Red Dead Redemption 2 is now available on PS4 and Xbox One.
Perhaps one of the most anticipated games of 2018, Red Dead Redemption 2 has finally been released to the world. But is it any good? The short answer is, yes, yes it is. This is one of the most in-depth and well put together games to have been released in a while, but it does have some of its downsides.
One of the main positives for RDR2 is its level of detail. Within the game you have to eat and drink to make sure you’re fit enough, you have to clean your guns to make sure that they work to their best ability and you even have to keep your facial hair in check because it will grow from nothing to a full beard without proper care. This game is almost a realistic cowboy simulator with the amount of little details there are and you notice even more as you play through.
Another positive for this game is the plot. Bar the first 30-45 minutes of the game, the plot is pretty fast-paced and entertaining. I’ll avoid spoilers in this article, but the main bulk of this game will have you looking after your camp and doing jobs to make sure your camp and its people can live well and be able to remain free from the local police that will be chasing you down. However, with this being a prequel, there is an element of knowing how the story will end, based on what characters you know are still alive in the first game, but that doesn’t affect how you feel about the characters in this game and the paths they go down.
Speaking of the characters, all of those in this game are well-rounded and feel like real people who are living real lives that are affected by you. Some of the characters can be annoying and infuriating, but that only adds to the depth and realism of the game, and some characters you’ll love and want to spend even more time with, especially lead man Arthur. Arthur is your quintessential cowboy, a tough guy with a heart of gold and for me he was a better lead character than John from the first game. I loved playing as Arthur and would’ve enjoyed an even longer game with him.
However, despite the positives, there is an issue, with one of the main ones being the shooting mechanics. Rockstar are known for their open world games (including GTA 5) but they’re not as well known for the shooting, and in this game, the shooting is quite difficult. This isn’t a first-person shooter but that doesn’t mean the gun play shouldn’t be great, the issue with this game is that it tries to do too much that it forgets about the shooting. It’s difficult to explain but when you play the game the shooting feels to light, too quick to move and the only real way you can get clear shots are by using the ‘dead eye’ system which in itself is difficult to master.
Overall, the game is very good. It does a brilliant job of creating an in-depth western atmosphere with a great plot and some brilliant characters, and if you can get around the tricky gun mechanics, you’ll have a great time.
Read Dead Redemption 2: 4/5