As is clearly evident now, Rockstar have put a lot of effort into their online game mode in GTA V . So you'd we expect it to be smooth sailing when we log on, right? Wrong. So many reports have come through about the failures of GTA Online' s lobbies. They always seem unable to cope with the sheer amount they have to process. In my personal experience, they've always felt really choppy and slow. Often, I've been kicked out of lobbies for what seems like no good reason. The option to join your friends lobby when they are in free roam is a great one, making it easier to connect with your pals without having to bother them with invites. But, again it seems like such a temperamental feature, as I'm often being told I have no friends active, when I clearly do! I even had this happen with a guy who was in the same room as

As for the main story, it’s entertaining but far from revolutionary. It has its highs and lows, the lows being the lack of development outside anyone who’s within the Van der Linde gang. You get to meet a plethora of characters through Arthur’s journey and yet most of them only appear in one or two missions, outside of a couple of exceptions. Red Dead Redemptions 2 moves at an incredible pace to the point that most people in the world are disposable and sometimes unnecessary, making me wish there was more of a focus on specific story beats as it’s spread too thin in spots. With that said, outside of the phenomenal core cast, what Rockstar does right is create exciting scenarios. This is something the company is known for, crafting well-designed and often comical heists that are sure to go awry. Whether it’s robbing a train or a stagecoach, or simply walking through town, each chapter has a handful of standout missions that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Granted, the other missions are mostly broken up into your standard affairs, but at least they’re kept lively thanks to Arthur generally being assisted by another member of the gang.

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 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.

Though dual wielding is such an iconic part of Westerns, it's never been a part of the Red Dead series. The ability to fire two guns simultaneously has to be one of the most electrifying feelings in video games. At the end of the trailer, during the shot of the seven riders, we get a glimpse at one of the rider's dual wielding pistols. This doesn't indicate that the player themselves will be able to do this, but the fact that it's a primary characteristic of a main focus of the trailer does give us hope. It's not crazy to think that in a game that may have an RPG skill tree, a player could unlock the ability to fire two pistols simultaneously. At the very least, we'll have the opportunity to fight with or against a character with the ability to shoot multiple people at the same t

At the bottom right corner of this "leaked" map is the fictional New Orleans-based city, New Bordeaux. New Bordeaux is the location of the Paradark Studio’s other title– Mafia III –so fans are left to speculate if this is simply a fun Easter Egg, or rather an intricate tie

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.

As it currently stands, Red Dead Redemption 2 is one of the most anticipated games of 2018, and it is also one of the biggest question marks. Aside from a few leaks and a relatively short teaser trailer, fans do not have a lot of information to go on. And as always, as it pertains to the Internet at least, with a lack of information comes a healthy dose of rumors and speculat