Support NeoGAF

[BluRayHiDef]

I bought a digital copy of the game for my PlayStation 4 Pro and one for my Xbox one X and despite doing so on release day, I still haven't beaten either version. This game is a mixed bag for me; it's beautiful on both systems, though it admittedly looks better on the X, and the idea of playing it is fun - the idea of riding through an expansive, highly detailed landscape of mountains, forests, valleys, and small towns, which are occupied by all sorts of animals and interesting human characters. However, in actuality, I think that it's rather boring to play, particularly over the course of long gameplay sessions.

Travelling via horse, which is the primary means of transportation, is frustrating and tedious; horses become tired, which requires you to stop and allow them to rest, as well as feed them and groom them to calm them down. Also, in order to make Arthur or a horse that he's riding run at top speed, you have to repeatedly tap "X," which is tedious and makes me feel silly; RockStar should have just required "X" to be held down rather than tapped repeatedly.

Merely controlling Arthur is annoying; the controls for him aren't consistently responsive and they feel awkward and clumsy at times. For example, a few hours ago I made Arthur board a cart that was being pushed by two AI-controlled companions (Dutch and someone else) during a shootout and despite me hitting "O" several times, he wouldn't crouch, which caused him to be shot and killed (I've experienced moments like this in the Xbox One X version as well). Also, there are too many moments and settings (e.g. when Arthur is following NPCs or when he's at the camp) in which Arthur can't run at full speed or make his horse gallop at full speed, which makes me feel like I'm not in control of him. Furthermore, making Arthur move around in general feels sluggish and generally awkward.

Another issue that I have with the game is that a lot of the missions are boring, such as one in which Arthur herds sheep all the way from a valley to a small town, takes a small boy fishing, delivers a letter from one member of a romantic couple to the other and vice versa. Why the heck would RockStar think that any of this would be fun?

Yet another problem is the tediousness of looting; looting requires Arthur to engage in very lengthy and complex animations which actually depict him rummaging through someone's pockets or opening a drawer or closet and then grabbing the item of interest therein, etc. Sometimes realism has to be sacrificed for practicality, such as in TLoU 2, in which looting is very snappy.

Having said all of this, I still have the intention of finishing the game, on both systems.

 

[SGRU]

I understand some people likes to collect different physical versions of the same game, but digital?

And yes, it's boring, at least for me. I impulse bought the deluxe or whatever is called version (99 bucks) and I played like four or five hours.

 

[BluRayHiDef]

I understand some people likes to collect different physical versions of the same game, but digital?

And yes, it's boring, at least for me. I impulse bought the deluxe or whatever is called version (99 bucks) and I played like four or five hours.

I had only recently gotten my Xbox One X and wanted to see how different the game looks on it relative to how it looks on the PS4 Pro.

 

[Tschumi]

I dissagreeeee but, since I'm consciously ignoring things like fast travel it is taking me a while to get to my next mission after i complete one~ it is consequently pretty hard to string together a bunch of missions and my progress is pretty slow. So i haven't been focusing on it

 

[Krappadizzle]

It always feels like an experience for me. Like a time capsule jump. I agree about the sluggishness. The PC version is leaps and bounds better to the One X and it's still sluggish and just....slow. It's very slow. It's immersive as shit though and I find myself having fun just getting lost in the setting and getting away for a little while.

 

[Maine84]

The game was kinda boring. It took too long to get to the next mission on that horse. And some of the missions were boring

 

[TexMex]

I think the game has some very high highs, but a lot of it is a really boring slog that was a chore to finish by the end.

 

[BluRayHiDef]

The game was kinda boring. It took too long to get to the next mission on that horse. And some of the missions were boring

What house? The plantation?

 

[Maine84]

What house? The plantation?

I meant horse

 

[Down With Yoga Pants!]

Beautiful game. Decent but not great controls. Solid performance. But the story is utter shit the deeper you get into the game, and the missions vary between pointless and just average. That's the real problem with video games these days. The writers are not nearly as talented as the artists and coders. It's almost like they point 99% of a game's budget towards building the world and making it look pretty, but then give the final 1% of the budget to a team of immature, hack Millennial writers who have no original thoughts of their own, and no courage to write them even if they did. We're at a point now where the storytelling is so consistently bad across all new releases, that less is now more. The less story, the better. That's why I like the Souls games. Just let me play the game and don't try to bore me with why I should play it.

 

[KellyNole]

It’s boring. Lots of stuff to do and amazing world. Just a boring game. The previous installment I couldn’t put down. It reminds me of gta 4. They tried to make it too realistic and it was a good game but not as much fun as the others.

 

[ManaByte]

So boring. Beautiful game, deep systems, but a cure for insomnia.

 

[haxan7]

I had to take a long break from it too. Eventually went back to it and got really into it. I feel like it’s the kind of game where you have to let the world immerse you in all its little charms. For me clearing the hunting log was the thing I enjoyed the most.

 

[TheUsual]

I played it on my PS4 when it came out all the way to the Saint Denis chapter. Got bored with it and put it down.

Bought it on PC and back to the same point again and have set it aside. The mission structure is just not doing it for me anymore. It is just very tedious as OP has described.
On the PC version, I did get hooked into upgrading my satchel to the max one but after that there isn't anything else that grabs out to me.

 

[DForce]

I thought it was really boring. All those long horse rides just killed the pacing for me.

The epilogue chapters were even worse.

 

[Gravemind]

Its one of my favourite games. I didnt find it boring whatsoever. I can see how some would though.

 

[Nethernova]

boring and controls really badly

 

[Ashraf’s Lioness]

Prettyyyyy boring

 

[Shambala]

One of the most boring slow paced games I’ve ever played. I never finished it. Overhyped trash.

 

[Qudrat Rabbi]

Finished it but don’t remember it as fondly as the first one. Game looks damn good tho

 

[D3SCHA1N]

I enjoy it a lot. As of now it's my game of the generation...

 

[Soleil rouge]

It sucks on PS4; amazing on PC.

 

[EverydayBeast]

The gaming community is in agreement that it’s a AAA game and perhaps R*’s greatest game ever, so many well placed moments.

 

[fran.fernandez]

Not bad, it get really boring time to time, it took me months to finish. But that’s how all rockstar games are, after some hours you completely forget the main story.

 

[GodParticle]

I think it's one of those games where you have to immerse yourself, i.e., sort of role play a cowboy. If you're just in it for a typical action game, it's not gonna be for you

 

[bumleforce]

I didn't really care for it when it came out. Iv never really been into rockstar games for some odd reason. I was going to play it when it came to next gen but It came to gamepass and i was like why not? OMG Blown away. It is now in my top 10 games of all time and my game of the gen. The polish. voicework, graphics, immersion of this game are out of this world. The story was amazing. I can't say enough good things about this game. I use to think witcher 3 was gonna be game of the gen till this game.

 

[R6Rider]

It had fun moments and plenty of boring moments. I didn't even finish the last bit of the game because of how boring it was.

The island bit and after it seems to get more boring main mission wise.

 

[Javthusiast]

I very much enjoyed it, though there were moments throughout where I was fed up with the controlls/animations.

And the worst thing: That stupid, rigid Rockstar mission structure that needs to be put out of it‘s misery. One wrong step and mission is over, cause it is on rails. As well as the constant ride here while listening to dialogue, kill people, ride back listening to dialogue.

Oh and fuck the whole island filler part.

 

[prag16]

Beautiful and boring.

 

[Bog]

Yeah it’s really boring. Also really cool at times. But ultimately boring.

 

[DaleinCalgary]

Nope, boring and I stopped after 5 hours. I wanted the old game but better.

 

[Tchu-Espresso]

Loved it. One of the few games that has heldMy attention in years.

 

[Arachnid]

Boring. I return to it here and there to try to like it, but I cant. I think I've played 20 hrs altogether, and it was all spent trying to force myself to enjoy it.

 

[docmindbender]

Absolutely one of my all time favourite games.

 

[sendit]

Beautiful game, but incredibly boring. The game won't have the same legs as GTA5.

 

[Bodom78]

I bought on launch due to hype and really enjoying the first.

I stopped playing after around 5 hours due to boredom and a feeling of things just taking too long.

That said the game world was beautiful but that's just not enough for me to stick it out to completion.

 

[Moriah20]

You can inject your horse with stimulants to refill its stamina without stopping. You can also buy stirrups that raise the stamina SIGNIFICANTLY. This may not be available right away, but I'm pretty sure I had them by chapter 3. And I almost never had to even look at the stamina bar anymore.
You can fast travel from the portable camp to any key location already visited once you have beaten an early mission in ch 2. This is a relatively new addition, but this significantly reduces the amount of riding needed, you can basically fully avoid the "ride back to camp" segments.
The game is mega generous on supplies, there is really no need to loot more than a couple of people here and there. You also get shit tons of money that you can use to buy supplies straight from the catalogue in stores, I recommend just stocking up on everything and ignoring looting completely.

RDR 2 is a brilliant game, one of my favs, but it's generally slow, however I do not in any way consider that a negative. But it may be for some. I think the game is incredibly engaging, all the way through. It's got lots of flaws, some minor, some major, but in the end it adds up to something really special. I am glad it exists, because there is nothing quite like it on the market. We have so few western themed games, and most of them are super arcadey. Even RDR 1, IMO. But RDR 2 really captures the slow burn, meticulous feel of some of the big classics.

Beautiful game, but incredibly boring. The game won't have the same legs as GTA5.

I mean, you didn't exactly break new ground there, GTA 5 is like the best selling game ever that also released at the very end of a generation and the next one had no backwards compatibility for several years into the gen, and even then it was limited to a single platform, allowing rockstar to re-release the game and reap the profits once more. Plus it's fucking GTA. Way more appeal than an immersive western. Still, RDR 2 is rockstar's 2nd highest selling game after GTA 5, it beat out SA and GTA 4.

 

[jaysius]

RDR1 was my game of last generation, I still don’t know how they fucked this one up so badly as to make it a real drag midgame, it’s just not as fun overall. I go back to RDR1 sometimes and I still love it, I get really caught up in how good it is, wonder if they make another one, then get real sad when I remember how bad the sequel was.

I loved the old GTA games like San Andres, GTA5 really sucked though, it was too long and not fun.

I’m not sure is the issue is Rockstar fired all the good staff, or they didn’t know how to modernize their games and we ended up with these mediocre offerings.

Maybe they spend too much on the bells and whistles and not enough on actual gameplay these days.

I naively hope we’ll see a return to form someday, but I’m no longer excited by their products.

 

[GreyHorace]

I thought it was fun. I've replayed it about 3 times because the experience was so good and Arthur Morgan is probably one of my favorite protagonists in a videogame. And can I just say that Rockstar outdid themselves with the narrative? It may be a typical storyline if you've ever seen a Western, but the execution was so well done and miles ahead of any attempt at storytelling done in this gen. (*cough*The Last of Us 2*cough*)

Also, another aspect that RDR2 doesn't get enough credit for is it's atmosphere. I mean, the visuals are already fantastic, but add the weather effects and lighting and you've got a game that can inspire terror in you, especially when traveling at night. To this I make a comparison to The Witcher 3, which is supposed to be a game about hunting monsters. Now don't get me wrong, I thought The Witcher 3 had some great atmosphere, but I can't help it that Rockstar games did a better job at making the wilderness a frightening place where something can leap out of the trees to kill you (and sometimes does!). You can compare the two screens below and see what I mean.

As for the controls, well, I've have to agree somewhat. They're not as good as they were in the first Red Dead. Rockstar went full in on the Wild West simulation part and really made it a chore to perform simple actions. That said, they weren't a dealbreaker for me and I still had fun despite them. But a new Red Dead game should really have a easier control scheme.

 

[Kamina]

Story was interesting
World was well done

If you like the story/setting end enjoy exploration this game is quite awesome.
If you don’t then surely there are other games out there for you.

 

[MrMephistoX]

I love it but it's a very slow burn to figure it all out: it's basically Cowboy Shenmue.

 

[Kagey K]

I enjoyed the slower pace of it and that you have time to sit back and take everything in, instead of the ADD riddled mess most games are.

 

[Dr.Guru of Peru]

A good game, but too long. Haven't finished it either.

I've got a pile of other games from this gen that are the same.

 

[Halo is Back]

Loved almost every second of it. My only two major criticisms of the game we very strict mission design and shooting was way too easy. Just lock on, point up, and get head shot. Rinse and repeat. Thankfully, there is a lot to do in the game.

I really love games that make a effort to put in systems of realism and immersion. There are a lot of fun ways to mess around in the game and the random encounters are varied and very entertaining. It's a game that rewards you the more you explore. Plus, it has the best character arch in a game I have ever played. I have never played a game where the story affected the way I play in the open world.

 

[mcjmetroid]

If you like and need good gameplay you generally won't like many Rockstar games to be honest.

Rockstar games tend to give you a ton of things to do in their games but they never do does particularly well on the gameplay side.

 

[drganon]

I really enjoyed my playthrough of it, but after I beat it, I felt no need to play it anymore. Usually when it comes to open world games, I'll stick around to get more trophies/achievements, but with rdr2, I wasn't that interested.

 

[Beer Baelly]

Enjoyed it, controls never bothered me. One of the best games this gen and ever created.

 

[Paasei]

The world looks stunning and the story is good.

The gameplay/controls are not, it's that same outdated stuff we've been dealing with since GTA3. While it is filled with good technical details, but don't add anything to the gameplay apart from tedious chores. They are fun/cool for the first 4 times, and then they become tedious. Brush horse, feed it, eat, getting your weapons from your horse and so on.

When you play it on PC it's a lot better because of the free aim with the mouse, it was the sole reason I played it till the end and actually enjoyed it. But it's far the best game, for that it has to be more of a game and less of a "cinematic experience" and/or movie.

 

[Rikkori]

It's fun, especially the hunting gameplay is very addictive. As with all open world games if you don't actually want to simply be in that world then chances are you're not going to like it. Too many people try to play OW games like linear experiences and end up disappointed when they're not that.

 

[bhunachicken]

I played it for 3 weeks, then stopped and sold it. Most disappointing game this generation.

Someone said that it treats you like a spectator rather than an active participant and I think that's very true.

There were story missions where you needed to, for example, get a sniper rile for a mission. Well, you just walked into the shop and it was free. There was another mission where you needed to play a game of poker and win. Instead of requiring you to win, the game simply gave you a fixed hand and told you what cards to play. They should've made the AI opponent crap at the game or given you the opportunity to skip the section if you weren't very good at it.