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Red Dead Redemption 2 is still the best open world game made

The number of things you can see and do blows all other open worlds outta the water. There's always a reason to explore. Hidden stories.. some rare photo-opportunity.. random shit like executions, highway robberies to even crazier shit: the UFO, Vampire, wild men in caves, or the Ghost girl... Too much to list. The mindblowing animal ecosystem ALONE can pass off the game a full-fledged hunting&nature sim. NPCs have impressive AI and schedules with day-and-night cycles.. Lively world making you feel ACTUAL SHIT can go on without you, unlike most other games where the world relies on your activity.

Games like TLOU1&2 and HFW might edge this1 out in NPC facial animation, gore and some texture detail, but sheer scope & the fact it maintains visuals & detail afar off is incredible on its own. More insane that on XOne/PS4 shit looks even better than 95% of next-gen games. Sick killcams & multitude of takedown combos make fights feel raw, fun and engaging. Also the top-notch sound design. Ambient & freeroam music, environmental sounds and cutscene tunes.. All reflect soul & emotion.

That's without even going to the extremely well-written story, insane range of acting, characters with personalit, deep backstories & an array of crazy side-tales. The story of RDR2 is top-tier, and Arthur Morgan is top 5, if not the GOAT gaming protag.

Glad there's a unique game like this. A methodic, historic piece bold enough to take on weight&heft as an approach to movement, and dialling depth, interactivity & immersion to 11. I'll never understand wanting DMC & Souls controls with instant momentum & zero reaction to the environment in here. I keep discovering stuff I never knew before after over 3 years.. Been playing this shit on PC and it's easily the best looking game of all time. This is the pinnacle of open-world gaming. We won't see another game of this magnitude anytime soon.
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Philfrag

Banned
I'll agree that its beautiful, but I just don't get the love for it. I wish I felt the same. For all the qualities you mention, I feel I'm pushed away by the lack of depth each system has in it. Such a big expansive world, that surprisingly is not utilised in its mission structure e.g. lack of freedom in how to complete missions. Even though stealth is a thing that seems to be worked into the game, it very rarely is a technique that can be properly utilised. For as cinematic as the story is, I found the pacing to be off with characters having gestures of depth to them without actual character development that made sense to me. Characters made their way from A to B without any actions that made sense. Something about the game just felt off to me. Like it was made in fragments then glued together at the last minute.
Please remember that taste is subjective, and Red Dead Redemption 2 exists within the confines of those parameters. I see crazy shit being talked about around here like the game is somehow objectively great. You can like it, but there are plenty of things to criticize.

I really thought multiplayer had potential though. Its such a shame that Rockstar just didn't have confidence in the platform they had built. It seems like there may have been issues during development.
 

TheZink

Member
I never gave this a chance last gen and really, really want to play this on my Series X, but won't touch the game unless it's given a 60fps patch.
I tried to go back and play it again a few weeks ago. 30 frames was jarring to me after playing almost everything in 60 for the last year. I hope the patch 60 also.
 

lukilladog

Member
"This better than this and this better than that"... therefore the best!. That is not good argumentation. It's like saying that the cake which has the best of every ingredient is the best, fallacious.
 
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SmokedMeat

Gamer™
The GoaT.

No other open world game is on its level. Feels like a living, breathing world.

I get the console players complaints though. I originally played it on PS4 Pro and it was 30fps dog shit. Both RDR2 and Metro Exodus were games that were ruined for me on what are now the last Gen consoles.

On PC it’s glorious.
 
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I'll agree that its beautiful, but I just don't get the love for it. I wish I felt the same. For all the qualities you mention, I feel I'm pushed away by the lack of depth each system has in it. Such a big expansive world, that surprisingly is not utilised in its mission structure e.g. lack of freedom in how to complete missions. Even though stealth is a thing that seems to be worked into the game, it very rarely is a technique that can be properly utilised. For as cinematic as the story is, I found the pacing to be off with characters having gestures of depth to them without actual character development that made sense to me. Characters made their way from A to B without any actions that made sense. Something about the game just felt off to me. Like it was made in fragments then glued together at the last minute.
Please remember that taste is subjective, and Red Dead Redemption 2 exists within the confines of those parameters. I see crazy shit being talked about around here like the game is somehow objectively great. You can like it, but there are plenty of things to criticize.

I really thought multiplayer had potential though. Its such a shame that Rockstar just didn't have confidence in the platform they had built. It seems like there may have been issues during development.
I get why the mission design is criticized. I also think that failstates could've been loosened up. But I somewhat feel that's the best tradeoff.
Rockstar are trying to maintain a consistently high narrative quality. An open ended mission design is the enemy of that.
Look @ MGSV & Zelda BoTW. Completely open ended, but the narrative quality takes a hit.
maybe in the near future we'll be able to get a game with both high-quality story and completely open-ended mission design
 
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begotten

Member
If the main story ended with Arthur Morgan it would have been. Can't drag on a game that already played as dull as RDR2 did.
 

DeepEnigma

Gold Member
They aren't going to patch it for 60fps. At most they'll do an "Enhanced" edition that is only slightly different, has 60fps on consoles, and charge full price again.
While Take 2 and Rockstar are less to be desired in their current shifts and "definitive editions" they unleashed to the world... the only issue I can see with them not released a "60fps patch," would be that it's a big undertaking with lower extraction layers on the consoles and animations/physics all tied to the framerate. But that is probably giving them too much benefit of the doubt.

Then again, over 50 million sold and only T2/R* couldn't be fucked with continued QoL support.
 
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gow3isben

Member
Not just an incredible world but ND, Santa Monica, and Rockstar are in a league of their own when it comes to facial animation and expressions, acting, and storytelling.

As good as the absolute best movies and shows
 
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amigastar

Member
Haven't really finished the game i might do that. Recently i've got a DualSense controller for my PC and this game is supported unofficially through DSX. I might wanna try it out.
 

begotten

Member
Not just an incredible world but ND, Santa Monica, and Rockstar are in a league of their own when it comes to facial animation and expressions, acting, and storytelling.

As good as the absolute best movies and shows

Naughty Dog is clear #1.

Next few spots are up for debate. Rockstar only has RDR2 as of recently which is still hit & miss and Santa Monicas' writing doesn't match their production.
 

Fredrik

Member
Best world, yes I can agree to that. Especially with how dynamic everything is, feels like there is proper life in it and not just a static world with trigger points. I remember playing card and you would see people go in and out of the bar as time moved on, same if you just stand still in a random city street, the whole game moves on even if you put down the controller.

But after Elden Ring all other open world games lack content and so does RDR2. Although it is understandable since it’s reality, can’t have a cave around every corner in a game like RDR2.
 
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oji-san

Banned
One of the best of all time for me, probably this and The Witcher 3. I love everything about the game, the story, characters and gameplay. Tho there's minor things like not allowing to run in camps or skins get rotten in the middle of nowhere, but still man this game is on another level and for the love of god patch it to 60fps already.
 

Certinty

Member
It’s the best game ever made by a long distance

Open world
Soundtrack
Story
Characters
Attention to details
Graphics
Soundtrack

Are all as good as it gets. The gunplay though I’ll admit is shit but given everything else I’ll give that a pass.
 

Gaiff

Gold Member
Beautiful but boring game

Bored me to absolute tears.

and then you start a mission and it's more linear than House of the Dead, paired with the most dogshit gamedesign ever seen

it controls and plays horribly, which makes the time spent in that admittedly gorgeous world a constant act of tedium.

Don't know how somebody can finish this game. I got bored after a few hours and still haven't finished the game. Totally boring story.🤷🏼‍♂️😒

Truer words were never spoken.

Rockstar makes games with insanely high production values, too bad they all play like shit.

Shit game. Rockstars are masters at technology but their gameplay isn't worth a lick.

RDR2 is a great piece of tech. Garbage at being a game.
Good to know many people aren't fooled by the window dressing of graphics and like more than prettiness and vastness to their games. The shit gameplay stops it from even being a contender and I wish those journo wannabe-writers would have called it out.
 

Tripolygon

Banned
It is one of the most realistic and well realized open world design. Gorgeous game and lots of details in it.

However, the missions are so restricted it feels like a linear game to the point where TLOU p2 wide linear feels more open than RDR2 missions.
 
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rodrigolfp

Haptic Gamepads 4 Life
Rockstar makes games with insanely high production values, too bad they all play like shit.
How come GTA 1, 2, 3, VC and SA, MP3, Table Tennis, Bully, LA Noire, Manhunt play like shit?
Pls, don't tell me you are judging them by the potato console versions.
 
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rodrigolfp

Haptic Gamepads 4 Life
It’s the best game ever made by a long distance

Open world
Soundtrack
Story
Characters
Attention to details
Graphics
Soundtrack

Are all as good as it gets. The gunplay though I’ll admit is shit but given everything else I’ll give that a pass.
Funny you mentioning being the best game ever when the most important aspect that is gameplay is shit (one of the worst ever). Maybe they should make a movie next time.
 
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