On October 26 of this year, Rockstar Games dropped the (arguably) most awaited game of the year: Red Dead Redemption 2. Since the huge announcement in 2016, hype-building trailers, weeks surrounding the release, and the final conclusion of all the years of waiting, many fans are left wondering the question, “is the game really worth the time and money, or is it all hype”? The short answer, of course, is yes, it is worth every cent. For the long answer just keep on reading, but you know I just had to keep with my track record of killing suspense early.

 

Following in the footsteps of the critically acclaimed 2010 masterpiece “Red Dead Redemption”, RDR2 returns the player to the dying days of the wild west in the traditional Rockstar style. With the original game’s story focused around protagonist John Marston seeking redemption by hunting down the members of his old gang, RDR2 seeks to take a step back and thrusts you into the eyes of Arthur Morgan, a member of the Van Der Linde Gang in their heyday.

 

Set in 1899 (12 years before the original), RDR2 manages to pull off the guiding line of all prequels through an absolutely captivating story, despite the player already knowing the eventual conclusion they played back in 2010. Naturally like any game, the story alone could have driven RDR2 to a number of awards, but the game really outpaces all of its competitors through its other aspects, causing many hardcore players to rack up hours and hours without even touching the main story.

 

With its vast open world (and I mean vast when I say vast), Rockstar almost created an RPG without even intending to. With an enormous array of clothes, guns, hats, horses, ecosystems, game to hunt, stores to rob, distressed damsels to save, and many more, it’s not too hard to talk about the incredible gameplay without even coming close to mentioning spoilers. Even writing this article I find myself bouncing from thought to thought, it’s so hard to handpick details to talk about when reviewing this game. Personally, I wouldn’t want to spoil the game for anyone so I feel as if I can’t even delve into the story beyond saying Arthur Morgan is one of the best video game characters I’ve played. Ultimately, as said before though, the story is just a distraction element from petting dogs, greeting every person in the big city, and sleeping for weeks straight just to grow out your beard. An article will never be able to capture into words how incredible this game feels to play, so I can only really recommend you play it yourself.

 

Details and all else taken into account, RDR2 deserves every 10/10 they’ve already received, and they’ll get the same from this kid. Play the game, you won’t regret it.