Red Dead Redemption 2

 Xbox One
User Score
8.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 5168 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4,181 out of 5168
  2. Mixed: 305 out of 5168
  3. Negative: 682 out of 5168
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  1. Xbox_Alive
    Nov 9, 2018
    10
    The presentation side of the game is simply stunning and both the visuals and sound design create an immersive experience that stays with you throughout. I love a good story and Red Dead Redemption 2 delivers in all areas here keeping things interesting and exciting at all times. There’s a ton of content for you to get to grips with and you will definitely not be getting bored anytime soonThe presentation side of the game is simply stunning and both the visuals and sound design create an immersive experience that stays with you throughout. I love a good story and Red Dead Redemption 2 delivers in all areas here keeping things interesting and exciting at all times. There’s a ton of content for you to get to grips with and you will definitely not be getting bored anytime soon because the content has tons of variety as well. I really enjoyed the world in which the game takes place in because the detail is off the charts and traversing around the nooks and crannies always feels rewarding. Each different mechanic that’s present in the game has been done to perfection and the best thing is that they all feel important and combine together extremely well. There’s plenty of progression to be made in a number of key areas and the way you’re able to interact with NPC’s is very clever and creative to say the least. It does take a while for the game to get going at the start. Overall Red Dead Redemption was a masterpiece in my opinion and without a doubt it was my favorite game that Rockstar had ever done. The reason I say was is because Red Dead Redemption 2 is now my favourite Rockstar game of all time and to say it reached my huge expectations and then some would be a massive understatement. My excitement levels for this game were simply off the charts and after only a few hours with this game it became quite clear that a lot of love and effort has gone into all areas. Visually the game looks superb and when you combine that with the stunning and very immersive sound design you end up experiencing an adventure and story like no other. If that wasn’t enough then you also get mechanics and gameplay that are compelling at all times and you won’t be getting bored anytime soon either because there’s more than enough varied content here to keep you satisfied for a while. In terms of problems the game basically doesn’t have any and apart from a slow start you won’t find any issues within the fantastic world in which the game takes place in. At the end of the day then I can’t recommend Red Dead Redemption 2 enough because it’s took what was good from the first game and improved it while also adding its own unique features, and when it’s all said and done I can definitely see this game ending up being game of the year for 2018, with Tomb Raider coming in 2nd.… Expand
  2. warmakern
    Oct 26, 2018
    10
    Red Dead Redemption 2 isn't a game that should be taken lightly. This is true in most of Rockstar's long list of games, which often overwhelm the player with their sheer size and mechanical depth. Red Dead Redemption 2, however, stands out as a pinnacle among masterpieces. You may, understandably, assume that I'm simply riding the "Red Dead hype wagon" but, unless the game drasticallyRed Dead Redemption 2 isn't a game that should be taken lightly. This is true in most of Rockstar's long list of games, which often overwhelm the player with their sheer size and mechanical depth. Red Dead Redemption 2, however, stands out as a pinnacle among masterpieces. You may, understandably, assume that I'm simply riding the "Red Dead hype wagon" but, unless the game drastically changes after the first 10 hours or so, this is certainly not the case.

    From what I've experienced so far, Red Dead Redemption 2 offers the player an unprecedented amount of options in what to do and how to tackle the, both optional and integral parts of the game. Fortunately these options do not overwhelm the player, but are instead revealed progressively, allowing you to first master what is already there. After several hours spent with the game I was still constantly being surprised by a steady stream of new features and added complexity to pre-existing mechanics.

    All this depth, however, wouldn't be worth 2 cents if it wasn't for the incredibly high degree of fine tuning and polishment that went into the game. The frame rate stays smooth and constant throughout the whole experience and, incredibly enough, so far I haven't encountered a single bug during my 14 hours of playing the game. Rockstar have certainly nailed the shooting mechanics, but there are also more discreet options for those who aren't completely certain that lead is the be-all end-all problem solver.

    To summarize: Red Dead Redemption 2 is a must buy for anyone looking for a deep and fleshed out experience, that gradually unfolds during many hours of game time. It's not a game that you can rush through over the weekend (though, admittedly, I myself might in retrospect have been a bit too hasteful in order to experience as much as possible in a short time window). If you're willing to put in the time however, Red Dead Redemption 2 is guaranteed to offer you a complete and thrilling experience, brimming with possibilities for the player to discover. If I have one complaint regarding the game it's that it didn't come out sooner.    … Expand
  3. gnadenlos
    Nov 1, 2018
    7
    The main problem is, that it's not a real open world game. If you focus on the main story, like many reviewers and some users do, you will experience a linear and scripted game with almost no freedom. Every time you try something different the missions will fail.

    Controls aren't very good, so it's also hard to recommend the game for that linear story experience. The separate and real    The main problem is, that it's not a real open world game. If you focus on the main story, like many reviewers and some users do, you will experience a linear and scripted game with almost no freedom. Every time you try something different the missions will fail.

    Controls aren't very good, so it's also hard to recommend the game for that linear story experience.

    The separate and real open world part is done quite well, but it doesn't have enough interesting and coherent/interlocking elements to keep you motivated very long. If you remove the linear story and high production value, it's the usual open world stuff, we've known for years, mixed with light survival elements.

    So what you will get is an average to good open world sandbox for maybe 15-20 hours of random fun and a separate, very scripted and cinematic game with high production value. Both parts have average gameplay and problematic controls. The only highlights and reasons to play the game are its great graphics, atmosphere and story.    … Expand
  4. crnppscls
    Oct 29, 2018
    7
    I just seems redundant now, leaving my review. Everything has already been said.
    Probably the best world that has been created in a videogame but maybe a little shallow when it comes to the actual content.
    Once you get past the graphical awe, which is possible for you teen 10/10 people, there are some really bad flaws. It's just so awkward and clunky and tbh my little pony companion app    I just seems redundant now, leaving my review. Everything has already been said.
    Probably the best world that has been created in a videogame but maybe a little shallow when it comes to the actual content.
    Once you get past the graphical awe, which is possible for you teen 10/10 people, there are some really bad flaws.
    It's just so awkward and clunky and tbh my little pony companion app could have been released separately.
    Maybe the online will do it justice (pun intended) but until then it's just so samey, mundane and expected.
    It's ok but i'm not impressed at all with the mechanics and the campaign as a whole    … Expand
  5. G4BE
    Nov 11, 2018
    7
    Here we have 2 games in 1: a wonderful open world, 10 star, and a frustrating linear story and push button to continue, 4 star. The scripted story requires to press A, holding A else the mission fails. No freedom to get out of the script, worse than Telltales's stories. Many instances this game will treat you as an idiot with a mental age of 4 years. So if you wish have fun, play the openHere we have 2 games in 1: a wonderful open world, 10 star, and a frustrating linear story and push button to continue, 4 star. The scripted story requires to press A, holding A else the mission fails. No freedom to get out of the script, worse than Telltales's stories. Many instances this game will treat you as an idiot with a mental age of 4 years. So if you wish have fun, play the open world, but do not play the fishing, and buy a hammer and place on the A button to follow the story as the useless dialogues on horseback while watching tv. The fishery? This activity requires that you damage the right joystick gear or have corns on the big toe by turning very and quickly. Forget it.

    Warning: when your horse, even on autopilot, stumbles on a tree/rock and falls, hold on and do not throw the hammer on the TV. The horses do not see trees in this game.

    I believe that reviews writers do not play this game for over 1 hour. They did review about the demo or the trailer. Impossible to give 100 score to that game after you play it.

    Numbers: 70% of the story, 60% fun, threw the control on the wall 20 times, broke 3 TVs, and was arrested 1 time for throwing the console out the window and breaking a car. I have fun.    … Expand
  6. mikeyoung
    Nov 5, 2018
    7
    Entertaining game in parts but way too much time spent travelling between locations. Looks great but last one was more fun.
  7. Feriatus
    Oct 29, 2018
    7
    It's not a bad game but the gameplay is an outdated one. It by no means a 10 out of 10:

    - "Realism" is annoying. I hate watching Ioot, skin and cook animations 100 times. - Parking a horse or picking up something is frustrating as you have to stand in the exact right position to do so. - 75% of the game time it takes riding to the destination to play the game a bit. - The cover    It's not a bad game but the gameplay is an outdated one. It by no means a 10 out of 10:

    - "Realism" is annoying. I hate watching Ioot, skin and cook animations 100 times.
    - Parking a horse or picking up something is frustrating as you have to stand in the exact right position to do so.
    - 75% of the game time it takes riding to the destination to play the game a bit.
    - The cover system, menu system and controls are retrograde    … Expand
  8. ponux
    Nov 5, 2018
    7
    Visually superb (except cutscenes), good (not amazing) characters/writing, great music but this game isn't 97/100
    I'm 25 hours in (chapter 4) and so far:
    - too much horse (~ half of the game is about riding your horse from A to B... really?!) not allergic to it but that's simply too much - slow animations (walking in camp, picking up stuff or when stuff happens during missions) and slow    Visually superb (except cutscenes), good (not amazing) characters/writing, great music but this game isn't 97/100
    I'm 25 hours in (chapter 4) and so far:
    - too much horse (~ half of the game is about riding your horse from A to B... really?!) not allergic to it but that's simply too much
    - slow animations (walking in camp, picking up stuff or when stuff happens during missions) and slow pace in general. Interesting bet but doesn't really trigger anything outside of frustration and boredom.
    - game forces you to play the good guy - rewards you by doing so (discounts in shops, no bounty hunters to harass you - which is a good thing as most of them are magical bounty hunters with teleporting abilities) and punishes you if you don't; go make $100 with robbing a train and you'll get a $200 bounty. You can pay it or go to jail for 2 minutes to repay those $200 (and the killing 17 persons). Reality simulation often has its limits.
    - clumsy controls (the wheel thing.. misleading tutorials etc) and frequent collision glitches (horse+tree... horse+rock... horse+dude walking on the street etc). Very 2008.
    - gang life: you do 95% of the heavylifting for a gang of 20 persons.. wtf. Don't get the point of buying camp upgrades and/or give more money. After 20+ hours of gameplay you don't really get WHY you're doing all this for them
    - it's not original. if you played RDR1 and Far Cry 4 or 5 you won't be lost to say the least.. Not really a pb if it's your first Rockstar game. It's the more Rockstar game ever made.
    - most importantly this game isn't super fun to play which imho is the biggest pb here. It's Far Cry/GTA funny maybe 50% of the time.. the rest is frustration of horse riding, reloading some checkpoint and retry some (very scripted) mission, chores, taking your stuff before leaving your horse etc RDR1 was more fun. GTA5 (campaign) is more fun.

    It remains interesting to play and enjoyable overall but 7 ouf of 10 it is. Not 10.
    A fun online experience may bump it to 8.    … Expand
  9. Picklock
    Nov 4, 2018
    5
    Great looking game backed up by clumsy, overly complicated, and slow character controls. Even further backed up by 15fps every time a gunfight happens or seeing a vista (not cool when the environment is the best part of the game). Controller mapping so watered down that there are multiple actions linked to a single button depending on what you are doing at the time or standing next to.Great looking game backed up by clumsy, overly complicated, and slow character controls. Even further backed up by 15fps every time a gunfight happens or seeing a vista (not cool when the environment is the best part of the game). Controller mapping so watered down that there are multiple actions linked to a single button depending on what you are doing at the time or standing next to. Don't worry, you don't need to bother remembering them, they know it's rubbish so there are HUD elements all over the place to remind you which buttons do what.

    I never knew there were so many tattle tales in the late 1800's. I can't even shoot my gun into the air in jubilation without it being considered assault... I clear out a gang hideout, someone was able to get away and run crying to the sheriff, that's right, a criminal ran to the sheriff when things went bad for him. It only took the sheriff and a posse 30 seconds to show up and kill me. Might as well just add stars like GTA with cowboys rappelling out of choppers they arrive on the scene so fast. I respawn in the forest to find I have a $50 bounty constantly nagging at me as it takes over the map's cursor icon. Did people actually talk so damn much back then? Everyone has SOO much to say it just comes off as regurgitated story filler. Can they please shut up, or do I really just have to kill them to end the mind numbing back stories each NPC demands the need to share?

    This "game" is hyper-reality overload, in all the bad ways. It's apparent they took so long on this game because it's absolutely full of unwanted features and bloat, which do not add anything of value in my eyes, but only retract from what would have been an amazing experience. I feel like I just took on a second job I have to slog through.

    Why is it so hard to get excited to play this game?    … Expand
  10. thagrait1
    Oct 31, 2018
    6
    I’ll give it credit for how outstanding the visuals are. The hard work that went into that deserves its praise.

    Aside from that, this game is not fun. It is boring. The controls are terrible. You do dumb tedious things constantly that are not fun. I don’t understand the appeal to this game at all.
  11. Saints
    Oct 30, 2018
    6
    Red Dead Redemption 2 is an amazing game that is plagued with an outdated control scheme and a bounty system that needs some understanding.

    Save a few exceptions, in gaming controls are paramount. A perfect score with this wretched classic Rockstar control scheme is mind-boggling. In 2001 Rockstar graced the world with Grand Theft Auto 3 and this control setup. We tripped over ledges,    Red Dead Redemption 2 is an amazing game that is plagued with an outdated control scheme and a bounty system that needs some understanding.

    Save a few exceptions, in gaming controls are paramount. A perfect score with this wretched classic Rockstar control scheme is mind-boggling. In 2001 Rockstar graced the world with Grand Theft Auto 3 and this control setup. We tripped over ledges, fell off buildings, ran into fences. This isn't 2001. This isn't the PS2-era. Controls have greatly evolved. Should we just accept it cause we've used this mess for so long?

    Here are some basic issues that anyone playing will experience with the controls:
    -RT to Aim... but only sometimes, and sometimes it just shoots
    -Walking, Riding on horseback, or on a coach becomes a spam the A button simulator
    -While riding and spamming A, add in LB to open a menu + RB to change pages + R-stick in the direction to highlight + RT/LT to cycle items let go of LB to select - really? I haven't had to do this much hand yoga since I've played Monster Hunter on the PSP.
    -RB to take cover, but sometimes you climb on top of cover with RB... completely exposed for the world to see!
    -Animation queues can be painfully long after a button press, so your actions can be very slow to initiate.
    -Getting the target for looting isn't always easy and you may need to re-approach again and again

    In addition to the control scheme comes the Wanted/Bounty system. It can be exceptionally touchy, and not so clear. For example while riding and trying to avoid an everyday bystander, you go out of your way to avoid them but due to the controls inadvertently bump into them. This could easily lead to assault, with a witness that runs off, which then escalates because you try to chase them down to prevent it being reported and well... even more chaos ensues. Suddenly you have an outrageous bounty on your head, which wouldn't be so bad if making money in the game was a bit easier (which it is not), or if the bounty decayed over time (which it does not). So you're left as a Wanted Man only to ensure that your debt to society will grow way faster than the funds in your pocket ever could.
    So anytime there is an incident occurring with a potential bounty? I just close the game and hope the last auto save wasn't too long ago.

    After closing the software sometimes I come back right away, but it seems each time I close the game because of this, the break I take grows longer. I'm still hyped enough to push on, and hope to finish it, but it is starting to feel like I'm punishing myself to a degree.

    The world is absolutely beautiful and so incredibly engaging. Everything you've seen and possibly read about it cannot do it justice. It's quite unreal how this world can be so real!
    This afternoon while living the real life, I saw a squirrel by my car outside and immediately wanted to get my bow... because RDR2 genuinely fooled me for a moment! However, the flock of birds I saw later in the day didn't fool me, but I still thought of Red Dead.

    Still, as beautiful as this world is, I cannot forgive Rockstar for these controls. If Mega Man or Mario played like this, there would be pitchforks and fire... Rockstar might just need a good slap to look at this outdated control scheme. Beautiful, realistic, and fantastical... but 10/10? Naaaaaaah.    … Expand
  12. Awesum
    Oct 29, 2018
    6
    Open world is not as open as BOTW or minecraft nothing revolutionary. Cannot steal as many things as in GTA. NPC will give you a wanted status because of clunky controls. Hunting is pointless as if you do some missions your hunted animals disappear. This does not diserve 97% rating from critics as this is not up to par with open world greats such as the witcher skyrim BOTW or evenOpen world is not as open as BOTW or minecraft nothing revolutionary. Cannot steal as many things as in GTA. NPC will give you a wanted status because of clunky controls. Hunting is pointless as if you do some missions your hunted animals disappear. This does not diserve 97% rating from critics as this is not up to par with open world greats such as the witcher skyrim BOTW or even minecraft. No one should be shooting at you over a $7.50 bounty. And the camp and getting to know all of the stupid friends aurthor has is very dumb and time consuming. I wish i could return this game but i bought the digital edition and the game doesnt actually start until you get off of the mountain. I cannot believe it took rockstar 5 years to com out with this overrated game.… Expand
  13. paulraised
    Nov 11, 2018
    7
    This is insanely overhyped by both gamers and the media. The game is good, but there are severe issues. Graphics are one of them, of course poor console hardware is to blame, but they should not be parading this thing as the holy grail of graphics, because it's not. When and if, a PC version is released we can discuss it.
    The other big issue I have is the characters. They are not    This is insanely overhyped by both gamers and the media. The game is good, but there are severe issues. Graphics are one of them, of course poor console hardware is to blame, but they should not be parading this thing as the holy grail of graphics, because it's not. When and if, a PC version is released we can discuss it.
    The other big issue I have is the characters. They are not likeable, these are felons and criminals. Even if you like the western theme, Rockstar seems to have a fixation with crime that is not healthy at all. Good stories can be about thieves in the old west, but this is not one of them.
    Third and last, the strategy of early console release to force people into buying the game twice should be denounced heavily.    … Expand
  14. dj5150
    Oct 29, 2018
    7
    Ok, for those of you who haven't played it yet, here's my honest take without a bunch of obvious observation.

    What I feel while playing (25 hours in): -I frequently wondering what i should do next (doesn't feel smooth for a good story) -obviously, i'm enjoying it given the time i've spent on it -no real drive to go run a side mission to get $25 after you've made a few big heists    Ok, for those of you who haven't played it yet, here's my honest take without a bunch of obvious observation.

    What I feel while playing (25 hours in):

    -I frequently wondering what i should do next (doesn't feel smooth for a good story)
    -obviously, i'm enjoying it given the time i've spent on it
    -no real drive to go run a side mission to get $25 after you've made a few big heists
    -highly scripted with boring cut scenes that i'd like to skip (something I can do in other games.
    -when the action starts, im constantly looking at directions (go shoot from that window etc...)
    -right now i feel like making THE big heist seems pointless since I have yet to find a way to upgrade/spend the money) this is a big downside unless it changes later on.
    - the characters are the closest thing to feeling like im living as a gunslinger, but just when i think there is a growing bond between characters, the next encounter with them is like we hardly know each other.
    -yes the game play mechanics are odd, but i can deal with that. Wish the shooting was more satisfying...
    -just when i get used to my horse and its trusting me, it gets killed and doesn't come back to life like my character does.
    -looting is annoyingly slow and that same old problem of being in just the right place to click loot/take

    i'd give it a 7.5/10. Its enjoyable and has a little something for everyone's taste, but I was expecting more given the time that it took to make it.

    Maybe it will ramp up and clear some of these issues by the time im done...hope so!    … Expand
  15. Yugakhan
    Nov 14, 2018
    6
    Best looking game I have ever played and the most boring game i have ever played. I feel asleep in my chair two times playing this game but after the first 5 hours it takes off. you get used to the controls and find the rhythm of the game. Most games are like playing a movie but this game is like playing a book.
  16. JonCR
    Nov 3, 2018
    7
    The game is made very well - it has great graphics and detailed environment. The glorifying reviews make you think it's a must play for everyone - but it's not. It's suitable for GTA5 and western genre fans. If you're more into fast-paced shooters like Doom, Wolfenstein, Far Cry or adventure games like Last of Us, Tomb Raider, Evil Within 2 and Uncharted, then RDR2 will be extremely boringThe game is made very well - it has great graphics and detailed environment. The glorifying reviews make you think it's a must play for everyone - but it's not. It's suitable for GTA5 and western genre fans. If you're more into fast-paced shooters like Doom, Wolfenstein, Far Cry or adventure games like Last of Us, Tomb Raider, Evil Within 2 and Uncharted, then RDR2 will be extremely boring for you. The story and gameplay are simply too slow, gunplay is clumsy and you'll need a lot of time to get into it and actually see any progress in the story. I know that the reviewers try to make you think that it's not the case with RDR2, but I feel that it is, just like it was with GTA5 for example. So if you have a job, kids and only want to shoot something up before going to bed every night, then this game is not for you, unfortunately.… Expand
  17. theirrelephants
    Nov 10, 2018
    5
    The open world is great, the graphics are pretty, the writing is unmitigated trash. The two good parts about the game mentioned above are ruined by the HORRIBLE fps drops. Why is this even on consoles if they can't optimize it to work?

    I didn't think they'd be able to replicate RDR 1, and I was right, but it's still sad.
  18. Drienfyctigcent
    Nov 1, 2018
    7
    The game is good, maybe even great but definitely not excellent as many people say it is. Many aspects are astonishing and excellent like the wildlife, the amount of detail put in the world and in the things that you can do, the exploration, the well written story, the charachters etcetera. That alone is enough to make the game fairly enyojable and does do a lot for the total experience.The game is good, maybe even great but definitely not excellent as many people say it is. Many aspects are astonishing and excellent like the wildlife, the amount of detail put in the world and in the things that you can do, the exploration, the well written story, the charachters etcetera. That alone is enough to make the game fairly enyojable and does do a lot for the total experience. However, many aspects of the game lack that same attention to detail, such as lack of a proper fast travel system (not the one currently in game), the tedious and overly slow animations, and most importantly the absolutely terrible, terrible controls. I will elaborately explain how the controls bring down the game.

    The controls are of the most clunky, messy, delayed and annoying kind I may have ever experienced. Not only does this, combined with slow animations, make simple actions a chore, such as walking around in your camp or picking up items/searching areas, but it ruins the combat system. The controls make the combat system miserably bad and ruin the game to a great extent for me personally. The clunky controls make aiming at enemies incredibly frustrating and hard to do in free aim. This means you are forced to choose lock-on, which is a very unsatifsying way of shooting enemies and makes it feel as if the game is playing itsself for you. That is not fun.

    Another blow to the combat system is the delayed and slow animations. This will make you perform an action which the character carries out so slow or delayed, you think you didn't press the according button or push the joystick all the way so often you will either do it again or adjust your charachter by performing another action. However the game will register all these actions leading up to Arthur doing anything but that which you want him to do, and there you go, you screw up and get killed or injured badly. Another example: the game's abundant focus on the need to lock onto things, so that it can decide whether or not to give you the options to carry out an action on a person or an object, also means that you will often have to look at something, press L2 and then another button to carry out an action of choice. Not only is this intricate when trying to combine multiple actions in a hurry, it also ruins the combat system because the game often goes its own way and doesn't know what you want to do in a firefight. Like when you try to shoot an enemy but the game locks onto your horse because it is onscreen at the same time and near the enemy. By the time you can react to this you get shot dead. Great. Rockstar could and should easily be able to patch something like this, and I truly hope they do so that they can allow us players to enjoy the game as intended, fighting the enemies rather than the controls.    … Expand
  19. MetaMind
    Oct 31, 2018
    5
    DULL, DULL... is Arthur... he is a dullard... noting interesting about him whatsoever... well into Chapter 2 and NOTHING memorable has happened other then excessive horseback riding and accidental shooting of folks because the "interact with folks" button is the SAME BUTTON as shoot... what-the-heck??? Very, very disappointed. I was killed, failed a mission, returned to camp, and MY TENTDULL, DULL... is Arthur... he is a dullard... noting interesting about him whatsoever... well into Chapter 2 and NOTHING memorable has happened other then excessive horseback riding and accidental shooting of folks because the "interact with folks" button is the SAME BUTTON as shoot... what-the-heck??? Very, very disappointed. I was killed, failed a mission, returned to camp, and MY TENT WAS GONE... what-the-heck? and what a miserable way to get access to the map... some menus you'll need to back out with 4-5 button pushes just to return to the game... ugh!... and can I PLEASE skip the overlong skinning scenes... I simply don't want to hunt because I know it just slows down the slow tempo even more. there doesn't seem to be a way to brake my horse, which results in me running over or past folks... went from a 6 to a 5. absolutely nothing wow.
    ==========
    BORING... I played about 8 hours (after the initial 2 hour mostly QuickTime session) and found nothing interesting or compelling. You end of at a camp and stroll around looking for something to do. Go into town, have a little scuffle, go to the stores where you don't have nearly enough money to buy anything useful, go back to camp, stroll around. Doesn't come close to Horizon Zero Dawn, God of War, and even Shadow of the Tomb Raider in terms of intriguing. Not looking for crazy action, just something that engages me to want to play... will try for a little longer to see if something interesting happens that is more than just running errands.    … Expand
  20. Saltycracker
    Oct 26, 2018
    5
    The story telling of the game is top notch and the atmosphere is great, but I bought this game after sinking tons of time into the original Red Dead so that was expected. What was not expected was just how completely awful the controls and mechanics of this game are. The gun fighting felt clunky and underdeveloped, gunfights without cover are pointless because the enemies demolish you,The story telling of the game is top notch and the atmosphere is great, but I bought this game after sinking tons of time into the original Red Dead so that was expected. What was not expected was just how completely awful the controls and mechanics of this game are. The gun fighting felt clunky and underdeveloped, gunfights without cover are pointless because the enemies demolish you, NPC's start fights with you and shoot if you accidentally get in their way on the road, the main character needs to play fetch and do chores after every mission, and the home camp is apparently completely incapable of doing anything for themselves. The worst part is that I will bet the cost of the game that once online comes out single player won't get a single update to fix the clear and present issues. As is, this game deserves nowhere near a 98 rating and it is pretty clear how and why it is getting that kind of rating.… Expand
  21. dirtybaker1331
    Oct 29, 2018
    7
    Huge fan of Rockstar. Love Red Dead 1 and all of the GTA's. Been hyped for this game for a long time.

    The graphics are stunning. Great attention to detail. Story telling is well done and organic. Love the fact that *Spoiler Alert* John Marston is in the game! That really helps. Once you get passed the graphics, you see a game that is more of a chore to play and not THAT fun.    Huge fan of Rockstar. Love Red Dead 1 and all of the GTA's. Been hyped for this game for a long time.

    The graphics are stunning. Great attention to detail. Story telling is well done and organic. Love the fact that *Spoiler Alert* John Marston is in the game! That really helps.

    Once you get passed the graphics, you see a game that is more of a chore to play and not THAT fun. The auto aim makes the game very easy, especially since you can mark your spots and slow down time. The mundane animations are a huge time suck. Do I have to watch this guy skin EVERY animal with such detail? Do I have to wait +5 seconds to search a through a drawer...twice over? Do I have to ride a horse 5-10 minutes to the destinations before every mission? I appreciate realism in a game, but there is a fine line when it comes to this and having fun. There are many times you can not sprint to the destination because you must listen to some type of story. This is important obviously to follow a story, but also exhausting. Let's get to the action!

    The controls are fine. I like diving in and out of cover max payne style. I'm still only on Chapter 4 so there is much to see. I'm sure fast travel will be more accessible. My early impressions are that this game is one of the best looking games and has a immersive story. This is a game though and to me is lacking in the fun department. I give this game a 7.5-8.0 rating. Definitely not a 10.    … Expand
  22. khain
    Oct 31, 2018
    3
    Fantastic atmosphere and visuals, great voice acting and generally an impressive technical achievement.

    As for the rest, clunky gameplay with some bizarre ergonomic choices, and a game that represents the pinnacle of what Rockstar have been creating for years : an excessively scripted experience where choices and consequences don't seem to matter. You will be given the freedom to go    Fantastic atmosphere and visuals, great voice acting and generally an impressive technical achievement.

    As for the rest, clunky gameplay with some bizarre ergonomic choices, and a game that represents the pinnacle of what Rockstar have been creating for years : an excessively scripted experience where choices and consequences don't seem to matter. You will be given the freedom to go anywhere and kill anyone, but god forbid you want to approach a mission in a different manner than what's been planned.

    I've been reading in places that things get better later in the game in that regard. That's nice. Maybe Season 12 of the Knight Rider remake will be awesome.

    Add to that the classic Rockstar things that always irk me such as locking content behind certain missions or steps of the storyline, and at no point do I feel like I'm able to play the game the way I want. I'm being forced to follow a very particular sequence of events and every situation must play out in a very particular way.

    Just not my thing - it just amounts to a very frustrating experience as far as I'm concerned. I can understand the praise, though.    … Expand
  23. PokerStar
    Nov 2, 2018
    3
    Disappointing. Like most of us I think the hype and anticipation and clever gameplay trailers Rockstar released and overwhelming positive critic reviews led me to buying this the second it was released but the user reviews tell the real story. This is a game that promised so much and I really really want to love it. If I’d written a review in the first day I would have given it a 10 butDisappointing. Like most of us I think the hype and anticipation and clever gameplay trailers Rockstar released and overwhelming positive critic reviews led me to buying this the second it was released but the user reviews tell the real story. This is a game that promised so much and I really really want to love it. If I’d written a review in the first day I would have given it a 10 but now, about a third of the way through I give it a 3. It is beautiful to look at and things one cinematic camera mode are great - to begin with. But the gameplay and controls are a massive let down. I kidded myself that it would take a bit of time to get used to and whilst that’s true it doesn’t mean it isn’t a poor experience overall. Gunplqy is clunky. Searching and looting slow and clunky. You have to hold a button for a second each time. Should be an option to skip the animation and just loot. And if it’s about realism then who loots a drawer in a robbery slowly and takes one item out at a time? Arthur can’t move quickly in combat situations, take cover quickly and basically react like a controllable character some of the time. Most of the hyped interactions with NPCs are boring hello and goodbye situations or antagonise and fight situations often where the NPC starts the fight because you said the wrong thing twice or walked into them but you end up either dead or wanted for a crime after beating them up. The controls are all over the place so sometimes I ended up shooting someone by accident. In fact a lot of the time you’re doing the wrong thing because Arthur isn’t standing in exactly the precise right spot. Overall it feels like an interactive movie where you get to push buttons to make some decisions and to move the story along rather than a video game. I like open world games and Zelda: BotW, Assassins Creed Odyssey, even Far Cry 5, have been much more fun to play for me in the last 12 months.… Expand
  24. PoorManStanding
    Oct 30, 2018
    7
    Ehh, want to give this game an 8 but I can't make myself do it because that would be wrong. When companies and news articles say, "this game is gonna be 2x the size of the prequel" do not get your hopes up. If you like running with a horse for 10 min from county to county, this is the game for you.

    The only thing this game has for you is attention to details, story and graphics. But    Ehh, want to give this game an 8 but I can't make myself do it because that would be wrong. When companies and news articles say, "this game is gonna be 2x the size of the prequel" do not get your hopes up. If you like running with a horse for 10 min from county to county, this is the game for you.

    The only thing this game has for you is attention to details, story and graphics. But everything gets blown away when you find out that this game becomes unrelenting and tedious to some extent. So much so that you will get annoyed and angry at the game mechanics this game has to offer.

    This game really disappointed me when I was getting **** game mechanics like fast traveling, horse riding, and the GOD DAMN BOUNTY HUNTERS RUINING MY GOD DAMN EXPERIENCE BY SHOWING UP RANDOMLY AND SHOOT AT ME. I know what you are going to say, but because of the robbing that you must do in order for you to progress at the game makes it much harder to pay your bounty because you are broke and gave everything to the camp so you could upgrade it.

    Fast traveling from camp works only one way and not back. If you need something from the camp, expect 2-3 min of horse riding which also gets tedious after awhile

    Ohh and bugs, lots of bugs. Worse than GTA V.    … Expand
  25. Amihan
    Oct 27, 2018
    5
    Only playable on the Xbox One X, if you have the Xbox One S or the original Xbox One then don't bother as it runs terrible with low fps
  26. cwisnom
    Nov 2, 2018
    4
    The game may be expansive, ambitious, and artistic, but it is also a joyless slog to play through. The number of cut-scenes (admittedly de riegeur these days, and the least glaring of its errors), "gameplay' consisting of walking with a companion (on foot or horse) for long periods of time while they talk, or other similarly uninspired activities, there is almost no FUN to be had playingThe game may be expansive, ambitious, and artistic, but it is also a joyless slog to play through. The number of cut-scenes (admittedly de riegeur these days, and the least glaring of its errors), "gameplay' consisting of walking with a companion (on foot or horse) for long periods of time while they talk, or other similarly uninspired activities, there is almost no FUN to be had playing the game.
    The rare moments of actual action, or even basic navigation, yield controls that feel mawkish and awkward, even compared to the game's 8 year old predecessor., and light years behind the standards set in current AAA tittles, giving you the feeling that even getting to the sweet spots of the game won't be fun. Add to that a system of "cores" and stats that seem far overcomplicated, especially for this type of an action game.

    I'm left giving up after 5 or 6 hours, not from any frustration but with the overwhelming sense that this is not an enjoyable activity, while RDR1 was ridiculously fun to play.

    One is left with the feeling that Rockstar was overwhelming intoxicated with their great artistic vision, and somewhat condescending to gamers that they should sit back and enjoy their incredible tale. Truth be told, even the story and the conversation isn't particularly impressive, and you can't even garner much interest or empathy for any of the characters from even a narrative perspective.

    For a game with such universally stratospheric critical scores, it seems that professionals are ignoring that simple, visceral sense of fun, whether it's a shooting action sequence or even an enjoyable way to stroll around or ride your horse. All I can say as a user is there was no joy or fun from playing this game, and that's really unusual with the typical high quality games we get today.    … Expand
  27. Deez_Nuts
    Nov 7, 2018
    5
    This game should be called The Sims Western Version or Gta 5.5, I'm kidding lol.
  28. 4DaLulz
    Nov 4, 2018
    4
    Red Dead Redemption 2 is a beautiful looking game, supported by clunky controls and a slow paced story that will ultimately not keep you playing.

    It looks absolutely amazing in the GFX department and the sound direction is almost flawless but again the chunkiness let's it all down. 4/10
  29. Kraenee
    Nov 10, 2018
    4
    Why not such a great rating? The world is Amazing, immersive and an absolute masterpiece. The acting is incredible and the story line is interesting. All of this doesn't matter however when the controls are equally horrible. The character actions are not smooth like pretty much any game out there and definitely not as smooth as AC odyssey. This ruins the immersion of this beautiful game.Why not such a great rating? The world is Amazing, immersive and an absolute masterpiece. The acting is incredible and the story line is interesting. All of this doesn't matter however when the controls are equally horrible. The character actions are not smooth like pretty much any game out there and definitely not as smooth as AC odyssey. This ruins the immersion of this beautiful game. Much of the time you will feel frustrated because of the clunkyness of the controls especially during action scenes. It's almost like you feel disconnected from the avatar. The Avatar is also slow as in it's like playing a 70 year old man. Because Rockstar can't seem to get it together with controls and clunkyness of their game's characters so this will not be fixed anytime soon if ever. What's worse is they don't allow the player to fully customize the controls themselves and reassign the buttons. Deadeye requires to push both sticks in but the problem is you could find yourself crouching as well because the left stick pushed in is also the crouch... The movement stick is good for walking forward but not running because you have to push a button for that... the LB is used for taking out your gun but it's also used for inventory wheel so you can accidentally pull out your gun on people.. the whole scheme is just horrible and I quit playing after 40 hours. Also your Avatar grows hair faster than Big Foot and it seems the overall time in the game could be slowed down by double of what it is. I tried fishing, hunting, robbing some of the wonderful story line and is great but I just got tired of the BS controls ripping me out of the immersion and went back to AC odyssey that is actually fun to play. I think rock star really messed this up and it's sad. It would have rated this a 9 but the controls are what we use to interact with the game and should be considered the foundation of the user end experience not an after thought. It would be like getting a Lamborghini and finding out the brake peddle is for the dome light, the steering wheel controls the mirrors and so on... still an amazing car but...… Expand
  30. Trash2Live
    Nov 6, 2018
    4
    The game looks great but after 20 hours of gameplay I'm done. Everything about this game feels tedious with the same RS clunky controls they've been using since GTA3. This game is great if you were looking for a solid hunting simulator but it's incredibly low on fun and action.
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Awards & Rankings

1
#1 Best Xbox One Game of 2018
1
#1 Most Discussed Xbox One Game of 2018
2
#2 Most Shared Xbox One Game of 2018

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
97

Universal acclaim - based on 33 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 33 out of 33
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 33
  3. Negative: 0 out of 33
  1. Official Xbox Magazine UK
    Dec 18, 2018
    100
    Unquestionably 2018's best game, and an all-time open-world masterpiece. [Christmas 2018, p.89]
  2. BaziCenter
    Nov 2, 2018
    100
    It doesn’t matter if you are gamer, a human being, or an alien from another planet; Red Dead Redemption 2 is a title that you just can’t miss. The bar set by RDR2 is so high that even Rockstar itself will probably have a hard time raising it. One of the best releases in the history of digital entertainment.
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  3. The Sydney Morning Herald
    Oct 29, 2018
    90
    While it has some notable but minor flaws, it's hard to argue that Red Dead Redemption 2 is not a masterpiece. The end result of the meticulous detail, wonderful writing and stunning looks is an open world that sets a new bar for believability, and a time and place I can't stop thinking about or wanting to be a part of.
    Read full review
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