Red Dead Redemption 2 Review — Once Upon a Time in the West

“Inventory management” may not be the sexiest two words in the world of gaming, but they are certainly important. When poorly implemented, this one gameplay mechanic can tarnish even the best titles in the genre–looking at you, Breath of the Wi

Aside from the numerous options to customize Arthur’s physical appearance and gear, the other core relationship that players will develop throughout the game is that of Arthur and his horse. Red Dead Redemption 2 has expanded immensely on making your horse more than just a mode of transportation, and there are numerous ways that players can invest time into developing their bond with their horse and, as a result, increasing its ability to take players through this world. These actions start as simply as riding the horse and utilizing its saddle to store all of your equipment and gear between missions, but as you spend more time for your horse and care for it — feeding it, brushing its fur, petting it, etc. — you’ll be able to increase its stamina and health.

Much like the details placed into the rest of the game’s world, the Van der Linde gang’s camp always offers something new for players to discover alongside the other characters, whether that’s playing a round of Five Finger Fillet with Micah, going hunting with Charles, or having some drinks with the gang around the campfire at night and sharing stories with them. Though many of these moments are surely scripted depending on where you are at in story, the way that other characters in the camp interact with Arthur comes off naturally and believable. At certain moments when I visited camp, several characters would often come up to talk to me as they passed by, whether it was Dutch commending Arthur for a job well done on a recent heist, or Uncle drunkenly stumbling his way over to speak with me.

2014 got a pass because not a lot of original content for PS4 and Xbox One was being released until the final quarter of the year. 2015 is different, because now we’re starting to see development for these new platforms ramp up. There’s no need to see teams waste their time to bring games only a few years old to these new consoles. Already we have DmC: Devil May Cry Definitive Edition, Devil Mary Cry 4: Special Edition, Saints Row IV: Re-Elected, Dead or Alive 5: www.Openworldpilot.com Last Round, and Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster among others. Now there are some exceptions for games that were only released on one platform (Resident Evil Remake HD), or games you can’t get anymore because they’re so old (Grim Fandago: Remastered). Other than these few exceptions, enough is enough!

Calling Red Dead Redemption Grand Theft Equine is a dumb joke, even by my standards, but the GTA influence is as visible as the scars on John’s face. The game is played in a large open world map that spans part of Mexico and part of the western American frontier, divided into three regions that are unlocked as the story progresses. John’s actions can influence his fame and honor which have an impact on how townspeople react to him. Helping innocent people fight off bandits may improve his reputation but gunning down those same innocent townsfolk will have the opposite effect. Like GTA titles there is a wanted system, where if John decides to commit crimes he can attract the attention of the law and depending on how far he wants to take it this may escalate into military involvement. John can surrender to the law men, kill them all or simply high tail it out of there until the heat dies down. The problem with the last two options is the law might give up on John but that just means they’ve decided to send a bounty hunter after him so they don’t have to deal with him themselves.

At the beginning of the game you’ll start off with one or two fairly standard horse breeds, and certain types of horses are better suited for different situations — some are faster and more agile, while others are more sturdy and durable workhorses. Whichever breed you may wind up with is up to you, but the important thing is that once you pick a horse to your liking, spend time to develop your bond with it so that you can increase its ability to aid you while roaming through West.

Though the story of Red Dead Redemption 2 is thrilling and action-packed in its own right, it’s all enveloped in a world that is rich in depth and detail, and not taking a chance to step back and appreciate the sheer skill that went into crafting the impeccably-made world of Red Dead Redemption 2 would be missing out on one of the game’s best qualities.

But… we’ve been here before, haven’t we? It’s a recently-scribed tale as old as time: A sophisticated, wondrous looking trailer drops for an upcoming big-name title. Gamers then drop some serious coin on pre-orders for the game, only to be delivered a half-finished, buggy game that fails to meet expectations. This was notoriously the case for both _ No Man’s Sky _ and _ Sea of Thieves

Naturally, headshots are going to be your best option when taking on enemies as they will practically take out anything in one hit. So when faced with a large group of enemies ahead, or if you just need a moment to clear out an overwhelming gunfight, take your time to eliminate large groups of enemies with well-placed headshots rather than going for multiple shots on one target. Unless you really don’t like the guy and just want to riddle them with bullets: then that’s okay.