Random Video Game Review - Red Dead Redemption 2

Yeah I missed out on playing this when it came out hence why its not in the "Best of 2018" list for video games. But I have it now and I have given it a play and I can see why so many love it. Now of course it goes without saying that Rockstar know how to make a great game and unlike many game developers and publishers, they don't release games yearly and instead spend a good few years working on one game before moving to the next one. Its all well and good having games released frequently, but often many of those games get released but end up being broken either beyond repair or some other means and that alone affects their sales and review scores. It then takes the developers (or modders if the devs are out of business) quite a long time to fix all the problems that arise. Now that isn't to say that Rockstar's games are not broken because sometimes they too have games released that haven't got everything patched and fixed. But at least the games are playable and let reviewers do their thing. So anyway, here we are with the hotly anticipated third game in the Red Dead series which I think has ruined any chance Ubisoft has in making an Assassin's Creed game set in the wild west. So let's get our guns out and get right to it:

Set as a prequel to the last game taking place roughly eight years prior, a gang of outlaws known as the Van der Linde gang recognise that the time of outlaws is coming to an end. Realising this, they agree to gain enough money to escape the law and retire by doing a few heists and other jobs unaware of the trouble and dangers that await them. All for the sake of setting things up for the previous game. Just like Rockstar's other big game franchise Grand Theft Auto, this game is set up as an open world game where players can play from a first or third person perspective and do almost anything that outlaws in those times did such as gun fights, escaping the law and many other things. The game has a heavy focus on player choice for story and missions. Players can choose to accept or decline missions given to them and can interact with characters in any manner they wish whether it be through threats and violence or just a friendly chat if nothing else. The game also picks up survival elements where over the course of playing the game, gamers will notice change in their character's body and can choose to feed them, make their hair grow to incredible lengths or none of those things. Hunting animals is also heavily built upon here as you get to hunt and skin animals to make or cook stuff. This and a well presented environment to explore makes the game worthy of the big disc space that it needs and also gives reason why two discs are required for both console versions.

You know when it really comes down to it, this is a fantastic game. Not only does it build upon its predecessor, but it also has a lot of new features and makes a big deal of the point I made about the time it takes to create a game like this. Its fun, realistic and makes you want to be an outlaw yourself. Sure Rockstar get plenty of controversy with their games, but at least you know their games have an impact on the world whether it be through news or just by playing the games. I am so gutted that I didn't get to play this in time for my "Best of 2018" posts because this would have been on there if I got around to playing it before it. A great game overall and I hope a PC version gets made in the future. 9/10