I mean, it's Red Dead Redemption 2. You know about this game. You know about its unending high praise. You wouldn't be here if you hadn't heard about it.

That's why I came, and frankly, even having heard its heaps of praise, I STILL ended up astounded, over and over and over and over, at its artistry. I don't like speaking in adjulation, emotionality, or hyperbole, so understand I mean these words I say: It is one of the greatest gaming experiences I've ever had. It's one of the greatest gaming experiences I'll have in my life. It's one of the only games I've bought full price, and it would still have been worth double the price I paid.

If for some reason you still need more information, RDR2 has:

- a fantastic, long story with nuanced characters and an ending that sticks with you, sticks on your mind several days after completing those missions.
- tons of optional side missions. and enormous, refreshing mission variety!
- beautifully motion captured animation that show the intricacies of character motion and emotion.
- an ENORMOUS world map. it's beautiful, it's got variety, it's got depth, it's got anything and everything you could want. I'm not even an open world sort of person, I usually can't get into it, and this open world was so engaging and life-like that I could spend days wandering about without touching missions. there are endless things to do and discover. you can spend hundreds of hours in the game and still keep discovering new things about the world.
- so much attention to detail it's flabbergasting and breathtaking. need I make the obligatory "horse balls change size based on weather" joke? (it's true though)
- replay value. you'll certainly notice different things about the story the second time through. plus, multiple game endings

I played about 187 hours before I reached the Epilogue my first time, and I could've played even longer without feeling like I was drawing out the gameplay.

There are a few constructive criticisms I could make towards the game, though all are minor and none decrease my game enjoyment. Thoughts include:

- some unintuitive controls choices (and some people may remark upon controls complexity)
- ex: buffoons like me who don't realize that dropping a gun to pick up a new one won't mean you permanently lose that dropped gun in your armory
- WHY DID YOU SET UP THE HORSE STABLES LIKE THAT?????
- it's semi-cumbersome to get optimized visuals + smooth FPS even with my screaming PC (or maybe don't constantly readjust the settings for experimentation like I did)
- Save Game system isn't perfect if you want to have multiple people or simultaneous playthroughs of the game
- I am no expert on the Red Dead Online drama but there's - there's stuff there, according to what I've seen in fandom conversation circles

And
- maybe pro/con depending on your game style: there's SO MUCH to do, and some difficult tasks to do, that 100%ing this game will take you an eon and a half. I take it as a plus, but it also means I'll never see some things myself because I doubt I'll ever do 'em

I haven't played any other Red Dead titles yet. And I NEVER play things out of chronological order! But this one, as my compadres told me, is fine. While some RDR1 Easter Eggs, references, and emotional moments (like the Epilogue) will be lost upon people like me, the storytelling is its own arc and just as engaging coming in fresh with RDR2. It'll be just as fun - me, without RDR1 background knowledge, in fact had some plot twists I wouldn't expect that thus hit harder! [as RDR2 is a prequel]

Admittedly, I'm someone who's easier to impress because I have lower thresholds of enjoyment than some folks (I can find fun in mediocre things), because I don't play every AAA game out there, and because grew up with late 90s / early 2000s potato graphics of non-Triple A titles (so I'm more likely to be impressed with graphics). Nevertheless, I still stand by the words I've said about this game. A masterpiece.

I mean, it's Red Dead Redemption 2. You know about this game. You know about its unending high praise. You wouldn't be here if you hadn't heard about it. That's why I came, and frankly, even having heard its heaps of praise, I STILL ended up astounded, over and over and over and over, at its artistry. I don't like speaking in adjulation, emotionality, or hyperbole, so understand I mean these words I say: It is one of the greatest gaming experiences I've ever had. It's one of the greatest gaming experiences I'll have in my life. It's one of the only games I've bought full price, and it would still have been worth double the price I paid. If for some reason you still need more information, RDR2 has: - a fantastic, long story with nuanced characters and an ending that sticks with you, sticks on your mind several days after completing those missions. - tons of optional side missions. and enormous, refreshing mission variety! - beautifully motion captured animation that show the intricacies of character motion and emotion. - an ENORMOUS world map. it's beautiful, it's got variety, it's got depth, it's got anything and everything you could want. I'm not even an open world sort of person, I usually can't get into it, and this open world was so engaging and life-like that I could spend days wandering about without touching missions. there are endless things to do and discover. you can spend hundreds of hours in the game and still keep discovering new things about the world. - so much attention to detail it's flabbergasting and breathtaking. need I make the obligatory "horse balls change size based on weather" joke? (it's true though) - replay value. you'll certainly notice different things about the story the second time through. plus, multiple game endings I played about 187 hours before I reached the Epilogue my first time, and I could've played even longer without feeling like I was drawing out the gameplay. There are a few constructive criticisms I could make towards the game, though all are minor and none decrease my game enjoyment. Thoughts include: - some unintuitive controls choices (and some people may remark upon controls complexity) - ex: buffoons like me who don't realize that dropping a gun to pick up a new one won't mean you permanently lose that dropped gun in your armory - WHY DID YOU SET UP THE HORSE STABLES LIKE THAT????? - it's semi-cumbersome to get optimized visuals + smooth FPS even with my screaming PC (or maybe don't constantly readjust the settings for experimentation like I did) - Save Game system isn't perfect if you want to have multiple people or simultaneous playthroughs of the game - I am no expert on the Red Dead Online drama but there's - there's stuff there, according to what I've seen in fandom conversation circles And - maybe pro/con depending on your game style: there's SO MUCH to do, and some difficult tasks to do, that 100%ing this game will take you an eon and a half. I take it as a plus, but it also means I'll never see some things myself because I doubt I'll ever do 'em I haven't played any other Red Dead titles yet. And I NEVER play things out of chronological order! But this one, as my compadres told me, is fine. While some RDR1 Easter Eggs, references, and emotional moments (like the Epilogue) will be lost upon people like me, the storytelling is its own arc and just as engaging coming in fresh with RDR2. It'll be just as fun - me, without RDR1 background knowledge, in fact had some plot twists I wouldn't expect that thus hit harder! [as RDR2 is a prequel] Admittedly, I'm someone who's easier to impress because I have lower thresholds of enjoyment than some folks (I can find fun in mediocre things), because I don't play every AAA game out there, and because grew up with late 90s / early 2000s potato graphics of non-Triple A titles (so I'm more likely to be impressed with graphics). Nevertheless, I still stand by the words I've said about this game. A masterpiece.