Red Dead Redemption 2: the game of the year

All year long, the virtual mess of the video game industry is buzzing: Red Dead Redemption II may well be the game of the year. For no other title, there is as much hype as for the new game makers of Grand Theft Auto V. The epic cowboy of Rockstar also succeeds brilliantly.

1. Sun and Moon

It is not enough to emphasize the beauty and size of (the) RDR2. The world is not only great to be big (the entire RDR file of origin is included in the game), the whole world actually lives. The characters all have their own routines and agendas, and nature lives in their own ecosystems day and night.

You will not reach the umpteenth crazy sunrise in the meadow or moonlight train. Changing environments – villages, ranches, cities, deserts, meadows, mountains, changing weather conditions – guarantee instant beautiful snapshots. Pure pleasure. The game is also excellent in terms of playing time. With the solo mode, you have 60 good hours of sweetness. It smells stretching, but it's not because …

2. … the game takes its time

RDR2 is a remarkably slow game. It takes a long time to go from A to B and the world is vast. And it's only good. On the one hand, you make sure to slowly identify yourself with the main character Arthur Morgan and, on the other hand, to gradually become one with the world. In fact, you start to live in the game, to do no more than one with the other members of the gang, to develop preferences for the different characters you meet and without knowing it, you knead an alter ego.

Arthur is a crook, but you decide for yourself if you are an unscrupulous brute, or if you have another ounce of goodness in you. Whichever choice you make, you are going to pump a lot of people, but the choice between innocent civilians in between is entirely up to you. If you make him too furious, a price will come to your head and the mighty arm of the law will search you fanatically (uh). You can of course buy this, but it's a waste of all those robberies of trains and banks that you have committed in recent weeks.

3. So many stories and actions …

In many open world games, exciting missions alternate with boring filling exercises. None of this in RDR2. In addition to history missions, there are many optional quests. The stories and adventures that are smaller can be dynamic. You can almost talk to everyone you meet. With one, it is only a salutation, but with others, it provides information that you can benefit from later.

Moreover, the accents of the characters are perfectly worked. From the barking of the Red Necks to the desperately well-off middle class – everything is perfect. Voice actors know how to impress, but in reality, they are not too irritated. In many other games, voices are often not. Or only the main cast is good and much less attention has been paid to "clubbing". Not in RDR2.

4. … that have real consequences

The tasks are varied and your actions have consequences. And then not a variation on a story or another movie, but consequences of considerable significance. The murder of someone can make sure that hours later, someone will take revenge on you because his father or mother are killed. Cooperation with one party may mean the death sentence of another party. And sometimes you will not know much later.

At the beginning of the game, you enter a village where a group is found guilty of the gallows and hanged. The game introduces this in such a way that you begin to think about this event and also challenge yourself to intervene. What if you know the sheriff at the last minute to talk? And if you know how to draw on the cords of the gallows? How does the village react if you interfere at all? This is not the whole game.

5. RPG … if you want

RDR2 is more realistic than all the games that Rockstar has made up to now. This means a lot of roleplaying elements that come up. Customizing your character goes far enough, and the same goes for your weapons and skills. The hunt is extremely extensive, whether you're selling a fresh hunting animal or that it's been preparing in your saddle bag for a while. Dirty fur or clean fur makes the difference in the reward you get. And the skill in preparing drinks and ointments can be a matter of life and death.

If you wish, you can only partially embrace the RPG character and focus more on the action. Yet everything can be expanded and improved. In addition, the Death Eye option – in ticks with multiple faces and sharp shots – has different levels. The higher your dead eye is, the more you can go to the end of organ checks. This applies not only to shooting fights with human opponents, but Dead Eye also offers many benefits during the hunt.

6. Bendeleven

Being part of a gang seems fun on paper, but Rockstar has managed to portray this hunted life almost perfectly. If you agree with other gang members (including depositing them in the "gang depot"), you can take them on a mission as acolytes. You can then give them tasks during difficult times, so you do not have to fire yourself.

In your base camp – where your own tent is – you then develop your relationship with the gang. There, stories are exchanged, friendships are closed but pacts are also broken and betrayal is finally committed.

7. My kingdom for a horse

For months, Rockstar has been hammering the fact that the link between Arthur and his horse is very special and, having spent a week and a half with my steed, I can only be d & # 39; 39, agree with that. I had to moan when my dog ​​was shot in Fable 2 and this group knows retroactively – in comparison to the relationship you build here with your faithful companion – the depth of a midget golf game. If you take good care of your horse in RDR2, your horse will be good for you and will get better, stronger and faster.

When your horse breaks his leg, you panic and do everything to heal him. . And if the beast is so badly injured that you have to finish it … then you will really let a tear. In GTA V, you get the biggest cars under your virtual ass, but they are exchangeable. These are disposable items that, if broken, have been replaced by sliding another box.

The roaring beast that guides you in this adventure is much more than that. This reflects your game and during intense shootings, I was more concerned about the safety of his skin than by myself.

Infinite Online

Next month begins the beta of Red Dead Online; the free online multiplayer mode of Red Dead Redemption II. In comparison with Grand Theft Auto V, it is actually a complete game. GTA Online releases five years of intense gaming for GTA Online and Rockstar provides this mode every month with new content, game modes and events.

For Red Dead Online, it will be the same. This offers all those who wish to make the Wild West unsafe with friends, which is potentially infinite entertainment. Even after more than 60 hours, you're not done with this game yet. The only player is only the beginning.

Conclusion

The expectations for Red Dead Redemption II were dizzying, but Rockstar intelligently solves this problem by not delivering a Grand Theft Auto with a western jacket, but a very unique instant classic. After the legend of Zelda: The breath of nature has shaken the genre of the open world in early 2017, RDR2 is in the process of refurbishing it.

The level of detail, passion and daring that Rockstar has put into this game is amazing. We will enjoy it for years to come.