating the innocent Thomas Downes to death, he reflects on his inadequate moral and life decisions. He connects with the Native American RainsFall, a peaceful satisfied male character who wants nothing but an amiable relationship between his tribe and the US army. At first, Arthur saw him as a naive and exploitable asset, he manages to learn RainFalls allegories for tranquility(if you did the chapter 6 native missions without killing anyone) and he learns the power of giving in ways he had never realized before. There are a lot of fantastic redemption missions in chapter 6, eg. the sister Caldera which is incredibly powerful with context, which I highly recommend you complete. This, and thousands of other small tiny things, make chapter 6 one of my favorite arcs in any medium(excluding books).

Im on my second play through, to truly relive this wonderful and frankly nostalgic gaming experience to the fullest(currently on chapter 6). That's enough for my review. I highly recommend you play this game because, despite its slow pacing and crude game-play elements, it's a game that rewards players who on its unique wavelength with endless euphoria.

Hopefully you have a nice day :)

Score: 99/100

(P.S. this is an updated version of my RDR2 review in backloggd)

Play this for the expansive, light-suffused world; for one of the most ambitious characterizations in gaming in the shape of Arthur Morgan, he of sensitive sketches, elegant longhand, and all the rough edges; for the ineffable ache of a future past; for the horse poop dynamics.

Forgive the PC control scheme, sometimes questionable UX choices, unimaginative mission design, and bathing mini-game.

May all our paths lead to Tahiti.

"Red Dead Redemption 2" não é apenas um jogo, é uma experiência cinematográfica que redefine o que esperamos de um mundo aberto. Desenvolvido pela Rockstar Games, este épico do Velho Oeste oferece uma narrativa profunda, personagens complexos e um mundo incrivelmente detalhado que se sente verdadeiramente vivo.

Narrativa e Personagens

A história de "Red Dead Redemption 2" é um tour de force emocional, centrada no personagem de Arthur Morgan, um membro da gangue Van der Linde. A narrativa é rica e envolvente, explorando temas de lealdade, redenção e moralidade. Cada personagem, desde os membros da gangue até os cidadãos comuns que você encontra, é cuidadosamente construído com diálogos realistas e histórias próprias. A evolução de Arthur ao longo do jogo, influenciada por suas escolhas e ações, cria uma conexão profunda com o jogador.

Mundo e Ambientação

O mundo de "Red Dead Redemption 2" é um dos mais detalhados e vibrantes já criados. Desde vastas planícies até cidades movimentadas e florestas densas, cada local é repleto de vida selvagem, NPCs e eventos dinâmicos. A atenção aos detalhes é impressionante: mudanças climáticas, ciclos diurnos e noturnos, e até mesmo o comportamento dos animais são meticulosamente projetados para criar uma imersão total.

Jogabilidade e Mecânicas

A jogabilidade em "Red Dead Redemption 2" é variada e profunda. As mecânicas de combate são fluidas e realistas, oferecendo um mix de tiroteios intensos e confrontos corpo a corpo. As missões são diversas, desde roubos de trens até caça de recompensas e exploração de cavernas. Além disso, o jogo incentiva a exploração, com inúmeros segredos escondidos e atividades paralelas, como caça, pesca e jogos de azar, que proporcionam uma experiência rica e envolvente.

Visual e Áudio

Visualmente, "Red Dead Redemption 2" é uma obra-prima. Os gráficos são impressionantes, com paisagens deslumbrantes e animações realistas que dão vida ao Velho Oeste. A trilha sonora, composta por uma seleção de músicas temáticas e sons ambientais, complementa perfeitamente a atmosfera do jogo, intensificando a imersão e o impacto emocional das cenas.

Imersão e Realismo

O realismo de "Red Dead Redemption 2" é um dos seus maiores triunfos. Cada ação que você toma tem consequências, desde como você trata seus cavalos até como você interage com outros personagens. O sistema de honra, que muda com base em suas ações, influencia o desenrolar da história e como o mundo reage a você. Essa profundidade de escolha e consequência adiciona camadas de realismo e imersão que são raramente vistas em jogos de mundo aberto.

Conclusão

"Red Dead Redemption 2" é uma obra-prima que define novos padrões para jogos de mundo aberto. Com uma narrativa emocionalmente rica, personagens profundos, um mundo vibrante e detalhado, e uma jogabilidade variada e imersiva, ele se destaca como um dos melhores jogos de sua geração. Rockstar Games criou uma experiência que não apenas conta uma história, mas permite que os jogadores vivam e respirem no Velho Oeste. Red Dead Redemption 2 é uma experiência única, e acredito que todos devem experimentar jogar esse jogo ao menos uma vez.

when I say this is the greatest game ever made, I mean it. This games story is AMAZING. Also this games attention to detail is what makes it amazing. though you can play this game 10 times and never get sick of it, you will always find something new each time! There are endless secrets and this is what all open world games should dream of being. I could honestly go on a 20 hour rant on how amazing this game is, but I will spare you guys.

edit: I'm editing my review because I have now finished the game by myself!!! it made me fall even more in love with this game. it has cemented itself as my favorite game of all time. the story is amazing, and there is endless things you can do!! immediately after I finished my 1st playthrough, i started my second. I truly think you can just never get sick of this game.

my red dead analysis will take MONTHS to do but I will post a link when done!!

Whether you like fps or mmorpg or dating sim games, it does not matter when it comes to RDR2. This is a game every gamer should try at least once in their life if they want to call themselves a gamer. Not because I think they will like RDR2, or RDR2 is for everyone, no. I’m not recommending this to everyone because I think everyone will like this game, I’m doing so to show people how high the bar has been raised and where the limits currently are when it comes to video games. I give this game a 5 star not because of its story, or characters, or combat, none of that is taken into consideration because there is no need. The world-building alone makes this game a masterpiece.

When it comes to world-building, a lot of games have created beautiful fantasy worlds that draw you in and make you feel like you’re no longer on Earth, but none are as real as RDR2’s world. They are beautiful, but beautifully fake. You’re fully conscious and constantly aware that this is a fake world, that you’re just playing a video game, that none of this is real. But RDR2 has done such a great job with its world-building that you’d sometimes forget that this is a game, that the people are just npc. When you run on the street and bump into npc, in any other games it’d have the npc do their programmed stumbling movement and then continue their way as if nothing happened. Real people don’t act like this, and it’s minor details like this that add up and constantly remind you that the world is fake.

But for RDR2, bumping into people can have consequences. If you knocked them too hard and they fall and hit their head, the witnesses around you would get you charged with assault. You can run away before the police comes and result in a bounty on your head, or you can stay there and wait for the police to come and smooth talk your way out of it and receive a verbal warning instead. If the other person is not hurt but pissed off, he might yell and swing at you. If you dodged and punched him, throwing the first punch, then you would get charged with assault. But if you let him throw the first punch then punch him back, then it’s a brawl and you’re fine.

All this programmed events for simply bumping into someone. It’s such a minor thing that most games would ignore, but RDR2 wants you to be immersed in the world, so they went above and beyond and made every interaction you have with this world as real as possible. If something so insignificant as bumping into someone can have this amount of thoughts put into it, you can only imagine what else this world has waiting for you.

The game LOVES details. I’d even go as far as to say it’s the most detailed game ever. Even now players are still discovering new lore hidden in the game’s details that no one has ever found before. For a game with animals you can kill, it actually shows the animals hunting each others just as how the food chain works irl. When you stumble upon random npc camping in the wild, you can hide and eavesdrop and you’d hear them having a whole on conversation, and you can do this with every npcs and they’d each have a backstory, a personality, and social circle, which is incredible due to the number of npcs in this game. Even the hats you wear have intricate details to their designs.

There are probably no less than 300,000 individual animations in this game. The simple act of getting on your horse can vary depending on the slope of the land the horse is standing on, the speed you’re moving, and which direction and angle you’re coming from.

There’s also the passing of time. When you see construction workers building houses or train tracks, you can stop and watch them. If you’re patient or have the time to waste, you can literally watch them build a house or train track from start to finish, piece by piece, nail by nail. Unlike npcs in other games, these npcs aren’t just repeatedly hammering the same nail, or chopping the same pile of wood over and over again, they’re actually doing their jobs like normal human beings made of flesh and blood.

If you punch a random npc, later on in the game they might have a black eye or bandages around their head. If you killed an animal but don’t dispose of it soon enough, its carcass will degrade in quality as it rots and eventually you can watch it turn into bones. After you carried a dead animal, you’d have blood stains on your clothes that can dry with time and if you don’t wash it off the townspeople would make snarky comments about you. Oh, if you walk too close to them when they’re having a conversation, they’d quiet down and question you on your intention. Someone quick-to-anger might think you’re trying to start something and punch you right away if you’re too close. One time you’d help a npc to a doctor to get his arm amputated. After taking him there, the quest is over and you can leave. But if you decide to stay, you’d actually be able to witness the doctor taking out a saw and amputating the arm.

If you meet a blind beggar begging for money, other games would give you two options: give money or ignore. But RDR2 would also let you steal money from him. With this, you can discover that he’s faking it after he grabs your wrist before you can steal the money. So later on when you meet another blind beggar, you’d reasonably expect him to be another faker and steal money from him as well. Only to realize this one is actually the real deal and he didn’t know you’ve stolen his money and even thanks you instead assuming you dropped coins in his jar. The games knows you would try to steal money from a beggar so they played along and added this second, real beggar to purposefully mess with you.

If you did something to someone irl and they’d react in a certain way, then you can expect to do the same thing to an npc in RDR2 and have them react the exact same way. I can go on forever about the insane amount of details in this game, and this is only one aspect: the world-building. You’d have to read a 200 page essay if you want me to talk about the story and characters too so let’s leave it at this.

Seriously, give this game a try. You don’t have to like it, just like how you don’t have to like being born into this world, but you have to experience it at least once to know what is out there. Because this is what RDR2 is. It’s not a game to play, it’s a game to experience.

As the title says, I find it hilarious that it's actually the third game in the series and actually comes before 1.The game's development lasted over eight years, beginning soon after Red Dead Redemption's release, and it became one of the most expensive video games ever made.

When it launched, it broke several records and had the second-biggest launch in the history of entertainment, generating US$725 million in sales from its opening weekend and exceeding the lifetime sales of Red Dead Redemption in two weeks. The game received critical acclaim, with praise directed at its story, characters, open world, graphics, music, and level of detail. In fact, it received so much praise that I am going to point out what annoyed the hell out of me, in spite of the fact that I have decided to add it to my favourites list.

The control scheme and movement of the characters are bad. This is a widely known issue, but they really are. Emphasis on realistic movement somehow translates into the fact that Arthur can't climb any hill without the aid of his horse. Also, there was this really dramatic scene with music playing in the background, where I would just ride in cinematic mode, only for Arthur to go head first in a tree and then everything abruptly stopped.

I wasn't really impressed with the core gameplay, either. In shooting sequences I would just find some cover and then point in the general direction of the enemies, autolock-on and then just slightly move the right stick to headshot them. Also, speaking of shooting, I remember that one time the game was trying to teach me how dueling works. So, whilst the duel was happening, there appeared a toolbar in the upper left corner of the scene. Of course, I died instantly. Maybe I am nitpicking, but it was so stupid it was almost funny. I am really sick of the Ubisoft style of sandbox games, and I gotta hand it to RDR2. This is a world to get lost in and explore, not to level up all of your gear. Get lost, take it slow, take in your surroundings. The game really is full of detail. A simple stroll through the town can get you into really interesting stuff. On the other hand, you can overdesign something. Supposedly, the horse balls get smaller in cold weather. I really can't imagine anyone playing the game thinking '"you know what this is missing? Shrinking horse balls!"'.

What really saves the game and makes it one of my favourites is the writing. The game is definitely one of the best written I have ever played. I consider games like Planescape: Torment, KOTOR and the first Dragon Age to be some of the best, and I think this one is on par with them.

Man, you guys have no idea how conflicted I am with this game. I think at the end of the story (not the prologue) I cried for 40 minutes straight. Honestly one of the best set of characters of all time and I'm not joking. Everything around the story and artistic aspects are fucking gourgeous. And, with all of that, it was one of the most BORING games I have ever played in my whole life. Walking 5 meters per hour with high guard in Demons Souls was more fun than playing this game.

Seriously, I completed reading Konjiki no Gash Bell on my phone because of all the 15 minutes I spent in cinema mode riding my horse (RIP Frampt, I'll never forget you buddy) EVERY SINGLE TIME I wanted to go somewhere. Now, if you played the game, you know this feeling but you probably didn't take that much time riding around bc you spammed fast travel. That's the problem. Let's say that, I enjoy very much the liberty Rockstar put in their games. And guess what? If you try to have fun in RDR2, you can't fast travel. If you kill someone, in the middle of nowhere, a witness will show up, you'll get a bounty, and you can't fast travel in areas that you have a bounty. This is a pain in the ass at the start of the game (with start I mean 30 hours into) because you don't have enough money to pay your bounty. Yeah, you can fast travel from your camp and you can camp and free fast travel. But, first, you won't be at the camp with the same frequency that you'll be wanting to fast travel AND it's very annoying to walk outside of a town everytime you want to fast travel. Because, even if you have a bounty, you still can walk in towns as if nothing happened. Yeah, the fast travel thing really pissed me off, because, as I said, I literally read 303 chapters of a manga while the game was in stand by automatically going to the place I marked.

This game, man this game. It tries SO MUCH to pass to you a false sense of non-linearity but when you actually see what is going on, it's a damn post BotW game, from one of the biggest videogame companies with a historic of incredible immersive sim caracteristics in their products, that's on ANY WAY non-linear. You basically go forward, you can't go other way or the mission fail. Lmao I failed SO MUCH in the missions of this game just because I wanted to approach them other way than it was intended to. Stealth in this game just doesn't work. Flank the enemy just doesn't work. Change your weapons just doesn't work because you can headshot dead eye every single enemy in this game with the starting revolver. And that's only the combat. You saw a group of people playing illegal games in a house? You want to enter the house and, idk, rob them? Oh yeah, you can do that, but only if you find the npc that gives you this quest and THEN you can open the door lol. Dude, wtf, can I play in my own way for godsake? Could you please not hold my damn hand throughout the whole thing? Am I playing just every other boring open world game where I can see everything I can do in the map, mark them, and just follow a scripted path? Or am I playing one of the most expensive games ever made by a GIGANTIC studio known and praised for decades? Why the hell I have more freedom in San Andreas than in RDR2? Am I not an outlaw or something? Can I rob a train in a time where no phones existed for you to call the police and show up an army of Warhammer 40K of cops outside? Can I?

This game is SLOW. SO DAMN SLOW. You have to personally loot every single item. Who thought this was a good idea? You have to manually cook food ONE PER TIME. You need to see a 15 second animation everytime you scalp an animal. You have to walk like a dying old man at the camp to see what's going on. You can't make an outfit and then just buy it all at a store, you need to try every single piece of clothing at a time. Rockstar, did you forgot that this is a VIDEOGAME and absolutely NOBODY would complain if it wasn't so "realistic". Because of course, it is a solid realism spawn people to witness your crime and slow motion headshot everyone in your screen. Of course it is.

The random encounters with random npcs at the road. I won't list them all but if you play the game, it's just repetitive. They copy and paste, like, 5 scripted events, but with different npcs. Everytime I heard someone calling me help at the road, I killed him. At the prologue, I was still haunted by the guy who is asking for his friend Gavin. Have you seen Gavin, people? Because I hadn't.

Anyways... I can't recommend this game. It's just not fun. The only gameplay-wise thing that I enjoyed very much was hunting down legendary animals. I think it's the only mean that you can play at your own. You don't need to follow anything scripted or something. And that's such a shame. This game cast is, again, INSANE. The story is so damn spicy. The voice acting is music to my ears. The scenarios are incredible. The graphics are just nuts. The music... MAN THE MUSIC. Unshaken has to be one of the best videogame songs of all time. And all of that, almost ruined because of a boring gameplay. At the end of the day, RDR2 is a game. You need to play it. And that's the worst part.

(I really like this screenshot I took)

Red Dead Redemption II is a stunning game in almost every aspect. I've never watched westerns and I haven't played the first game so I didn't know what to expect but I really loved it.

Firstly, as almost everyone says, the graphics are incredible, the landscape is close to photo realistic and so beautiful that I enjoyed just riding around looking at everything. The story is excellent, the characters all seem like real people and the protagonist, Arthur, is one of the most interesting characters in a video game.

The game is split between fairly linear story missions and an open world where you can hunt, fish, rob houses (and trains) and do a number of side quests. You can even tame wild horses, which is how I got my beautiful main horse Silver (RIP).

The combat isn't very difficult most of the time but is fun enough and there is enough variety to keep it interesting. Sneaking into a heavily guarded camp, fighting on top of a moving train and sniping from a hot air balloon are just a few of the many scenarios.

Of course no game is perfect and RDR 2 has a number of flaws: the controls take a lot of getting used to (it is surprisingly easy to shoot someone when you trying to help them!); the story drags a bit in the middle, especially around chapter 3; and while the game had an amazing ending, the epilogue is really long (around 7 hours) and it seemed like playing a different game.

But overall I was blown away by it and I played it compulsively for several weeks. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes story rich games.

I'm not kidding. RDR2 is an impressive, massive experience that has you distracted at every turn.

The way the world changes and interacts with you is absolutely mind-blowing and is perhaps its greatest asset. Don't dismiss Red Dead just out of sheer playtime. I had to take a break after chapter 4 and return to it a year later. Still felt just as great and made me realize just how much I missed this. IMO this would actually be a great way to play it, you end up appreciating the fine details without getting thoroughly saturated.

RDR2 is a must pick up for curious wanderers who love interactions and encounters during your travels.

Graphics: 10/10

Sound: 10/10

Controls: 4/10

Story/Pacing: 6/10

Positive

• Great intro
• Bombastic ends to most quests and chapters
• Amazing graphics and sound
• Dialog and dynamic between characters

Negative

• The solo transports, to long
• The story is to long
• Every quest is basically the same (go somewhere, shoot at things, return to base)
• Clunky, slow controls, gets better as you learn, but still nonresponsive
• A weak 5/5