Red Dead Redemption 2 (video game)

[Neil]

Here's my friend's comments on it after two hours:- GTA on horses? Not really and perhaps a bit (in terms of engine – but you’d expect that). It’s much slower than GTA and, possibly, a bit boring for that. It’s very pretty but a GPU hog – I can’t get better than about 45 fps. It has an autosave function (much like GTA) and I’m not a big fan of that. Couple this with the slow pace and you have a game where you never want to go back to a checkpoint because you might have 10 minutes of slowly creeping through snow to do again – tedious. The aim mechanic is a bit frustrating. I prefer 1st person (which is possible in this game) but you kind of feel that you need to use 3rd person (particularly when on a horse). Did I mention that it’s very pretty? It doesn’t grab me at all, even by the end of my 110th minute I found that I was happy to switch off to experiment with Geforce experience optimal graphics settings but then I was not rushing to turn back on again. When I did, and the FPS wasn’t much better, I was content to end it for good and request a refund.

[shootemindehead]

1) Did you kill the old man, or leave him be? Either way there'll likely be some development there. I'm not too sure if there's a way not to kill him? I tried knocking him out, but he ended up brown bread anyway. Did you find the lady locked in the outhouse near that mansion? If you go back years later she's still there ... kinda. No, never saw her.

[MinionZombie]

Here's my friend's comments on it after two hours:- GTA on horses? Not really and perhaps a bit (in terms of engine – but you’d expect that). It’s much slower than GTA and, possibly, a bit boring for that. It’s very pretty but a GPU hog – I can’t get better than about 45 fps. It has an autosave function (much like GTA) and I’m not a big fan of that. Couple this with the slow pace and you have a game where you never want to go back to a checkpoint because you might have 10 minutes of slowly creeping through snow to do again – tedious. The aim mechanic is a bit frustrating. I prefer 1st person (which is possible in this game) but you kind of feel that you need to use 3rd person (particularly when on a horse). Did I mention that it’s very pretty? It doesn’t grab me at all, even by the end of my 110th minute I found that I was happy to switch off to experiment with Geforce experience optimal graphics settings but then I was not rushing to turn back on again. When I did, and the FPS wasn’t much better, I was content to end it for good and request a refund. So, your chum couldn't be bothered to get past the prologue of the game and damned it on nothing more than that? The game has a slow start, no doubt, but those opening four hours of gameplay are all about setting up the characters and story as well as getting the player clued-up on the main mechanics and controls. GTA, much like RDR, is supposed to be a 3rd person game, really. No amount of FPS style tinkering can make those games really work in first person. And of course it's not like GTA in terms of pace. It's a western - with horses - not sports cars and rock music and explosions and machine guns and rocket launchers in the present day. Fair play, it might not be to everyone's interests, but I think your friend has unfairly judged RDR2.

[Neil]

So, your chum couldn't be bothered to get past the prologue of the game and damned it on nothing more than that? The game has a slow start, no doubt, but those opening four hours of gameplay are all about setting up the characters and story as well as getting the player clued-up on the main mechanics and controls. GTA, much like RDR, is supposed to be a 3rd person game, really. No amount of FPS style tinkering can make those games really work in first person. And of course it's not like GTA in terms of pace. It's a western - with horses - not sports cars and rock music and explosions and machine guns and rocket launchers in the present day. Fair play, it might not be to everyone's interests, but I think your friend has unfairly judged RDR2. I think the issue is the 2hr game time refund policy of Steam. I guess that's why he based it on <120mins... I had the impression it's a slow burner, especially at the start...

[shootemindehead]

There's 100's of hours in RDR2. Playing for just 2 is no way to gauge it properly. The game, though, does suffer from an extremely lacklustre start, I will say, and it does take a good while to build up...ahem...steam.

[MinionZombie]

Yeah, definitely a slow start. It takes at least 4 hours before the world actually opens up for the player, which is a curious choice - but once you get there the world is pretty much your oyster.

[Neil]

I'll wait for it (RDR2) to drop down quite a bit in price incase I find it too large to commit time too... ie: I fancy Kingdom Come: Deliverance, but just fear it would be too much of a time undertaking, and too slow to appeal to me these days...

[Tricky]

I must be one of the few that enjoyed the opening to RDR2, rescuing John Marston in the snow, finding Sadie after the O'Driscolls killed her husband and the shoot out with the O'Driscolls at the abandoned mine, followed shortly by that wagon ride out of the snow to Horseshoe Overlook through the beautiful scenery as the weather improves and the gang see that first glimpse of the Indians from the reservation watching from the high ground, I thought it set the scene well.

[MinionZombie]

I must be one of the few that enjoyed the opening to RDR2, rescuing John Marston in the snow, finding Sadie after the O'Driscolls killed her husband and the shoot out with the O'Driscolls at the abandoned mine, followed shortly by that wagon ride out of the snow to Horseshoe Overlook through the beautiful scenery as the weather improves and the gang see that first glimpse of the Indians from the reservation watching from the high ground, I thought it set the scene well. No doubt. While it was slow and gradual, and I was itching to just dive into the open world, I did enjoy the scene setting and those missions you mentioned as they were quite dramatic in the blizzard snow and, as you say, moving into the main map area was a lovely reveal of the world opening up. I was just so eager to go exploring the world, that the initial restraints kind of irritated me to a degree, but you do have to get eased into the controls, for instance, because there's a bajillion of them!

[Neil]

Just imagine what RDR3 will be like

[Neil]

OK... Finally bought it... Just need to find time to play it now

[MinionZombie]

Finally! Well, kinda ... shall we check in again in five years to see if you've got past the first four hours? The first four hours are pretty linear and limited, but after that setting up and getting to know the characters, you're unleashed on the open world and finally get to dig in.

[Neil]

Finally! Well, kinda ... shall we check in again in five years to see if you've got past the first four hours? The first four hours are pretty linear and limited, but after that setting up and getting to know the characters, you're unleashed on the open world and finally get to dig in. A friend of mine bought it (on Steam) and refunded it. Given you can only do that in the first 2hrs of gameplay, he must have been in the intro when he decided it wasn't for him

[MinionZombie]

A friend of mine bought it (on Steam) and refunded it. Given you can only do that in the first 2hrs of gameplay, he must have been in the intro when he decided it wasn't for him And missed out on a great game. The first four hours are there to get you into the mechanics, the basis of the story, and get to know the characters. It's a bit annoying as you're so eager to get out there into the open world, but it's well worth it in the end. I pumped something like 200 hours into it IIRC. It was just nice to roam about the world, just seeing life going on, admiring the artistry of the design and so on.

[Neil]

And missed out on a great game. The first four hours are there to get you into the mechanics, the basis of the story, and get to know the characters. It's a bit annoying as you're so eager to get out there into the open world, but it's well worth it in the end. I pumped something like 200 hours into it IIRC. It was just nice to roam about the world, just seeing life going on, admiring the artistry of the design and so on. Can you imagine what RDR3 will be like given the insane detail in RDR2? Imagine how good the horse balls physics will be! Just need a zombie mod for RDR2 now