Red Dead 2 - Hype or Hyper-great?

[LCarlson]

Red Dead 2 seems to dominate the headlines right now.

I really appreciate the tips and tricks article here: https://www.pcgamer.com/red-dead-redemption-2-tips/
But I can also imagine what a royal pain it could be without this helper.

I work remotely, and sometimes in the evenings... one of my favorite ways to get through late night work sessions is to watch my partner play awesome games with great storylines. I hope this is another one!

 

[jpishgar]

It isn't usual that I venture outside of PC gaming, but I played through the entirety of RDR2 for the Playstation 4 when it came out and really thoroughly enjoyed it. The controls are a little wonky, and there are definitely optimal settings that if you don't get right, the game will hate you. But it was a very rich and immersive world with a strong narrative.

I got my money's worth on the console version, and I know I'd get the same from the PC version, but I'm waiting on a good sale. I'll probably pick it up if it drops below $40 or so.

One quick tip - get the best horse early. It may be a royal pain to tame the White Arabian (dress warmly), but it's worth it in the long run.

 

[Maniac]

I picked up RDR2 day one on Xbox one x, and was hooked... initially. The game def. drags in the middle, especially if you are a competitionist like me who needs to clear every mission from the map before moving on. I eventually just gave up on it despite loving the Western genre.

I picked up the PC version with the intent on running as high of settings as I could manage while maybe (modding) my way through the single player campaign.
Now I havent launched SP once, I dive into multiplayer every day for 20-45 minutes, its just fun enough to keep me engaged for that frame of time and come back for more later (always working for that next upgrade or weapon)

Im loving it more then when it first release, and maybe one day will get around to playing the campaign again.

 

[PCG Andy K]

Just checked my playtime on the Rockstar Launcher.

74 hours.

That's a lot of cowboying.

 

[Varandil]

I honestly think the game isn't quite as good as the general consensus would have you believe. It's good, very good even. But, for me, a top tier game is one that I can just play and play and play without feeling the urge to play something else mid-flow. RDR2 was a long way from that, unfortunately.

 

[SWard]

It's very pretty, I just sat through the credits, the size of the team on it is amazing.

 

[MindlessMe]

After playing RDR2 on PCI can confidently say that it's a beautiful game. Gameplay is pretty solid. Story wise I wasn't as engaged with it as RDR1 in the past. It's worth playing if you want a good free roam western game but nothing groundbreaking.

 

[FlyingGuppy]

RD2's a very strange one. Straight up, it's a truly staggering piece of work... It just requires such a vast time investment (and patience!) to see through. On one hand, I've spent entire minutes marveling at the way the roots of a particular tree elaborately grow from beneath a stony outcrop... On the other hand, simple acts like getting on a horse can be an infuriating fiddly faff. Very glad I endured though. Not necessarily because the end is so good, but that reaching it feels like such an accomplishment.

 

[I Will Haunt You]

Ug. I think it's a great game bogged down by finicky systems. It's hard to do anything without accidentally ticking someone off enough to sick the law on you. "Dude, I'm getting the sheriff because you moved too close and breathed MY air!"

 

[spvtnik1]

The story sunk it's claws in to me for all of a weekend, and I want to go back to it for sure, but Red Dead Online has been my dig for the last two months, and I don't think that's going to change any time soon.

 

[jpishgar]

Hyper-great, I'd say. Some of those cinematic scenes are movie-esque. There's a part of the game that, not to spoil things, that upon encountering tends to trigger a visceral reaction in the player. The player, overwhelmingly, will immediately Google whether or not something is fatal - and this has been responsible for a +96% spike in Google Trend interest in the subject over the history of the thing.
(No spoilers!)

 

[McStabStab]

Hyper-great, just started Chapter 3 and I'm in love. It's my personal Westworld. Looking forward to finishing the story and then trying the online mode.

 

[BornAgainPCGamer]

I honestly think the game isn't quite as good as the general consensus would have you believe. It's good, very good even. But, for me, a top tier game is one that I can just play and play and play without feeling the urge to play something else mid-flow. RDR2 was a long way from that, unfortunately.

I absolutely agree with you about what makes a top tier game. However, for me, Rdr2 definitely fits into the category. I picked it up on Christmas and have fully committed to the game and its world. I do the camp chores regularly and happily. I sleep and eat and even bathe Arthur a realistic amount of times. None of it is required but I have bought into the simulation the game offers and am fully roleplaying as Arthur. Its great.

 

[mdzcpa]

What is more fun, the story or online? The game is beautiful, but to be honest the story line feels too rigid with too many cut scenes. Will Online be better?

 

[Round]

I absolutely agree with you about what makes a top tier game. However, for me, Rdr2 definitely fits into the category. I picked it up on Christmas and have fully committed to the game and its world. I do the camp chores regularly and happily. I sleep and eat and even bathe Arthur a realistic amount of times. None of it is required but I have bought into the simulation the game offers and am fully roleplaying as Arthur. Its great.

I'm the same. Changing my outfit each day, taking the time to pick up and study the fauna, treating myself to an in-game whiskey after an intense bounty session. I feel like the more you patiently apply yourself to Arthur's daily life the more you can squeeze out of that game, provided that's something you enjoy.

 

[Rivereyes]

It's incredible.

The level of immersion it achieves is nothing short of miraculous. You feel the weight of everything. Arthur's walk, Chimken II's steady hoof beat (Always and forever in my heart and don't you dare name your horse anything else but Chimken XYZ).

Even knowing that (almost) all missions are doomed to devolve in early 00's mindless shooting, I couldn't help but be swept away by it all.

When Rockstar decides to include SERIOUS player choice into its narratives, it's possible that they might even surpass CDPR as the God Developer. Right now, they are a close second, with everyone else a fair distance away.

 

[BornAgainPCGamer]

I'm the same. Changing my outfit each day, taking the time to pick up and study the fauna, treating myself to an in-game whiskey after an intense bounty session. I feel like the more you patiently apply yourself to Arthur's daily life the more you can squeeze out of that game, provided that's something you enjoy.

Yes exactly. Like you can blow through the story if you want without doing any of these things but for me that is missing out on the amazing experience R* crafted for the player to enjoy. Some stuff can be mundane after awhile i understand that but there is always some payoff for even the simplest tasks. Very few game worlds enrapture me so completely as this one. Elder Scrolls games always do it and similar vast rpgs do it.

 

[Krud]

Of all Rockstar's "running around an open world mini-game-filled sandbox while being a fairly specific person with a lot of scripted events" games, RDR2 is probably my favorite. (I almost typed R2D2.) Though it is a bit slow-paced at times. Which is fine, if you're in the mood for that. And I can't think of a single game that looks better.

 

[Melancholy Bounty Hunter]

I loved it. It outshines RDR 1 by miles.

 

[Frindis]

Played it for around 80+ hours and so far this game has been a blast to play. The majority of my time has been from just hunting/gathering, either to customize how I look, upgrade camp or sell. The rest of the hours has been bounty hunting, polishing weapons and going off the beaten path.

 

[Round]

Have you guys encountered many bugs? Playing on both PS4 and PC I'm shocked at how smooth my experience has been for the most part.

There are some exceptions, of course.

 

[SHaines]

I haven't picked it up yet since I haven't heard great things about PC ports of Rockstar games in the past. If this one is running smoothly, I may finally pick it up.

 

[Rivereyes]

It was fairly bumpy for the first two weeks or so on Intel/Nvidia combos. Rockstar was very quick to patch them out though, I finished the game over the holiday break without any issues affecting me.

 

[Round]

Post your Red Dead fashion here! Just started the PC version recently so I'm still working on buying some basic accessories, I like to stay rugged in the early chapters.

 

[Round]

The quintessential cowboy fit.