I have not written a video game review for years, however after playing Red Dead Redemption 2 I felt compelled to come back to writing reviews just to do justice to this game. To start off with let me tell you that I have not played Red Dead Redemption 1 but given all the hype and my previous experiences with Rockstar games such as GTA series, LA Noire I knew I had to give it a go. (Not playing Red Dead Redemption 1 didn't ever make me feel confused about playing the second one).
After finishing the campaign, I can say that this game is ground-breaking. Everyone has read about the gameplay mechanics, story line, level of detail and atmosphere created so I feel there really is no need to praise those as that's common knowledge. But what this game does so well is that the way it unfolds truly lets you "feel" as if you were living through the protagonist's (Arthur Morgan) eyes. I have read a lot of criticism that people complain that the game is slow, the pacing can seem off etc but in my opinion all the gameplay components, story telling, missions all contribute in setting the narrative of the gang and how they transform throughout the game.
I also admit at times the game may feel like a chore, it feels that it can drag on but that is there to build the anticipation of what's happening next. I would draw a parallel to reading a very long literature novel where sometimes the pacing drops to build characterisation, set the tone and then picks itself up. Without the "slow" build up in such books, the "iconic/main" parts which you tend to love would not have that same impact. They are essential to the story line. It's similar to those who've watched breaking bad, anyone can just see the last season and see how the story ends but in reality the show is just a character transformation and you have to watch it from the beginning, the early slow seasons, to truly appreciate walter white's transformation. Same can be said on how red dead redemption 2 plays out.
It is one of those games which you have to play according to its own pace. At times it will be slow and you will not be inclined to playing it that frequently and at other times you simply won't be able to put the controller down. Of course if you are someone who's not patient and want a quick high intensity game from start to end then this isn't for you. But if you want a game that has incredible quality, fantastic gameplay, best ever graphics on consoles thus far and a story that can hit your emotions in ways which no other video game really can then this is a must buy.
Rockstar has once again broken the bar on which video games are judged on with Red Dead Redemption 2 and I hope this will inspire other developers to take note and create games on this sort of scale in the future.