As a prequel, Red Dead Redemption 2 is set well over a decade before the events of Red Dead Redemption , which takes players into the thick of the Van der Linde gang's story at the peak of their infamy in the great American West. Where Red Dead Redemption followed John Marston's search for vengeance many years after the gang's disbanding, Red Dead Redemption 2 instead follows Arthur Morgan, the right-hand man of Dutch Van der Linde, as he fights to protect the rest of the gang in their journey to stay one step ahead of the law, and the imminent demise of their outlaw life by modern society.

While Red Dead Redemption 2 is clearly a game that we think highly of here at DualShockers , it's not one that is infallible by any means. In fact, since its Palworld Major update release this past Friday, the most common complaint that I have heard not only from some of my friends but fellow writers here at DualShockers is that Red Dead Redemption 2 is far too slow and plodding. Even after getting past the game's initial opening hours and having the world start to open up, traveling from one location to another takes far too long, animations are too slow, and there's not the typical intuitiveness that streamlines many of the systems and mechanics that you might find in other open-world games.

Honestly, I agree with most of this. I do think that Red Dead Redemption 2 forces you to do far more menial tasks that I feel like most other developers would never think to include. Being forced to pick up your weapons from your horse and equip them to Arthur before heading out in the wild is a far cry compared the hundreds of other games in existence that allow you to carry near-infinite weapons on your person. In addition to having to physically pick up items off of the shelf in a general store, the lack of a fast travel system early on, and the need to do other small chores such eating food in order to keep up your Cores, these tasks do seem almost boring and their inclusion could be questionable.

Let's be honest, life can be pretty boring at times. In fact, more often than not, what you do in a given week is lame. Sure, there are highlights and moments in everyone's life that you think back on frequently but most of the time, what you do in a day isn't exciting. Think about it: every morning you surely wake up, take a shower, go to work, eat some food, come home and go to bed.

Anyone who has ever tried to get someone (especially a non-gamer) into League, knows this struggle. Their number one problem is that they don’t understand turrets. They will literally fall over and over again for months. This is a problem, and it frustrates them to no end. But their out of character cursing and yelling is worth it. How often are they calm, cool, and collected? How often have they told you to stop yelling because it’s just a game? For them to finally understand your pain could do wonders for your relations

In a time where open-world games are a dime a dozen, my problem with most titles in the genre is that they rarely force you to engage with the world that has been laid out. Instead, developers just use the confines of an open-world to place the structure of their game inside of, because it's the normal thing to do more often than not nowadays. Simply existing in an open-world though isn't enough when you don't feel any sort of connection to the environment that you're within. Forcing you to explore and take your time in the world allows you to get to know the area which you find yourself in. This is something that I think The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild did so perfectly last year , and it's something that I think finds success here in Red Dead Redemption 2 as well.

On a corner in Blackwater, John comes across a reverend ranting about the evils of alcohol and calling for men to give it up in order to obtain true freedom in their lives. Although John doesn’t necessarily agree, their exchange is friendly enough, and they both continue on with their lives. Move a bit down the block, and a local bootlegger pulls John aside and offers him some money to kill the reverend and silence his loud, public sermon permanen

Compared to the themes of revenge and justice that drove John Marston (and the player) throughout the story of Red Dead Redemption , the shift that Rockstar puts on to the Van der Linde gang as a whole places Red Dead Redemption 2 's storytelling in a very different context, but one that is just as compelling and engaging as John's hunt for the members of his former gang. Despite the fact that the game is a prequel, which gives players some sense of awareness as to the fates of certain characters such as John Marston, Dutch Van der Linde, Javier Escuela, Bill Williamson, and more, the story in Red Dead Redemption 2 -- without getting too thick into the weeds of spoilers -- takes so many twists, turns, and surprises that it holds its own in crafting an engaging tale with so many exceptional moments to enjoy.

Now, while I enjoy that Red Dead Redemption 2 has built in so many things that force you to slow down, I think it's important to note that this probably isn't something I would want to see from every video game in existence. Trust me, I enjoy how streamlined most other games are now as much as the next guy. But in Red Dead Redemption 2 , I think I've started to see early on in my playthrough the larger purpose that Rockstar has with all of these added elements to the game.