20.11.2018

I don’t quite know where to begin when talking about this game. I was excited for it as soon as it was announced by Rockstar, but nobody, including myself, realised it would be quite this good. Let me start off by saying...this game is a masterpiece, and that word is thrown around a lot - for films, games, albums. But this is as a creative achievement, is truly one of a kind.The narrative is by far the strongest of Rockstar’s so far, and in my opinion, the history of gaming so far. The cast is huge, going from the Van Der Linde gang to side characters who you meet in the world. Each character is so rich, vibrant and textured that they genuinely feel like real people. For this,you will find yourself investing your emotions in their comings and goings, in their triumphs and downfalls. The story is fierce, with strong themes of loyalty, trust and brotherhood. You see this once dominant gang steadily decay under the boot off the Federal Law, and the multiple challenges that the world sets on them. It is exhilarating and tragic to see them evolve from optimistic outlaws to broken individuals hoping for a better life for themselves. It is by far the longest story mode I have ever played. Doing only side quests and stranger missions, I am over 80 hours in. Missions are versatile, ranging from action-packed bank robberies to more subtle objectives such as fishing or heading to one of the many towns to interact with the locals. They enhance the sense of character and realism in this world, immersing you into feeling beyond a mere player holding a controller. I never thought that a game would be able to surpass the Witcher 3: Wild Hunt or BioShock in terms of storytelling, but Rockstar have made RDR 2 slow-paced, but thoughtful, mature rather than guns blazing 24/7. Each set piece is masterful, paying homage to classic Sergio Leonne Western films. The dialogue between characters is believable, and some of the one liners are to die for. I would also like to take this opportunity to warn readers that other reviews have story spoilers, as does YouTube sites and social media; browse at your own risk!!!The world itself is vast, being substantially larger than the original (even though it features the top half of the first game, anyway). It varies from alligator-invested swamps to open plains, from an industrialised city to farming commutnies, from mountain peaks to snow-carpeted wilderness; in terms of location, this game simply has it all. And the story takes you to a large amount of the map in an organic way, which is not only relevant to the story, but also gives you a chance to explore different areas out of your own leisure. The light effects are beautiful, especially when the dying light of sundown dapples through the arms of trees. The sound effects add to the immersive world too, with crisp sound quality that makes it again seem more than a video game. Rockstar’s attention to detail is the greatest achievement in video game history as of so far. Even rockstar themselves may not be able to surpass what they have achieved with this game. I play on an Xbox one X and on a 4K TV, and in Native 4K, this game is beyond stunning. Many times (more than I dare to admit), I was staring out into the game’s world in awe. I was simply left with pure wonder at how a game could look, feel and sound so real. NPCs will carry on with whatever they’re doing or saying whether you’re there to witness it or not. Encounters happen frequently, meaning long horse journeys to and from locations are not mundane or lacking excitement. Rival gangs will ambush you or be up to no good within your proximity. Citizens will ask for your help or try to rob you. So much can happen that you almost can never predict when something will; that’s what keeps it fresh after countless hours of play.In this world there is also so much to do and engage with, from hunting to treasure hunting, to bounty hunting and completing challenges. Even when the story is over with, I guarantee you will not be left with little to do. there are over 200 species of wildlife, and if you’re like me (being a completionist and wildlife nerd), you’ll have many hours of fun just from studying or hunting wildlife. Many upgrades can be made either to the main camp or to your inventory layout, meaning there is almost always something to strive for, whether it is to earn money, or to complete a specific challenge.I’ve rambled on enough and no words will ever be able to fully explain the pure epicness of this game. You have to just play it and find out for yourself. I went to the midnight launch and do not regret it, nor the many many hours I have put into it. Drawing close to the conclusion, I know it will be hard to leave once it’s over. Arthur Morgan is my favourite video game character now.A masterpiece in virtually every aspect. If you enjoyed the first game, you NEED to experience this. It ties in the first game with this one extremely well and in an organic manner. You will not be disappointed. Forget online games; this game will be the main talk of this year, and for a very long time no doubt.

3.12.2018

Red Dead Redemption 2 is finally here after a short delay which I commend Rockstar for doing to get the game right for release day as opposed to releasing a buggy mess. It's been eight years since the original took videogames by storm and is my favourite Rockstar franchise but is it still as good all these years later?RDR 2 has you playing as a new protagonist in Arthur Morgan in what is essentially a prequel to the first game. I feel as though there is a better cast of characters or a stronger set of characters in RDR2 than in the original game although quite a few do crossover. The story is outstanding and it affected me in a way a story often fails to achieve where you will become emotionally invested in these characters with all the paradoxes and contradictions that can evoke.In terms of how good the story is I would put it in the same league as say Metal Gear Solid or Silent Hill 2 (albeit a completely different overall narrative and story arc) but all three games will linger in your mind long after completion. If I was to levy a criticism on the story it would be that some details are overemphasised at the expense of others and I would have liked to see certain characters get a bit more focus. It can also be said that the story peaks a good 4-5 hours before it is actually finished which is the biggest issue with it but overall and by the time the credits roll it all ties together fantastically and does leave me wanting to fire up the original all over again.In addition to the normal campaign missions there are many side missions to undertake as expected from a Rockstar title. Some of these side missions are genuinely funny but some are also duds with a notable amount of 'fetch quests' but I wouldn't go as far as calling any of it grating. There's also a number of activities such as poker, blackjack, fishing, hunting and other things to do as in RDR. Somewhat disappointingly there is not much new here but everything that is here in terms of activities is done very well.Maintenance also returns and is added for your horse where the most intrusive element I found to be was horse grooming which was just annoying. It's not really required or you can work around it but it definitely has more of a vibe for realism than for fun in that regard. Arthur's appearance will also change depending on if the player decides to have his hair or beard cut which is a nice touch and is easy enough to customise to your own liking. The key difference here being that it grows organically which I don't recollect being in GTA 5 but I may be mistaken.As in GTA 5, bank and stagecoach robberies are in the game and depending on your path Arthur Morgan can be honourable or a savage. This is dependent on your actions with the main missions, side missions and strangers where interactions can repeat which may cause some irritation but it's completely up to the player as to whether they choose to proceed. Largely all of the padding is entirely optional.At the time of writing the RDR2 online beta has opened which I have played very little of. I must admit that I don't really have much interest in this which will be a cash cow for Rockstar and I don't blame them wanting to make money off of it but it's just not very interesting to me. There is a clear difference in terms of story which is much stronger in single player but to compare the two would be offensive.---Summary--- (Scored out of 10)Graphics - 9 - Mostly good but there are some irregularities when it comes to the lighting where characters can light up like lambent from Gears of War. On the whole though it's a great looking game with fine little details such as mud, footprints and tracks looking very nice.Sound - 10 - The star of the show it really is exceptional all the way through and puts many Hollywood films to shame.Gameplay - 8 - I have seen some criticism for the combat being too loose but I found it to be good seeing as it can all be customised in terms of auto-aim which I prefer to be off. There's perhaps an overreliance on deadeye but it all works well.Lifespan - 8 - I've finished the campaign and it must have been at least 20 hours. I can see myself going back through it at some point and I've not completed all the challenges or made it to 100% yet. As I said, online doesn't really appeal to me but if it does to you then the game has got even more longevity.---Verdict---Red Dead Redemption 2 is a masterclass in how great videogames are made and it deserves all the praise it is getting and then some. This isn't just game of the year for me but is even in game of the decade as far as that conversation goes. There are some minor gameplay niggles but the execution of everything else is near flawless or as close to it as you're going get. Go buy this now.

18.12.2018

Myself I've been playing RDR2 since 26th October, then the RDR2 on-line for the last couple of weeks.Having seen some of the 1* reviews.... Let us all be aware this game is visibly stunning but it is not COD, nor intends to be. So if you want to run around shooting everything, then do not buy this game. It's not for you.The Story ... A single player game. Somewhere between a RP and FPS imo..... It is smooth and plays beautifully... You rob, hunt, fish and make some moral decisions ... What decisions you make, defines how the game plays for you.In story mode there is lots to do, loads to find and all sorts of fun to be had. But it is not COD, it indeed is really quite adult and the over 18 rating is correct.....Unless you want little Jimmy blowing people apart, literally, with a shotgun.There are endless YouTube reviews and details for the story, so if you want to know more.....The RDR2 On-line game....Ostensibly it's the same map, the same quality of map, horses, characters etc etc ....... Then the game play ...... Awful, terrible, appalling, heart breaking and just so, so depressingly terrible after the Story.The On-Line is presently described as a BETA by R* ... It is quite blatantly not a BETA, rather it is a test bed to see how much they can sell to people in real life transactions......For one example; a Mauser pistol......... In the story mode, where I can find all sorts of things like Gold nuggets and bars etc where a nugget is worth $25 and a bar $500 ... the gun is $250. It's nicely affordable.In the on-line version .... Where I can find basically nothing, not even a tin of peas.... Where earning money is incredibly difficult, R* made the gun $1,000. This is just one example of the broken economy. Also if any 'exploit' is turned up like the fishing was being used by 'grinders' to make money ... R* stopped that very quickly.In the story I can catch a wild horse, saddle it and make it mine.. in the on-line? No....... In the story I can sell that horse... Can I sell any horse apart from one I have bought? No.So after many complaints within a week R* changes the prices because it is 'responding to the players' ...... The Mauser is now only $600.... errrm?Then a couple of days later another patch which Nerfs anything which makes money, it raises prices on many things and the player's are back to square one....There are no solo lobbies ... So Griefing, the activity of idiots killing everyone then sending messages saying 'Ha Ha!' are rampant.... The economy is broken ... There is little to do......... BUT they have managed to open the micro transactions store where for just $89.95 you can buy 300 gold bars.If you think the $89.95 sounds a lot - it is ......... If you think 300 gold bars buys a lot, it doesn't.Personally I adore the story mode, it is fantastic and a genuinely great experience ... I dislike the On-Line to an equal extent .... Apart from the paid for reviews on YouTube.... No players have a good thing to say about it.

8.11.2018

RDR 2, where to begin that’s the question!Ok, first off this a great game, although it’s not without fault, I’ll come onto those points later. It’s a sweeping ode to the old west and all that is now a lost world, both the good and bad they held.I won’t go too much into the story, it’s a slow burn but worth the journey and I‘ve become fond of Arthur Morgan, the weary, sometimes conflicted anti-hero if this tale. There’s no totally good or bad here, just shades of grey.I’ve been playing this on an Xbox one X on a 4K TV and it looks great, shame about the HDR or lack of it. But as always with RockStar it’s all about world building this game reflects this ethos perfectly. Dusty roads,

5.3.2019

Initially I was really worried how Red Dead Redemption 2 was going to turn out as I really enjoyed the 1st game and played it god knows how many times over and over. I didn't think they could make it any better but I was totally wrong. Red Dead Redemption 2 has been an amazing game and I can see why it has done so well in sales. The length of the game was really good and perfectly long just how I like my games to be... The game play is much more refined to the original game so shootouts are more realistic not that the original game wasn't but the guns and shooting are more realistic and you can go into first person and see the kickback of the bolts and hammers ext and slowdown of dead eye just amazed me with all the bullets flying around.

13.12.2018

What a game!!! Im not sure I will ever get bored of this. Been playing it since its release date. Pre ordered this and do not regret it one bit. The wait was excruciating btw! Ive been gaming since you could only play games in arcades- Defender, Asteroids, Lunar Lander, then ZX Spectrums Tanks, Manic Miner, Astro Wars, right the way through to todays games (every GTA - yes when it was top down! -thru to your Far Crys 1-5, Skyrim etc) and this is THE BEST GAME Ive ever played. Seemless transition between cut scenes and actual gameplay. Whether completing missions galore, hunting, racing, treasure hunting, robbing trains or just riding your horse across its vast landscapes - its beyond brilliant.

3.12.2018

For someone who has not played the first installment, I find this game to be amazing. The story and sub-quests are really engaging for me and it's quite easy to understand (story).Graphically speaking, it's one of the best I've played on console, the scenery and lighting are amazing. I have a standard Xbox one and it still looks pretty great. For me, it's slightly ahead of Far Cry 5, which was also a very graphically appealing game.I do not feel you could get bored with this game, it always seems to spring something unexpected and surprising relating to NPC scenarios. No horse ride feels the same, which is hats off to Rockstar's edition to detail. In one instance,

2.12.2019

The graphics in this game are amazing, ever detail has been perfectly crafted in the environment from the blades of grass to the sky both during the day with the clouds and at nighttime with the stars. When walking through mud or snow, you leave prints and become dirty, when walking through water you become wet and during battles or when hunting you will get bloodstained. The graphic of the characters has been thoroughly thought about and when interacting with them, you see their facial expressions change.The game is made as realistic as a game could be such as; you need to eat or you will lose weight with effects your health and energy, the same applies with feeding and caring for your horse (you must feed it,

22.8.2020

This is truly the best game I have ever played in 40 years of playing video games.No spoilers here but my advice is make sure you have either recently played Red Dead Redemption 1 or read up on the storyline as this is a prequel and it does all connect together.I did not know any of this when I played it,it was only after completing the game and looking on youtube at what other players had done I realised and felt quite foolish for not knowing.Id played the first game years ago so had forgotten the story,I wish I had recapped on it before playing RDR2.It took me around 10 days to complete playing roughly 18hrs a day (yeah I know!)

26.10.2018

I've only had my copy of the game for the past several hours and played for around 5 of those and have to say the professional reviewers are right, this is clearly going to be game of the year and by some margin. The best way of describing Red Dead Redemption 2 is like a wild west version of its sister game GTA 5. Everything from the script (so far), variety in the characters behaviour, music, gunplay and bullet noise, gorgeous scenery and sheer scale of the map is astonishing and full credit to the developers at Rockstar games for taking the time and not rushing it out unlike what EA did with Battlefront II.

26.8.2019

Firstly let me say that I am not a hardcore gamer, I am a late 40s man who uses the X-box as a guilty pleasure and an escape from reality so my views of this game may differ to others.I played the original and thoroughly enjoyed that game, loved the old west and the story and characters, so when sitting down to play this game I was ready to enter that world again. The first thing that caught me off guard was that I wasn't playing John Marston, I was playing Arthur Morgan?? I immediately felt let down, I had expected that I would be the same character from the first game that I had invested my time in. Believe me this was short lived, Arthur Morgan sucked me in, I became totally invested in him and his journey.

18.11.2018

RDR2 is, hands down, one of the best games I've played. Ever.That's over 30 years of gaming experience talking.It had a lot to live up to as the first Red Dead was good, but RDR2 is in a league of it's own.It's massive, it has an highly immersive storyline with engaging characters & the gameplay is brilliant, building on the mechanics of the first RDR. There's surprises around almost every corner, NPC interactions are varied, dynamic & the A.I. is intelligent & sometimes unpredictable (in a good way).Aside from the main story, there's a plethora of side activities to keep you distracted & interested once the main story is complete. Exploration is rewarded, with many Easter eggs waiting to be discovered.

30.12.2018

Should've been game of the year.... but thats what you get when you let children vote and they pick a free to play game instead.The attention to detail in games made by Rockstar is just mind blowing and I can't even imagine how they do it all. The fact that you can now search through houses for items opening drawers and cupboards is crazy. But the fact that you can interact with every person in the world of Red Dead Redemption 2 and the people reply back with a related sentence to whatever they or you are doing is really insane!The graphics and world of this game is really visually beautiful!. Everything is so interactive and feels alive with all the people and wild animal roaming around.

17.2.2020

This was delivered to me very quickly and the quality of the product is in very good condition.The game itself is absolutely amazing, I have yet to play the single player mode as I hopped right onto the online mode since I just love creating an avatar for myself. The wild west landscapes within the game are so beautiful and riding on horseback just makes it that more exciting. The voices of the NPCs are really good, plus the graphics are phenomenal. You bond with your horse and your character grows throughout the gameplay. I love the adventure and missions, you couldn't run out of things to do. There are so many animals and towns/cities to explore; my favourite being Saint Denis as it is based on the real-world city; New Orleans,

4.3.2019

I have been played this game for months since launch and have put over 60 hours into finishing the story.It is a follow up to the wonderful open-world story game Red Dead Redemption (which was about the former outlaw John Marston). This story is set many years before and tracks a different outlaw, Arthur Morgan, who is a member of the same gang as John and tracks their attempts to settle and build lives for themselves but also their inablity to detach from a life of crime and violence.I found the game played really , controls worked well, it was very smooth and on the 4K X it looks stunning. There is an absolute mass of things to do from main storry quests,

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