Kristy Keene

Perhaps the most defining characteristic of the Wild West is the vast amounts of wildlife that call it home. Red Dead Redemption did a great job of introducing this by giving players the opportunity to hunt (or get hunted by) animals like bears, coyotes, and wild boars. It would be amazing to see Rockstar expand upon this feature. Imagine the player not only being to able to bait a falcon, but then be able to train it and help the player hunt and explore. Maybe the player could also break in unorthodox animals to ride, like a moose or buffalo. Or instead of just coming across a black bear or two, get to see a large sloth of them moving across a meadow knowing full well if they sense you, you’re d

When it comes to Westerns, many people's first thoughts center around cowboys, outlaws, and rebels. Many people forget how influential Native American lore and folktales are to the same time period in which many of these Westerns took place. It was really interesting to see how many references to Native American culture were included in the teaser trailer. There's a scene where two unidentifiable characters are traversing a river in what seems to be a canoe. If you pan up and to the left, you can clearly make out a dream-catcher in the tree that's placed in the foreground. Native American tribes played a huge part in the history that shaped the American Mid and Southwest. Rockstar understands this and we wouldn't be surprised if one of the major protagonists ends up being a Native American bad

2017 is shaping up to be a landmark year for video games. Not only do we have the likes of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild , Horizon: Zero Dawn , and Persona 5 already released, but Wolfenstein: The New Colossus , Crackdown 3 , Far Cry 5 , and God of War are all set to release before spring 2018. Red Dead may be a beloved game, but it doesn’t have the name recognition of Rockstar’s other big open-world crime game, or the popularity of some of the other games coming out. Even with this delay moving it away from the likes of Call of Duty WW2 and Battlefront 2 , the game still has to go up against some of the most highly anticipated titles of the past couple of ye

The hardcore mode in Red Dead Redemption left a lot to be desired. Instead of shifting the gameplay focus to survivalist activities, (hunting, finding shelter) it mostly just made it harder to kill enemies . A mode that would force a player to stock up his saddle with food or be prepared to hunt or steal for a long journey across the map would make for the ultimate Western experience. Simply trying to stay alive for a couple of days should be a challenge as plays fend themselves off from bandits, starvation, bobcats, and the weather. It would also make beating the game in Hardcore mode that much more rewarding. While it may come off a bit too "simulator" to some, it would offer versatile game play and better replay va

By forcing you to slow down and complete duties that seem lackluster, you slowly start to feel more present in this world and grow closer to your own version of Arthur. If Red Dead Redemption 2 was just all about riding around the West and shooting up saloons with your revolver, you'd likely feel disconnected from your avatar. The game then just becomes a power trip and the character that you end up playing is just an amplified version of your own wants and desires. Doing simple chores though such as chopping wood, skinning animals and dragging them back to my horse, and donating to the gang's larger pool of money has made me feel more of a bond with Arthur than any other character I've played as in recent memory. My bond with the character thus far has been established in these small moments, not the large ones.

But unlike many others that I've talked to about this, I don't find myself turned off by any of these aspects of Red Dead Redemption 2 . In fact, I think these elements are Red Dead Redemption 2 ' s biggest strength from what I've played so far. Rather than just feeling like I'm another bland avatar that is filling a void within this larger Open world games reviews-world, Red Dead Redemption 2 is forcing me to live the actual (fictional) life of Arthur Morgan.

GameStop stated that the game’s delay would not affect the overall sale of video games in the fall. This could be because the impact of the game has already lessened, meaning that it wouldn’t have been the end-all game many are hyping it up to be. Instead, moving it to the beginning of the year simply moves it out of the way of potentially bigger titles that could steal its sales. The holiday season is incredibly important in the games industry because everyone wants the best new game as a gift. Rockstar could have realized that even that time of year wouldn’t have helped Red Dead in any real way, so moving the game’s release date at least moved it out of the way of other big play

For such a stoic man, John Marston, the protagonist of Red Dead Redemption , was a bit for a clutz. Despite being a frontiersman that should’ve been adapted to the rough terrain of the West, players found their character stumbling around like a drunken fool at the slightest notion of uneven land. It didn’t seem like John Marston had much ability to explore anything other than flat firm ground. Getting a player character that can climb up can ledges and swim across rivers would make for a much more realistic Western character, ready to take on whatever the terrain throws at them. He doesn’t need to have Assassin’s Creed style free running, jumping from tree to tree like a flying squirrel, but a bit more natural movement and flexibility over what terrain the player can traverse would make for a better character and experie