Anthony's Film Review - Red Dead Redemption 2 (Video Game, 2018)

Just when you think Rockstar Games could not possibly make an even greater masterpiece, it manages to surpass even its last one...

There have been plenty of great video game development studios over the years, but if you were to ask me, in the year 2018, what my favorite video game company is, I can easily say that it's Rockstar Games. This is the brand behind the thrilling open-world street crime game series Grand Theft Auto. It's a franchise that I've come to really appreciate, especially as each successive GTA game attempts to be a step above its predecessor. Rockstar's commitment to high-quality gameplay really shows with Grand Theft Auto V, a game designed so incredibly well that my review of it is the longest and most glowing video game review I have ever written. GTAV was practically the greatest video game ever. It made me wonder how Rockstar Games could possibly make another title that is even better than that one.

Unexpectedly, five years after GTAV in 2013, Rockstar exceeded my expectations. The company released the Western action-adventure game Red Dead Redemption 2, a game that is surprisingly even better than GTAV. Even now, I still can't believe I'm saying this. Here is a video game that has incredible photorealistic graphics, a gigantic wide-open world, immersive gameplay, and a thrilling story. In fact, I would go as far as to say that Red Dead Redemption 2 is really a virtual world to lose yourself in, rather than just a video game. Believe me when I say that GTAV is a very, very good title and yet RDR2 is an even greater masterpiece.

Let's talk about the world of RDR2. Imagine a vast landscape of stunning beauty as far as the eye can see, with all sorts of natural features to admire. In one part, you have mountains covered in thick snow that you and the horse you ride on can leave visible tracks in. In other parts, there are forests, prairies, and grass-covered mountains, plus wetlands to the south. You'll also find deep and shallow rivers flowing here and there, along with wide lakes and a few majestic waterfalls. If you wait long enough, there is a giant desert you'll get to explore. And while I'm on the topic of landscapes, let me also mention the weather phenomena in RDR2. No matter where you are, you will experience everything from the brightness of day and the darkness of night to torrential rains and blinding dust storms. All of these landscape features span five fictional states in the Southern United States. Imagine carving out states like Texas, Mississippi, and Louisiana and replacing them with Rockstar's versions of the deep South. (Interestingly, the game still has plenty of references to other real-life U.S. states, like California, Montana, New York, and Florida.)

The story of RDR2 begins in the year 1899, at the turn of the century when America is transitioning away from lifestyles of the Old West and toward more civilized living. A gang of outlaws, led by Dutch van der Linde, is on the run after a failed robbery attempt in the town of Blackwater. They flee into a snowy mountain range during a blizzard and have no choice but to shelter in place until the storm passes. While the weather may temporarily deter the efforts of Pinkerton detectives to find these outlaws, there is still the risk of death from the cold or from starvation.

This game features wonderfully developed characters, and there are lots of those just with this outlaw gang. Dutch van der Linde is both an idealist, believing in freedom while taking a stand against powerful people, as well as an opportunist, turning whatever circumstances and situations currently present into advantages for himself. Arthur Morgan, whom the player assumes the role of when the game starts, is a dedicated criminal who seems to possess his own code of honor. Charles Smith, who is half black and half Native American, is a strong and brave man who still maintains some humanity and integrity. Micah Bell is a brash outlaw who often gets into dangerous situations without careful planning, to Arthur's annoyance. Sadie Adler, who is one of my favorite characters in this game, is a widow whose husband was killed by another outlaw gang and, over time, becomes a fierce gunslinger herself as her grief serves as powerful motivation. Then there is John Marston, the main character of the first Red Dead Redemption game, as well as his lover Abigail Roberts and their son Jack. Other characters include the old conman Hosea Matthews, the Mexican outlaw Javier Escuella, the British con artist Josiah Trelawny, and the lady outlaw Susan Grimshaw, among plenty of others I have not mentioned.

The plot unfolds over the course of many missions in the game. The gang has to move their camp from one location to the next as the Pinkertons are constantly on their trail. There are opportunities here and there to score some money illegally, such as train robberies and loan sharking schemes. However, other situations present complications for the gang, including the presence of rival outlaw gangs, threats from an oil baron named Leviticus Cornwall, conflict between a U.S. army regiment and a Native American tribe, and a feud between two plantation families known as the Grays and the Braithwaites. Even as the gang gets closer to the one big scheme that could make them rich for life, the real question is whether anyone will survive it all.

In between the story missions and after the last one, you the player can explore the world at your leisure. You can ride your horse as you go sightseeing across the states. In addition, you can discover various side adventures when you encounter characters not related to the main story. The game provides two types of such interactions. One is called Strangers. Basically, these are missions that you do related to strangers you come across. The other is called Chance Encounters, which are very brief moments that you can get yourself into and act in a manner of your choosing. Altogether, the Strangers and Chance Encounters involve a wide variety of situations, like a mad preacher in a river, peeping toms, a lady gunslinger known as Black Belle, stranded people asking for a horseback ride back home, a pair of men escaping a chain gang, a nature photographer getting too close to predators, two men competing for love from the same woman, horseback riders wanting a race, and wagons transporting arrested outlaws. There's one set of Chance Encounters I find especially amusing: interactions with members of the Ku Klux Klan, which usually end badly for them, deservedly so. (Note: I don't believe the KKK is officially referred to by name in this game, but the robes and pointed hoods are unmistakable.)

Another form of side adventures in RDR2 involves collectibles, of which there are plenty of types. While exploring the landscape, you may encounter Points of Interest that you can inspect and then sketch into a journal. There are over 40 of them, though you only need to identify one as a requirement for achieving 100% Completion of the game. However, certain other collectibles are more challenging to find. They include 30 dinosaur bones for a scientist looking for dinosaur fossils, 10 rock carvings for a man interested in them, 20 dreamcatchers (Native American decorations hanging from trees) that will point you to a secret, and 144 cards from cigarette packs that can be sent to someone who will reward you in return. There are other collectibles in the game, but I'll let new players discover what they are.

Given that you are often out exploring nature during your adventures, various outdoor activities are available to you. You can go hunting, killing whatever animals you come across with whatever weapons you wish. If the animal corpses aren't excessively large, you can carry them with you on your horse, up to a certain limit. You can also remove their skins (or pluck feathers, if it's a bird) and harvest their meat and other parts. If you're at a body of water, you can go fishing to catch whatever species of fish are native to that area. They, too, are a good source of food. Then there are various herbs you can pick off the ground, plus rare orchids that may be growing on the ground or on the trunks of trees. At any time, you can set up a camp to sleep, cook any fish or animal meat, craft new items from herbs, and modify weapons with poison or other ingredients. Crafting requires recipes that you pick up during your travels, so keep your eyes open.

Alternatively, you can sell the items you pick up from out in the wild. There are trappers who can buy animal skins and other items off of you, as well as craft new clothing items out of perfect-quality animal hides. In addition, you can go to various towns, like Valentine, Strawberry, and Rhodes, or the big city of Saint Denis (pronounced "San da-KNEE") to buy and sell various items at general stores and butcher shops, as well as purchase firearms and ammunition at gunsmiths, medicines from doctor's clinics, and clothes from general stores and tailor shops. Now, if you have stolen valuables you want to sell, there are a few fences you can visit to do just that. Same goes for stolen horses and wagons.

With so many things to discover, you naturally want to have some way of documenting your progress. Well, thankfully, this Rockstar Games title generously provides a progress menu that has a checklist of the items needed to achieve 100% Completion. Aside from that, there is the Compendium that provides checklists for various other things, including animals (over 170 in all!), fish (15 species, each in regular and legendary varieties), plants, equipment items, weapons, horse breeds (over 15 total), and cigarette cards (yes, all 144 of them). Then there are the Challenges, which involve completing tasks related to things like hunting, weapons, criminal activity, gambling, horses, and surviving in the wilderness. Completing all challenges is required for 100% Completion.

Let's say you want to take a serious break from these adventures I've described so far. There are a few things you can do to really relax. For example, there are saloons in almost every town you set foot in. That's where you can buy some food or drink to regain your energy. You can also find some places to gamble, for which there are four games you can pick from: poker (specifically, Texas hold'em), blackjack, dominoes, and five finger fillet (stabbing a knife in spaces between fingers of a hand outstretched on a table surface). If you want to just sit back, relax, and just watch something, you have a few options: live theater in Saint Denis, a motion picture theater to watch humorous silent animated films, or a tent theater in Valentine to watch slide projection shows accompanied with audio recordings. Now, if you want to just lie back and relax and do nothing else, you can pay for a bath at a hotel. For an extra fee, you can have a lovely lady come in and scrub you down.

As an outlaw, you are bound to come across members of rival outlaw gangs. They may ambush you at certain spots. They may also just be camping quietly, and that's when you yourself can ambush them in a deadly gunfight. There are several outlaw gangs you may encounter. I'll mention three that are definitely encountered during the main story. The first gang is the O'Driscoll Boys, a band of mainly Irish American men who love to commit crimes and spend their loot on whores. The second gang is the Lemoyne Raiders, consisting of veterans who fought for the Confederacy during the American Civil War before forming an anti-government militia. The third gang is the Murfree Brood, a family of backwoods savages who do not hesitate to commit murder, or even engage in cannibalism, for survival. Most of the outlaw gangs have hideouts that, if you successfully raid them, will net you plenty of money and resources.

If you play the game as a fairly dishonorable outlaw, you are bound to encounter lawmen. If you commit any crime and at least one witness sees you do it, the game will display a Witness notification. That's when you have the chance to stop the witness, either with verbal intimidation or by killing that individual. However, if the witness reports the crime to a lawman, the Wanted notification appears, with a note that the crime has been reported. That's when you better flee the scene. If you are spotted, lawmen will come after you. If you successfully escape the area and avoid being respotted, you're clear for now. It is possible that a bounty will be placed on your head. The only way to get rid of that is to go to a post office and pay off the bounty yourself.

When it comes to combat, you have plenty of options for fighting methods. There are plenty of revolvers and pistols that you can come across, as well as rifles and shotguns. You can also fight with knives or large blades, or hurl throwing knives, tomahawks, hatchets, fire bottles, and dynamite. And of course, you always have your own two fists, particularly in certain settings like saloons. The real-time combat in this game is a whole lot of fun. Still, if you are in a gunfight, you can achieve even more impressive results using the Dead Eye feature, where time slows down to let you mark multiple targets before firing at each of those marks accurately in rapid succession. Of course, like your health and stamina, Dead Eye time is limited, so use it wisely or consume items that will restore it.

I've covered a lot of features in RDR2, but it is still likely not everything. There are plenty of other miscellaneous things in this game. For example, there is an Honor system that goes up for good deeds and down for bad deeds, which can affect things like store discounts. If you like to ride with style, there are lots of options for customizing your horse's saddle, stirrups, mane, and tail. Similarly, any gunsmith you visit offers options for customized weapons upgrades, with some improving the performance of your weapon and others being cosmetic options to make your weapon look more unique. And if you like to find riches, you'll definitely love the treasure maps, which are one of my favorite side activities in this game. The maps contain hand sketches of landscape features that you first must identify before figuring out the exact spot where a treasure is hidden. Often, another treasure map is stashed, as these maps are parts of treasure map chains, with the first map leading to the second and the second leading to the third.

The last thing about this game I would like to talk about is the music. The score and soundtrack are just phenomenal. The tunes fit the game's setting and story very well, whether they are ambient pieces while traveling through the wilderness or more intense background tracks for the game's action-oriented moments. Besides instrumental tracks, there are also songs that are sung during certain points in the story or during the end credits after the final story mission. For example, during a horseback ride following an extended absence at a certain point in the story, the game's graphics and sound fade slightly as the singer D'Angelo performs "Unshaken," an emotional tune about staying strong even in the face of great danger. Another beautiful song during a specific horseback ride is "That's the Way It Is," which fits a certain moment in the story so well. There's also the song "Cruel World," with one version performed by Willie Nelson. Then there's one song that is memorable in an unexpected way: "The Housebuilding Song," an upbeat and lively country tune that plays during a sequence that involves, yes, building a brand new house.

Despite its name, Red Dead Redemption 2 is actually not a sequel to the original Red Dead Redemption game. RDR2 is a prequel, taking place before the first game. While John Marston was the main character of RDR1, he is still a prominent secondary character in RDR2. At the time of this review, I had not played RDR1, but I can imagine that fans of that game will appreciate a little of John Marston's backstory, even from the perspective of Arthur Morgan. After playing RDR2, I do wonder if Rockstar Games will ever release a remastered version of RDR1 with updates to graphics and features to bring that game in line with RDR2. It's wishful thinking, but one can dream, right?

Before playing this game, I've only had a mild interest in Westerns. Sure, I've seen Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and I wouldn't mind seeing other classic Western films, like those starring John Wayne, but I've never read any novels of the Western genre, nor am I part of the generation that has watched The Lone Ranger or other Westerns on television. And yet, all of a sudden, I've become much more interested in Western stories, thanks to my incredible experience with playing Red Dead Redemption 2. Never before have I been so immersed in a Western that I begin imagining going back in time to the 1800s to live the life that people lived back then. I'll even go as far as to say that this game is a great way to introduce people to Westerns if they've never been too interested in them.

With everything I have talked about, Red Dead Redemption 2 is the best video game I have ever played and, in my opinion, the greatest video game ever made. I said this before about Grand Theft Auto V, another Rockstar Games hit, and I never thought anything could beat it. But apparently, I was blown away again. GTAV is a solid masterpiece, yet RDR2 is a big step even above that. At this point, I cannot imagine what Rockstar Games will do next to exceed what RDR2 has done, but knowing what this video game development company has done so far, I won't be surprised if they pull it off. In any event, Red Dead Redemption 2 represents the best of the Rockstar Games library, as a grand achievement in creating a world, telling a story, and providing endless gameplay fun.

Anthony's Rating:

For more information about Red Dead Redemption 2, visit the Internet Movie Database and Moby Games.