This has been a great week to live out our fantasies of living out in the frontier with the release of Star Wars: The Mandalorian and the PC release of Red Dead Redemption 2 by Rockstar Games. However, there are some things to consider before riding toward the sunset, namely the rough state of the game upon release. Let’s jump into it!
I am a huge fan of Red Dead Redemption, and we are treated with cameos of John Marston, our original protagonist. For those of you unfamiliar with the series, this game is actually a prequel to Red Dead Redemption. We play as Arthur Morgan, a member of Dutch’s gang. We are introduced to the other members of the group and get to see what Javier and Bill were like before we had to hunt them down in the original game. Our story opens with the gang having suffered a major setback in Blackwater. Pinkertons ambushed the gang and some of the members were killed. The extent of chapter one involves Arthur and Dutch trying to hold the group together and reestablishing hope in their unlawful trade, going as far as attacking a rival gang and stealing their heist.
I liked how the story was going, but the free roaming aspect doesn’t come into play until chapter 2. I only had the patience to play chapter 1 because of a rocky start for the game’s release. I thought that perhaps my computer did not meet the game specifications because the game was choppy and glitchy. I lowered the setting to the lowest possible grade and adjusted the resolution. This helped make the game playable, but it was like playing in slow motion the entire time. So when certain events occurred in slow motion, it felt like an eternity to wait through. Today (11/14/2019), Rockstar released a patch in the hopes of remedying the situation. The game failed to launch twice due to an unexpected error, but I managed to start the game in a safe mode. It started in a window, and the settings option on the main menu was greyed out and unusable. I had to wait until I was in the game to adjust my settings. The gameplay is considerably better since the patch, but I hope there is more coming because it is still hiccupping.
Other than that major setback, we know the game looks amazing and the soundtrack is immersive and beautiful. I would only hope that after the upcoming patches I can raise the graphic quality and adjust the screen resolution back to my PC’s recommended settings. The physics of the game are pleasing, and I loved seeing my trail in the snow. I don’t know about other gamers, but I like that we have long sequences of riding through the country in between missions. Even with low settings, it looks cool in cinematic mode. There’s a certain realism to this title as well, like when you carry weapons from your horse saddle and when you skin animals for their pelts. Looting is also more than a quick pat down; you actually go through drawers, cabinets, and pockets.
If you’re in the same camp as me, in that you’re a huge fan of the previous title and you’ve been waiting for the sequel prequel to launch on PC, then I am pleased to tell you that the games are very much similar in almost every regard. Here, however, there are improvements and additional features like weather effects on your character and horse. I spoke to the realism earlier regarding environmental interactions as well, which also makes combat just as enjoyable. One of the notable things in missions that I enjoyed is that you can talk to other members and make some decisions (attack/defend). They don’t make too much of a difference, but it’s cool nonetheless. The whole posse aspect has an interesting feel to it as well, especially when you move within the formation.
At the end of the day, the game on PC is just as amazing as it was on console when it was initially released. My only major criticism is that playing the first chapter felt like being resigned to wheelchair and surrounded by stairs. I felt stuck, but I am glad that I could experience the game in some capacity. I am confident that upcoming patches will improve upon simply making the game playable but that it will also be lucid, fluid, and seamless as intended. I can’t help but wonder how this issue was not caught by some sort of QA or player testing. We can’t worry about it now, but in the meantime, I think a fair rating for this title is a 9 out of 10.
Check Out the Red Dead Redemption 2 Release Trailer:
For more information, please visit here: https://www.rockstargames.com/reddeadonline/
PC Review
I like to think of myself as the average Joe who grew up alongside video games. I have fun playing strategy games, RPGs, shooters, sandboxes, the whole shebang! Every game provides an experience whether it strikes you as profound, mundane, or someplace in between. I'd like to weigh in my two cents before you spend a single penny.
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