Red Dead Redemption 2 - now available on PC

[KVVRR]

The problem with RDR2's story isn't the writing itself, it is pretty decent, the topics it covers are interesting, and if you only focus on the text what's there delivers. The real problem is that it's stretched way, wayy too thin. Following a gang of misfits while seeing how they fall apart and their father figure slowly rots and reveals his ugly real self sounds good for the first 10 hours, gets annoying by 20, and it's miserable afterwards. That's if you're being patient with it and you don't see where it's going as soon as you get out of the snow. There's absolutely zero reason for this story to last 50 or 60 hours, specially when so much of it is just bickering and infighting and looooooooooong horse rides with them just talking or repeating what they're about to do, or what's just happened.

The game denying you any choice in the matter only makes things worse. It doesn't matter how much you donate to the camp. It doesn't matter if you actively avoid going after people's debts. It doesn't matter if you actively antagonize or praise everyone around camp, if you're the best or the worst outlaw in the old west or if you engage at ALL with the rest of the gang. The systems are there but they don't affect the story at all, and the experience of seeing how the group falls apart so insufferable that you don't care what happens by the point Micah is running around literally terrorizing children, harassing women and killing puppies around camp. If no one is going to sneak in at night and put a cap on the person NO ONE in the group likes, and the game stops me from killing the obvious snake, despite every mission involving gunning down dozens of men, why the fuck would I care?

 

[Zombra]

The problem with R2D2's story

i misread it like tis and wa svery confuse dyb the riest of your post. i figure dout it now so all iwss well. carry on

 

[FreshCorpse]

Dear Codex, help me out. I am on a Western kick since I saw the recent Cowboy Costner vehicle.

I booted this game up and played for a bit. Then I remembered when I never played much of it: it's absolutely atrocious and has zero respect for your time.

What are some decent Western-themed games?

 

[AwesomeButton]

You are playing a video game that makes you experience the life of a murderhobo in the sunset days of the old west in minute-to-minute detail.

I'd say the game has full respect for your time if you were living at the turn of the 20th century.

 

[Azalin]

Dear Codex, help me out. I am on a Western kick since I saw the recent Cowboy Costner vehicle.

Wait,the first movie is 3 hours long and there are going to be 4 movies in total? Fuck me,why didn't they just made it as a 12-13 episode tv/netflix series or something like that

 

[FreshCorpse]

Dear Codex, help me out. I am on a Western kick since I saw the recent Cowboy Costner vehicle.

Wait,the first movie is 3 hours long and there are going to be 4 movies in total? Fuck me,why didn't they just made it as a 12-13 episode tv/netflix series or something like that

The reason is likely some mix of: artistic freedom (Netflix would want a different casting I suspect), the funding model (well established for films) and the fact that he fundamentally wanted to make a (series of) film(s) along the lines of How the West Was Won.

 

[PorkyThePaladin]

Dear Codex, help me out. I am on a Western kick since I saw the recent Cowboy Costner vehicle.

I booted this game up and played for a bit. Then I remembered when I never played much of it: it's absolutely atrocious and has zero respect for your time.

What are some decent Western-themed games?

Yeah, RDR2 is utter trash. Cinematic linear-as-all-fuck faux open world game with some of the dullest story and characters you will ever see.

As far as the good ones, unfortunately there aren't many. There are Gun and Read Dead Revolver, which some people like, but they have probably aged too much by now to be enjoyable. Red Dead Redemption 1 is a much better game than the sequel, but on the flip side, I wouldn't necessarily call it great either. It just wastes your time less, feels slightly less linear, and has a much better story.

The Poles made a trio of Call of Juarez games, which weren't half bad. The last one, in particular, Gunslinger, is a fun shooter, but it's too fast paced and arcadey and shooter-y to fill the same needs as the Western movies.

Desperadoes games are supposed to be quite good, but they are puzzle stealthers similar to Commandos, so again, not sure if they will fill the same need.

All in all, this is a setting deeply in need of someone other than Rockstar to come in and create an open world masterpiece. Perhaps Warhorse or CDProjectRed one day. One can dream.

 

[cvv]

What are some decent Western-themed games?

As far as the good ones, unfortunately there aren't many.

Hard West has been sitting on my shelf, a friend of mine loved it but apparently it's Wild West with demons, co p. crazy. Plus it's turn-based.

 

[Gerrard]

Of course it was Morgoth who made this thread

 

[AwesomeButton]

I guess if you've brainwashed yourself enough, anything can look like a fleshlight. Or bigotry. Or wokeness.

Multiple terminally online losers on 4chan can't be wrong.

 

[FreshCorpse]

Multiple terminally online losers

Or, given the nature of 4chan - it's very possibly a single mentally insane lunatic posting with sockpuppets.

 

[Non-Edgy Gamer]

I looked it up just to be sure.



So glad I never played the main story. I just play poker in the starter town with the boys and get in the occasional drunken brawl.

 

[AwesomeButton]

Why play a western game if not for the kissing, right? "I'm so lonely, Mary, please...!"

 

[H. P. Lovecraft's Cat]

I could never make it past the unbearably long opening of this POS. So fucking boring. The wokeness makes it even easier to never wanna go back.

 

[toro]

Dear Codex, help me out. I am on a Western kick since I saw the recent Cowboy Costner vehicle.

I booted this game up and played for a bit. Then I remembered when I never played much of it: it's absolutely atrocious and has zero respect for your time.

What are some decent Western-themed games?

 

[ferratilis]

Dear Codex, help me out. I am on a Western kick since I saw the recent Cowboy Costner vehicle.

I booted this game up and played for a bit. Then I remembered when I never played much of it: it's absolutely atrocious and has zero respect for your time.

What are some decent Western-themed games?

 

[DJOGamer PT]

There's also the first Red Dead Redemption

 

[AwesomeButton]

There's also the first Red Dead Redemption

Like the edgelords above would find it any less "woke". Please split off that discussion into its own thread though.

Anyway, I came here to remind you that RDR2 is "timeless perfection":

One sign of quality storytelling is that it's admired by a wide range of people. I've seen perfectly normal folks admire RDR2, and I've seen youtuber idiots like the one here. Everyone can find something to their liking.


The same channel has a similar video called "Revisiting the Timeless Perfection of The Last of Us", which tells you he likes interactive movies in general.

 

[DJOGamer PT]

RDR2 is "timeless perfection":

Yeah, it's "timeless perfection" as in it perfectly captures the retardation that is the AAA game industry of this time...

 

[KVVRR]

ah yes, the timeless perfection of watching a band of goons fuck around and repeat the same plot beats over and over for 60 hours 30 of which are comprised of going from point A to B on a horse while talking about these exact same beats.
"Just one more score Arthur!" > The gang plans their new score and cause havoc all over the town > Dutch does something fucked up during this and Arthur complains about how far he's fallen how can this be happening > Plan completely falls apart and the gang has to retreat somewhere else > "JUST HAVE SOME GOD DAMN FATIH!" > REPEAT
Do this for 6 episodes with no real gameplay changes or honestly story changes at all. Even when Arthur gets TB nothing REALLY changes on either or these fronts. It's fine but it meanders way too much and I don't understand why so many people like it so much, what makes it stand out? Is it really just the graphix looking really good?

 

[AwesomeButton]

ah yes, the timeless perfection of watching a band of goons fuck around and repeat the same plot beats over and over for 60 hours 30 of which are comprised of going from point A to B on a horse while talking about these exact same beats.

If you are a 30+ dad who plays videogames only for an hour every other day, while everyone else is asleep, this is the equivalent of watching an episode of your show. That plot beats repeat isn't really a concern. By this time of the day your mind is too numb to process complex information anyway.

 

[Zombra]

"I only play non-repetitive video games"

 

[ERYFKRAD]

"I only play non-repetitive video games"

The real pity of this earth is that the straw industry has no goddamn idea how much your posts keep them afloat.

 

[Outlander]

Wow this awesomebutton fella really, REALLY likes RDR2...

 

[KVVRR]

"I only play non-repetitive video games"

Repetitive gameplay is fine in most cases, even if at the end of the day it all blends together into an blurry mesh. It's comfort food. I actually don't mind RDR2's gameplay even if it offers virtually zero challenge and it never changes, it IS fun just shooting the shit cowboy-style. Go on your own time and do what you want, then put it down whenever. At most it'll make the experience mediocre.
A repetitive story though, in these terms? Trying to take itself so seriously? That will bore you to tears and make you actively ask you WHY you're even bothering with it, precisely what the gameplay's trying to avoid you doing. You're no longer asking whoever's playing to do whatever they want within the sandbox, you're asking them to sit quietly while they watch you you play pretend with the sand.