Aside from the direct ways that you can interact with characters in Red Dead Redemption 2 , there are an even wider range of ways that Rockstar is truly aiming for players to really "live" inside this world by playing as Arthur. This comes down to factors such as eating, sleeping, taking Arthur to the local town barber for a haircut and a shave (if you want his hair or beard longer, you'll have to wait until it grows out), and even down to whether Arthur enters a town armed or unarmed. Naturally, holding your weapon while striding through a town will have its citizens on edge and wary of your actions, while holstering your weapon will make for more civil engagements. As one of the Rockstar reps mentioned as we entered a town, this even extends to the way that you enter a new location on horseback -- a calm trot into town will go over much better than charging headlong into town and (potentially) running over an innocent civilian.

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.

For all the genre's advancements in the past decade or more, only a few games have come close to the sort of ultimate, lofty goal of crafting an open-world that truly feels "living." Many open-world games have aimed to become a place where players can not only have the chance to engage with a game world that is ripe with possibility and endless locations to explore, but to really immerse players inside a world and make them feel like a part of it. They want to be a place where players can influence its direction and truly feel like they have an impact on its characters and setting.

Unfortunately, one key component to Red Dead Redemption 2 I have difficulty getting into is the controls. The controls are similar to the typical Rockstar open world formula (at least Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption), with a thousand different actions being assigned to a handful of buttons. This is a mechanical marvel with all the different systems at play, from gunplay, horseback riding, hand-to-hand combat, character interactions and so forth. Controlling Arthur feels loose and stiff at the same time, something I can never put my finger on, and I have a difficult time determining if it’s a good or bad thing. Sometimes it can be frustrating, while other times it can lend to the charm of the game. The gunplay is still top notch, though, with each of the old rifles, pistols and shotguns feeling authentic and enjoyable to fire, especially with the Dead Eye skill. There are a ton of different weapons to obtain, all of which are need to be properly maintained, which somewhat ties into the survival aspect of the game, such as maintaining food intake for both you and your horse.

That's all until Red Dead Redemption 2 , Rockstar Games' long-awaited and highly-anticipated follow-up to the 2010 Western epic Red Dead Redemption , and a title that is aiming to take the next step when it comes to delivering a truly immersive Open World Gaming 2025-world experience. Coming off the heels of the previous game -- one which many look back on as one of the best games of the last generation -- it's an understatement to say that Red Dead Redemption 2 has been a long time coming, and even more so to point out the unbearably high expectations that have been placed on it.

First and foremost, let’s take a look at Rockstar Games’ track record with single-player titles. Rockstar has not delivered a new title since 2013’s _ Grand Theft Auto V _ , which is ultimately a reflection of the success of _ Grand Theft Auto Online _ . In fact, Rockstar has only released two other games since the original _ Red Dead Redemption _ and _ Undead Nightmare _ expansion in 2010: _ L.A. Noire _ and _ Max Payne 3 _ . Hopefully, the _ Red Dead Redemption 2 _ team at Rockstar was fully-devoted to the title and the wait will be worth it, but a five-year hiatus from releasing any single-player title is enough to make us a bit w