Red Dead Redemption 2 Had No Staying Power
After years of waiting, I couldn’t wait to dive into Red Dead Redemption 2. But where did all that natural splendor go?
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“We can’t always fight nature, John. We can’t fight change, we can’t fight gravity, we can’t fight nothin’. My whole life all I ever did was fight…”
Ever since playing the original Red Dead Redemption, one of my favorite characters across all forms of media has been Dutch Van der Linde. Struggling with demons from the past, fighting to live as an outlaw on the run, believing in himself as much as his followers, Dutch is a complex and complicated individual trying to survive in a world that has drastically changed around him. Much of what he represents and struggles with across both stories ironically reflects exactly what is wrong with the sequel game. Having waited almost ten years for a new, more beautiful Rockstar iteration, I could not wait to dive into Red Dead Redemption 2.
But where did all that natural splendor go?
Upon its release, come late October 2018, literally at the stroke of midnight (I had pre-downloaded it weeks in advance), I was instantly pulled into a gritty, serious, and breathtaking open world. I probably didn’t stop playing for a full 12 hours. Though I may have easily fallen in love with a game I had long been anticipating, I can see how others may have grown frustrated with the game’s design, tone, and realism. These three concepts all clash in some way throughout the playthrough and, despite record sales, proves why the game has dramatically left the public eye.
Following up the record-shattering Grand Theft Auto V was no easy task, but Red Dead Redemption 2 surpassed it with relative ease. Take-Two Interactive, Rockstar’s parent company, stated that within the first eight days of its release, Red Dead Redemption 2 sold 17 million copies. That may not sound like a lot, but it’s much more than what Red Dead Redemption sold in the 8 years of its existence. Intriguingly, not a mere five months after the game’s debut, Take-Two Interactive’s share prices dropped 20% with investors worried about the game’s level of engagement. This highlights the reality plaguing Red Dead Redemption 2: downplaying satisfaction. Intelligent investors knew that Red Dead Online was never going to be on par with its cash-grabbing cousin, GTA Online.
The faster we approach its one-year anniversary, the less we even hear about the game. False reports of a story DLC made fans excited, though still very little attention was drawn to the game. It’s ironic to see more news and excitement surrounding DLC content for GTA Online than any of Red Dead’s updates, which tend to get mocked and ignored. What happened? You would think a game ripe with fantastic graphics, awesome gameplay, and a spellbinding narrative would be enough for players to be immersed, yet it appears this very immersion is what has elicited so much―or, should I say, so little—backlash.
Especially in the build-up to its release, Red Dead Redemption 2 was poised to be a game with no bounds. From the images and trailers I viewed consistently, the hype was as glorious as Grand Theft Auto V’s, maybe even bigger. Games like Nier and The Last of Us attained similar spells of immense hype, yet that same energy is still there. With The Last of Us 2 slated for release sometime later this year, the hype is ever-present and swirling, thanks to Troy Baker. Now, nearly a year into its life cycle, Red Dead Redemption 2 is faced with questions about quality. What could have been done better? Why has the hype all but dissipated? And what’s with all the horse manure?
Heralded as one of the best video game stories of all time, Red Dead Redemption 2 takes you down a path of hardship, one that is unrelenting and pockmarked with violence. While your choices in the game may amount to nothing more than a morality meter, this doesn’t quite affect the overall playthrough. And, with a variety of stranger missions and side quests to follow, there’s still nothing more memorable than the experiences bequeathed in the original. One of the most fascinating mechanics in Red Dead Redemption 2 are random events, wherein the player can choose to assist an ailing passerby or ignore them. This, however, becomes a consistent nuisance as you travel throughout the wide-open sandbox. It’s almost as if the game itself is trying to pry you away from your own experience at every turn.
I don’t think those are the main issues, but I feel like their presence in tandem with the poor reception of Red Dead Online has a lot to do with the game’s relative silence. I was among the few who were excited beyond belief to relive my own childhood: the allure of being a bandit once again with my pals online was too much to bear. But, upon arrival, I immediately felt Red Dead Online was lacking in a multitude of facets. With all these varying intentions converging, Red Dead Redemption 2 became an out-of-place mixture that couldn’t tell the difference between complicated and simplicity. Intending on making the game feel as real as possible, Rockstar also made it far too and time-consuming and complex to do anything.
At the climax of Red Dead Redemption, right before he plummets off a cliffside to his death, Dutch tells John:
“I can’t fight my own nature. That’s a paradox, John.”
The sequel shows a somewhat different character. In the crossroads of an existential dilemma, Dutch must choose between changing his entire identity to save his band of followers or fall victim to his own fallacies and authoritative attitude. Dutch is one of the most conflicted characters in the entire series, struggling with his devotion to living free while still chasing a life of everlasting peace for his gang. He truly believes in himself, as much as his followers do, which drives him into the very state of insanity we find him in during the original.
Similarly, Red Dead Redemption 2 seems to fight its own nature. Perhaps, more accurately, I’m constantly fighting my own nature as a gamer while playing it. Small mishaps always pulled me out of the game, like bumping into pedestrians in Saint Denis would automatically get me wanted, which obviously turned into bloody shootouts every time. The serious nature of the game and its story belied no actual seriousness when presenting topics of immense depth. Rockstar’s attempt at making one of the most realistic games falls flat due to awkward button placement, cumbersome menus, annoyingly constant random events, and a slowly-paced story.
And despite all of this, I still continue to play the game, because it’s outlaws for life.
Link Source : https://www.thegamer.com/red-dead-redemption-2-staying-power/