In a year that has given gamers some amazing story based games such as Spider-Man and God of War, Rockstar Games has delivered another classic in the form of Red Dead Redemption 2.

   Red Dead 2 has an immersive story, customization beyond belief, and a huge open world. If the player is not one to gun down some bounty hunters or steal from the rich that’s okay, they can just go hunt and fish for as long as your heart desires. This game offers an expansive map, 94 main story missions, hundreds of random occurrences and side quests, and some pretty realistic game mechanics. The main story and different dialogues are reliant on how honorable of an outlaw the player is, as there is an honor meter at the bottom that adjusts either upward or downward depending on the actions of the character. Red Dead 2 also offers an entertaining, charismatic main protagonist. Arthur Morgan is in somewhat of a battle with his conscious as the times are changing.

   Read Dead Redemption 2 serves as a prequel to the first, taking a different character that is affiliated with the first Red Dead Redemption’s main villain. Making that the main story arch was an absolute dynamite move by Rockstar, adding a dynamic that I have not seen in gaming in quite a while, maybe even since the old Call of Duty days. Speaking of an online game such as Call of Duty, Red Dead Online is currently in beta, but the missions are still fun and challenging. Making money is ridiculously difficult when playing online though, which kind of puts a damper on the experience, but as stated it is still only in beta.

   Customization is one of the absolute best parts of this game. The amount of different outfits, saddles, and different items you can purchase is amazing. The game does not seem like it depends on or leans on one feature though, as it is balanced, just as the universe and video games should be. Red Dead Redemption 2 seems sometimes as an interactive movie or even tv show, just in the way the plot and story is set up. Whether gamers like open world games or not is a defining factor in how much they will enjoy Red Dead Redemption 2. When playing, it seems as if there is always something to do, like this game was not designed to be completely finished. A game where not completing every mission or every side quest seems just as frustrating as actually failing a mission. I could not put the game down, to the point where I would forego my homework and play all night as soon as I got home. That is not even an exaggeration, I would have to do all of my College Prep work in my first hour during Consumer Ed, sorry Mrs. H. I know I am talking up the game, but it really is that great. There are not many games that I’ve played that have had me so entranced to the point where I got heated when I could not play.