“Game of the Year” is a term thrown around by any and every triple A developer, but Rockstar Games is a true contender for that spot with their new contribution Red Dead Redemption Two.
This Western open-world shooter game has all the unique aspects that one would expect from the New York developer.
The title features all the classic traits: a sprawling world in the wild west with over 65 hours of story mode and a multitude of choices to make every play-through a unique experience.
RDR2 grossed $725 million in the opening weekend, making it not only the largest game release, but largest entertainment release all together, according to digitaltrends.com.
The title is the newest project for Rockstar, following the wildly popular game Grand Theft Auto Five that earned “Game of the Year” back in 2013.
Across the sprawling wild west, RDR2 takes on an adventurously large landscape that comes after seven years of development.
The game takes place in 1899 in the fictitious states of New Hanover, West Elizabeth and Lemoyne. The massive map is well over double the size of the first installment.
RDR2 follows the adventures of protagonist Arthur Morgan and his fellow outlaws under the cunning cowboy Dutch van der Linde.
The title is a prequel to Red Dead Redemption One. Despite knowing the ending, getting lost in plot draws players away from the looming conclusion.
With life spewing from the ever-expanding cast, minute encounters with strangers on the road immerse characters.
This shooter has six chapters of gameplay with 104 missions split between them. Each mission features branching choices that directly relate to how the game is impacted.
Keeping track of the player’s choices as they lean toward outlaw or hero makes the player feel every decision. Killing civilians does not simply add up to a bounty; Arthur begins to dip into outlaw stat
us and the artificial intelligence begins antagonizing the player.
Outside of choices, the player is given the opportunity to hunt, gamble, collect bounties, craft, fish, tame horses and search for treasures across the wide landscape.
Besides large scale fan praise across social media, RDR2 has been achieving top marks on respected websites.
RDR2 has garnered amazing reviews across the board. IGN Entertainment gave the game a 10/10, and Metacritic gifted the game a 97/100.