(western music)
(horse neighing)
- You bastard shot my cousin.
- Well he started it.
- I'm going to break your neck.
- [Luke] Red Dead Redemption
two is a sprawling
western tale of loyalty, conviction,
and the price of infamy,
all set in Rockstar's
most authentic and lived
in open world ever.
- Timber!
(thump)
- [Luke] There are so many things to do,
so many people to meet,
so many places to explore.
Red dead redemption two isn't just
Rockstar's greatest achievement to date.
Its a game so lacking in compromise
its tough to know where its
best to start discussing it.
(western music)
So lets start at the beginning,
its 1899 and american outlaws
are an endangered species.
Dutch Van Der Linde and his gang
are on the run after a botched heist
in the growing town of
blackwater and they've
retreated high into the mountains where an
atrocious blizzard is
covering there escape.
We slip into the spurs of Arthur Morgan
an exceedingly cool and capable outlaw.
And settle in for a roughly 60 hour story.
Its a self contained and linear
introduction but its a clever one.
(gunshot)
It heightened the impact
of having the full
map opened up to me a few hours later.
Being set loose in the true opened world
after toughing it out in this
intentionally impressive environment
really underscores the incredible
feeling of freedom the format offers.
(western music)
And what a world it is, more beautiful,
broader and more varied
than the one we explored
in 2010s Red Dead Redemption
by a massive margin.
There are snowy peaks and
tank aligator infested swaps.
Thick forests and open plateau's,
quaint homesteads and grand plantations.
Narrow streams and great lakes,
dusty gulches and dim caves.
There's the muddy
livestock town of Valentine
with its wooden buildings and rusty charm.
And then there's the
imposing city of Saint Denis.
A grimy, growing metropolis full
of modern extravagances
like electric trams,
paved roads and Chinese restaurants.
The vast assortment of ecosystems
and environments seamlessly
stitch together here
is nothing short of remarkable.
The ability of this game to keep it
so fresh after so many
hours is extraordinary
and not entirely due to just the
size and diversity of the world.
Its how alive all those places feel.
(dog growling)
The country side of
Red Dead Redemption two
is absolutely brimming
with wild life to discover,
(gunshot) (screaming)
people to interact with
and potentially help
- Both of you get your hands up!
- [Luke] And places to scrutinize.
The more laid back pace
of Red Dead Redemption 2
compared to something like the
slightly more break neck GTA five
is also a big part of how it encouraged me
to slow down and drink in
all the world has to offer.
- We get a couple of beers please?
- [Luke] Bodies have
to be manually looted.
Single action pistols have
to be cocked before firing.
(gunshots)
Coffee needs to be brewed
before drinking it.
(sips)
I suspect some folk might regard this
sort of stuff is chore
like but I really dig it.
There's something methodical about it
that really helps ground
Arthur in the world
rather than have him feel
like he's gliding through it.
I love the deliberate
mechanical process of
cycling a new cartridge
with lever action rifle
virus that can pull the fire button.
You can even pause the dramatic
effect halfway through.
(horse neighing) (gunshot)
Rockstar's designers didn't
need to factor that in
but I think they understood
that the tiny almost
trivial instances of
settle control like this
subconsciously seep me into
the world of Arthur even more.
(screams) (gun shots)
- What are you doing!
(western music)
the main story mission themselves
are a cocktail of high stakes heists.
- To goddamn slow!
- [Luke] Deadly shoot outs.
(gunshots)
desperate rescues and thrilling chases.
(gunshot)
Mixed with a lengthy list of other tasks,
many of those function with organic ways
to teach us about new side hustles and
other activities that can be undertaken
from selling stolen
horses to playing poker.
- Shit.
- [Luke] Or fishing.
- Good to meet you.
- [Luke] It all feels great to play
similar in a lot of ways to its immediate
predecessor but injected
with a pile of new animations
and multiple layers of vigor activity.
- You son of a! (gunshot)
- [Luke] Shootouts are supremely cinematic
thanks to plenty of gun
smoke and the same style
of on the fly ever
changing death animations
that have characterized
Rockstar games since GTA four.
(gunshot) (thump)
Red Dead Redemption 2 is a undeniably
pretty game across the board.
The lighting is fantastic,
the facial animation
is a noticeable step up from GTA five
and the level of gradual
detail is almost absurd.
From the way blood smears
on Arthur's shoulder
after carrying a kill,
to the way individual
strands of his majestic
Muttonchops quiver in the breeze.
Remember this is a game
where horse testicles
shrink when the weather is cold.
- The hell are you doing.
- [Luke] Equally impressive is the audio
from the satisfying
metallic crunch of a reload.
(gun cocks) (gun shots)
to the twang of a Hollywood
inspired ricochet.
(gunshot)
Bullets fired on mountains
tops ring with cracking echoes.
(gunshot)
completely different to the
sound of bullets fired indoors.
(gunshot)
A game little seems to be have missed
and the music absolutely outstanding.
(western music)
Red Dead Redemption two
is Rockstar's most serious
and earnest story to date and
certainly the best written.
- Only the feeblest of men
take jobs in the government.
(laughs)
watching Dutch's gradual decent from being
the charismatic successful
and clever leader
of a gang of deadly outlaws to someone
on track to become the coldblooded and
beaten man being hunted down by Marston
12 years later is captivating.
We get to watch an
incredibly nuance performance
as Dutch's confidence ebbs
and his restraint fades.
- Them goddamn cowards, Arthur cowards.
excellent to his main man Arthur.
Not only is there an
infectious authenticity
to his low and smooth tone of voice
- Thank you
- This is a very good tank.
But when Arthur himself is a far
wearier man by the stories climax.
His delivery is doubly potent.
- I don't know what your saying dutch
but it seems like I heard it all before.
- [Luke] Combined with
strong writing and direction,
the result is a game
that's sincere instead
of satirical and funny while remaining
capable of some supremely
well earned emotional moments.
especially throughout the truly
excellent crescendo and epilogue.
And even after completing the epilogue
I still have a stack of
strangers that need helping,
gangs that need killing
(gunshot)
and fish that need catching.
There are 30 different types
of in this game about cowboys.
I've caught four.
- Wow
(western music)
Red Dead Redemption two stands shoulder to
shoulder with Grand Theft Auto five
as one of the greatest
games of modern times.
Its a gorgeous depiction of an ugly age
that's patient, polished and
a huge amount of fun to play.
(gunshots)
and its combined with
Rockstar's best story telling
to date even after
finishing the lengthy story
I can't wait to go back and play more.
This is a game of rare quality.
(gunshot)
a meticulously polished open world
owed to the outlawed era.
Looking for one of this generations very
best single player action experiences.
Heres your huckleberry.
For plenty more on Red Dead Redemption two
check out the first minute
and our graphics comparison.
( calm western music)
