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To say that Red Dead Redemption 2 is highly anticipated is an exercise in underestimation. The sequel to Red Dead Redemption, an open world of the West, is the first new Rockstar Games title in five years. The reason for this anticipation is probably due to the fact that at the time of writing this article, its complete release, very few people have actually seen it in action.
A number of GameSpot staff members recently had the opportunity to see and play an almost final version of Red Dead Redemption 2. The one-and-a-half hour demo featuring two story missions and a chance to move freely in the open world, and there is a lot to unpack about the game's appearance and game. Red Dead Redemption 2 is familiar in many ways, but the new systems have piqued our curiosity with their initial impression of complexity and depth.
Warning: Everyone has a different tolerance for spoilers. We played two missions in our day with the game, and as we went into the details of these missions, we did not think there were any major revelations. However, some relationships and some cameos may surprise anyone who has avoided the cover of Red Dead Redemption 2. If you prefer to go into the game without any information, consider avoiding the following article. This will be the only spoiler warning.
We are in 1899 and outlaw gangs are endangered as America modernizes. An early-story mission opened our demonstration session, with Rockstar staff at the helm, representing protagonist Arthur Morgan and his gang leader Dutch Van der Linde who were taking care of John Marston's previous job heading south. The recently injured appearance of Marston strongly suggests that we will discover how he got his scars, although his wife, who comes in with their son Jack, seems more upset than anything else. The older gang members are eager to withdraw and move their encampment to escape the pursuers, but the Dutchman is adamant that some gang members are going on and on a train flight over which he has a lead.
While Arthur, a Dutchman and a group of men ride astride the train, we are used to what is now an essential part of Rockstar's open world games: telling stories through dialogue with characters while traveling on a mission. However, Red Dead Redemption 2 offers a new implementation of Rockstar's familiar cinematic camera mode to keep these moments interesting – the cinematic camera automatically triggers and frames the trip with a photo montage that highlights the landscape and the group of travelers. You can get away anytime, but it's a nice touch and a filmed framing of what could have been a boring journey. As long as you keep X on PS4 or A on Xbox One to keep your horse at the same pace as the pack (like RDR1), you can just sit back and enjoy the conversation and naturally smooth landscapes. This feature can also be triggered manually during the game.
The band descended from a mountain covered in deep snow, each wearing a very hot outfit. Our Rockstar representatives explained that the gaming options of the game would be complete – each character will have different sets to coincide with the weather, while the customizations would allow for minor overlays and adjustments, such as the ability to roll up your sleeves. We could not confirm whether particular sets of clothing had benefits such as the original game.
The hilly landscape that we saw on this trip was impressive: the snow-capped mountains gradually turned into a more temperate environment, with the snow visibly finer and the greenery that began to appear as we descended at altitude. Spending time watching horses was also impressive. Their manes flapped in the wind, their hooves left footprints in the snow and dirt, and their animations seemed natural as they turned and passed between galloping speeds.
As the band arrived on a ridge overlooking the ambush of the railway, it was already sunset. Arthur was asked to check on Bill Williamson (who will probably be the first major target of Red Dead Redemption) by preparing TNT by the railroad. Williamson was portrayed as a single man in the first match, and this remains true here. Our Rockstar representative mentioned that Red Dead Redemption 2 aims to act both as a prequel and companion to the first game, so Williamson's introduction at the beginning of both games might suggest some great parallels.
After talking with Bill Williamson, you are invited to help by connecting a piece of wire and connecting it to a TNT detonator. The flow between cinematics, interactive moments and boxed animations appeared smoothly, and once the train arrived, an elegant editing helped to enhance the moment, quickly cutting the band, the train and DTT. But, unsurprisingly, TNT fails to cope. Williamson has messed up. The tension between the band members is then put to the test when they quickly reject the blame and run to intercept the train on foot. They reach a nearby viaduct and jump hurriedly onto the roof of the high-speed train, accompanied by a noticeably striking score (Woody Jackson returns as composer of the game).
Arthur lands without any problems, but his first action is to help those who do not have one. Another gang member named Lenny is hanging on the edge of the train and a quick action is needed to lift him. From there, Arthur and Lenny got off the roof and into the cars, heading towards the front of the train. The first encounter with the guards was conducted stealthily and used to highlight the game's new interactions. The option was given to Lenny to come out guard, or we could just do it ourselves. The looting and pickup bodies are returning mechanics (although they have more detailed and complex animations), and when we ran through the densely decorated cars, we found that it was possible to search for drawers in drawers.
At the next carriage, a shootout occurred and, although the shooting of Red Dead Redemption 2 is mechanically similar to the original, the appearance and communication of the impact seem have been strengthened – the shake of the screen was more pronounced with each shot. . It's also worth noting that in Red Dead Redemption 2, you can physically see all your weapons on Arthur's character model – you can only hold two handguns and two long weapons (with a knife, a lasso, and disposable objects). rifle with a handgun Arthur was holding his rifle in one hand while aiming his pistol with the other. Double manipulation is also an option later in the game.
This detail was presented as a delay of Max Payne 3 – Rockstar told us that Red Dead Redemption 2 was not just the result of a single Rockstar studio, but of the company as a whole, each bringing his previous experience. Another asset of Max Payne 3 was the kill cam feature that was launched once you eliminated the last enemy, whose appearance would vary depending on Arthur's overall honor. Being ruthless will make these murderers dead, and being honorable will make them look more heroic.
The return of Red Dead, Dead Eye, is also coming back. If you know it, it works as expected, but it only has five different levels. The first three offer the same abilities as the first game: slower time, automatic paint targets and manual painting targets. We were told that one of the new capabilities highlighted critical areas affected by enemies, which would be useful for clean hunting, but it is unclear whether this capability involves two different stages. I have not learned yet.
Once Arthur and Lenny reached the locomotive, Arthur was ambushed by the mechanic. Here we went to a fist fight. Rockstar officials explained that the melee combat system had been expanded, but it was difficult to break the mechanisms during this brief meeting. We saw grapples, blocks and a series of punches before Arthur finished the engineer and brakes the train. It was night at this point.
The band is grouped next to the train and, after a few verbal warnings, all have triggered a hail of bullets on the side of the train's armored cart, in a brief tutorial on firefighting. Arthur and another band member moved to explode the door – the animation of these casually throwing a dynamite stick seemed unnatural – and they searched the inside of the car for the search for valuable goods. Here we were shown the ability to pick up and inspect loot, as well as other environmental narrative objects such as notes. All this is happening in the world, with the first-person game camera, while Arthur's hands were physically manipulating things.
Once the looting was over, the Dutch and the others returned to the camp, leaving Arthur to decide what to do with the hostages they had taken by emptying their car. Rockstar explained that, as the first game, you would have a range of choices here, and your decision would affect your honor counter. No decision was made during our demonstration session.
We grabbed the orders for the next part of the demo, where we were dropped off in an open area in daylight. It was located in a more temperate part of the world, New Hanover to be exact, and we began to overlook a view where we could spot the mountains of the previous segment far off. We learned a lot about the game's new features by visiting the cities, taking a closer look at the camp and trying to discover as much as possible. There was enough to make us feel overwhelmed and wonder how much we had not seen yet.
We have compiled all our observations on the mechanics of the game in a separate article. If you want to know more about the new features and new systems of Red Dead Redemption 2, read this accompaniment carefully: Red Dead Redemption 2: all new features
As night fell again, we started to return to Van der Linde's camp, pushing the limits of our horse (which will collapse, fall and throw you if you try to get it down on a steep slope), acting as jesters (standing on the d-pad with your unsheathed gun will allow you to fire warning shots in the air, scare animals and people away) and whistle all the time (Arthur will whistle as you hold the button and will end breathlessness).
The following mission was launched from the camp, where Dutchman Bill Williamson and Arthur are looking after a captured member of a rival gang, Keiran of The Driscolls, tied to a tree. In an attempt to force him to reveal the whereabouts of his gang, Bill Williamson prepares thieves of slanders and threatens to cut off Keiran's testicles. Rockstar games are no stranger to torture but this cinematic, although tense, was played to laugh more than anything. Keiran folds and agrees to help Van der Linde's three men.
After a long drive in a forest, the four men quietly approach the opposing camp. A neighboring patrol stops to let one of its members relieve themselves and, again, we had the opportunity to send Bill to take care of things or do it ourselves. Unfortunately, our stealth dust collectors attracted too much attention from the rest of the patrol, and we quickly settled into the trees and used a mix of guns, rifles and our bow to refine the defense force. Red Dead Redemption 2 always offers assistance similar to that of the previous game. Zooming in with the left shoulder button allows you to place your cursor on an enemy. foliage, and we had no weapon range. We were reminded how familiar Red Dead Redemption was, but it was still satisfying to line up a series of head shots with the bow using Dead Eye.
Once the majority exit, the rest of the band fled. After a few brief periods spent plundering bodies and experimenting with environmental systems – throwing a corpse on a fire will cause it to catch fire, although we have not had time to test the effects of fire on the environment. Grass and trees – the house in the middle of the camp. A cutscene was triggered where Arthur is hit by a hidden opponent and Kieren, the member of Driscoll, changes allegiance and saves Arthur. The result is that the gang reluctantly greets Kieren in the gang as a member of Van der Linde, and Rockstar told us that this would be a common scenario. Gang members come and go, some as part of the story, and others in the choices you make as Arthur.
Many efforts have been made in the world of gaming, animation and film presentation, with the aim of creating an experience that will impress you every step of the way. It's not surprising how much Red Dead Redemption 2 is familiar at first – it absolutely plays like a Rockstar Games title. But that's not a bad thing, and there's a lot to be said about the amount of new complex systems that apply to the world, to your weapons, to your horse, to Arthur himself, and to anything that can interact. We've had only the briefest glimpse of the list of authentic additions, but the level of depth they suggest is certainly an incredibly appealing prospect, and we're eager to experience them more.
If you'd like to learn more about our experiences with Red Dead Redemption 2, take a look at our article on the game's new mechanics: Red Dead Redemption 2: all new features
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