Red Dead Redemption 2: Discussion & Speculation (Part 3)

[RedDead2503]

1 minute ago, Emmi said:

PSA: If you haven't gotten a PS4 Pro or Xbox One X yet ... now is the time to invest, get out there, buy it and enjoy this masterpiece of a game? if you can even call this a game!

And I only have the standard ps4

[damienrayemusic]

WHAY THE f*ck !! There's so many previews and pages I can't keep up!!! LIMB DISMEMBERMENT IS IN NOW?!?!?! now that's one I wasn't expecting.. Jesus this game is gonna be even more brutal than Max Payne 3!!!! f*cking A man wtf I knew the game would be mind-blowing but as usual. They blow away my expectations doing things I never even thought of. Rockstar you beautiful sons of bitches! Oh god animal carcasses as hats what in the actual F!!! Baths?? Cue from geralt in Witcher 3? Jesus no game is gonna matter to me once this drops. This amd red dead online will have me satisfied for my whole life of playing games. Lmao

Edited September 20, 2018 by damienrayemusic

[Potter145]

Hair growth Tonics can be purchased to increase the Speed of your hair growth

 

lol

[joshua969]

Anyone else feel like this ?

[Zoobz]

"Yet another detail about Red Dead Redemption 2 has come to light--and it has to do with selfies. During our preview recently, we encountered a mission character who gave us a camera. You can take out the camera at any time to snap pictures of the gorgeous surroundings, but of course, the first thing we tried to do was take a selfie.

You can take selfies in Red Dead Redemption 2, but not in the way you can in Grand Theft Auto V. Instead of holding the camera and extending your arm, the "selfie" perspective is called "self-portrait" and it shows Arthur Morgan from a further away perspective.

There are a number of different poses--like squatting and standing with your arm on your waist--and expressions you can select from. You can then share your snaps to your Rockstar Social Club page. it's not immediately clear if you can post your selfies directly to social media from the game, but we hope so."

 

Taking selfies & snaps confirmed. 

[Non Funkable Token]

HobbyConsolas review of the game translated to English:

 

Spoiler

Quote

We offer you the final impresions about RDR2 after playing it for a bit. It's a sandbox set in the Old West, in 1899, starring by Arthur Morgan, a Dutch Van Der Linde gang member. It'll come to PS4 and Xbox One on October 26th.

 

We've played RDR2... And the sandbox developed by R* (out on October 26th for PS4 and Xbox One) is everything promised and more. Months ago, in our exclusive advance -in which we saw 40 minutes of still unveiled gameplay- we got impressed by the level of detail, the Wild West portrait and the level of immersion achieved by the scenery and characters. Now we can go back to this subject and tell you the details about this open world adventure, starring by one of the men from the Dutch Van Der Linde gang: the outlaw Arthur Morgan.

 

We encounter a production of this relevancy only a few times. It’s not only the first Rockstar title entirely developed for this generation of consoles, it’s a game that had all the company studios (Rockstar North, San Diego, Toronto...) working on the same project. And like other titles, its features are revealed at a slow pace.

 

This time, we’ve had our first hands on in the open world and done one of the Van Der Linde gang missions (less than 2 hours total), whilst only doing one main story mission. We’ve still to know how minigames will be, the total extension of the map or multiplayer details.

 

 

THE 3 KEYS OF RDR2

 

Rockstar has explained to us that RDR2 has 3 unique pillars: all the locations are full of detail, highly beautiful and capable of captivating the players. They are spaces full of life we want to explore. Do you want examples? The Grizzly mountains in which the demo starts has shown environments fully covered by snow, with unique lightning, which filters through the tree leafs. A high contrast with the New Hanover plains, or with the muddy streets of a little cattling town like Valentine. All the scenery are in constant transformation, ruled by weather changes, a reflex of the savage nature of the late 19^th century.

 

The 2^nd element they tried to highlight is persistence. Whatever Arthur Morgan does in RDR2 has consequences that affect the environment and the npcs. It’s an evolution system which works at different levels simultaneously. On one hand, we see how towns grow with different constructions, how railroad evolves or how we reach more civilized zones. Our minor actions have consequences too: there’s a reputation system that alters how npcs reacts towards us, even animations become more rough if we have a bad criminal record! This persistence elements in RDR2 reach a more detailed level that affects interaction between animals or the footprints we leave on the terrain.

 

The 3^rd element that defines the game is the story. Rockstar is known for making deep and adult stories, in which the protagonist’s plot is told inside an accurate portrait of its era. Sam and Dan Houser brothers already impressed us with their picture of the modern society in GTA V, or the 90s in GTA SA, and now they do the same with the life in the frontier in 1899. These 3 elements are combined to close (by now) a ride that started with GTA III 17 years ago.

 

 

THE FIRST STORY MISSION

 

RDR2 starts with a failure. Dutch’s gang escapes from federals after a botched robbery in Blackwater and it’s on a hard time. Hidden in Mount Hagen, in the Grizzly Mountains, and sieged by the feds, are forced to take a score to get some oxygen. The mission is called “Who the hell is Leviticus Cornwall?” and is about a train assault, with an armored wagon that belongs to a local tycoon.

 

While Van Der Linde men ride to the place of the assault, we witness an interesting chat that confirms the personalities of Arthur, Dutch as a gang leader, Bill (former soldier with unstable mood), Javier Escuella, Charlie Smith and Micah Bell. It’s the same mechanic we’ve seen in other Rockstar titles, but brings a new cinematic camera which allows to enjoy the scenery and the sensational soundtrack (it’ll have 192 tracks made by Woody Jackson).

 

RDR2 is a game built over infinity of details. The score planification is very thorough, and each action is animated independently. It’s very thorough to see how Bill Williamson places some charges under the railway or how Arthur unrolls the detonator cable. The plot of this mission seems familiar to those who have played the first game: the mission has 3 acts: preparation, assault and a final fight against the Cornwall men. We can confirm as spectators that everything flows: it’s a violent spectacle of explosions, shootings and melee fights. Action never loses its cinematic sense –almost remembers what we saw in Max Payne 3-.

 

But this robbery is only a warm up. Before we take control, Rockstar shows us little details that can pass unnoticed, but are game changers. First of all, we get a completely clean HUD. We can customize it at any moment, but the indicators only appear by default when we interact with some character or we are in a fight. On the other hand, models show us useful info.

 

We see the equipment Arthur carries at any moment: up to 2 long weapons (bow or rifle), 2 revolvers and a bowie-type knife, and the elements he carries on his bag. If we need to use an object not carried by him, we should check the horse bags for it, taking account on the weight. Temperature also affects our behavior –we have different clothes for each weather situation- and food can make Arthur fat. It’s an evolution from the system used in GTA SA.

 

 

LOCATIONS OF RDR2

 

The persistence system translates itself into this. We’ll have to feed ourselves, protect us from cold and extreme hot, keep our guns with spare pieces and oil, build a bond with our horse or build a reputation among the inhabitants of West Elizabeth. The only way to guarantee that you leave your footprint in this immense world. As we confirmed, we’ll be able to do it on 3^rd or 1^st person.

 

 

ARTHUR MORGAN’S PROGRESS

 

Like mentioned above, the power, stamina and life stats only appear (above the minimap) when required by gameplay. It’s not a bar system, but a core system. Each one of these circles has an icon inside and a bar surrounding it. The full one stat is, the faster the others fill themselves.  

 

Regarding progress system, we couldn’t be more satisfied. Instead of swimming between tree skills, experience points or level raises (typical RPG thing), in RDR2 we up the stats just by using them.

 

 

DRAW THE CONTROLLER

 

When we were finally allowed to put ourselves at the controls of Red Dead Redemption 2, the first thing we did was put the "gunplay" to the test. The arms are a fundamental piece in any history of the West, and never they had been treated so much mime in a "sandbox". Depending on the rifle or revolver that we wield, the firing system requires drawing, cocking and firing. When we have finished using the weapon, we must reinforce it; if we press only once, in a mechanical way, but if we do it twice, giving a couple of turns to the revolver, as a Lone Ranger.

 

Every time we hit a shot (the automatic aiming system has been retouched, and now it's a bit more complicated) we fill in the Red Eye indicator. This unique ability, which John Marston had in the previous game and inherited by Arthur Morgan, allows us to fix the shots on our enemies in slow motion and empty the drum.

 

 

COLLECTIBLE OBJETS OF RDR2

 

The most spectacular deaths are repeated in slow motion, with a system of "killcam" that was not in Red Dead Redemption, and that reinforces the cinematographic aspect. If the director Sam Peckimpah showed us the beauty of the slow-motion shots in Wild Group, the fact of becoming the protagonist still improves it. And to all this we must add that each weapon behaves in a special way: single action, double action, black powder guns, lever rifles, cartridges ... it is not surprising that we take care of this beach until the point to record and modify our favorites.

 

The bow and the knife (which can be thrown) have a special behavior, and give us the advantage of not making noise. Both in hunting and in combat, good marksmanship is important, to finish off the targets with critical shots.

 

 

THE MOUNTS

 

The second aspect we wanted to check was the behavior of our saddle. The horse is much more than a means of transport, and will become an inseparable friend as we move forward. In addition to riding, we can take the reins, in guide mode, and even caress it to calm down. Thus, the link between the rider and his horse allows us to gain extra skills. A horse that is closer to us will be less frightened by gunfire and the presence of wild animals. In the same way, it will allow us to perform dressage movements, rewind it or change direction at more speed by sliding with the hind legs.

 

Nor are we going to find two identical horses: as in RDR there are different races that have more speed, resistance or are able to carry more weight on the rump. We can store them in the stables that are scattered around the map, and there modify the style of the mane and tail, the chair (including the knob) or the blanket. While it is true that these are only aesthetic modifications that do not affect the behavior.

 

 

ROB NELSON’S EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW ABOUT RDR2

 

To finish our little walk through the huge map of Red Dead Redemption 2 (the largest one that has ever had any Rockstar game to date), we have also gone to meet the men and women of the Frontier.

 

 

RELATIONSHIP SYSTEM

 

We already anticipated it in our exclusive advance, and now we have made sure that it works well. Pressing a button to release a line of dialogue with certain characters is a thing of the past. Arthur Morgan can relate to people he finds through a contextual menu that adapts to the situation. There are as many examples as there are characters we have met.

 

There are members of rival gangs who rebuke us, passers-by who ignore us and other more friendly characters who greet when we meet them, and Arthur has the same options in his hand. Depending on the situation, we can display a menu to say hello, point the gun or start a conversation-which serves to display secondary tasks. Depending on our reputation, we can resolve any situation by speaking or letting our gun be the one to put the arguments on the table.

 

In our case, the rush made us run over the horse to one of the "parishioners" waiting in front of a local. The cowboy did not take it too well, and rushed for us with a knife. The menu did not allow to convince him that it was an accident, but we decided that it would be better to shorten the discussion with a couple of shots ... the point is that several witnesses went to the sheriff's office to report the murder (we also had the option to convince them) and that's how we ended up involved in a shootout with the law enforcement officers.

 

When we commit misdeeds, as in the previous case, a search system inherited from the GTAs is activated. There are no stars, but instead the word "sought" appears, which is emptied if we keep hidden. Upon entering the cities we can see what is the reward paid for our head (and pay it ourselves to regain peace of mind).

 

 Even more profound are our relations with our "second family", the members of Van Der Linde's band. They are a group of delinquents and vividores who accompany us throughout the game, and to whom we can listen and take care. Morgan is Dutch's lieutenant, and is responsible for procuring food for the group - in a traveling camp - as well as carrying out the most important hits.

 

After the failure of Blackwater, they find themselves in a desperate situation. But we can improve their situation and relationship with Arthur through conversations and doing small tasks for each of them. If the morale in our camp improves, we will also have advantages (such as activating the fast trip or more supplies of ammunition, medicine and food). This part of the game is optional. Arthur can ignore his bandmates and behave like a "lone wolf", but we must also bear in mind that being immersed in this group is one of the main differences with John Marston's adventure from the previous game. Inevitably there will be characters that we love and others that are "hateful".

 

 

THE LITTLE BIG CITY

 

The trade in Red Dead Redemption is another one of those sections that offers us an idea of the depth of the game. The urban centers, like Valentine have specific businesses where Arthur Morgan can get supplies; In the store we find groceries, products for maintenance and different outfits, but there are also more specific premises such as the barber shop, the hotel, armory or the lounge (which in the demo we tried was blocked). Each store allows us to enter and buy the products independently, picking up the ones that are exposed, or consult the catalog at the counter -which is a perfect translation of the traditional menu system-. A particular case is that of the barbershop, as our hair grows naturally. This means that if we decide on a shave in a hurry, we will have to wait for our beard to grow again.

 

The dirt (which is not small when you spend the day riding the plains) is also stuck on the character, and will not be removed until we take a bath in a hotel. During the bath, we can rub different parts of the body and even ask for the help of a "young lady". There are so many elements that we have come to ask ourselves where the limit is, and if all these options can affect the gameplay or they will be something more anecdotal like the physical form in GTA San Andreas.

 

 

RDR2 EDITIONS

 

We have talked about the trade that is seen, but as in any place, there are also a series of shady businesses, placed in the back of some premises and where we are the "rabble" of the border. The type of people who run each store influences the way they react, and of course it is not the same to draw our Colt Peacemaker revolver in the armory, in which the shopkeeper remains calm, than to do it in the grocery store.

 

After touring the city, we headed to the Van Der Linde camp to carry out our first mission. The line between the levels of history and the secondary missions is very diffuse. Not only is the plot load of both, but they are equally complex. We activated the mission called "The noblest men and a woman" which consisted of taking pictures and dueling different gunmen, to help a novelist complete his work.

 

 

O’DRISCOLL GANG ASSAULT

 

After insinuating the possibilities of the open world and teaching us in a very superficial way the life in the camp, we assumed our first mission: "Making a social visit". One of the members of O'Driscoll's band, a rival group that acts in the area, falls into the hands of Dutch. After "persuading" him with very uncivilized methods - in a sequence as wild as it is fun - an action group is formed to end the competition. Arthur Morgan, John Marston, Bill Williamson and the informer Kieran go to the lair of their rivals to reclaim the territory.

 

The assault on the camp allowed new twists on the familiar mechanics. For example, we can ask our comrades to take the initiative in finished moments (to eliminate the isolated sentries) or make them not wait while we take care of the watch on duty. We can even coordinate a silent attack with Bill Williamson, throwing knives at the same time so that a pair of enemies does not blow up the alarm. Stealth is a good ally to put the simplest things, but inevitably end up submerged in a shooting with coverings that is pure spectacle.

 

 

RDR2 WEAPONS

 

The level of difficulty seemed to us well adjusted, to the point where the ammunition is collected automatically when we pass the corpses, but if we want to loot the rest of the belongings we will have to stop for a moment. Also the choice of weapons is crucial - in this demo Morgan had reached enough level to take two revolvers at the same time - and if we do not use the Dead Eye at the right time we will find ourselves "sold"

 

On the other hand, melee fights are based on a balanced combination of punches, stops and counterattacks, and allow you to make grapples and take advantage of elements of the stage to execute more powerful attacks.

 

 

TECHNICAL PART

 

If you notice the enthusiastic tone of the whole text, it is because our contact could not be better. We are not just talking about a firm candidate for the game of the year, but a game of the generation - at least in terms of technical and playable sections. In this case we played the demo on PS4 PRO, with 4K resolution and HDR, on a 60 "screen, and it looked like a scandal, the geometry of the stages, the models and the lighting are at the best level allowed by the current consoles It is noted that these platforms have been in mind to optimize the behavior of the game.

 

There is much to emphasize; in the purely visual, nature is more overwhelming than ever, with a perfect day / night cycle and a huge range of climate effects (for example, with various types of rain). The animations are integrated organically with the scenarios and are modified depending on the weight we carry, and physics has seemed very real. The Artificial Intelligence of the NPC -as we have already exemplified- is worth of mention, but we’ve been especially surprised by the behavior of the animals. We have even seen a horse kick his owner when getting nervous!

 

The soundtrack is sensational, and the voices (of course, only in English) again have the unmistakable taste of Rockstar: marginal characters, full of charisma and with a vocabulary as rough as life in the Southwest Frontier. Of course, we still can not tell you about the size of the subtitles - one of the pending subjects of GTA V - because the version we tested had only the name of the missions and the HUD translated into Spanish.

 

Regarding the online multiplayer mode, we only have a few statements from the company in which we have been assured that some of the iconic modes of the previous game will return, with an evolution similar to what we have seen in the main story. It is also suggested that it will combine narrative, cooperative and competitive modes.

 

After the success that GTA Online has had of GTA V and the constant updates that this persistent world receives, we rub our hands before the possibilities of Red Dead Online, which will be available next November, free of charge for the owners of the game , and that will start with a public beta.

 

 

FINAL IMPRESSIONS

 

Of course, the first two objectives proposed by Rockstar with this release have been fulfilled to a great extent. On the one hand they have deployed in front of the players a world that we died to visit: magnificent places full of detail, in which to experience that freedom that only Red Dead Redemption achieved (just by accompanying John Marston riding towards the sunset in the previous game). Also, in our contact we have had that feeling of persistence, and that Arthur Morgan's interactions with other characters and the environment have consequences that will affect the rest of the game.

 

We can only check if we are also going to find those deep stories full of unforgettable characters that the company has accustomed us to. But do not rush, if so, all the objectives pursued by the company will have been achieved. We still need to face the game in its entirety to know if so many options will not end up overwhelming a part of the players -something that happened with San Andreas- or if we are really facing the masterpiece that is already insinuated and that could mark the new reference not only in the genre of the "sandbox" but in video games in general.

 

 

 

Edited September 20, 2018 by Fluffy Sock

[The Shakermaker]

Wowza. Is there a breakdown on the info on here then as everyone is numbering info, if so where? 

 

[TheExclusiveMan]

When arthur goes into a hotelroom, he can go up to a mirror and talk to himself

Im seriously thinking this will be better than rdr1

[Emmi]

1 minute ago, TheExecutor10 said:

Hair growth Tonics can be purchased to increase the Speed of your hair growth

 

lol

[BretMaverick777]

52) If a thunderstorm strikes, your horse will get visibly agitated.

 

T-storms confirmed, which also seems to confirm dynamic weather.

God, I'd love to see how detailed weather gets.   Hailstorms, lightning strikes, torrential downpour, tornado....that's just one typical hour out on the plains.

[luke73tnt]

Now where’s that second gameplay trailer at...

[ejderemir]

Just now, joshua969 said:

Anyone else feel like this ?

I don't know how can I wait. So many so many so many f*cking little details.

[TheOriginalGunslinger]

Embarrassing that veteran might come back to haunt me, while saving a coach hijacking could lead to new opportunities in the future as the survivors remember my help.

 

Trains can get hijacked by other enemy NPCs? This is so f*cking cool!

 

 

Edited September 20, 2018 by TheOriginalGunslinger

[lndex]

1 minute ago, TheExecutor10 said:

Hair growth Tonics can be purchased to increase the Speed of your hair growth

 

lol

I just love how they are going full on RPG mode, this is unreal!

[Kiwikieron]

the hunting sounds amazing

[nubcaker]

Is it confirmed anywhere that every building can be entered?

[Red.Monster.Dead]

Omg, ive been away for 3 hours and got lost on so many pages. 

 

Could u guys point out all the articles links?? I'm dying here!!!

[Emmi]

1 minute ago, TheExclusiveMan said:

When arthur goes into a hotelroom, he can go up to a mirror and talk to himself

Im seriously thinking this will be better than rdr1

Is this confirmed? If so then, that's my reaction (PS. I'm loving it!)

 

[ejderemir]

Just now, nubcaker said:

Is it confirmed anywhere that every building can be entered?

yeah I saw it somewhere

[joshua969]

1 minute ago, luke73tnt said:

Now where’s that second gameplay trailer at...

[ThereIsNoBathroom]

Is there separate thread for screenshots and info? 

[BretMaverick777]

Just now, The Shakermaker said:

Wowza. Is there a breakdown on the info on here then as everyone is numbering info, if so where? 

 

IGN has 79 items listed.

 

such as:

63) The game is packed with subtle visual effects, like heat haze from a pair of gelding tongs causing the characters standing behind it to shimmer; condensation from the breath of humans and horses in the snow; and the soft glow of super-heated bullet impacts from lead slamming against an armoured train carriage.

 

Swear to god, I'm gonna die right now

[Potter145]

You can Change the hair style and mane of your horses!

[lndex]

Just now, BretMaverick777 said:

52) If a thunderstorm strikes, your horse will get visibly agitated.

 

T-storms confirmed, which also seems to confirm dynamic weather.

God, I'd love to see how detailed weather gets.   Hailstorms, lightning strikes, torrential downpour, tornado....that's just one typical hour out on the plains.

Imagine just like in the gameplay video, being up on a mountain seeing the dark clouds over yonder...that sense that you could be down there where it's raining or a storm etc.

[Knightfury]

Game of the f*ckin Generation

[GeorgeWashingtonxx77]

Edit: Posted a GTA 5 screenshot

Edited September 20, 2018 by GeorgeWashingtonxx77

[joshua969]

Just now, ThereIsNoBathroom said:

Is there separate thread for screenshots and info? 

Is it me or does Javier look like salt bae...LOL ?

[Xayah]

Anyone who wants to know how physics are or got other questions, RDR2 o'clock is doing a q&a tomorrow, so tweet them, already 3 requests for Euphoria!

 

[TheOriginalGunslinger]

Just now, ThereIsNoBathroom said:

Is there separate thread for screenshots and info? 

@vKing Is going to love this screenshot! Ha!

[BretMaverick777]

2 minutes ago, Red.Monster.Dead said:

Omg, ive been away for 3 hours and got lost on so many pages. 

 

Could u guys point out all the articles links?? I'm dying here!!!