Exploring the Gangs of the Wild West: Red Dead Redemption II Review
Red Dead Redemption II came out a few months ago as a sequel to the previous game that was released in 2010. The sequel takes place in 1899, but the first game took place in 1912 (Don't know why they did that). But the game is definitely still popular with amazing graphics and a great immersive story mode. On top of that, they have a Red Dead online beta that helps the needs of players who are like, "We need an online mode to survive!!!!" So let's put Red Dead to the test and see, does it fit the requirements to be a mind-blowing game? (Did your head blow up?) Well if not, you might be convinced by the end.
First and foremost, does Red Dead actually have a good story mode? The story is usually what game creators struggle with, but Rockstar Games definitely somehow created a story about the wild west that is possibly realistic to what did happen in the late 1800s in America. Also, it's a story that makes you want to play for hours and hours (I mean, they did have a background from making the hit GTA games).
You begin as Arthur Morgan, an outlaw who fights to survive, constantly fighting the law and the people who he disrespected. Arthur Morgan never really had a family and was taken in by Dutch Van Der Linde at a young age. You begin the story in the gelid mountains where you try to get to new land so you can continue your journey to "the place where you can finally prosper". Going through the treacherous, icy mountains was the cause of the incident in Blackwater that made you and your gang flee from the town with very little supplies and the rest of your money sitting in the town. You continue doing missions and move to new areas where you can "lie low for a while". Red Dead Redemption really captured the whole western vibe from the map to the people just sitting on benches.
As you get through the chapters, (The story is split up into 6 chapters and a two-part epilogue) you explore the vast world of Red Dead Redemption and do all the activities inside of it. You can fish, hunt, rob banks, run away from the law, have bounty hunters floating over your head, it seems like you can do anything. With there being 109 missions, there a lot to see and adventure as well as side jobs like fishing, hunting, or helping people in the town of Valentine or anywhere else. Playing the whole story mode is something to cherish and take your time on unless you want to make a world record of finishing it in a few days.
On top of the whole story, Rockstar Games nailed the whole detail of the map. The attention detail on a bush, a storefront, or even a wagon looks very realistic. The whole Red Dead map spans across five imaginary states based off of real-life locations in America. Three of the states (New Hanover, Ambarino, and Lemoyne) are new to the Red Dead Redemption series, while New Austin and West Elizabeth come back from the original one to play a role in the map for the sequel.
Rockstar Games, doing great with the detail of the wildlife and the whole scenery, also did great with each town. Each town usually included a gunsmith, saloon, general store, a jail, and even more that I can't think of at the top of my head. Each business was most likely thoroughly researched by Rockstar games to figure out what businesses looked like over 100 years ago. The rustic look to the business's storefront and the rickety age that each business had really captured the whole tone of the game, a wild west game set in the late 1800s in a time where America was changing.
Overall, the whole map is massive with 5 different states with all different scenery.
The map and the whole world that Rockstar Games created let Red Dead Redemption II pour over to the side that said, "Great game" and the map was perfectly created for the tone and the type of game, western adventure.
You may think, "People and the animals in video games are USUALLY boring." Red Dead Redemption II is an exception. Each Red Dead character has a unique personality and different things to say. And you may be asking, "How did Rockstar Games do this? Did it take them an eternity?" Well, it didn't take them an eternity, but they did take 2,200 days worth of motion capture work into the game, starting around 5 years ago. 1,200 actors were used in the making of the game with 700 being voice-actors. Rockstar games might've set a record for the most actors employed at a time.
Story
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| The camp you and your gang are in. This is one of the places that you and your gang move to |
You begin as Arthur Morgan, an outlaw who fights to survive, constantly fighting the law and the people who he disrespected. Arthur Morgan never really had a family and was taken in by Dutch Van Der Linde at a young age. You begin the story in the gelid mountains where you try to get to new land so you can continue your journey to "the place where you can finally prosper". Going through the treacherous, icy mountains was the cause of the incident in Blackwater that made you and your gang flee from the town with very little supplies and the rest of your money sitting in the town. You continue doing missions and move to new areas where you can "lie low for a while". Red Dead Redemption really captured the whole western vibe from the map to the people just sitting on benches.
As you get through the chapters, (The story is split up into 6 chapters and a two-part epilogue) you explore the vast world of Red Dead Redemption and do all the activities inside of it. You can fish, hunt, rob banks, run away from the law, have bounty hunters floating over your head, it seems like you can do anything. With there being 109 missions, there a lot to see and adventure as well as side jobs like fishing, hunting, or helping people in the town of Valentine or anywhere else. Playing the whole story mode is something to cherish and take your time on unless you want to make a world record of finishing it in a few days.
Map
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| Most of the map in Red Dead Redemption II Image via US Gamer |
Rockstar Games, doing great with the detail of the wildlife and the whole scenery, also did great with each town. Each town usually included a gunsmith, saloon, general store, a jail, and even more that I can't think of at the top of my head. Each business was most likely thoroughly researched by Rockstar games to figure out what businesses looked like over 100 years ago. The rustic look to the business's storefront and the rickety age that each business had really captured the whole tone of the game, a wild west game set in the late 1800s in a time where America was changing.
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| The town in Rhodes |
The map and the whole world that Rockstar Games created let Red Dead Redemption II pour over to the side that said, "Great game" and the map was perfectly created for the tone and the type of game, western adventure.
Animals and People
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| People in Rhodes |
Even in a seeming-like boring horse ride to a ranch is even made enjoyable from the amount of dialogue in the game. Even in a short ride with Arthur and one of the gang members, you often learn something new or interesting that possibly changes your perspective of the whole story. Even dialogue is great if your taking a stride through a town. You can meet stragners that may give you some valuable information or maybe say "hi". At least they said "hi" instead of nothing.
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| Arthur trying to lasso a buffalo Image via IamStrand#199 on Youtube |
As I said, the people in the game are great, but are the animals? There are many species of animals in the game from deer to Buffalo. You even create a bond with your horse, since you use the horse almost every step of your journey. Even I sometimes feel bad that I have to hunt one of the animals. They look too real! Overall the people in the game have their unique characteristics and the animals even kind've have their own personalities.
Rating
Okay, you might've already could tell, I really enjoy Red Dead Redemption II from the different activities that are available to the entire map and even the different characters in the game. It can be violent, but it makes it even better. I would give it a rating of a 9.5/10. I mean, I can't give it a 10/10 because I know there might be some small things that I dislike, but it's a great rating. And if you don't feel that way, just comment below your rating.
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