Red Dead Redemption II impressions thread

User avatar
Phaseknox
Posts: 1762
Joined: Sun Jan 07, 2018 7:20 pm

Re: Red Dead Redemption II impressions thread

Post by Phaseknox »

I'm with you argyle, I've been trying to enjoy the game but I've been having a hard time getting into it. From a technical standpoint it's one of the best looking games that I've seen, but from a gameplay and fun factor standpoint it's somewhat lacking. I'm finding it to be a little boring, clunky, slow and unintuitive.

The controls can be complicated, they made some things more difficult than they should be. I'm not really having fun while playing because the gameplay isn't as solid, tight, or responsive as I would like. It has a somewhat clunky, heavy and sloppy feel to it.

A lot of the missions that I've played so far have been somewhat generic, nothing has been all that exciting or interesting. I also don't like Arthur Morgan as much as John Marston. He's not a bad character, but he's sort of one note. It also seems a little tame for a Rockstar game, nothing that I've experienced so far has been anything that couldn't be in a T rated game. It seems like Rockstar kept the content toned back to avoid any controversy, and to appeal to a broader audience.

Perhaps it picks up the further that you get into it, but as of right now I'm finding it to be a little disappointing. I'm going to give it more of a chance, but if it's unable to pull me in then I'm probably going to trade it in.
User avatar
Phaseknox
Posts: 1762
Joined: Sun Jan 07, 2018 7:20 pm

Re: Red Dead Redemption II impressions thread

Post by Phaseknox »

I played a good bit of it today, and it has finally clicked with me. It's a rather slow paced game with a lot of different mechanics, so I had to devote some good time to it before it pulled me in and I started to have fun with it. I'm glad that I stuck with it, because I'm enjoying it now.

There's a ton of side content, and that's what I've mainly been focusing on like I usually do in open world games until what's available is completed then I do the story missions. The stuff that I've been doing has been fairly entertaining, and varied.

One thing that I dislike is that the game is too sensitive when it comes to people reporting you to the authorities for things that they shouldn't be reporting you for. I got in a fistfight and won the fight, but someone reported me to the authorities for assault. WTF? A guy pulled out his gun and was going to shoot me but I killed him first, but I was reported to the authorities for murder. I'm fine with the witness thing where people will report you for wrong doing, but self defense isn't wrong doing and it's really annoying in a wild west game when every fistfight and gunfight that you get in can potentially be reported.

As of right now the game isn't blowing me away and I don't see it being my GOTY, but I'm engrossed into it and enjoying my time while playing it. However, based on what I've played so far I like the original Red Dead Redemption more.
User avatar
jfissel
Posts: 719
Joined: Thu Jan 11, 2018 3:18 pm
Location: Ohio

Re: Red Dead Redemption II impressions thread

Post by jfissel »

This game is definitely slow in the beginning (where I still am), but I think it's good so far.

I haven't encountered any issues with people reporting me for doing stuff that I think is ok. In that instance, if it's not a duel, you're probably better off letting him get a shot off and then taking him out in true self defense. Because you're most likely going to survive a few shots.
Image
User avatar
Phaseknox
Posts: 1762
Joined: Sun Jan 07, 2018 7:20 pm

Re: Red Dead Redemption II impressions thread

Post by Phaseknox »

jfissel wrote: Mon Nov 05, 2018 2:41 pmI haven't encountered any issues with people reporting me for doing stuff that I think is ok.
You're still in the beginning so give it time, because you will. A lot of people are complaining about it at other gaming forums, it's definitely an issue.
jfissel wrote: Mon Nov 05, 2018 2:41 pmif it's not a duel, you're probably better off letting him get a shot off and then taking him out in true self defense. Because you're most likely going to survive a few shots.
So a guy pulling out a gun to shoot me and me shooting him before he does isn't true self defense? People have said that even if you shoot and kill someone after they shoot you you're still wanted for murder. The bottom line is that you become wanted far too easily and quickly in the game, and it's annoying and takes away from the fun factor.

I accidentally pressed the R2 button when I was in a town and shot one round from my pistol into the ground, and I instantly became wanted and the authorities were on me like white on rice. It was ridiculous, and unrealistic. For all of the talk about how realistic and revolutionary that the game is, it really isn't and still includes a lot of old game tropes that pull you out of the experience.
User avatar
isthatallyougot
Posts: 1305
Joined: Fri Jan 19, 2018 9:52 am

Re: Red Dead Redemption II impressions thread

Post by isthatallyougot »

argyle wrote: Sat Nov 03, 2018 9:01 pm Then there's my other issue. This. Game. Is. So. SLOW. I get, reading on the interwebs, that a lot of people supposedly are liking this.
I think I'd really love that. I love games that aren't constant shifting of focus. I love those types of games too, but when a game draws you in with a slow and methodical vibe, it can be really captivating. I remember how people felt about King's Field, but the pace only served to draw you in, if you could attune to its rhythms. Plus, from the very little I've seen, leisurely moving through and just BEING IN the environment would be utterly absorbing to me. But I'm a nature freak, so that's a big appeal to me. Same with the first Red Dead - I'd move slowly in the world, just appreciating the open and beautiful natural spaces. (I did read someone post on a forum about how he just watched and followed a coyote stalking a bird for more than 5 minutes. If there's that attention to detail in the world, I'll get completely lost.)

As for what I'm playing, I'm still very much loving Yakuza 0. It could possibly be my personal goty when all is said and done. So much fun.
Image

Dragon kick your a$$ into the Milky Way!
User avatar
canedaddy
Posts: 1005
Joined: Sun Jan 07, 2018 1:36 pm

Re: Red Dead Redemption II impressions thread

Post by canedaddy »

It's definitely not a casual-friendly or hand-holdy game, which is a turnoff for some people. It's really targeted toward people who are going to immerse themselves in the world for months and master all the systems and controls. There's a whole lot of depth there, more than any similar game I can think of. Needless to say, I love that.

I also love that it's more grounded in the reality of the late Old West period that the first RDR. My one knock on the that game was the inclusion of some silly side missions that were designed to be shocking but took me out of the world.

It might have the best cast of characters in any R* game. Everyone is recognizable and has a personality... the opposite of GTA IV, where everybody blended together. Arthur himself is the perfect likable rogue type. It's not easy to design a guy who is a murderous outlaw but still has good-guy appeal. That's one area where GTA V blew it... none of the three main guys had an ounce of charm.

So yeah, I love the game. And I haven't even unlocked fishing yet! :p
Image
User avatar
Phaseknox
Posts: 1762
Joined: Sun Jan 07, 2018 7:20 pm

Re: Red Dead Redemption II impressions thread

Post by Phaseknox »

isthatallyougot wrote: Tue Nov 06, 2018 8:50 amI love games that aren't constant shifting of focus. I love those types of games too, but when a game draws you in with a slow and methodical vibe, it can be really captivating. Plus, from the very little I've seen, leisurely moving through and just BEING IN the environment would be utterly absorbing to me. But I'm a nature freak, so that's a big appeal to me. Same with the first Red Dead - I'd move slowly in the world, just appreciating the open and beautiful natural spaces. (I did read someone post on a forum about how he just watched and followed a coyote stalking a bird for more than 5 minutes. If there's that attention to detail in the world, I'll get completely lost.)
It took me a while to appreciate the direction that they were going with the game, but I finally did and I'm enjoying it more now. Its world is one of the best looking and most realistic that I've experienced in a game, and it does offer the attention to detail that you described. But the majority of it is a replica of real American wilderness which makes it a little less interesting to play in and explore compared to exotic uncharted ( ;) ) territories, fantasy, futuristic, or sci-fi worlds IMO. There's really no sense of discovery, surprise, or wonder to it because it's all replicated entirely from real life wilderness which we're all familiar with, but there's a decent amount of variety to it and it's beautiful to look at and be in.
canedaddy wrote: Tue Nov 06, 2018 10:54 amIt's definitely not a casual-friendly or hand-holdy game, which is a turnoff for some people. It's really targeted toward people who are going to immerse themselves in the world for months and master all the systems and controls. There's a whole lot of depth there, more than any similar game I can think of.
It offers enough tutorials and leniency to make it somewhat casual-friendly, and it's not really any less hand-holdy than other similar open world games. I also can't really see being immersed in its world for months, it's not THAT big. But I agree that it has a lot of depth to it.

It didn't really appeal to me at first, but after spending some good time with it I started to understand what it was more and came to appreciate it. The sim aspects (not the mechanics as much as you living in the world as an outlaw in a gang) need to be embraced to fully appreciate the experience beyond checking off missions from a checklist. It's something that you need to invest yourself into because it's not your typical action adventure game, it's more involved than that.
canedaddy wrote: Tue Nov 06, 2018 10:54 amIt might have the best cast of characters in any R* game. Everyone is recognizable and has a personality... the opposite of GTA IV, where everybody blended together. Arthur himself is the perfect likable rogue type. It's not easy to design a guy who is a murderous outlaw but still has good-guy appeal. That's one area where GTA V blew it... none of the three main guys had an ounce of charm.
I can't say yet if it has the best cast of characters in a Rockstar game (I really like the cast in GTA5), but I agree with you about Arthur Morgan. He's not really good or bad, but somewhere in-between. He's neither hero nor villain, and that makes him an appealing protagonist in a game like this.
Last edited by Phaseknox on Wed Nov 07, 2018 9:49 am, edited 9 times in total.
User avatar
argyle
Posts: 827
Joined: Fri Jan 05, 2018 4:28 pm

Re: Red Dead Redemption II impressions thread

Post by argyle »

canedaddy wrote: Tue Nov 06, 2018 10:54 am It's definitely not a casual-friendly or hand-holdy game, which is a turnoff for some people. It's really targeted toward people who are going to immerse themselves in the world for months and master all the systems and controls. There's a whole lot of depth there, more than any similar game I can think of. Needless to say, I love that.
Did...did you just call me a casual?
aokdGGlY1_480w_v1.jpg
aokdGGlY1_480w_v1.jpg (22.82 KiB) Viewed 9629 times
"When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed
if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty I read them openly. When I
became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the
desire to be very grown up.” ― C.S. Lewis

Image
User avatar
Phaseknox
Posts: 1762
Joined: Sun Jan 07, 2018 7:20 pm

Re: Red Dead Redemption II impressions thread

Post by Phaseknox »

:lol:
User avatar
canedaddy
Posts: 1005
Joined: Sun Jan 07, 2018 1:36 pm

Re: Red Dead Redemption II impressions thread

Post by canedaddy »

Ha, no man. I work with some folks who got the game because it had great reviews, and they're so lost... too many systems for folks who just like two buttons, one for punch and one for jump.
Image
Post Reply