I was hooked as soon as I finished the first two hours in the snow section at the beginning. Basically as soon as you get to the map proper. That provided me with all the leaning curve I needed at the time (and I played the witcher 3 for longer before ditching it - I just didn't get into it like this). I'm in chapter 6 at the moment. I'm taking my time with the game, doing the side missions but not getting deeper into crafting or getting perfect pelts, which thankfully the game doesn't punish you for not doing.
Does anyone know why your back and shoulder weapons keep changing? I set them as my default in the gun shop, but after a mission they’re gone again.
I think it's a bug. I don't have the game yet but I found this: https://www.reddit.com/r/reddeadred...e_please_keep_weapon_loadouts_from_resetting/
I have to admit, I'm starting to get a little hesitant about playing this. It's starting to sound to me like it's very, very complicated and I'm not sure if I want to play something that complicated. In terms of all the stuff you have to do and keep track of, how would you say it compres to thing like The Witcher 3 or the Mass Effect or Assassin's Creed games?
I played the witcher 3 for 2 weeks and couldn't get to grips with it and sacked it off, complaining that games were getting 'too complicated' This game gives you a gripping 2 hour long learning curve opening chapter before you get to fully roam, and it doesn't punish you for not doing all the side shit too much - you have to do it to a degree to learn it but as the story progresses you can dib in and out of it as much as you want without hindering your progress really. It's up to you how much you invest yourself in this game. If you want to spend months hunting, fishing etc searching for legendary animal skins and crafting extra kit for your character then you can, or you can steam into the story and shoot up a load of banks and seedy bars. The choice is yours. The only things that you must keep track of is you and your horses health in the main. Generally speaking though this is a ridiculously slick and polished game that is, whilst complex, is still ultimately easy to learn and get immersed in. If you played and enjoyed GTAV, then you will have no problem with this bar a few extra controls, which are presented in the usual rockstar way. I found GTAV to be ultimately a more entertaining game, chiefly because of the humour and music, and even though visually GTAV was stunning, this is absolutely jaw dropping in parts, the scope, atmosphere and detail here is just incredible and actually really made me feel like I was in a real world at times. So while GTAV maybe more entertaining on a superficial level, this is the better game, no question. To not play this would be to miss out on one of the all time classic gaming experiences in my view. Do it.
Yeah, don't be put off by its complexity. I think that it all comes together in the end. At least for me, now it's become pretty much second nature on what I need to do for different actions. I think in a way, RDR2 compartmentalizes actions by making them context-sensitive, and I never end up feeling overburdened in any way. For example, there's fishing in the game, and once you have that available, the fishing pole only becomes available when close to a body of water. This is easily their most immersive game. If one takes the time to just slow down, they'll be rewarded with a great game.
So, let's talk mini-games. I've managed to play all of them at this point. Dominoes is I think new to RDR2 as I don't think it was in the first game, and I guess it's Ok, but it can suck if there aren't enough players around in the camp to play it as it's definitely more fun with more people. Five Finger Fillet is pretty much unchanged from the first game, and remains my least favourite of the games, and there's even a version of the game out there where you only have one chance before you're out. I think it was much easier in the first game. Poker/Blackjack is the most engaging of the games. You always have a number of people to compete against and it's fun to hear the banter with every round, and it always moves at a swift pace. It's also hilarious when you have a lot of money to pool from and put down a large bet of over a dollar only to hear the gasps of astonishment.
I wouldn't call the game overly complex - there's a lot of sidegame stuff that unlocks during set missions (how to hunt, fish, steal and fence wagons etc) but in terms of core gameplay there's not much too it. Gunfights end up being pretty much the same from the start, although Deadeye improvements help a bit. You can take down any human opponent with a headshot even with starting guns and regular ammo, even late game.
I was doing a bit of hunting outside the Van Horn Trading Post earlier. Really took my time and soaked in the atmosphere/sound design. I know it's not real and just a game, but dangnamit, I kinda got lost in the muddy colours and ambient sounds for a moment or two. It's a testiment to how much effort was put into the product.
Yeah, the sound design is really good. You can even hear the wind blowing at times. And really, it's the quiet moments that make the sound stand out. The first game was also praised for this.
Grr, I messed up the timings of the Edith Downes missions again - I think you're MEANT to complete them in Chapter 6, but they become available in Chapter 5... you can do them all, but when Chapter 6 intro takes you into Annesburg, you still see her in her downtrodden state regardless of your previous actions.
Similar to the last mission of 'The Veteran' you can do it as Arthur but it plays more logically if you do it as John, also gets John an awesome horse. More play thoughts I guess
Yeah, I was depressed I lost Buell as Arthur... I guess I just figured if I left him at the Veteran's house, he'd just stay there, but, alas, he vanished. Then I find out I should've done the last mission as John if I wanted to keep Buell, so I was destined to lose him anyway Next playthrough, I'm doing the missions as John!
Yes, the fresh air and the smell of horse poop in the morning! As I stepped out of a shop, I witnessed my horse actually dropping a load. This game is really detailed.
It's way more detailed than GTAV which, whilst I was expecting to a degree, it still surprises me the amount of detail in this. I don't know how rockstar manage it but they just seem to capture environments better than just about any other developer.
Yeah, I agree. In fact, I like the environments in this and the original game moreso than the urban environments of the GTA series. I kind of feel like Rockstar should do more historical games. Every single town and city in this game is unique. Not a single thing about them is cookie-cutter, which is incredible. They all have a different feel about them. A tendency with open-world games set in urban environments is to copy and paste and you don't see any of that here. RDR2 feels a bit more original in that sense. Well, I've had something happen in-game that kind of depressed me. I had just gotten to Saint-Denis via the storyline. When there, I bought myself a new horse, a fine Arabian horse rated superior. I saw that there was a bounty poster nearby, so I went over to the police station to pick up the job, went over to the location to get the guy, which when all was said and done was easy enough. Didn't present much of a problem. Until I head back to town and while I'm doing so, get chased by those who want to claim the bounty for themselves and I start to feel overwhelmed by them. I ended up jumping off my horse trying to get a better vantage point on them and hoping for some cover, when over the confusion of what was happening, ended up shooting my own horse dead. *sigh* I couldn't even use my horse reviver as I was too distracted by trying to firing back at them and by the time they were dead, it wasn't giving me the option anymore.