Emmi Posted February 9, 2024 Share Posted February 9, 2024 On 10/27/2023 at 8:57 PM, Jason said: Above all else, immersion. It's the most immersive open world ever made by a country mile. One of the biggest ways they accomplish that is NPC's. Their behavours that has been mentioned above are one aspect of that, like their schedules, jobs, routines, etc, but the mere fact you can interact with them is the meat in the pie. It's sort of easy to fall into the trap of thinking the NPC interaction system is shallow but not only had it never been before on that level prior to RDR2, it's never been even attempted since. The fact I can start and end fights with words is really impressive, and from an immersion perspective being able to greet people, mock people, etc, is really, really cool The gangs camp is the best example of this. It has SO much life, so many unique conversations and events, most people won't see anywhere close to all of them in their time with the game. But it's also the best example of just how well they used the NPC interaction system and also another aspect they put effort into in RDR2, which was making every action by the player physical and in the world. Being able to go say hi to Pearson, grab a bowl of stew, start talking to someone else while walking with the stew in hand, sit down a table and eat and talk is an insane technical achievement in a game, and when doubled with all the unique camp conversations make it that extra bit special. It all feels so simple in the game but the fact it's so seamless is bonkers. It's this that excites me about GTA VI above all else, because no other studio comes close to this type of stuff cause the scope of it is beyond virtually every other studio, so I'm really excited to see Rockstar's v2 of it. Yep, this is also what impresses me the most about RDR2 to this day. Just on my recent playthrough I discovered lots of new lines Arthur will say when you just 'interact' with random NPC's by greeting them. I love this feature so much and no doubt this will be improved upon greatly with GTA VI. You can already have shockingly good dynamic mini-dialogues with NPC's in RDR2 and this is so much ahead of anything else I've seen in modern gaming before. Link to comment https://gtaforums.com/topic/992744-what-is-rdr2%E2%80%99s-greatest-accomplishment/page/2/#findComment-1072344237 Share on other sites More sharing options...
JB1982 Posted February 19, 2024 Share Posted February 19, 2024 It would be somewhat cheesy and cliched to say that it excelled at everything. But in some ways, this is true. For me, it’s a game that does so many elements right and they all contribute to crafting and making this wonderful experience of a game. I recall the first time I played the game. It was in late 2019/early 2020 over the Christmas period and early January/February. My initial thoughts on the game weren’t that great. I didn’t know a lot about it prior to playing it. As a PC gamer, I’d missed out on RDR1 but as a Rockstar fan I wanted to try this one out anyway. I’d purposely not read up on the game since it’s original release a year earlier just in case the game did make its way to PC but also so as not to get my hopes dashed if it didn’t. I’d been expecting an open world game but here I was in Chapter 1 stuck in snowy mountains in a very restricted and almost linear capacity. Not what I was expecting at all. When the game opened up in Chapter 2, I found myself initially finding it too slow and not really getting into it. It was really struggling to hold my attention. But I’d had a similar experience when playing GTA IV the first time. In fact, with that game, I gave up on it. I returned to it about a year later and gave it another go, determined to stick it out and ironically, I discovered that I had only been one or two missions away from a moment that really hooked me and drew me into Niko’s story. From that point on, there was no holding back and GTA IV is now my favourite in the GTA series. So, with that in mind, I knew that patience was needed by me with RDR2 in the hope that it drew me eventually just like GTA IV did. And by the end of Chapter 2, I was absolutely hooked in yet another Rockstar title. On that first playthrough I really raced through the story. Well, I say raced through, but it’s a bit hard to do that on such a lengthy game. But what I mean is that I concentrated on the story missions mostly and the stranger missions as I encountered them. I didn’t bother with other stuff such as collectibles, challenges etc. I didn’t even spend time in the camps unless I needed to be there for a mission, or I wanted to use it as a save point by sleeping. I got so invested in the story. The pacing of it, the twists and turns, and the emotion of it. When Arthur is riding back to Beaver Hollow during Red Dead Redemption in Chapter 6, I’m sobbing my eyes out. Not long after that, I’m sobbing my eyes out again over a dead animated horse. A horse! No game has ever had this kind of impact on me. By the time the epilogue was completed, I just wasn’t ready to give up this world. So for all the story was over, the map itself had also captured me along with all the amazing things you could find in it. The beauty of it, the way you could immerse yourself in it. That’s when I went for 100% completion and went after the legendary animals, fish etc. I am not someone that does that on games. I’m usually all about the story and I only tend to go after 100% if I find I have accidentally gotten close to it and feel that I might as well go on and complete it. But RDR2 was the first game I have ever played where I genuinely just wanted to hit 100% completion. On my second playthrough, I made a point of taking things slower during the actual story. I’d realised by the time I was in post-epilogue on my first playthrough that there was so much that I had missed out on that first time around. And this had only been enhanced by things I read about afterwards. That’s when I really discovered the beauty of the camp. There was something strangely satisfying about just hanging around there and doing chores and going off hunting to get things for Pearson to craft and add to the camp along with getting him to craft Arthur better satchels. But above all I realised just how alive and well developed each and every member of the Van Der Linde gang is. Story wise, I couldn’t help but pick up on some of the characters and the way they were written, performed, their arcs and development etc on that first playthrough but there were definitely some characters that had left me feeling that they were undercooked, and that gang was perhaps a bit overcrowded. And yet on that second playthrough I’m seeing and learning so much stuff about them in camp by watching their day to day lives and interacting with them and I just got blown away by how much they are like flesh and blood. There’s so much depth to each and every one of them. All these years later and I’m still discovering bits and pieces about these characters just by sticking at camp and not rushing off on Arthur’s next errand. The same can be said for the world itself, just by taking your time, you see and experience so much and can just find yourself captured by the beauty of it all with something always managing to surprise and take your breath away. And no playthrough is ever the same be it the order of the missions, when and where I do side stuff. There’s just so much variety and ways to do things. I’ve been to New Austin as Arthur courtesy of a trainer before and completed all the challenges as him because of it. This time, I’ve loaded in a Nuevo Paraiso mod that I am looking forward to trying out after I complete the epilogue. But next time, I’m going down there in the story to see what Arthur makes of it all. I’ve rambled on long enough but will sign off with a quote of an old post of mine. I said that no playthrough is ever the same. Let’s be more specific, no day is ever the same. Here’s an example of one such day that I remember fondly for exploring and adventuring. On 1/19/2021 at 4:58 PM, JB1982 said: I’m also on my second playthrough but I am having a completely different experience to the OP. About the only thing that I could agree with him on is that the game is slow paced. But I don’t see that as a bad thing. In fact, I think it is a good thing and works exceptionally well with how the game is designed. Because there is definitely more to the world of RDR2 beyond being “eye candy” and it is a very rewarding experience to step away from the story and just immerse yourself in the world. I can’t tell you how much I have gotten out of simply hanging around camp. You learn so much about each member of the gang doing just that, stuff that you would completely miss if you skipped through it and onto the next mission. One of the most charming moments I’ve ever come across in a game was dancing with Mary-Beth at Sean’s welcome home party at Horseshoe Overlook. I completely skipped the party on my first playthrough so I could just progress the story but on this playthrough I am quite happy to sit back and soak everything in and it’s an amazing experience. Away from camp there is really so much to do. I’ve been spending time hunting and doing Pearson’s camp upgrades. One of the items I have really struggled to find is some moose antlers. I spent seven to eight hours of gameplay on a hunt for a male moose the other week. I decided that the best place to start would maybe be somewhere near Strawberry and head out of Horseshoe Overlook where I was based at the time. Along the way I get ambushed by the O’Driscoll’s and get involved in a shootout and some looting. Nearing Strawberry, I pass the Appleseed Timber Company and help them out with a wolf attack. Back on my horse I head on up to and through Strawberry, circling back round on myself and heading northwards. I come across that Mexican gunslinger who challenges you to a shootout. I accept, win the bottle challenge but he beats me with the bird challenge. I hand over the bet and head on. I then do a home robbery on Watson’s Cabin and whilst I am in that area, I attack Hanging Dog Ranch. I also have a random encounter with a plant collector and end up picking some plants in the area. Throughout all this I have seen no signs of any moose so I decide to venture on up into Grizzlies West. I check out Lake Isabella first. I’ve been up here previously to get the White Arabian and thought it might be a good hunting ground. No joy. I decide to head on up to Colter and pay my respects to Davey Callander (and further up Jenny Kirk). I use Colter as a base and sleep there for the night. The next day I get on Old Faithful (my horse) and for no reason other than curiosity, I ride on up to see what’s left of the Adler Ranch because I have never been there on either playthough aside from in the opening mission. I have a bit of a wander around then I turn back and decide to check out Cairn Lake in my moose hunt. I encounter a hunter needing help locating his friend. Unfortunately, he’s met a bad end and so does the hunter after I report my findings to him. I am lucky not to meet the same fate. Barrow Lagoon is my next port of call and I am attacked by wolves on the way. At Barrow Lagoon, I still have no luck finding a moose so I decide it’s time to head East. I ride through what’s left of the day and into the night. Around dawn I am up near Cotorra Springs and I stop because I think it’s just such a beautiful area of the map. I know I am near the Legendary Wolf location so I figure I might as well go hunting even if it's not the animal I am looking for. One hunt later and I am riding to the Trapper. On the way, some guy tries to steal my horse! When I reach the Trapper, I sell and craft but it’s night again now so I decide to set up a camp. Have my first encounter with the Murfree Brood who give me a sinister warning. In response, I shot them. Then slept until the following morning. I head on over to the Central Union Railroad camp for my first encounter with them because I am in that area and help the foreman trace who is stealing his money but then it’s back to the moose hunt. The Legendary Moose is up at Brandywine Drop so I am thinking maybe that’s a good spot to find normal moose. I come across the Murfree Brood raiding some poor campers and end up in another shootout. Around Brandywine Drop I’m tracking all sorts of animal trails but none that belong to a moose. But I wonder if hunting the Legendary Moose might trigger normal moose spawning in the area afterwards. So I hunt that legendary creature and ride on back to the Trapper afterwards. Then back on up to Brandywine Drop. It’s getting on in the day again and night is falling so once I am back at Brandywine Drop I do a bit of a scout around the area to see if there’s any sign of any moose and end up noticing a campfire near to me. I approach cautiously as you never know what to expect with these things and I am invited to join the camper who ends up talking about his days at Fort Riggs over a bottle of whiskey. I then set up my own camp not too far from here only for the Murfree Brood to attack me again! After a sleep, I am back on the moose trail. Sure enough, moose have appeared now in the area but they’re all females so I am still not having any luck in the hunt for my antlers. At which point I decided it was time to call it a day. So no joy with my actual quest but those eight hours went absolutely nowhere because it was just filled with content and plenty to do. Not one story mission involved with any of the play period. And I love the game for that. jas385 and Jisoo 2 Link to comment https://gtaforums.com/topic/992744-what-is-rdr2%E2%80%99s-greatest-accomplishment/page/2/#findComment-1072348127 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harwood_Butcher007 Posted March 18, 2024 Share Posted March 18, 2024 For me, it's the attention to detail: The game is a work of art. Emmi, Dan390, JE77 and 2 others 5 Link to comment https://gtaforums.com/topic/992744-what-is-rdr2%E2%80%99s-greatest-accomplishment/page/2/#findComment-1072359632 Share on other sites More sharing options...
The-Ghost Posted March 21, 2024 Share Posted March 21, 2024 On 11/1/2023 at 10:49 PM, The-Ghost said: This pretty much, the game is an absolute trip. Everything else contributes to that, the visuals and insane amount of animations/voice lines for almost everything just plays more into it. It's very difficult for me to watch a video of the game and not just want to load it up and play right away. I wanna add to this; the sheer amount of content, I've sunk hundreds of hours into this game and every time there's something I hadn't seen before, some random NPC scenario, some small detail here and there, the devs really gave it their all. billiejoearmstrong8, Kris194 and JE77 3 Link to comment https://gtaforums.com/topic/992744-what-is-rdr2%E2%80%99s-greatest-accomplishment/page/2/#findComment-1072360736 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platface Posted March 28, 2024 Share Posted March 28, 2024 Story-wise, everyone in this game are actual humans. Not that raw character stuff which we still see in those AAA games. RDR2 proved that chain can be broken. Everyone have their own personalities, ideas, missions and routines. You can see that Sadie becomes friends with Abigail after some missions on Valentine. Spoiler Micah, that mission where Arthur gets kidnapped by Colm and escaped afterwards. You can still track pawprints without enabling Eagle-Eye. billiejoearmstrong8 1 Link to comment https://gtaforums.com/topic/992744-what-is-rdr2%E2%80%99s-greatest-accomplishment/page/2/#findComment-1072363298 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackhood1191 Posted May 8, 2024 Share Posted May 8, 2024 Hands down the story and the amount of details in this game, it's at the literal top Link to comment https://gtaforums.com/topic/992744-what-is-rdr2%E2%80%99s-greatest-accomplishment/page/2/#findComment-1072377537 Share on other sites More sharing options...
DUNK512 Posted May 15, 2024 Share Posted May 15, 2024 Feeling like a cohesive game with a singular direction in spit of the fact it was made by literally thousands of people. see the assassins creeds and the cyberpunks and the watch dogs for the opposite. The-Ghost 1 Link to comment https://gtaforums.com/topic/992744-what-is-rdr2%E2%80%99s-greatest-accomplishment/page/2/#findComment-1072380416 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemoyne outlaw Posted May 15, 2024 Share Posted May 15, 2024 red dead redemption 2 does so many great things. i could spend all day talking about everything it does good. but i think the best thing they did would have to be micah bell. he is my favorite character in any media. from video games and movies to tv shows. micah is the best for me. from his badass appearance and fighting ability. to his hilarious dialogue. his actor is top notch. as much as i love arthur and john. i just can't help but root for micah. when he tells john to join him i wanted so badly to join him and kill sadie. (i would say that sadie was the worst part of rdr2 for me.) it's just refreshing to see a guy who is scared of nothing and has no qualms killing. i love arthur but it gets annoying when he complains to micah about his killing sprees. when arthur kills hundreds of people in 1899 alone. sure as a real life person micah would be despicable. but as a video game character he is great. i wish we could see peter in more roles. he blows steven ogg out of the water. Link to comment https://gtaforums.com/topic/992744-what-is-rdr2%E2%80%99s-greatest-accomplishment/page/2/#findComment-1072380780 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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