Red Dead Redemption 2 may just signal the dawn of a new era for open-world games, and it's an experience that I have no doubt players will be investing tens (if not hundreds) of hours into its immense, deep world and completing its story full of action, suspense, and deeply investing character moments. Over the course of its journey, you can easily see the ways that Rockstar Games has not just focused on delivering a world that is massive in scope, but far richer in the ways that it builds on everything that the studio has done in its past games and enhances them for a new generation. Red Dead Redemption 2 aimed high in delivering players a living, breathing world, and it has surely hit its mark as Rockstar's deepest, most immersive experience yet.

Red Dead Redemption 2 will release for PS4 and Xbox One on October 26th, 2018. If you have yet to pick up a copy of the game, you can do that right now over on Amazon before it releases later this month.

Before diving fully into my gripes with something that only has just shy over a minute of game footage that’s been shown, let me explain what made the other two games so special. Both, Red Dead Revolver/Redemption were games that touched on a part of American mythos in the best of ways. Even other cultural mythos play into what makes these games so great, with many different backgrounds showcased. Each game is a unique tail of one man’s quest deeply personal to them. Not only exploring the characters presented fully, but also putting forth some of the best storytelling for video games of such a genre at each respective time. Each felt like a true American western tale.

By forcing you to slow down and complete duties that seem lackluster, you slowly start to feel more present in this world and grow closer to your own version of Arthur. If Red Dead Redemption 2 was just all about riding around the West and shooting up saloons with your revolver, you'd likely feel disconnected from your avatar. The game then just becomes a power trip and the character that you end up playing is just an amplified version of your own wants and desires. Doing simple chores though such as chopping wood, skinning animals and dragging them back to my horse, and Alpha Boss Pal Locations donating to the gang's larger pool of money has made me feel more of a bond with Arthur than any other character I've played as in recent memory. My bond with the character thus far has been established in these small moments, not the large ones.

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, timed-exclusives have been received rather poorly by gamers–and rightfully so. No one wants to feel like their console is the inferior box, or that they made the wrong purchasing decision. However, that is simply the nature of the business today, and short of owning every current gaming system, there is truly no way to guard against this sort of marketing strat

While both the storytelling and gameplay bring Red Dead Redemption 2 's Western world to life, the visuals and soundtrack truly stand out and make Rockstar's newest open-world striking and beautiful. The game's Western environments come to life in vivid detail and color, and I don't think it will be hard at all for players to find themselves stopping to simply appreciate the little details and moments that truly bring a sense of place to this world, especially with the game's vast ecosystem and variety of wildlife.

Rockstar has such a great opportunity to deliver a tale that is bathed in more of a classic period piece than a ritzy Hollywood do over. If the game looks anything like what the teaser presented, they just might deliver that game. It seemed calm yet brooding. It seemed slower, while being thoughtful. The posse of men on horseback seen in the trailer is fitting for the time. It was stupid to travel alone through the wilderness of America, and cowboys relied on each other for not only companionship, but the journey ahead. My mind keeps wandering to The Magnificent Seven though and I can’t shake that this is what might be showcased. A band of cowboy bandits causing all sorts of mayhem in a sort of Magnificent Seven bizarro world. The previous two games were great because the stories encountered seemed real; the characters seemed like real people dealing with personal qualms that had nothing to do with me. It’s the reason I loved the Witcher 3, the world didn’t care about the player, but if I could stop and help, I’d go for it. Otherwise, time to hit the dusty trail.