Red Dead Redemption 2 Review

"True Western"

Campaign

Red Dead Redemption 2 is the latest Rockstar release and an epic one at that bringing us a true Western. This narrative follows a group of aging outlaws as they deal with the developing world. It presents a lengthy tale across multiple chapters with a lot of freedom and dynamic events along the way. You're able to explore the world how you'd like taking on missions, hunting or just interacting with the folks that line this massive landscape. It's very impressive not only in terms of what you can do, but the quality and scale of the world. They're really pushing what's possible in a game here and it's simply amazing.

The general narrative is incredibly lengthy and provides some surprises along the way. It has characters you grow to care about and they're all doing their own thing as you do yours. The level of detail is remarkable as you interact with various elements within the world from the wild animals, to the houses and of course the people living within it. It has that classic Rockstar style as you can gain a bounty on your head and there are wild groups out there chasing you. This is a seamless world that transitions between cutscenes and gameplay beautifully. It's just an exciting story that lets you feel that sense of being an outlaw while presenting a choice in many moments to choose what kind of person you want to be out there.

Gameplay

Red Redemption 2 is a glorious example of native 4k gaming on Xbox One X. This high resolution compliments the stunning landscape that features gorgeous vast vistas. Everything is ultra realistic and the world is filled to the brim with life. You have piles of regular people living their lives, animals to hunt and many enemy factions to tackle. The gameplay feels great with realistic options for interacting with the world and straight forward gunplay. There are elements to be more efficient such as the Dead Eye system and cover based combat.

It's not too difficult, but balanced as you need to be smart to survive in large scale situations. The presentation really does feel almost like a western film in how it moves between cinematics and regular gameplay. The characters all look realistic and deliver quality narrative driven moments. The connection to your horse was great and full of depth as this important element should be. There are many fun items to use and the wide variety of interactions can be a blast. One particular drinking montage segment was a standout and a mighty moment for me in this one. You also get to feel a sense of exploration as you develop the map and discover hidden secrets along the way.

The Conclusion

Red Dead Redemption 2 is the true Western experience that you've been looking for with an incredibly lengthy and narrative driven campaign that promotes complete freedom. You can explore the vast world however you'd like and take a particular stand on issues as you progress. There are countless missions to work through and side stories to stumble upon. Random events add an extra twist and it feels as though there's an endless world to experience.

The quality of this environment is unreal in terms of scope, and the realism. There are some many elements to interact with, people to meet and things to do. It's authentic to the time while still providing a good laugh and emotional moments when they're needed. It's the perfect cowboy adventure as you live out the final days of the west, as the ultimate gang of outlaws. There are of course surprises, and it delivers on the Rockstar style that you expect after the many years of carefully tuned development.

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Red Dead Redemption 2 Review on Xbox One X

Rating Overall: 10