A whole lot of media outlets had the chance to play Red Dead Redemption 2 (RDR2) recently, and apart from being insanely jealous, the reactions to Rockstar‘s massive upcoming title have got me more excited than ever to play it for myself.
[jwplayer sKZZk6x3]
A number of outlets got to play a whole two hours of the game and from what I’ve heard so far, not a single one has a bad word to say about it. After playing through two story missions, those lucky few got a pretty good idea of how the new mechanics and systems work together to create a unique and amazing gaming experience.
One of those missions was a train robbery which, as it turns out, goes a little pear-shaped at one point, but the consensus on all recounts is that the decisions presented to you at moments along the way genuinely have the power to change your game moving forward. In fact, many have been astounded at the number of choices you’re given in the game almost constantly, but not in a way that feels annoying or daunting.
But look, I didn’t get to play RDR2 myself, so instead of me relaying the information to you, I’ll just present my favourite parts from various publishers for you to enjoy.
“As I took up a trajectory with the train, I heard a shout over the growing noise – bounty hunters sent to collect me, dead not alive. It was a fair cop: I’d recently threatened a passing wagoner, stolen his cart and rode it off a cliff to see what happens (you die).” – IGN.
The rolling scenery we saw during this journey was impressive–snowy mountains gradually transitioned into a more temperate environment, with the snow noticeably thinning out and greenery starting to peek through as we descended in altitude. Spending time watching the horses, too, was impressive. Their manes flapped in the wind, their hoofs left imprints in the snow and dirt, and their animations looked natural as they turned and transitioned between speeds gallops. – GameSpot.
But what struck me during my all-too-brief time with the game wasn’t how huge it was. It was how deep it felt. The way I could walk up to any soul in town and strike up a conversation, or how if I wandered into camp at the right time I could catch all my friends waking up for breakfast, and pour myself a coffee and join them. I saw it most in my horse. Even in just a few hours, we bonded, and I felt terrible when my mistake caused her pain.
Red Dead Redemption 2 doesn’t just present a world you can get lost in — it gives you one you’ll become attached to. – The Verge.
Back in the town I figure it’s time to check out the melee fighting system. A drunken man stumbles across the street in my direction, I pull up the dialogue options and choose to antagonise him. The next moment it’s all in for fisticuffs. There is a blocking and dodge mechanic for fighting, and after a few hits the other guy drops to the ground. At this stage I’m thinking that everything is all well and good… until it pops up that someone has witnessed my actions. Again, I’m panicking. I could try to find this person, maybe diffusing the situation by talking to them, maybe I could try to pay them off. But it’s too late and the sheriff is running at me. He has his gun drawn towards me and yelling at me to leave town.- Stevivor.
Yep, October really needs to hurry the fuck up. IGN also spoke about their playthrough in a video which you can check out below. There’s some great info sitting in there, so I highly recommend you do.
