**[Editor’s Note: This editorial will dive into some story spoilers for Red Dead Redemption 2 , so we would suggest coming back to this piece after you have completed the game’s main story and epilogue.] **
I like Arthur Morgan, but I like the version of him that exists in the journal more than the one who exists on-screen. The Arthur Morgan of the journal is one who finds beauty in the landscape, in the people, and in the tragedies of the West. The Arthur Morgan on-screen is a character trope I’m so tired of seeing: the man who kills, but is tired of the killing.
Throughout Red Dead Redemption 2 , protagonist Arthur Morgan will occasionally voice his displeasure at all the death and destruction that surrounds him and the gang he runs with. As with all good video game protagonists though, missions continue to have you murder hundreds of others and the optional ability to engage in therapy sessions with other women at the gang’s camp. In these conversations Arthur can admit that he feels bad for all the killing he is doing and doesn’t know why he is doing it; that he sometimes feels as if he is not in control of his actions.
Though I love games that give players the ability to choose their own path, very few games truly nail the balance between good and bad choices. Sometimes the options are incredibly obvious as to which way they lean and sometimes they lead you in completely unpredictable directions. In Red Dead , the honor system was created in a way that makes it incredibly subjective and driven by immediate situations rather than a standard and universal law of morality. Consider the consequences of each action before making a decision. Sometimes ending someone’s life might actually be the honorable decis
While at present Red Dead Redemption 2 is all the hype—not surprising, considering it was a cumulative effort by Rockstar Games over eight long years—let’s not forget about its predecessor, 2010’s Red Dead Redempti
One of the many realistic and immersive aspects of the gameplay mechanics created for this game is the effect that world temperature has on your character. Make sure to pack extra clothes when exploring the world for hotter and cooler temperatures will impact your character. Be sure to dress warmly when the temperature slips and pack a set of summer clothes in order to be prepared for the inevitable heat waves. Press down on the D-Pad in order to view the current in-game time and temperature in order to prepare your character for what lies ah
The gang has ample opportunities to eliminate both Ross and Milton, yet they never do it. Arthur has the chance to do it while he’s fishing with Jack, but we can understand not wanting to subject the child to violence. However, both agents later show up, completely unprotected, to the Van der Linde camp in order to negotiate a tr
Throwing knives sound cool and are impressive when used correctly. You imagine launching this sharp weapon for a fair distance and instantly landing your target. While this bad boy does indeed do decent damage and does additional damage over time, its accuracy and range could use some work. This is probably just personal opinion since I prefer guns to knives, but I don’t think they are all that gr
In recent years, just about everyone’s been getting in on the whole open world thing. Titles like Grand Theft Auto V and Skyrim defined what it meant to offer players a huge, sandbox world to explore, and the bar’s been raised repeatedly si
If you have clicked on this article, chances are you aren’t sick of Red Dead Redemption 2 yet. There have been what feels like hundreds of articles going around talking about how good it is or rating the weapons you get, which is standard for a new release, but it can be a little draining. But not for you. I’d wager you are a new player wanting to know what weapons to avoid so you don’t waste your time. You want to get in on the good stuff and spend your time wielding powerful weapons that’ll get you through the long haul. Either that or you wanted to see if the weapons you have are up to scra
Red Dead Redemption 2 Missions Dead Redemption was the tale of John Marston being forced back into the life of an outlaw due to his family being held hostage by the government. Marston was a man who was tired of killing, but would do it anyway because he wanted his family back and to return to a life of peace. This is curiously repeated in the epilogue of Red Dead Redemption 2 , as you once again take control of Marston as he seeks a peaceful life on the ranch of another only to be forced back into killing.
Arthur eventually learns what it means to be a good person, to help other people without selfish intent, but it comes too late. The catalyst for his realization of purpose comes alongside the realization that he is going to die due to tuberculosis. His cough, which appears incessantly in cutscenes but rarely anywhere else, telegraphs his doom very early on. By this point I was finished with the game’s narrative, as both myself and the game knew where this was going. It had nothing more to show me or lead into, and yet it continued to fill time until the finale. In case you weren’t quite clear on what theme Red Dead Redemption 2 was trying to hammer (clumsily as it is) with Arthur Morgan, it has Arthur’s ex-fiance send him a letter that plainly lays it out with the line, “There is a good man within you, but he is wrestling with a giant, and the giant wins again and again.”