It’s crazy to think we are just mere weeks away from one of this console generation’s most highly anticipated games, Red Dead Redemption 2. After years of waiting, the wild west epic is so nearly here. As the days draw closer, RockStar has been teasing us with new details of what seems to be their most system rich game to date. I mean come on, it’s got dynamic horse pooping.
Yesterday, they dropped a brand new gameplay trailer in which every moment of the footage is captured in-game. There’s a lot to take in in the four minutes worth of gameplay, but here are our 13 favourite moments.
HEISTS
Easily one of the best additions to Grand Theft Auto 5 was the heists. Orchestrating grand plans, with multiple missions contributing to a final massive haul, was a super fun and rewarding challenge. It makes perfect sense that in Red Dead Redemption 2, when outlaws were still very much thriving, that heists feature heavily in the game. Watching those doors blast open, scorching the walls with burning embers, is also a sight to behold.
WARNING SHOTS
There’s a tonne of player freedom being promised for Red Dead Redemption 2, including the ability to rob trains, hold up stores, burgle a house and play the role of an ol’ highwayman. In this brief instance, the player fires a warning shot, which may be an interesting mechanic when it comes to a bit of crowd control in a heist. Considering how dynamic crowds have been in previous Rockstar games, I can imagine this being quite effective at dispersing people, or intimidating them, if need be.
BLOOD & GUTS
The wild west was pretty grizzly. I’m not talking about the grizzly bears either. It was a violent time and Red Dead does not shy away from this. We had already heard that you’d be able to dismember opponents in the game but seeing some of the blood effects in action in this gameplay trailer remind us just how messy these shoot-0ffs can get.
A DANGEROUS WORLD
There is evidently a lot out to get you in Red Dead Redemption 2. The ‘wanted’ system unsurprisingly returns, with bounty hunters coming after you if a price is put on your head. Rockstar warns that you’ll always need to be prepared to defend yourself, as you may get jumped at any moment. Hopefully, you’ll be able to defend yourself as well as Arthur does in the clip above. As a side note, how incredible are those facial animations and sound effects?!
DEAD EYE
The much loved dead eye shooting mechanic returns to Red Dead Redemption 2 but adds extra complexity. You can now target critical or fatal points of the enemy, the hurt them or to end them. It adds greater control and player choice, allowing you to leave an opponent injured rather than dead in the event you need to take them alive. You can also target explosive targets for some added drama if you so desire.
DUAL WIELD
In keeping with player freedom, it appears you’ll now be able to dual wield a combination of different weapons. In this one clip, Arthur appears to be armed with both a sawn-off shotgun and a revolver, being precise whilst packing a punch. It looks like a pretty handy combination.
A WORLD OF ACTIVITIES
Rockstar has always included an insane amount of stuff to do in their massive open-worlds. In Red Dead, you can participate in numerous mini-game activities, including fishing, playing cards and that knife game (you know the ones where you risk cutting your fingers off — fun). I can’t help but think The Witcher 3 has influenced every open-world game released after it, so hopefully, there’s as much fun to be had in these activities as there is in the rest of Rockstar’s wild west.
SECRETS
Again, Rockstar are no strangers to hiding secrets in their games, and it appears there will be more to seek out in Red Dead. The gameplay clip only briefly shows Arthur opening up a hidden doorway. What is hidden behind it is anyone’s guess, but we can’t wait to find out!
TAKE IN THE THEATRE
There is no shortage of things to do within this game. You can even go to the theatre and take in a show between shootouts. I don’t know why you’d want to, but you can.
THEY WILL REMEMBER YOU
The non-playable characters in the game will remember how you behave and it will affect your experience throughout the story. Every action, big or small, sounds like it will impact the world differently, ensuring everyone has a unique adventure and forms different relationships with the characters. I’d advise against pissing everyone off too much, you never know who might challenge you to a duel.
FIRST-PERSON
It was added in later for GTA V but first-person will available right from the get-go in Red Dead Redemption 2. For those seeking extra immersion, the mode looks like it works really well and plays amazingly. I can’t wait to give this a go.
CINEMATIC CAMERAS
New cinematic controls allow you to bring out your inner cinematographer and capture some really incredible shots in the game’s breathtaking environments. Whether your just making your daily ride a little more cinematic, or creating your own western, I can’t wait to see what people do with this tool.
Red Dead Redemption is coming to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One October 26th, 2018.
