Red Dead Redemption II

[Moonface]

Official Website

Developer: Rockstar North

Platforms: PS4, Xbox One

Release Date: October 26th, 2018

America, 1899. The end of the wild west era has begun as lawmen hunt down the last remaining outlaw gangs. Those who will not surrender or succumb are killed.

After a robbery goes badly wrong in the western town of Blackwater, Arthur Morgan and the Van der Linde gang are forced to flee. With federal agents and the best bounty hunters in the nation massing on their heels, the gang must rob, steal and fight their way across the rugged heartland of America in order to survive. As deepening internal divisions threaten to tear the gang apart, Arthur must make a choice between his own ideals and loyalty to the gang who raised him.

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First Official Gameplay Video
Captured entirely from in-game footage, watch this introduction to Red Dead Redemption 2's gameplay in 4K.

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My Thoughts:

Looking forward to this game as I loved Red Dead Redemption, and today's gameplay footage looks phenomenal! I'm just really hoping the online component isn't too much like GTA Online or that it doesn't detract from any plans for single player DLC, especially if we get something like Undead Nightmare again.

[Mr EliteL]

The visuals are looking great, and so is the game from the videos released to us so far. Being set before RDR seems like a good choice, instead of a sequel with John's son or perhaps someone else. Proving to look interesting and worth enough to be a game on it's own.

[ShiraNoMai]

The game looks absolutely gorgeous, and all the in-game systems being included are also really impressive. Cautiously optimistic about the game's story at this point because of how bland the main dude is appearing to be (personality and appearance wise), though the rest of the cast seems to be doing better in that respect.

[Moonface]

Being set before RDR seems like a good choice, instead of a sequel with John's son or perhaps someone else. Proving to look interesting and worth enough to be a game on it's own.

The previous game had you take control of John's son at the ends and pretty much wrapped up anything he'd do. He was also an annoying prick so I doubt it would've been received well for him to have an entire game. Just the epilogue of RDR was bad enough.

[lp0 on fire]

Well uh, it seems they got so in to detail they included extra unneeded details to the horses.

We went from modding it in skyrim to it being included by default.

PROGRESS! /s

[Moonface]

I like the extra options that let you care for your horse. It's your only mode of transportation so you should develop a bond with it, and it's better than just getting on a horse until you break it and then just having it do what you want as long as you're not an asshole to it.

[Moonface]

Red Dead Redemption II: Official Gameplay Video - Part 2
Rockstar Games has released the second part of Red Dead Redemption II's official gameplay videos, after the first one was released back in August.

What do you think about what was shown in this new video?

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I'm trying so hard to not get hooked by the hype train for this game, just because I still can't trust whether the online component is going to have a detrimental effect on the game like it did with GTA V. I'll give credit where it's due though, if the game looks and works as good as this video makes it out to be, it might be on par to how seamless and fluid God of War managed to be.

[Moonface]

So did anyone else pick up this game when it released or considering getting it at some point in the future?

I got a copy just after launch and so far I'm loving it (minus one point I'll get to). Out of all the Rockstar games I've played this is by far their best storytelling to date, and I've only just reached Chapter 4. It took me a while to understand how to get a perfect skin from an animal when hunting, but otherwise the game has done well with pacing the introduction of all the old and new mechanics so far and opening up the world and its activities to the player. My one gripe is that when I get on my horse Arthur puts his weapons away onto the horse, so when I get off I have to take my long guns back off the horse, and I've lost count how many times I've forgotten to do that because I'm just not used to something equipped on my character being taken off me like that.

Being Wanted is also punishing compared to the original Red Dead Redemption, where in that game you just had to kill the two or three people chasing you and then your wanted level would quickly go down because no one would be left around to see you and chase you. In this game, fighting back is more for just a moment to breathe or get a window of opportunity because you actually need to outrun the law to escape, and sticking around after everyone is dead will just result in more people coming over to investigate the commotion.

If Red Dead Online doesn't have the bullshit money grind like GTA V does where it tries to push you to buying in-game currency, then there might not be much of anything that can cast the game in a negative light for me if things carry on the way they are.

[Karo]

So I have picked this up, but I have yet to really sit down and play with it.

It seems like it's going to be an amazing game, but with finals coming up I might have to put this off for a while cause it seems like the type of game you want to dedicate time too.

[Nicolas]

Being Wanted is also punishing compared to the original Red Dead Redemption, where in that game you just had to kill the two or three people chasing you and then your wanted level would quickly go down because no one would be left around to see you and chase you. In this game, fighting back is more for just a moment to breathe or get a window of opportunity because you actually need to outrun the law to escape, and sticking around after everyone is dead will just result in more people coming over to investigate the commotion.

I bought the game and haven't had much time to play it yet, but doesn't the initial premise it sets up make sense of this? The opening bit says something about how the west has "increasingly become a country of laws" (or something) so it's harder for them to live like they were before.

[Dragon Lord]

I watched a bit of this game on a stream the other day, just to see what it was like. My first thought upon watching the game for a couple of minutes is, could they have made the animations in the game any slower?

It's funny how many people I've seen go, "Well, yeah, the game play is pretty bad, the controls suck and the animations are painfully slow... BUT THE GAME IS REALLY PRETTY SO IT'S OKAY!"

That's been the biggest turn off on the game for me so far. I haven't seen many people be able to praise the game outside of "pwetty gwaphics!" Well, that and I'm not a fan of games set in the boring west, but I thought I'd see if the game looked fun enough game play wise to counterbalance the setting. Nope.

[Moonface]

I bought the game and haven't had much time to play it yet, but doesn't the initial premise it sets up make sense of this? The opening bit says something about how the west has "increasingly become a country of laws" (or something) so it's harder for them to live like they were before.

The premise makes sense for it, however it being set before RDR1 which was easier to lose a wanted level. I'm not saying it's bad that they made it harder, just that compared to the original they actually made it feel like a problem rather than something you can resolve by killing like three lawmen.

[Nicolas]

The premise makes sense for it, however it being set before RDR1 which was easier to lose a wanted level. I'm not saying it's bad that they made it harder, just that compared to the original they actually made it feel like a problem rather than something you can resolve by killing like three lawmen.

Oh, I didn't play the original and didn't realize the sequel was a prequel. Never mind, then - agreed that it doesn't make as much sense!
I saw this image on reddit of somebody's father's reaction to RDR2, seems to be in line with yours. xD

[Moonface]

Luckily I've had no one try to kill me whenever I go to a Post Office to pay any bounties. Which is good since some story missions will give you one unavoidably.

[Karo]

I watched a bit of this game on a stream the other day, just to see what it was like. My first thought upon watching the game for a couple of minutes is, could they have made the animations in the game any slower?

It's funny how many people I've seen go, "Well, yeah, the game play is pretty bad, the controls suck and the animations are painfully slow... BUT THE GAME IS REALLY PRETTY SO IT'S OKAY!"

That's been the biggest turn off on the game for me so far. I haven't seen many people be able to praise the game outside of "pwetty gwaphics!" Well, that and I'm not a fan of games set in the boring west, but I thought I'd see if the game looked fun enough game play wise to counterbalance the setting. Nope.

From what I've played of RDR2 so far Night Lord it definitely is a slower game. A lot of things are locked to you at first and the first chapter is basically story and tutorial, but if you enjoy the first one you'll enjoy it for the story and gameplay is alright, but I think in general I played RDR for its story and not particularly its gameplay.

I think the core idea was pretty interesting and they were really trying to capture the whole life mechanic pretty well IMO. I mean cores can be kind of annoying, but overall I'm not really bothered with it.

I'm interested to see how they'll incorporate RDR2 Online mode.