These moments, as small and inconsequential as they may seem compared to the larger story being told, were really what made Red Dead Redemption 2 ‘s world and setting feel unlike anything that I’ve played before. As a game that’s been worked on by Rockstar for nearly 7-8 years — basically since the release of Red Dead Redemption in 2010 — the time and attention to detail put into its Open world games crafting guide and setting by the studio are on an unprecedented level. With the force of all of Rockstar’s teams behind it from around the world, the studio has called it their most “ambitious” project leading up to its release, and that might just be underselling it. Based on what I’ve played from the game so far, the level of interactivity, mechanics, and systems available to players make Red Dead Redemption 2 as close as we can get to the living, breathing Western world that Rockstar is aiming to deliver, and I can’t wait to explore more of it.
2015 is mere hours away, and I could not be more excited to say goodbye to 2014. A lot of things happened during the year that I liked, and a lot of things I didn’t. The games industry has plenty to prove after 2014 with numerous disastrous launches, delays and disappointments. Going forward into 2015 there are certain games I’d like to see announced, certain games launch, or specific things happen within the gaming industry. These are my wishes for the game industry; 15 for 2015.
At the PlayStation Experience we learned that a new God of War game is in development, but that we might have to wait another year. However, that doesn’t mean we won’t get a teaser. God of War III’s teaser trailer went live June 2008, a full two years before the game hit store shelves. It’s been five years since we’ve gotten a proper God of War game, and many are itching to know what’s going to happen in Kratos’ next outing. Hopefully we’ll get a few hints in 2015.
That interaction all starts with Arthur Morgan, the game’s main protagonist, and how players will decide to take on the role of the senior member of the Van der Linde gang, and Dutch’s right-hand man. Having been a part of the gang since childhood, the outlaw life is all that Arthur has known, and most of the trailers leading up to Red Dead Redemption 2 have shown that Arthur isn’t exactly much of a “pleasant” person to be around. However, as Rockstar pointed out to us during the demo, the reason behind this is that Arthur essentially owes his life to Dutch and the gang, and he’s fiercely protective of them as a result. How fiercely his loyalty lies, however, is left up to the player to decide throughout the course of the story.
2014 got a pass because not a lot of original content for PS4 and Xbox One was being released until the final quarter of the year. 2015 is different, because now we’re starting to see development for these new platforms ramp up. There’s no need to see teams waste their time to bring games only a few years old to these new consoles. Already we have DmC: Devil May Cry Definitive Edition, Devil Mary Cry 4: Special Edition, Saints Row IV: Re-Elected, Dead or Alive 5: Last Round, and Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster among others. Now there are some exceptions for games that were only released on one platform (Resident Evil Remake HD), or games you can’t get anymore because they’re so old (Grim Fandago: Remastered). Other than these few exceptions, enough is enough!
Nintendo and Bandai Namco shook the world of Pokemon in 2014 with the announcement of Pokken Tournament, a brand new fighting game. Obviously there was a lot of excitement over this cross-over, until we found out that it was going to be Japan-only. Even worse, it would only be released in arcades. We’re hoping that Nintendo and Bandai Namco announce this game for the Wii U, and that will launch in North America and Europe.
These moments from Red Dead Redemption 2 very much feel like “Rockstar” moments. These are the types of moments that trailers for their past titles, such as Grand Theft Auto V , have highlighted to hone in on the fact that their games aim to feel larger than life, and delivering the types of action and spectacle that we see on the big screen and the films that Rockstar has always turned to for inspiration .
While these relationships definitely had their use in these action-heavy segments of the demo, the interactions that Arthur has with the other members of the gang also play out in more narratively-driven ways. While trekking through the mountains with John and Bill in a later story section that we played, I had the option to talk to Bill along the way to learn more about the rival gang camp that we were about to ambush. Staying silent would have been a completely viable option as well, but having those type of options speaks to the ways that Red Dead Redemption 2 is aiming for a more dynamic and natural way for players to interact with its world and characters.
Aside from the story and character-driven moments that the camp offers, the camp also provides a wealth of supplies for Arthur to utilize over the course of the game, such as food provisions, ammo, medicine, and tonics. While it starts out with a meager offering of items at the game’s beginning, the player can contribute to the gang’s supplies by donating items and loot found across the world, contributing cash, or going out to hunt and fish to keep morale at the camp high. In return, the camp’s funds and supplies can be used to upgrade its food, medical supplies, and ammo stashes, provide more hitching posts for horses, and more comfortable amenities for the rest of the gang to enjoy.
