Who knew the prequel would top the original thing? Red Dead Redemption was a huge achievement as it was, but the turn of Arthur Morgan is arguably even better. It’s a story about awful men clinging to their awful ways during an arduous time of human history and it’s profoundly exceptional. There’s a lot of open-world games out there in this day and age and this manages to rise above all as an organic, breathing portrait of the west.
Of course, a lot was said about the developmental habits of Rockstar and whether it was ethical in the long run. The fact remains that Red Dead Redemption 2 will forever be a triumph in almost every sense of the word. It is slathered in realism the likes of which we seldom see in this medium and it’s scary to think that Rockstar could get even better from here.
In his review, Brodie said: “Red Dead Redemption 2 is a triumph in world-building, character craft and downright skulduggery. Being bad has never felt so good as Rockstar toe the realism line while still keeping their sharp, trademark tongue in cheek. It’s the keen attention to detail where Rockstar succeeds and this outlaw prequel comfortably outperforms their best works and in time, I believe, will be regarded as a once in a generation game.”
Brodie gave Red Dead Redemption 2 a perfect score of 10 out of 10, one of many in an onslaught of critical praise as the title rocketed to a 97 average on Metacritic.
Josh chose Red Dead Redemption 2 in his top ten and said: “In terms of crafting an incredibly detailed game world Rockstar have blown away any previous examples by an insane margin, even making The Witcher 3 look dated in comparison. So many of the systems are linked in brilliant ways and lets you get lost with Arthur for hours and hours without even considering the story. The craft has impeded enjoyment to a certain degree, Rockstar want and need you to play their way rather than what you may be more comfortable with which can be frustrating. The plot overall never reaches the high points of the first game but covers some interesting ground, especially in regards to Arthur’s place in society during the end of the wild west. Please, Rockstar, don’t let this massive achievement go to waste as Grand Theft Auto V did, this world deserves to have more tales told and experienced.”
Kieron chose Red Dead Redemption 2 in his top ten and said: “I don’t think I ever expected not to love Red Dead Redemption 2 but it managed to meet, and often exceed, even my loftiest expectations. Rockstar has long proven themselves masters of open-world gameplay and storytelling, but with RDR2 it’s clear that the developer took the time to reflect on their past efforts and ideas and really push themselves to do even better. At everything. It’s been a long time since putting down the controller has made me feel like I’m leaving an entire world full of meaningful memories and relationships behind, but that’s exactly what it feels like to stop playing RDR2. Luckily then, Red Dead Online is just getting started.”
Congratulations to Rockstar for the success of Red Dead Redemption 2, it has well and truly earned its place on our Game of the Year list in 2018.
Current Top 10:
4. Red Dead Redemption 2
5. Fortnite
6. Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu/Eevee
7. Dead Cells
8. A Way Out
9. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
10. Florence
