How many people are freaking out about this game?

I've never been this hyped about a game before it came out (with the only thing coming close being No Man's Sky, which failed tremendously for me). The sheer amount of depth in this game is frightening, probably the closest thing to realism that any open world game has ever achieved. If you haven't yet jumped on the bandwagon, now is the time. From weapon customization to hundreds of fully-voiced NPCs to brushing your horse's mane to corpses that actually rot in real time (and are scavenged by area wildlife), Rockstar seems to have put every resource at their disposal into this game. I've attached the first two gameplay videos for your perusal, but there are plenty of others out there breaking down what has been released if you're interested.

 

I'm in a conundrum where I'm trying not be hyped about this. CK2: Holy Fury, Spiderman, FIFA, Super Mario Oddesey, Zelda, Pokemon are all on my list to play first and unless I quit my job break all ties and live like a hermit for twelve months I can't even start thinking about the amount of hours I would have to sink into this.

Looks tight though.

 

It's probably going to be an incredible technical achievement and also I've never been interested in GTA and the Wild West spinoff. I also find it hard to get hyped for games in the era of MTX and AAA being what it is. I wish all ya'll who play a grand time. I'll wave at RDR2 as I scroll past videos on YT.

 

My main question, how strong is the story?

One of the reasons single player games have done so well recently (God of War, Spiderman) is because in addition to their great gameplay, they had a good, tight story. So with it being open world, I'm curious how strong of a story RDR2 will have.

 

I'm 30% into the story and so far, it's pretty good. My main gripe with the game is travel and honor. Fast travel is damn near useless with it being accessible oonly rom home camp and only allowing you to travel from home camp, not to. Horseback riding is okay but can get tiresome after a while. Horse care can also get a bit annoying but it's a minor gripe.

The honor system is also broken as fuck. I've spent hours and committed digital genocide multiple times trying to reach the lowest honor level (having assumed that that would be easier than maxing honor), and yet, I'm only half-way to min honor.

Ammo wasn't as much of an issue as I thought it'd be, especially on low honor runs. If you run over a gun, you can pick up the ammo without having to loot (which can take a while and get you killed). This make it hilariously easy to restock your ammo, especially if you go on a killing spree.



Overall, the game's been a blast so far but some minor issues (honor, horse care, etc) and major issue (traveling) created in the name of realism and immersion have bogged it down.

 

Honestly, I revel in the minutiae of RDR2.

I love having to take baths, eat & drink, brush my horse, do chores around the camp, etc.

Though, I'm the type of person who has modded his Skyrim into a full on hardcore survival game.

My biggest gripe is the combat - Arthur feels stiff and immovable, the response to movement input is remarkably slow. It feels like you have the choice to either move or shoot, but never both simultaneously. First-person is also basically unplayable if you aren't behind cover, trying to move in combat in first-person is a really ugly thing to behold.

I've decided that it's far easier to play as a good character than as an outlaw, there have been quite a few times where robbing a single guy out in the wilderness turned into the slaughter of like 5 people who showed up one by one to investigate.

Whatever, I love this game.

I'll probably end up buying the PC version, just for the mods that will inevitably drop.

 

Don't forget about the random teams of bounty hunters that spawn in at the most annoying times. I've been interupted while hunting legendary critters and had them scared off by would be lawmen trampling through my woods lining up to get shot in the face.

 

There is something insanely satisfying about hogtying witnesses and leaving them on train tracks...

also punching horses is fun.

Am I a bad person?

 

Is anyone else having trouble getting perfect rabbit pelts? I haven't managed to get a single one. Every other animal that needs the small game arrow I can kill just fine, but I swear even using deadeye I can never get a perfect shot on a rabbit.

 

I've heard irritating things about the bounty system - is it possible to murder do away with witnesses and avoid the bounty? Is it possible to properly disguise yourself and avoid identification in the course of a crime?

 

Wear a mask and they won't put a bounty on you (unless they get close enough to you).

And yes, run down witnesses, tie them up, and leave them on train tracks. That's what i do.

 

So as long as you keep your distance and wear the mask, you should be right? I was watching a mate play, and the bounty hunters descended in packs like two minutes after he committed a crime.

 

Prolly wasn't wearing a mask. But yeah...you have to kill the witness otherwise they report and bounty hunters come after ya.

 

Probably the best video I've seen on the bounty system.



I think the way you play the game will shape your experiences with the bounty system. I'm playing the Malcolm Reynolds "Good" Outlaw, and haven't had many bad experiences. My brother is playing more of a "Rob, burn, kill, kill some more, and when everyone is dead loot their corpses" kind of outlaw, and the bounty system is driving him apeshit.