Red Dead Redemption 2 Review, Tips, and OPEN BETA but not for everyone…at first!

“Red Dead Redemption 2” is Western-themed first-person shooter from Take-Two and Rockstar, the creators of Grand Theft Auto V. The first Red Dead Redemption came out over eight years ago and was met with overwhelming positive acclaim by players and critics alike. In the original Red Dead Redemption, the protagonist was John Marston, an outlaw who saw the errors of his ways and left his old gang behind. John was forced towards redemption by the government, tasked with bringing in his former gang mates in order to have his kidnapped wife and son returned to him. RDR2 takes place 10 years prior to Johns salvation. In this one, you play as Arthur Morgan, John Marston‘s older gang captain and friend.

Rockstar has become king of the open world design. The play map is massive! RDR2 takes place over 5 fictitious states based on real states in the US and close to where the first game took place. Players get to see how John Marston came to own the ranch where the RDR1 story took place.

Travel around the world is achieved by horseback, stagecoach, train, or fast travel from your camp. It can take a while to get from place to place but the game cinematic mode allows the player to travel automatically between waypoints without having to direct their

speed and direction. The player should pay attention, however, because the system isn’t perfect and they can collide with other NPC‘s and animals which and get them into some unexpected trouble and having to shoot their way out of a jam. Gaining some negative honor in the process.

Every decision you make in game from robbing to helping and not mercy killing wounded prey affects the players honor towards good or bad. This will change how townsfolk respond to you but won’t this doesn’t go past calling you names and being rude as you walk by.

Even though you’re playing as the “bad guys” you begin to identify and care for them bastards. Dutch is just a man who’s trying to stop the progress that he feels will destroy the beauty of the wild and the way of life that he’s come to love. Some of these in-game moments reflect upon the current situation both politically and environmentally. Hindsight being 20/20 maybe Dutch wasn’t so far off base after all. The gang isn’t like we thought the gang would have been, Dutches gang was made up of women and children including Abigail and Jack, John Morston’s young family. Hanging out with Dutch’s gang around the campfire yielded some of the most hilarious moments in video game history! You’ll wish the party never ends!

There are several ways in RDR2 to make money and none of them is boring and usually not that legal. A player can break into homes and loot houses, could take people hostage and rob them, can rob stores and banks, hijacked stagecoaches and trains. The choice is really up to the player, they just need to remember to hide their face and change their clothes to throw off the law!
Arthur Morgan’s storyline draws in the player and is so captivating it’s difficult to walk away!
There are tons of side quests including hunting, fishing, UFO and ghost hunting, you can track down a serial killer, investigate rumored vampires, and search for rare ancient carvings. With online still to be released, as of this posting, it’s just the tip of the iceberg Rockstar has in store for online gaming.

Open Beta is the final stage before a video game is pronounced “live”. Open Beta is the period of time where Rockstar is going to be stress testing the game servers and searching for unforeseen bugs that can arise from having 17 million people log on to play. Fans should realize it may be buggy and unstable during these times but it’s the point of a Open Beta, to get these early issues ratified.  Regardless, fans are chomping at the bit to get their hands on online mode. GTA V is still a great moneymaker for Rockstar. Rockstar has said that they really found their stride with the release of heists and other DLC that kept the game new and fresh. Rockstar has stated that they have learned from their experience and will be applying that formula to Read Dead Online. But those aren’t the only similarities between GTA V and  Red Dead Redemption 2, fans of the GTA series have been able to link many similarities in the game including character names, similar locations, and weapons. Finding the many Easter eggs are just as fun as playing through the storyline. But not all of the easter eggs are Rockstar specific as many have spotted movie themes, events, and locations throughout.

Being that travel around the game map is on horseback the player really has the opportunity to explore the world and discover new hidden things and stories. It could be something as small as stranded travellers looking for help, backwards hillbillies trying to take advantage and rob you, horrific scenes of natural disasters like a meteor crash through the roof of a house catching a family off guard in the middle of dinner. The player is given a camera to capture some of the more bizarre moments. The player can post them online to Rockstars game page for other players to enjoy.

The Online community is a great source of information in helping find some of the hard to spot points of interest, animals, and individuals. It would take a person a lot longer, if not near impossible, to find these things if it weren’t for the online community. Discovery can still be done on your own, however, some of the things are near impossible to find if you didn’t have a little bit a help. It’s a good place to go when you reach the level of frustration.
With the online aspect of RDR2 being the main source of longevity for the game, and given Rockstars track record with Grand Theft Auto V, 17 million copies of Red Dead 2 sold in the first 8 days of release, that’s more copies sold than the original did the entire 8 years it’s been out! Red Dead’s ending was one of the most moving moments in video games I’ve ever been a part of. Red Dead Redemption 2 is going to be Game of the Year and around for a very long time! Red Dead Redemption 2 is a title that I cannot recommend enough!

Download the Red Dead 2 App for your device! It saves you time having to reopen your map and it makes it easier to spot NPC’s and Animals coming to get you!

Carry plenty of stimulants, and food, and keep them as often as possible. A player and horse can become underweight and that has an extra drain on the players health cores.

Do the gold bar treasure missions early on in the game so you have enough money to upgrade your camp!

Use Dead Eye to help find objects you should inspect or search.

Your controller will vibrate when you are near a dream catcher.

Upgrade your camp as soon as possible to enable fast travel!

Travel to every train station with the money you made from treasure map missions in order to unlock fast travel to that location from the camp and later your home. You can not fast travel back to camp or to any place else.

Upgrade everybody in camp and donate to the camp fund often. This will inspire other gang members to do the same.

Unlock the crafting satchels as soon as possible to give yourself maximum carry capacity for items, belts, medicine, food, and ammunition. All animals can be found in New Haven.

Get the white Arabian horse as soon as possible and carry plenty of horse revivers on you. If your horse dies it is dead forever!

There is only one Elite white Arabian in the game, said to be one of the three BEST HORSES in the game. Although there are a few very close to it a player can buy from the stables for around $1K. If your white horse dies it will respawn again in the same location you found it the first time! I assume it’s the same for the rare Tiger Stripe Bay in New Austin. The “Splash White American Paint” spawns randomly around the world at camps in thw wild. SEE VIDEO!

Feed your horse and keep them clean in order to keep them fit and at their best performances.

Press L3 to pat your horse to bond.

Carry changes of clothes on your horse for cold weather and to throw off the law!

If you’re going to be bad, cover your face! This helps reduce your wanted level, however, police will recognize you regardless if your face is covered.

Pay off your bounty quick to keep bounty hunters off your back in the wild! Bounty Hunters will show up unexpectedly in the wild if you are wanted!

Explore every tree or any odd looking designs or patterns!  You can be on the trail to a mission or treasure!

Some missions require days of in-game time to pass to continue, if you want this to go faster, you can set up a camp and sleep for days 36 hours. You will need a small break before you can sleep again. This will speed up time in game and re-spawn the next part of your mission.

Pick up glowing objects that are on the floor! These are usually unique hats or weapons!

When hunting, ride your horse close to your kill to eliminate the skinning animation and save time, however, be careful you can trample the carcass and damage the quality of the pelt.

Keep your jewelry to sell the to fence but use the CRAFT option first. If you sell craft items to the fence and you need it for him to make you a trinket, he will not use what you’ve sold him.

Use your binoculars to study animals and uncover the quality that the animal pelts will produce, no need in killing senselessly. 3 stars on the animal will get you the perfect pelt.

To get the perfect pelt, use the right weapon for the job by checking the Compendium. You can damage the pelt if you use too strong a weapon for the animal i.e. a shotgun to take on a snake, where a bow is preferred. Use dead eye and aim for the head!

Use Dead Eye often in combat to ensure that you will hit your mark every time!

If you’re into aliens you going to want to visit the cabin and then Mt. Shann around 2 am!

There are ghosts, demons, and other things that go bump in the Bayou! Be careful!

A Ghost Train

Viking Tomb

Bigfoot

It’s cold in the mountains and everybody who goes in doesn’t always come out! Pay attention to your mini-map when travelling to look for those who came before you and weren’t so lucky!