Red Dead Redemption II

i want to start off by stating that before completing this game, i classified myself as a "rockstar completionist". i achieved 100% completion for:
- gta iii
- vice city
- san andreas
- liberty city stories
- vice city stories
- gta iv (multiple times)
- episodes from liberty city
- gta v
- rdr1 (main game and undead nightmare)

thats quite a few games, so i am very familiar with self-imposed, torturous tasks (i will get back to this towards the end of this review)

for rdr2, there are a few big pluses that no one can deny: the graphics are insane; the open world exploration and atmosphere are amazing; and the story is (generally) good. i really enjoy the epilogues and tie-in to rdr1 (its crazy how i still remember parts of the rdr1 map even though i havent played that game in over 10 years)

however, the combat is clunky. its feels incredibly sluggish and non-responsive. also, even though your character gets an honor bar, the game REALLY pushes for you to be a good boy at the end of the main game. there are multiple endings depending on your honor and choices, but im not reloading a save to tank/boost my honor, much less trudge through the game all over again just to experience the impact of a low/high honor. the gameplays not that good

now, lets get back to my opening statement. rockstar always has chores for 100% completion. some games have tough chores (gta iii), others have tedious chores (gta: sa), and some have a ton of goddamn chores (also gta: sa). the chores on here are the worst. i tried my best to pace the extras, but ultimately burnt out

i spent a lot of time playing this game. all of 2022 and most of this year (i only finished the game a few days ago). i didnt get 100% completion and im not going to. usually, this would bother me, but i am done with this game. im never going to play it again

its not a bad game, not at all. if you like exploring big maps with big atmosphere and cowboy simulating, its really neat. just keep in mind the clunky combat and all the chores necessary to achieve 100%

gameplay: 3.5
visuals: 5.0
story: 3.5
music: 3.0
replay value: low

74.00%

"Red Dead Redemption" was an interesting game but surely nothing groundbreaking. It had its own personality and taste but was brought down by its slow-paced, clunky, and repetitive gameplay. This prequel is no different.

Rockstar obviously put a lot of effort into creating an immersive and visually stunning setting. All locations are beautifully crafted, incredibly rich in detail, and full of things to do and places to explore. Like in most open-world games, the map is enormous just for the sake of it, with most events concentrated in the rather small cities and camps, but I guess that's how it really was back in the West.

The story is nothing new but delivers: it's backed up by a lot of memorable, all-round characters, and writing, acting, and direction are top-notch for a videogame. It was great to meet the rest of Dutch’s gang and see their development throughout the 40+ hours of the main campaign. The connection with the events of the original game is well thought, and Arthur is a surprisingly likable main character. It takes quite a considerable amount of gameplay to get to properly remember everyone, get attached to them and finally get sucked in, but it will pay off in the end.

The gameplay is, as with most Rockstar games, incredibly outdated: controls are clumsy, unresponsive, and convoluted. Combat and shooting suffer the most as everything is as flat and clunky as it was in the first game. Missions are usually repetitive, monotonous, and rarely rewarding. They can all be summed up as endless horse rides, shoot-outs, and fetching/moving objects with not much interaction. The game also decides to reset or change your inventory depending on the mission, leaving no room for strategy in selecting the right equipment. The rest is just an endless list of way too many unnecessary and tedious chores to remember. Shaving, trimming, hunting for food, cooking, eating, cleaning weapons, wearing the right clothing, looting, collecting money, taking care of your horses, etc. Most of these tasks surely add realism but are not that much fun to play. I liked that the game gives you the opportunity to donate part of your rewards and loots to the gang to update the camp, but it's mostly minor graphic additions and some provisions which you can easily find on your own.

Overall, I loved the story, world-building, and characters, but the outdated gameplay dynamics partly spoiled the fun.