From just a few hours with Red Dead Redemption 2 , I went from executing a train robbery, to riding on my steed across the vastness of the Western landscape, to infiltrating a rival gang's camp and brutally taking them Find Out More. I went from roaming through the wilderness and taking in its serene beauty, to riding alongside the rest of my gang through the snowy mountains, to viciously engaging with the law and avoiding imprisonment at their hands.

As a modern Western in the vein of recent classics like 3:10 to Yuma , The Proposition takes the essential elements of the Western genre and invigorates it with more contemporary filmmaking techniques and some particularly striking violence that pulls you into the experience. Aside from those similarities though, the mood and atmosphere that The Proposition captures feels very much in line with the way that Rockstar depicts its Western open-world in the Red Dead games, and that feeling will only be expanded with the ways that Red Dead Redemption 2 (so far) seems to be delivering an even more striking and dynamic world to explore.

Those familiar with Rockstar’s recipe for game narratives will immediately feel right at home. The extensive amount of side-quests alone will keep players busy well beyond the 60-hours of primary story content. Although some of the optional missions do not necessarily have much to do with the main storyline, they still intertwine enough to shape the surrounding world and time-period. Most importantly, the missions and side-quests are fun. Bounty hunting; escorting characters to nearby towns; large-scale shootouts; _ Red Dead Redemption 2 _ manages to make each mission feel fresh and fun to play. Believe it or not, Rockstar has even managed to make something as mundane as fishing enjoyable, if not for anything other than appreciating the surrounding scenery while waiting for a b

While more money and better drop rates may sound tempting, players should keep in mind that every action in the world of _ Red Dead Redemption 2 _ comes with a price. Often, quite literally. In the same way that the _ Grand Theft Auto _ series has treated crimes within its cities, _ Red Dead Redemption 2 _ makes sure to punish offending players by sending lawmen and designating players with the "Wanted" label, which can be paid off via bribes. These are likely to occur more so in populated towns, but even along the lonely trail, NPCs might witness a player’s deed and speed off to report the crime. Players can choose to try and stop the witness by either threatening them or by taking them out through more violent means. This brief encounter is a simple, yet effective detail that provides a genuinely fun feeling of panic. And ultimately, that is what _ Red Dead Redemption 2 _ does b

The zombies are grotesque, bloated caricatures of the former residents and wildlife, John can ride rotting mounts, and the surviving residents are eaten and dismembered amongst their last gasping screams. The whole ordeal is disturbing to the senses; watching your favourite characters get killed or turned undead is bru

The release of the original _ Red Dead Redemption _ in 2010, along with the _ Undead Nightmare _ expansion, left players wanting more of everything. More shootouts and saloon fights. More eccentric and wily characters. More riding horseback through the vast, open world of the western frontier. And while it was a long eight years, Rockstar made sure that the wait was well worth it – albeit not without some controversy . _ Red Dead Redemption 2 _ immerses players in the grueling world of the wild west with familiar gameplay dynamics that have been taken to the next level to not only make _ Red Dead Redemption 2 _ an easy favorite for game of the year, but also Rockstar’s crowning achievement to d

Players take on the role of Arthur Morgan, who starts the game as the right-hand man to gang leader Dutch van der Linde. After a ferry heist goes awry, the gang is forced to flee the town of Blackwater and live a life on the run from the law and others hellbent on seeing the gangs’ demise. The gang performs various odd jobs and heists to fund their survival, but Dutch’s leadership and decisions eventually begin to take their toll on Arthur, who starts to question Dutch's intentions. _ Red Dead Redemption _ _ 2 _ features many of the characters from the first game – including primary protagonist, John Marston – with the story ultimately tying into the beginning of the original game _

Grand Theft Auto V Online has been a constant source of income for Rockstar since its release, with people even joining the chaos on multiple consoles. The anticipation of Red Dead Redemption may cause many to lose interest in GTA V Online , opting instead to wait for something that will likely be bigger and better. While Rockstar presumably has a nearly inexhaustible amount of funds, they still need to keep their community interested in what they are still producing. Sadly, that seems to be mostly GTA V Online content. Hopefully, fans of GTA continue to support Rockstar and let them know what does and doesn’t work as the release date for Red Dead 2 creeps nea