5/5 ★ – kubachowicki_'s review of Red Dead Redemption II.

This might be one of the hardest reviews I might ever try to write for a video game. First of all, my ranking of each chapter, of which I love every single one (!): 1. Chapter 4 2. 3 3. 6 4. Epilogue - Part 2 5. 2 6. 5 7. 1 8. Epilogue - Part 1 I don't think I've ever been more excited to play a game before, until I got around to playing this masterpiece, and it did not disappoint. In fact, it even exceeded my already high initial expectations. Instant favourite. 'Red Dead Redemption 2' is not just a game, it's a whole experience. No game has ever made me feel the way this game has, and I doubt any game ever will. Arthur Morgan sits on the Mount Rushmore of video game characters, and even characters in any form of storytelling media, but that would not have been possible without the greatness of the man in front of the camera, Roger Clarke. This is by far the most realistic game I've ever had the pleasure to set my eyes on, and that makes it all the better and helps to immerse you in that experience. Rockstar have created a game that will stand the test of time, and this game cements itself as one of the greatest achievements not just in gaming but in art as a whole. What is labelled as a sequel, but is actually a prequel to its 2010 predecessor; RDR2 is perfect. It took the formula that made the first game so good and improved upon it in every single way. From the revolutionary graphics to the more smooth controls and gameplay, or the precision to every little detail. The story is one of the best ever told, and definitely my personal favourite in the Western genre. I love the Western genre, and particularly 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly' (1966), which would probably slot into my top 10 favourite films, and if not then it would sit just outside it, but RDR2 is a whole new level of storytelling. A rollercoaster of emotions from start to finish, from joy and thrill to sadness and distress. It's one of the very few games that have managed to make me cry. It makes small things during the story have meaning and a place, instead of them just being little things you do with another character that becomes very forgettable. It makes the huge events stick around in your mind, and the crazy abundance of set pieces is just a work of art. There are so many missions that you could call the best mission in the game. It's really long, even if you don't include the 2-part epilogue, and yet it manages to keep perfect pacing throughout. The game does not drag at all and constantly has you wanting more. A lot of people complain about chapter 1 being too slow, and I couldn't disagree more. It sets the tone perfectly, and the game starts off feeling exactly the way it is for the characters on our screens, a survival game, before going out into the open world with the Gang starting from chapter 2. It dives straight into a rough situation and puts you the player into the shoes of Arthur Morgan to navigate that rough situation with the rest of the Gang. The character work is impeccable. Every single character in the Van Der Linde Gang has a place and a role, even the "less important" ones. Each character interaction, gang member or not, feels like it has meaning and reveals something new to you every time. The dialogue is sublime, so rich with lore and flavour that allows you to really connect with the characters. Sometimes, it feels like it's something out of a Quentin Tarantino film. It's so compelling, making the story, and even side content all the more interesting, and also giving us more lore of the Old West and the characters' past prior to the events of the game. It's such a thirst for more. Even the returning characters that we saw in RDR1 have so much development to them, despite us already knowing their fates. We get to see them from a completely different perspective before everything went downhill. There is only one game that to me is better, and that is 'The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt'. Other than that game, I don't think I've ever seen a game released before this one that has looked better, and RDR2 even looks better than 90% of games that came after it. Cutscenes in this game feel almost movie like, not just with the beautiful graphics, voice acting, and motion capture, but also the letterboxing, which I always just find so appealing. The score and atmosphere that this game provides are fantastic, and they perfectly complement each other during missions. The beautiful open world of the Old West is one of the best I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing and exploring, to the point that I literally refuse to fast travel, and travel everywhere on horseback, even if it means having to travel thousands of metres across a huge chunk of the map, potentially to a place I've already been to. The abundance of side content also elevates this game to crazy heights. The Old West of 'Red Dead Redemption 2' is so vast and filled with activities to the point where you just want to carry on doing them, whether it's taking detours during the main story as Arthur, or during the epilogue as John Marston, or waiting until post game to complete them all. They're not only fun and interesting, but they really help you become even more invested into the Old West. Moreover, some of them also tie into the main story in a way, or just give you very amazing moments that you'd completely miss if you chose to not do them, which to me would feel like not getting the full experience that this game has to offer. Personally, I'm not really a multiplayer gamer anymore, as I much prefer to immerse myself in the beauty of single-player story games now, so I haven't played 'Red Dead Online'. I have heard that Rockstar just completely abandoned it even though it was quite fun, which is a big shame for those who enjoyed it. It's unfortunate that I won't be getting platinum on this masterpiece because of Online. There are only a tiny handful of criticisms I have, and they're honestly all just me nitpicking. I'll just listen them below: - No 60fps update. - Wanted system can be annoying: you can do the tiniest thing by accident, and next thing you know, you've got the whole law shooting at you. - Certain gold medal requirements feeling like chores rather than challenges that enhance the way you play the mission. - Delayed item pickups: it can take a few seconds for the character to get into a specific position before initiating the pickup animation even if you've already held the button. - Not being able to run or even fast walk in certain places: you walk like a slug. - Menu can be slow sometimes. This might be the longest review I've ever written, but this game deserves it. I had a blast writing this, and I had an even bigger blast playing one of my favourite games of all time.