Red Dead Redemption II impressions thread

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Phaseknox
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Red Dead Redemption II impressions thread

Post by Phaseknox »

I know that argyle, cane, j and myself are going to be playing Red Dead Redemption II for quite some time since it's said that the story alone not counting any side stuff can take 60 hours to complete which makes sense considering that there's 100+ missions, so I decided to make this thread to share our ongoing impressions of it while we play. Our impressions will be as spoiler free as possible especially when it comes to the story so that those of you not playing it can read what we think of it without anything being spoiled for you.

I've played the prologue/tutorial so far, and it's really impressive from a technical standpoint. It's very cinematic with movie quality cut scenes and voice acting, and the graphics are some of the best that I've seen. The gameplay is kind of heavy and slow, and there's a lot to take in quickly especially with all of the sim elements that have been added. You have to keep an eye on health, hunger and stamina gauges for both you and your horse quite a bit. And there's some tricky control commands to remember for various things, I'm going to have to play for a while to get used to everything.

The vibe seems to be less Clint Eastwood spaghetti western like the first, and more Jeff Bridges True Grit. I like Arthur Morgan so far, but he does seem a little more typical tough guy video game character compared to John Marston.

That's all for now, I'll be back with more impressions. I'm curious to hear what cane and j think so far.
Last edited by Phaseknox on Mon Oct 29, 2018 6:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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jfissel
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Re: Red Dead Redemption II impressions thread

Post by jfissel »

I agree with everything you've said. I played a little more today and there's just so many things to remember at this point - hopefully, I'll catch on fast!
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Phaseknox
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Re: Red Dead Redemption II impressions thread

Post by Phaseknox »

I played more today, and I'm really enjoying it now. I didn't really care for how it started, but I understand that it was to get you familiar with your gang and the people in your party. However, I still think that there could have been a better way since it seemed like too much too quick especially for a play at your own pace open world game. But once you get to where it becomes a play at your own pace open world game it feels like a proper Rockstar game where there are a few mission markers on your map that you can do, or go off the beaten path and explore the game world.

I've done some missions, and I'm really liking Arthur Morgan now. He's a better character than I was originally expecting him to be, and I enjoy playing as him now. I'm also getting used to the gameplay mechanics more now which is making it more enjoyable. I still think that some things are a little more complicated than they should be, but the more that I do them the more that I get accustomed to them.

In terms of missions they've pretty much been what I was expecting so far with fistfights, shootouts, chases, bank robberies, train heists, etc. But in terms of game world I wasn't expecting to see an open world game look this good until next gen. It's close to photorealistic looking. The detail, lighting and effects for everything are the best that I've seen in a game. Games like Far Cry 5, God of War and Uncharted 4 offered graphics that I thought were as good as they were going to get this gen, but RDR2 looks even better. I can't believe that some people are ready for next gen consoles already, games like RDR2 prove that there's still plenty of life left in the current gen ones.

It's not just the graphics that are impressive, but how alive the game world is as well. It's teeming with animal life everywhere, and there's NPCs everywhere as well going about their business realistically. It feels like a real lived-in world, and it's one that you can get absorbed into.

The beginning of the game didn't really grab me, but it has its hooks in me now and if it continues to deliver the way that it has been then it will definitely be a GOTY contender.
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argyle
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Re: Red Dead Redemption II impressions thread

Post by argyle »

OK, I caved. Giddyup.

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"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

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canedaddy
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Re: Red Dead Redemption II impressions thread

Post by canedaddy »

I've only had a chance to play about an hour so far... like it a lot but haven't even scratched the surface.
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Phaseknox
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Re: Red Dead Redemption II impressions thread

Post by Phaseknox »

argyle wrote: Sun Oct 28, 2018 1:45 pmOK, I caved.
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YEEHAW!!!!
canedaddy wrote: Sun Oct 28, 2018 2:55 pmI've only had a chance to play about an hour so far... like it a lot but haven't even scratched the surface.
The beginning isn't bad, it just didn't really grab me. It's linear and scripted trying to teach you a little too much too fast IMO. It's necessary of course, but the game gets a lot better when it opens up.
Last edited by Phaseknox on Mon Oct 29, 2018 10:08 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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argyle
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Re: Red Dead Redemption II impressions thread

Post by argyle »

I've just made it to Chapter 2, so just past what Phase is calling the beginning I'm guessing. I'm really enjoying it so far, a lot more than I thought I would. I had glanced at some reviews and a lot of them keep emphasizing all the systems of the game, the sim things you can do, etc. And yeah, that's there of course. But to me that's like reviewing The Big Lebowski and only talking about the bowling scenes. It's kinda missing the point. The characters are what has really grabbed me, and that's what's pulling me to play more. Everything else is just in support of that from what I've seen so far.

Really looking forward to getting deeper into the game. :)
"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

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Phaseknox
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Re: Red Dead Redemption II impressions thread

Post by Phaseknox »

argyle wrote: Mon Oct 29, 2018 7:07 pmI'm really enjoying it so far, a lot more than I thought I would.
:D
argyle wrote: Mon Oct 29, 2018 7:07 pmI had glanced at some reviews and a lot of them keep emphasizing all the systems of the game, the sim things you can do, etc. And yeah, that's there of course. But to me that's like reviewing The Big Lebowski and only talking about the bowling scenes. It's kinda missing the point. The characters are what has really grabbed me, and that's what's pulling me to play more. Everything else is just in support of that from what I've seen so far.
I agree, the sim stuff is minimal. The game is about its world, the characters in it and the things that you do in it.
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Phaseknox
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Re: Red Dead Redemption II impressions thread

Post by Phaseknox »

I decided to start the game over because the day that I got it I was dealing with some stressful life stuff which made me get less involved into it than I would have liked, and explains why the beginning failed to really grab me. I'm enjoying the beginning this time.
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argyle
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Re: Red Dead Redemption II impressions thread

Post by argyle »

I don't think this game is for me.

It's beautiful, and the attention to detail is impressive. The realism they've gone for is great - until it breaks abruptly and show the a-typical R* open world beneath it. I'm gonna share the mission because it was pointless and I'm sure everyone else has done it anyway. I went to town with another guy & got wasted at the bar. At the end I can barely see where I'm going - some people get after us, it *looks* to me like the other guy got caught but I can't really tell. I run away, pass out & wake up the next morning. Arthur gets up & mutters to himself "Arthur you idiot, not again". OK, so now what? Maybe I should go back into town & see if I need to rescue my friend. I'm not really sure tho - I am close to camp, so I decide to go there & see what they have to say. Except...no one has anything to say. And wait, there's my friend that I thought got caught just sitting at a table. OK...so I'll go up to him and see what he has to say about the ordeal.

Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Instead, he wants to play that game where you jab the knife between your fingers.

This is just one example, but there are many more - people that have abruptly attacked me for just standing there, then when I retaliate I get a negative mark. Other things I think are going to be story threads that are dropped never to be mentioned again. The more they shoot for realism, the more annoying it is when the game doesn't follow through. I'd easily trade shrinking horse balls for a guy that remembers going out & getting drunk the night before and at least has something to say about it.

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 am not. I don't want to meticulously go through every step of a simple process just for the sake of "realism" when it slows the game down to a crawl.

Ugh, I think I'm going back to Odyssey.
"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

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