RED DEAD REDEMPTION II REVIEW

Red Dead Revolution.

PS4 version reviewed.

Red Dead Redemption II is an action adventure game published and developed by Rockstar Games for the Xbox One and Playstation 4.

GAMEPLAY
Probably one of the very best open worlds ever created that is both fun and stunning to traverse. There are some incredible details added in such as things actually changing over time such as dead animals decaying where they were slain to building being built. Some NPCs can come back from being shot in the leg, with a wooden replacement and even animals such as deer can end up getting their horns stuck on each other. These are just a few of hundreds of tiny, incredible attentions to detail that make the in game world feel so alive.

STORY
A really strong narrative that doesn't fall for the problems plenty of prequels do. Sure we know that John, Dutch and a few other gang members make it through the game but seeing the whole gang in action and watching it all begin to fall apart and witness how those who survived started to change into the characters we knew from Red Dead Redemption was very interesting and some of the development seemed well done too, Dutch being a big one of the highlights.

GRAPHICS

Some of the best around, the world looks stunning and as per usual Rockstar deliver some of the very best lighting around. One small problem I did have though was how quickly day and night could change, you'd even see the sunlight rapidly shoot in sometimes. It's not really a major problem, and all the different forms of weather do look fantastic but when you consider just how amazing Rockstar usually are with this stuff, just look at GTA V, it was a little jarring to see such sudden transitions.

SOUND
Another really fantastic soundtrack to follow up that of the original. Maybe there isn't quite a moment as hard hitting as when you arrive in Mexico from the original but there are still plenty of nice moments for songs and of course the main soundtrack, which has a few nice callbacks to the original at really appropiate times, just paying homage at just the right time, rather than going overboard with connecting itself to the original.

The general sound effects were very impressive too, from hearing the echos of gun fire resounding round the mountains to being able to track some animals from simply hearing them roar in the distance.

VALUE FOR MONEY

Around 60 hours to beat the story line, not even including all the side missions and exploration of the map. With all of it being such a high quality experience there's no question you will get your money's worth.

OVERALL
Just like it's predecessor Red Dead Redemption II is another masterfully crafted game that will go down as one of the best ever made. It's one of those games that is just a joy to play and is one of my favourite games of all time. I would highly recommend playing it.