The world of RDR2 is by far the greatest achievement of the game. Realism takes a vital role in the game immersing players in the America of 1899 when the age of cowboys and outlaws was starting to die. It features many biomes from freezing mountains to vast plains, this gives the game a variety of locations to explore and acts as the main character in the game.

Speaking of characters where to start, RDR2’s story will grip you the whole way through with twists, turns, and powerful moments that show that games can be one of the most powerful platforms to tell a story. You play as Arthur Morgan, an outlaw that is a part of the Van der Linde gang. The gang leader, Dutch Van der Linde, is an idealistic man that took in many of the gang’s members at a young age. Arthur was one of those kids and is Dutch’s right hand man doing everything he can to keep the gang together. That can be hard to do as Arthur has to handle over 20 eccentric and unique people in the gang.

Your gang requires you to do things for them, these include missions as simple as taking them to town to have fun to robbing a train. Many missions can go south fast and require you to initiate combat with other gangs or even the law. You can often choose whether you want to do something for someone or not, this can lead to a better or worse relationship with that character.

Outside of missions you can roam the massive open world and do anything you want. Bounties, eccentric strangers, hunting, shopping, and exploring are just a slice of what you can do.

Exploring the game’s detailed open world is a joy with many locations to explore from the dense city of Saint Denis (based off New Orleans in real life) to the snowy and harsh mountains of the Grizzlies. The amount of detail in the game is unmatched in the industry right now, for example if Arthur rolls around in the mud his clothes and face will become dirty. This world is one of the best in existence right now.

Red Dead Redemption 2 builds greatly on the foundation left by Red Dead Redemption and is nearly perfect, from its story to itss gameplay. Red Dead Redemption 2 is a definite buy for anyone looking for a great game this holiday season.