Red Dead Redemption 2 PS4 Gameplay (Part 1)

ROCKSTAR GAMES has done it again! Finally, after enduring the long, 8-year wait, Red Dead Redemption 2 has launched and we couldn't be more excited to jump in. The game has already garnered heavy critical acclaim with a whopping 97 score on Metacritic. Will Red Dead Redemption 2 end up being the game of the year?

Red Dead Redemption 2, just like the first in the series, is a wild west themed action-adventure game with a big open world map. In Red Dead Redemption 2, you follow the story of an Outlaw called Arthur Morgan, a member of Dutch Van der Linde's gang. On your journey, you'll come across some very familiar faces, with some carrying over from the first game. Currently, the story mode for Red Dead Redemption 2 is available but an online mode is heading our way before the end of the year.

The map in this game is HUGE and features many of the same areas as the first game. The graphics are top-tier, giving us a chance to get immersed within the beautiful surroundings before doing typical rootin' tootin' Outlaw things.

Over the weekend, I managed to squeeze in a few hours of gameplay, with the first three-hours or being more scripted than the rest of the game. It takes a while, but you'll get to a point in the story where the map fully opens up and you are free to explore. At launch, you have the option to play in either third-person or first-person, although in my personal opinion, Rockstar's games don't work too well in first-person.

While playing through the opening missions, Rockstar does a good job of reintroducing you to the different mechanics and gameplay systems. There are completely new features, in addition to mechanics that players of the first game will be familiar with. Here are some examples:

Weapon Wheel – Instead of having the ability to choose any weapon you would like to you use while on the go, you have 3 slots for guns. Guns are stored on your horse and you'll need to switch your loadout from the Horse's saddle bags, adding a more realistic feeling to the game. The horse can also be used to store other useful items like medicines, food, drinks etc. Having an extra inventory slot on the horse comes in handy, as it makes it less likely that you'll be unable to pick up new loot while ex

Surviving – You have to eat, drink, sleep, shave and bathe in order to be healthy and make people happy.  But it isn't as easy as just eating a load of food and thinking that's okay. You can become overweight and this slows your character down, so stamina gets used up faster and  regenerates slower. Players will need to maintain a healthy life style in order to avoid stat reductions. Weapon degradation is also a new feature, meaning you'll need to clean your guns and maintain them over time to stop them from breaking. Horse's also have their own stats and can die permanently, so taking care of it is a vital part of surviving in the world. So, look after your steed and feed, groom, pet and give them all the love so you don't regret it and lose your 4-legged storage container and have to capture a new one, or buy one. 

Hunting – The game includes around 200 different species of animals and you will need to hunt them for food and crafting materials. You can use ‘eagle eye' to spot animal tracks in the wilderness, you can then follow the path. You need to be careful while hunting though as there is a ‘wind indicator' while tracking wildlife- if you are downwind, they may pick up your scent and flee as you approach. 

Rockstar has gone to great lengths to boost realism and immersion in Red Dead Redemption 2 but there are points where it might be taken a bit too far. While playing through, I was disappointed in the long looting animations. Many times, I encountered a large amount of enemies and upon killing them, I wanted to go back and loot their bodies. Unfortunately, this process is very time consuming, as you have to sit and watch Arthur Morgan bend down, rummage through, grab the loot and then stand back up. I understand what Rockstar was going for, but given the amount of enemies you'll be taking down, and the fact that each one potentially has something worth picking up, this method does become a bit tedious.

There is definitely a lot more within the game for you guys to experience, and as always, there is a huge amount of content to get engrossed in. If you are on the fence, then check out our gameplay video above and see the game in action for yourself, all running on a PS4.

KitGuru Says: Red Dead Redemption 2 is another impressive game from Rockstar. There is still so much of the game left to play through. Did any of you pick this one up over the weekend? What do you think of it so far? 

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