Gaming Red Dead Redemption 2 (PC, PS4, Xbox One, Stadia)

[VeevaVee]

Well, I knew anakin was going to become Darth Vader, but all the emotional moments of his life still tugged on my heart strings

I think it could be done. After Arthur, Dutch is the most interesting and complex character in the gang. I’m positive they could make a proper game with him as the protagonist.

Could well be. Another option is just going with another new person never mentioned.

 

[mariachi-19]

Could well be. Another option is just going with another new person never mentioned.

Good point, although they made a rod for their own back in this game as they outline that it was originally Dutch, Arthur and Hosea, so any character would be after these three came together and before the events of RDR2.

Problem is that RDR2 was much more indepth and thorough story arch wise compared to RDR1, so if there was somebody extremely notable which would give rise to a previous story arch, it would surely have been mentioned throughout the game.

I think for the sake of the series, its almost necessary to see how this group of individuals came to respect a person who has only been portrayed as a psychotic, narcissistic sociopathic, self destructive murderer so far. There really needs to be some context beyond "he taught me to read and took me under his wing" as to why the likes of Arthur, John et al were attracted to following this man. Given how good of a character Arthur is, its almost required out of respect to what transpired given he turns out to be a rather intelligent human being.

 

[Hoof the ball]

Someone hand-made and created Arthur's entire journal complete with all entries and drawings, cigarette cards, posters, etc. Stunning work.

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/694...nal&ref=sr_gallery-1-1&organic_search_click=1

 

[Sparky_Hughes]

I love that, I wants it precious!!!

 

[Hoof the ball]

I love that, I wants it precious!!!

cheap. It's only 500 quid.

 

[Gehrman]

Best scene in series IMO

 

[CassiusClaymore]

Just realised I haven't even been to New Austin yet. Time to saddle up again!

 

[VeevaVee]

Just realised I haven't even been to New Austin yet. Time to saddle up again!

Worth wandering in. There's a bit going on in the first town but barely anything else

 

[CassiusClaymore]

Worth wandering in. There's a bit going on in the first town but barely anything else

As long as there's people to kill there's something to do.

 

[Sparky_Hughes]

Best scene in series IMO

So beautifully directed. That moment when he reaches into his saddlebag and puts the hat on, you just know what's coming, I sobbed that whole ride back to camp.

 

[VeevaVee]

Best scene in series IMO

I was smiling all the way through that bit even though it's meant to be emotional. So well done.
Also, feck me are the graphics incredible. I've been playing The Witcher 3 recently, which did the best forests I'd ever seen when it first came out. The difference is massive though.

 

[VeevaVee]

Just seen this comment chain on that video

Elam Dean4 months ago
buell was a good boy :'(


Ryan Castleberry4 months ago
Who the feck is buell


i agree but,4 months ago
@Ryan Castleberry the horse


Lycaon Pictus4 months ago
@Ryan Castleberry Buell is a horse you get at the end of of a chain of some of the best Stranger missions in Red Dead Redemption 2. I take it you haven't met Hamish, then?


Ryan Castleberry4 months ago
@Lycaon Pictus oh I met him I just proceeded to shoot him in the face and loot his corpse for 47 cents


Its Hoonathan4 months ago
@Ryan Castleberry the feck

 

[Organic Potatoes]

I was smiling all the way through that bit even though it's meant to be emotional. So well done.
Also, feck me are the graphics incredible. I've been playing The Witcher 3 recently, which did the best forests I'd ever seen when it first came out. The difference is massive though.

And that was with them fouling up the graphics in some respects. I can just imagine this on a good PC; I could waste hours just riding around like I used to do on my heavily modded version of Skyrim which also featured beautiful landscapes.

Hell, I already do occasionally...

 

[Gehrman]

So beautifully directed. That moment when he reaches into his saddlebag and puts the hat on, you just know what's coming, I sobbed that whole ride back to camp.

I sometimes find this game too slow paced and tedious in parts, but above all other par none in making fleshing out the amazing characters in this. Especially Arthur. In the beginning I was a bit meh, I wanted to be John. By the end of the game I never wanted to let go of Arthur though, he was a part me. His voice acting and dialoge is superb.

 

[Sparky_Hughes]

I sometimes find this game too slow paced and tedious in parts, but above all other par none in making fleshing out the amazing characters in this. Especially Arthur. In the beginning I was a bit meh, I wanted to be John. By the end of the game I never wanted to let go of Arthur though, he was a part me. His voice acting and dialoge is superb.

It really is an experience and a masterpiece, the detail is mind blowing, the character development and story telling devine and the soundtrack perfect.

 

[Sparky_Hughes]

And that was with them fouling up the graphics in some respects. I can just imagine this on a good PC; I could waste hours just riding around like I used to do on my heavily modded version of Skyrim which also featured beautiful landscapes.

Hell, I already do occasionally...

I do exactly that

 

[VeevaVee]

It really is an experience and a masterpiece, the detail is mind blowing, the character development and story telling devine and the soundtrack perfect.

Soundtrack was very good in these special moments. Not enough of a Western feel going on the rest of the time though I think. Maybe that only fits best in the desert though.

 

[Shane88]

Won nothing from 6 nominations at the gaming BAFTAs last night. God of War swept up.

In hindsight, I'd agree with that. RDR2 had a brilliant story and the world was dripping with detail but the mission design and gameplay was mediocre at best. God of War combined a great story with fun, satisfying combat.

 

[Sparky_Hughes]

Soundtrack was very good in these special moments. Not enough of a Western feel going on the rest of the time though I think. Maybe that only fits best in the desert though.

I know what you mean, but those special moments were so special they made up for the weaker tracks for me

 

[Shark]

Won nothing from 6 nominations at the gaming BAFTAs last night. God of War swept up.

In hindsight, I'd agree with that. RDR2 had a brilliant story and the world was dripping with detail but the mission design and gameplay was mediocre at best. God of War combined a great story with fun, satisfying combat.

I’ve just finished God Of War, went into it straight after RD2 and it’s phenomenal. I’d say GOW is a much more compact experience and is narratively much better, but has a more linear open world. RDR2 has an open world like we’ve never really seen before but it has some pacing issues narratively and story missions are incredibly linear. RDR2 definitely takes the cake technically.

 

[BluesJr]

Yeah I've played both and don't see how God of War swept up but there you go, injustice is rife all over the planet.

 

[Gehrman]

Won nothing from 6 nominations at the gaming BAFTAs last night. God of War swept up.

In hindsight, I'd agree with that. RDR2 had a brilliant story and the world was dripping with detail but the mission design and gameplay was mediocre at best. God of War combined a great story with fun, satisfying combat.

I found God Of War really overrated tbh. I did not find myself enjoy all that much of it. It had some stunning visuals and good things going for it, but personally I only found the parts with Balder captivating and dissapointed we didn't see Thor or Odin. Great game, but 8/10 imo. RDR2 is 9/10 or 10/10

 

[Gehrman]

Well, I knew anakin was going to become Darth Vader, but all the emotional moments of his life still tugged on my heart strings

I think it could be done. After Arthur, Dutch is the most interesting and complex character in the gang. I’m positive they could make a proper game with him as the protagonist.

Anakin's moments tugged on your heart strings? I'd say Anakin's his an example of a prolouge story gone horribly wrong. There were some good parts like him projection the feelings of his lost mother on Padme, but the whole dialoge and execution is just terrible. When you think about how awesome they could have done Darth Vader before the main trilogy they well and truly fecked up imo. Not to mention the fact that he has 3/4 of his limbs severed merely because of the reason that Obi wan had the "high ground" despite them flip flopping all over the place minutes before.

 

[Hoof the ball]

Soundtrack was very good in these special moments. Not enough of a Western feel going on the rest of the time though I think. Maybe that only fits best in the desert though.

That's usually a spaghetti western association with the frontier/gilded era. We're raised up conjuring images of desert towns and so it shapes our perception accordingly in terms of video game replication of the western experience. In truth, the west is as much green land, mountains, rain, snow, and grey skies as it is hot, sunny desert towns in the south. So, in that respect it is arguably a more western feel than the movie stereotype.

 

[VeevaVee]

That's usually a spaghetti western association with the frontier/gilded era. We're raised up conjuring images of desert towns and so it shapes our perception accordingly in terms of video game replication of the western experience. In truth, the west is as much green land, mountains, rain, snow, and grey skies as it is hot, sunny desert towns in the south. So, in that respect it is arguably a more western feel than the movie stereotype.

Yeah that's what I mean though. I believe Houser was heavily influenced by spaghetti Westerns growing up (and crime films, hence GTA). You'd think they'd have played up to it a little more with the music even if it wasn't in the desert this time. I guess they wanted it to be taken seriously with the story and heavy realistic feel, and not feel like a slightly daft film though.

 

[Vidic_In_Moscow]

I wanted to jump on and play again a few times and found myself with nothing to do. I enjoyed exploring new areas the most but I think I've seen it all now. Are there any decent mysteries or rare discoveries floating around?

 

[Trizy]

I wanted to jump on and play again a few times and found myself with nothing to do. I enjoyed exploring new areas the most but I think I've seen it all now. Are there any decent mysteries or rare discoveries floating around?

There's a UFO on top of Mount Shann between 1-3am. Just flashing lights exactly like GTA V.

Just finished the game now, very impressed with the sheer mass of the map. I can safety say I don't remember much of the originals but I do remember I loved RDRev (PS2) and RDR1 (360), I only realized they were actually the same franchise a couple of years after playing RDR1.

It an age where we all just want games with an online option we forget how good single player games can be. I guess now I'm older and more of a casual gamer, I can enjoy them more.

9/10.

 

[2mufc0]

Your in for a treat, the single player is epic.

The online portion requires a major overhaul though i have had to go back to gta because no one will play red dead anymore.

Started it the other day, can tell it's going to be great

 

[FC Ronaldo]

Finally finished it. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Understand a lot of the discussion here mind...

Phew! I finally finished the main game including the epilogues. There's a lot to unpack so I may as well do so in a spoiler to not ruin anything for anyone

Spoiler

• To begin with, I absolutely loved the original Red Dead Redemption and it was a game I've always held very dear to my gaming hear. Grand Theft Auto was, at that point, one of my favourite franchises, and RDR was even more fascinating take on the open world genre, given it had Jogn Marston as the protagonist - easily one of the best gaming characters I had ever come across.
• Over time though, I've grown tired of the Rockstar formula to an extent. It possibly has something to do with age, but the gameplay being so bare boned and basic made GTA5 the first Rockstar game that I didn't love. Objectively, other than the story which wasn't as storing as San Andreas, it was the ultimate Rockstar game. But found much of it a chore given the actual gameplay was extremely weak from my new found perspective.
• Connecting that with RDR2 I find myself completely conflicted with this game. It is a stunning feat from a technical standpoint. The world is absurdly pretty, detailed and immersive. The attention to detail they've put into animations, and every little book and cranny of the environment and people in it can only be admired. And the writing is superb. Every gang member and even the strangers genuinely feel like people rather than video game people. The 'random" encounters feel spontaneous. The way one encounter is connected to a previous one 10 hours ago gives a sense of belonging. The story, although it meandered at times for me, eventually came through connecting well with RDR1.
• Having said all the above, the actual gameplay/combat is real chore, and often as exciting as Quantum Dreams button command prompts (there's a term for this I'm forgetting ..). It's pretty much gameplay that could have existed in the late 90s and nobody would be impressed. I feel it's a crying shame that a game that aimed for excellence in so many areas tried so little in its combat, which is really what most of your missions boil down to. Every time the gang got into a mess in a big moment (Valentine, Rhodes, SD), I was like "feck, I now have to shoot a hundred NPCs to get past this.". Now I'm not expecting elite gameplay from every game. This is not going to play as well as GoW. But even Witcher 3 which is amongst my top 3/4 of all time, has gameplay that isn't right up there with the very best. But at least I felt a sense of danger and immersion in TW3. In RDR2 I was just like aim and shoot, aim and shoot. There never a sense of needing to be skillful or having to do anything well. It was more an interactive movie, at times. This definitely holds it back from being one of the absolute greats for me.
• The story was an interesting one. For much of the game I felt slightly detached to the game unlike RDR1 where I was hooked to Marston's tale. The narrative which went on for 4 chapters of a cheerful bunch of criminals just didn't connect with me on any level. However, as the game grew I felt connected to Arthur and his arc and journey of self discovery was fansfahy told. Arthur's death gave me a sensation that someone I knew had passed which is a testament to how well written a chatacter he was, as well as the rest of the cast. Brilliant stuff.
• Also, I felt John Marston was a little short changed in this one. Whereas video game writing has clearly come a long way in the last 10 years, this seemingly didn't apply to JM, who it seems came along for thr ride once the writers used up all the good ideas on the rest of the cast. I enjoyed playing as a character again, and watching him get married etc but I think he should have been portrayed better.
• With regards to the slow pace of the game I felt it suitef the experience.
• While I liked the Survival/RPG systems were a welcome addition but they seemed more for cosmetic appeal than having any actual relevance. My weight never impacted my effectiveness. I never really needed to cook for health. My gun wore down so minimally I didn't care. Hunting wasn't really something I was forced to do.
• Also story related questions. Why did Dutch kill Micah? If he had turned totally evil by RDR, it seemed he didn't really at the end of this one?

All in all, a brilliant experience in terms of exploration, characters and storytelling which is bogged down by its simplistic gameplay. If give it a 9 just for how well it did the good bits.

Spoiler

All points I agree with.
Re your last point, I think Dutch started off meaning well and began to lose the plot as things weren't going right and mistakes started piling up. I do think he cared for Arthur but he became desperate and sided with Micah who seemed to be one of the only people left that believed in him (whether he actually did or was using him is question, although I think I'd obviously lean to the latter).

I reckon he realised his mistakes and only stayed with him after Arthur's death to survive but resented him for it all, hence him shooting him instead of letting John do it.

 

[Red_Aaron]

With a break in study I've put some decent hours into this recently.

Have to say I found the Guarma section very disappointing. When I landed there I was real excited for a new map, new enemies, new animals and challenges etc however all I got was a shit chapter of uncharted then dumped back to the mainland. I haven't played online but I assume the area is an online map and this was just an excuse to show it off (that happens all the time in games now and it's annoying - you can spot an online map a mile off and it rarely sits right)

Like many have commented though I'm really starting to warm to Arthur now, they've handled the switch in his mind state beautifully. I know what's coming obviously but I really wish it wasn't

 

[Wednesday at Stoke]

 

[jeff_goldblum]

With a break in study I've put some decent hours into this recently.

Have to say I found the Guarma section very disappointing. When I landed there I was real excited for a new map, new enemies, new animals and challenges etc however all I got was a shit chapter of uncharted then dumped back to the mainland. I haven't played online but I assume the area is an online map and this was just an excuse to show it off (that happens all the time in games now and it's annoying - you can spot an online map a mile off and it rarely sits right)

Like many have commented though I'm really starting to warm to Arthur now, they've handled the switch in his mind state beautifully. I know what's coming obviously but I really wish it wasn't

I was also really disappointed with Guarma.The missions were fun enough but the area felt like a total cop-out because of the size of the explorable area and the lack of depth to it. By the time I'd gotten there I'd explored the accessible bits of the mainland pretty thoroughly so I was chuffed to end up somewhere new. The map made the island look pretty big so it was a real let down when I got snuck past the guards only to be invisible snipered about 200 yards from my own camp.

 

[Tony Babangida]

Finally finished this. Been playing it for months. Fantastic game.

Spoiler

Poor Arthur. Thought his redemption made for a brilliant story. He was a truly memorable character. Luckily I’d played it with high honour towards the end, so didn’t get killed by Micah- well not directly anyway. Was great killing him as John, I had the meat cleaver ready to kill him but didn’t get the chance!

The whole game had a melancholic and nostalgic feeling that really got under my skin. My only criticism is that the combat was too simple, so the missions weren’t particularly challenging. But other than that it was great and has probably entered my top 5 games. I never played the first RDR, but I imagine John isn’t going to continue having an easy life on the farm. Dutch was a good character, he seems pretty different by the end.

 

[Rob]

So in anticipation of getting bored out my mind with the football season nearing the end, I went and bought this. So far, it’s been a a bit of disappointment as it follows a strict storyline. Does it continue like that or does it go in to a more open world setting like I thought and hoped it would?

 

[Tony Babangida]

So in anticipation of getting bored out my mind with the football season nearing the end, I went and bought this. So far, it’s been a a bit of disappointment as it follows a strict storyline. Does it continue like that or does it go in to a more open world setting like I thought and hoped it would?

After you get out of the snow it opens up quite quickly.

 

[Paxi]

So in anticipation of getting bored out my mind with the football season nearing the end, I went and bought this. So far, it’s been a a bit of disappointment as it follows a strict storyline. Does it continue like that or does it go in to a more open world setting like I thought and hoped it would?

You can literally do whatever the feck you want. Just do random things and let yourself be sidetracked. Next thing you know you’ll watching two idiots try crack open a safe or getting roped into a cult. There are tonnes of things that just make me appreciate how detailed the game is. Just don’t feel like you need to rush into the story, that’s my advice.


I’ve been playing this game on PS4 Pro and now on the X and it’s a marvellous, marvellous game imo.

 

[Paxi]

I’m almost exclusively using the bow and arrow, tomahawk and throwing knives. I feel like such a ninja.

Also, I’ve became quite evil in the game. I frequently kill the lawmen that are transporting prisoners in one of the caged coaches. When the guy asks me to free him I set him alight in a cage with a Molotov. It’s a bit disturbing.

 

[Rob]

After you get out of the snow it opens up quite quickly.

You can literally do whatever the feck you want. Just do random things and let yourself be sidetracked. Next thing you know you’ll watching two idiots try crack open a safe or getting roped into a cult. There are tonnes of things that just make me appreciate how detailed the game is. Just don’t feel like you need to rush into the story, that’s my advice.


I’ve been playing this game on PS4 Pro and now on the X and it’s a marvellous, marvellous game imo.

Good to hear, cheers. I’ll stick with it then.

 

[2mufc0]

Your in for a treat, the single player is epic.

The online portion requires a major overhaul though i have had to go back to gta because no one will play red dead anymore.

Been playing this for a while, at the start I didn't really think its that great, found it slow and wasn't sure what I was doing . Then I stumbled accross some videos on YouTube explaining all the things you can do (upgrades, side missions, hunting, fishing, treasure hunts, challenges etc) has got me hooked.

Ofocurse watching all these videos I did encounter a spoiler (well I kinda knew it would happen, after playing the last game and the theme of the series)

Spoiler: Spoiler

Arthur dieing and you end up controlling Marston when it's over (I know nothing else so no more spoilers!

For this reason I haven't been playing the story and been doing a lot of side missions and other stuff and now I'm hooked . It's a brilliant game, will hold off finishing the story as I don't normally keep playing games after I've completed them and I don't want this to end.

 

[2mufc0]

And Arthur has really grown on me, such a great character, one of the best in games I've played.