Red Dead Redemption II Review
Taking place twelve years before the Red Dead Redemption story-line, Red Dead Redemption II is considered a very well done sequel. Red Dead Redemption II is a third-person (sometimes first) Western-themed action game created by Rockstar Studios. The game follows Arthur Morgan and his journey in a mischievous gang in the early twentieth century. The gang performed jobs to earn money for an eventual escape from all their problems. Arthur and his gang (Van Der Linde gang) constantly rob civilians, rob banks and anything else they could get their hands on. The Van Der Linde gang’s actions bring them into conflict with other groups including the Pinkerton Detective Agency and the rival O’Driscoll gang.
Personally, this is one of the best games I’ve ever played. One major reason is it’s masterful storytelling. The story is an emotional and appalling roller-coaster. Many scenes throughout the game moved me emotionally. Lenny’s death was very shocking to me. I remember gasping, then trying to turn around to shoot back but dying. I was caught off-guard so badly that I thought I did something wrong throughout the mission. I ended up restarting the entire mission trying to save Lenny but failed. I vividly remember pausing the game and recollecting myself. You should have seen the sadness on my face when I realized that it was a part of the mission. His appreciative character and drive to become a better person made it all the worse. Another tragic scene for me was Arthur’s last ride into camp after finding out that it was Micah who was the informant. The soft music and all the positive quotes said about Arthur was the perfect sendoff. I remember tearing up thinking, “Wow this is the end of my journey, huh?”. This was a perfect way to send off such a dynamic character. Arthur went from a reckless member of one of the most feared gangs to a character who could be loved simply because of his honor. I found myself emotionally attached to a story-line and it’s characters for the first-time ever.
Another reason this game is iconic to me is because of the mechanics in this game. Since I never played Red Dead Redemption, everything was new to me. The “Eagle Eye” dynamic of the game was very helpful during missions where many enemies were shooting you. I didn’t have the best aim so it also helped tremendously while shooting on a horse or on the run. Another addition in the game that I found fun rather than a burden was the eating, showering, and shaving mechanic in the game. It added another layer of difficulty in the game without changing anything major. Aside from making the game slightly more difficult, it also made the game feel a lot more realistic. For example, if the player didn’t feed Arthur he would get too skinny and have some in-game physical pros and cons. Vice-versa if the player fed Arthur too much. It soon became an internet joke, “Fat Arthur” was on every Red Dead Redemption subreddit.
Because of these reasons, Red Dead Redemption II is the best Rockstar Game I’ve ever played. The experience I had playing that game will never be forgotten. Everything made this game perfect but the story-line and the new mechanics were the highlights of my experience. The landscapes in-game were beautiful and everything could be explored. This was a close second reason why this game is iconic but I felt the new mechanics were more important to me. All in all, Red Dead Redemption II is the perfect game that has everything I look for in games. My mother has heard me say this many times but I shall say it again! This is sixty dollars I don’t regret spending on a video game!
