Why I’m Not Excited for Red Dead Redemption II

Red Dead Redemption II is an upcoming game from legendary game studio Rockstar who produced classics such as Grand Theft Auto, Red Dead Redemption and Bully. Millions of fans anticipate this game excitedly but I personally can’t help but feel uninterested.

[ArchangelMike]

No doubt RDR2 will have an online mode, but I think R* and specifically Take Two, know that it can't compete with GTA Online.

It's clear that R* have crafted a solid single player experience, and I don't think they've crimped it for the sake of multiplayer. Admittedly, any single player expansion packs (Undead Nightmare 2?) might instead be online multiplayer content, but as long as the RDR2 single player experience is robust and offers multiple play-through options (which they usually do) then I don't really see the problem.

GTA V is a stellar game that can be fully enjoyed without playing the multiplayer at all, I think RDR2 will offer so much gameplay options that you don't have to worry about multiplayer if you don't want to.

[HaveSumNuts]

It's going to be an amazing game but let's be honest, they are going to milk the online mode to the max just like GTA5 and the price of the game will not go down from launch price for the next 3 years. GTA5 actually costs more than Horizon Zero Dawn right now

[Skull521]

GTA is a higher quality game so it only makes sense.

[generic-user-name]

If Horizon sold as crazy well as GTA V did, and still does, then it would be full price too years later.

[YodaCracker]

GTA V doesn’t just cost more than Horizon. It also sells more even though it’s been out for 5 years.

[bouzebbal]

I think it's going to be good but i have many games in my back log and games coming out in more excited about than RDR2.

I think Dragon Quest 11 will take all of my time

[bouzebbal]

Nintendo does the same with their games..
dragon quest 8 a 2004 game on 3DS costs 40€ still..

[dRanzer]

#Skull521
Yes GTA is better then SoT.but you kknew it already

[fiveby9]

There's always a contrarian (speaking of the author). I am looking forward to RDR2. Don't care if it's not a perfect game. I imagine it will be very good though.

[SharpCT]

Keep in mind.... when you pre order Red dead redemption 2 it DOES NOT offer you Red Dead online money. It instead offers you GTA 5 online money. That is a very good sign!!

It’s not going to be like GTA 5 online for the sole fact that they know it cannot compete with it. Reasons are:
1: two different fan bases.
2: young kids are not going to be into the old west as much as gta 5
3: rockstar they want to give a hard core game to its core fan base. Mainly older people
4. The old west cannot be Monetized as much as a modern day world like Los Santos
5. Only so much ideas

It will be like Red Dead Redemption online but on crack 8 years later. Look for them to focus on the death matches, game modes, horse races and activities etc

You will be able to explore the world with your friends of course. But I can see RDR 2 online being more of a competive one considering the death matches for gta 5 suck..

[Zeke68]

Preorder Online bonuses. They are going to milk the crap out of this one, that I'm sure off;

The Red Dead Redemption 2: Ultimate Edition delivers all of the Story Mode content from the Special Edition plus additional bonuses for online including:

Bonus Outfits: Get two exclusive outfits for your online character. The Blackrose Bounty Hunter Outfit features a long oxblood-colored coat, a vest with gold pocket watch chain, and dark pants tucked into chocolate leather boots. The Copperhead Enforcer Outfit features a fur-lined saddle-brown leather waistcoat, two-tone gloves, and pinstripe black pants tucked into black leather boots.

Black Chestnut Thoroughbred: Outrun the competition with this thoroughbred racehorse in a striking black chestnut coat and also receive the exclusive High Plains Cutting Saddle beautifully crafted in jet-black leather with gold metal accents. This horse and saddle are available in online.

Free Access to the Survivor Camp Theme: Customize your own personal Camp in online with free access to the Survivor theme.

Free Access to Additional Weapons: Get access to the Volcanic Pistol, Pump Action Shotgun and Lancaster Varmint Rifle, free of charge from Gunsmiths in online.

Rank Bonuses: As a great start for all Ultimate Edition players, you can rank up faster in online, up to rank 25.

[Ceaser9857361]

There will be another article saying Why I'm excited about RED DEAD REDEMPTION 2 .. lol!

[Silly Mammo]

Yep! It's tired, worn-out gaming website strategy.

[Cobra951]

Yes, it is stellar; but don't forget it was conceived, designed and created before the online market pulled them wholly into the monetized online world. No such luck for RDR 2.

[Count_Bakula]

"Admittedly, any single player expansion packs (Undead Nightmare 2?) might instead be online multiplayer content"

Yep that's what disappoints me. God, I'll snap if they do an UD Nightmare and it's for online only.

[strayanalog]

So the main points here is that we still know next to nothing (features, etc), but typical online game stuff (special items, cash bonuses), and you aren't sure if it is a single player game, because it can't be confirmed or denied at this point, and you think Take-Two will focus on the online portion instead of the single-player experience because no single player expansions hit Grand Theft Auto 5?

I'm not sure how you qualify a legitimate worry, but I think you're doing it wrong. Gameplay was shown recently with all kinds of details, and considering this is a video game sequel, I expect refined features from the last and an expanded world, which we got from the video. I know the social gaming world can be amazing because of the slew of info, but quite frankly in my opinion, we don't need to know absolutely everything about a video game. Surprises should be welcomed, not looked down on.
Considering how Red Dead Redemption is a celebration of the western mythos, whereas Grand Theft Auto is a parody of American culture, I would argue that there will be expansions to this game because of the amount of content one could create. Grand Theft Auto just happens to lend itself to online more, because, again, it's a parody in a modern world.

Now as for the single player confirmed or denied bit.. dude.

[MichaelPyre]

Yeah I saw gameplay trailer and I founded quite disappointing.

[nommers]

I think it's mostly the setting that's the problem. At least for me. The characters are limited to old-timey southern gents and gals, and a lot of them look, sound and interact in a way that is generic and bland. The gameplay, while it may be done well, has its limits because of the time period so they can only do so much. There's a longer time period spent doing things you could easily bypass in GTA. It also doesn't help RDR that the very essence of traveling in GTA has more thrills to it's concept.

[strayanalog]

Very understandable, but what were you really expecting from this genre? In my opinion, most players don't play games like Grand Theft Auto for its story. Most of the time, the world, setting, and characters is what stands out the most, with the story serving as a means to interact with that world. Each sandbox installment is - arguably - a baby step in the right direction, so disappointment is always sure to follow when we don't have the reinvention of the wheel (not that you wanted that).
From what I've seen, Red Dead Redemption 2 is simply trying to refine itself, like most sequels, while trying to tell a compelling story, which is something GTA typically doesn't need/want to do because Rockstar knows why most play that particular series. I have no doubt players will enjoy this game that loved the first outing, just as I am sure the community will deem someone a black sheep that sees it differently, but every fan will return to give it a play because they loved the setting or simply the character of John Marston. As sorry as I am that you were disappointed from the trailer, I just saw it from what it was - another chance to revisit a world I missed.

[Chaos_Order]

I'm not excited for RDR2 but that's because I didn't like the first game. *Shrugs* Just not my cup of tea I'm afraid.

[MONOLITHICIDE]

As i agree with you. I also disagree. I thought Red Dead Redemption was a great game. But for some reason never held me on for long. For Red Dead Redemption 2 im definetly excited for whats too come. I only watched the recent gameplay trailer and thats all im going to do. Not watching the others that will release. I want to go in completly immersed this time. Finding my own game.

[Sam Fisher]

Agree, especially if they still keep those clunky controls

[Asuka]

Same.

[chiefJohn117]

I was hyped for the first but never bought it and didn't play it till this gen. I'm hype for rdr2 but tbh don't be surprised if I don't get it. Idk what it is. It's the only game I'll be hype for but not in a rush to buy

[psuedo]

because you dont know what your missing

[TheDriz]

I think it’s rock star fatigue. It will have new features but at its core it’s another rock star game

[lociefer]

oh god, i was beginning to think i'm not normal for not liking rdr, glad other people feel that way too. i pushed myself to finish it as i bought into the hype and all the 9s and 10s thinking it will get better the more i play, but for me it was boring as hell

[Chaos_Order]

I feel bad because I was bought it as a birthday present by my best buddy, didn't have the heart to tell him I didn't like it. It's actually a common trend of games he buys me without me asking. Far Cry 3, Assassin's Creed Black Flag... "You've gotta play this mate, you'll love it!" And pretty much every time I don't. XD

[lociefer]

@Chaos
LMFAO poor guy xD , but ya i agree with u, these games were meh

[OB1Biker]

What I didn't like in RDR is the gameplay mechanics felt 'old' to me for some reason. I'm very excited for RDR2 because I'm hoping it feels a lot more intuitive I'd say, and its more of a RPG as I understand it. That is in the way you play and the immersive world.

[mkis007]

Im tired of these titles on articles. They are always so contrarian for clicks.

[Steveoreno1]

Yeah gaming journalism is a joke nowadays

[AnubisG]

Always has been.

[Palitera]

*blogism

[TheDriz]

Or it’s somebody who doesn’t think like the rest? Good on him

[Majin-vegeta]

Anyone who thinks R* won't milk online has another thing coming.
https://www.gtaboom.com/gta...

[Platformgamer]

same here, i just don't care too much about western themed games

[rivaldoo777]

To be totally honest I'm only hyped for TLOUP2 but still there are 3 games I will buy day one regardless of my hype and RDR2 is one of them.

[Skuletor]

I'm mildly excited for RDR 2 and will be getting it day one but that Doom: Eternal gameplay reveal that came out the day after RDR2's gameplay trailer really stole it's thunder for me, I'm way more excited for the next DOOM.

[SharpCT]

Keep in mind... when you pre order Red dead redemption 2 it DOES NOT offer you Red Dead online money. It instead offers you GTA 5 online money. That is a very good sign!!

It’s not going to be like GTA 5 online for the sole fact that they know it cannot compete with it. Reasons are:
1: two different fan bases.
2: young kids are not going to be into the old west as much as gta 5
3: rockstar they want to give a hard core game to its core fan base. Mainly older people
4. The old west cannot be Monetized as much as a modern day world like Los Santos
5. Only so much ideas

It will be like Red Dead Redemption online but on crack 8 years later. Look for them to focus on the death matches, game modes, horse races and activities etc

You will be able to explore the world with your friends of course. But I can see RDR 2 online being more of a competive one considering the death matches for gta 5 suck..

[AnubisG]

And you had to write this twice because??

[lazyboyblue]

Rockstar knows they ha've to deliver a standout single player experience. It's what their reputation is built on. The online mode will be significant but secondary to that.

[AnubisG]

You did not play GTA V I guess.

[lazyboyblue]

Yep I played it at launch. Then again on Xbox one and recently again on PC.
The Single player game was amazing. The multiplayer didn't even work at launch and was built up to what it is in the years since.

[BadElf]

With Red Dead, you gotta expect a beautiful single player experience. I aslo expect a phenomenal multiplayer experience. Thinking they will do well.

[Gaming4Life1981]

red dead redemption 2 will slaughter every game that drops this year. lol ok I'm biased I just love red dead redemption. I never cared for online in rockstar games but the co op mp was fun in the first red dead. Game will be great just wait.

[antz1104]

Eh, Apple's and oranges. If the online ruined GTA5 for you then that's your problem. Great single player game. RD2 will be the same. The original. RED had a really fun online component.

[Prem8tuaProcrastin8a]

Is this guy for real? Rdr2 is obviously a single player game first and foremost, they haven't even shown anything about an online mode FFS. They have however shown that it will be a sp western epic, with an unprecedented attention to detail. Don't you think that if the majority of effort had gone into an online portion, they would of been marketing it by now?

[AnubisG]

They turned GTA5 into an online game first. So there is a legitimate worry here.

[Automatic79]

Some websites try real hard to downplay fantastic games.

[AK91]

That's completely fine everyone has that one game where they have no interest in despite the fact countless other have endless hype and anticipation for said game. For me its Cyberpunk 2077 I could care less if its going to be GOTY or complete trash I'm simply not interested in it.

[Prem8tuaProcrastin8a]

You COULDN'T care less. If you could care less you actually care about it.

[chiefJohn117]

Nah R* will always give us a great SP experience. Them not doing a SP dlc in favor of money updates don't turn my excitement down. Cause..... it's dlc lol aka more money to spend. I would prefer SP dlc but not getting it work hurt me. Just imagine XBX running rdr2 has me 😛. Look what it did for rdr1

[Herdistt]

Money makes the world go crazy. Less is more.

[deno]

Why I'm not excited for my laundry detergent.

[PiNkFaIrYbOi]

Nothing wrong with not being excited for a game.

[Elda]

I agree. Never interested in the Red Dead games though I watched the latest gameplay trailer & it looks alright,I may buy it if discounted on Black Friday otherwise I'll wait & buy when I've played all my most wanted games first & foremost.

[Orionsangel]

Debbie downer over here. The only thing to conclude from this article is that it sucks to be.

[Youngindy21]

I'm not excited for it either. I didn't like the first game and I think it's perhaps the most overrated game in gaming history. It was essentially GTA IV with a Western skin. But RDR 2 will likely sell tons due to hype.

[chris235]

me neither. gta5 showed me personally that rockstar lost it. first bethesda now rockstar. rip.

[Atomicjuicer]

Ive less than no interest in this game and I’m sick of Rockstar being worshipped by reviewers as if its a given that everyone loves them.

[BioDead]

K.

[DivineAssault]

Im looking forward to it. Only for the campaign tho. I only into fighting games online

[michaelknight35]

i am some dudes were complaining about the horses in the red dead redemption 2 trailer smh people say crazy things on here

[michaelknight35]

Xbox one x day1 for me

[AnubisG]

X Box One X is already out. You are late to the party guy😁

[michaelknight35]

you must be slow because i meant that i was getting it on Xbox one x day1 you guys on here 😆

[AnubisG]

The joke clearly flew over your head. But that is ok.😁

[ScootaKuH]

Interestingly I loved RDR but I also have zero interest in this. Can't quite pinpoint the reason for my disinterest though but try as I might I just don't care for RDR2

[Sirk7x]

I'm sure it will be expertly crafted with a good story, but I'm just...so burnt out on open world games. I'll be playing Resident Evil 2 instead.

[jbrock11]

For me if there is one gripe, it's the graphics. They seem to be marginally better than GTA 5 which is a 5 year old game that was built for the last generation. This isn't necessarily a game killer but it just puts that much pressure on other aspects of the game to be great when all they had to do is put a little more effort into the character models.

[AnubisG]

Yeah, same here. Waiting for reviews to see how they stuffed it with MT's. It's because of GTA Online I feel this way.

[xX1NORM1Xx]

i have two reasons im not excited and thats Rockstar and Take Two, hopefully they prove me wrong but after the success of gta 5 i feel like its all about online now no single player dlc for gta 5 gave me enough of an idea to see what direction they are going in from here on out, again hope im wrong but the evidence isn't pointing anywhere good imo.

[medman]

I don't like Westerns, so I'm not excited for it either. I'm sure it will be a great game, but I'm just not into that particular genre.

[Cobra951]

While not the most pro-level article I've read, it details my own take on RDR 2 quite well. After GTA V Online, I'm ready to write Rockstar off as just another loss to the online dark side. Bethesda may be getting turned to it too. I can hear Darth's heavy breathing in their ear.

[zarbor]

Why nobody cares that you're not excited for Red Dead 2........The first one from R* sold millions and millions are excited for it. Who cares about those who are not. Go write about another game you're interested.

[Kyizen]

Mechanically RDR1 was behind GTA and Bully but story, environment and characters it was 2nd to none. Just the fact that you could run into an NPC and start a mission was great and something I hope GTA6 does more of. No doubt RDR2 will be amazing. This guy has no clue if he follows games and Rockstar...

[JesusBuiltmyHotrod]

HUH? Mechanically RDr > GTA, the shooting and mechanics in Rockstar games continues to be poor....somehow no one cares cause it's rockstar I guess.

[NateBOY]

rdr has some of the best mechanics of shooting games, it was even better than the uncharted 2 in shootings

[Kuma]

GTA5 was possibly the best single player game ever. I knew the online could only disappoint. I hope there is no battle royal in RD2

[JesusBuiltmyHotrod]

Best SP game ever? LMAo, no just no....GTA games are dumb fun but there are far better games out there, especially mechanically.

[YodaCracker]

GTA V has a 97 on Metacritic and the majority of those reviews are from before GTA Online launched, so they are reviewing the single player. You won’t find many games scoring higher. Ocarina of Time and...?

[gazgriff2k12]

why i dont care about your opinion

[mt]

I am worried as Rockstar are going toward Online gaming. I trust RDR2 will be good, but as the case with GTA5 no support for single player is concerning.

[TheDriz]

I’m unsure just because I’m not into sequels and I’ve gotten to eat a lot of the rock star formula in my life and I’m full. It’s gonna have cool groundbreaking features but at its core it’s another rockstar game and I’m retired from those.

[WillyC009]

Cool story. Didnt bother reading or giving you the clicks you're looking for

I can not wait to play this beauty. I havent been this excited for a game release since the 2011 release of red dead. To each their own.

[Dizzy11523]

CLICK BAIT.

[overrated44]

I mean, of course they are going to milk the online aspect of the game. Do you know how much they have made from GTA V Online? Literally billions on top of the $60 billion they made just selling the game to people. From a business perspective it would be utterly stupid to just leave all that money on the table.

[michellelynn0976]

I'm not either TBH. I wasn't a big fan of the first one.

[NateBOY]

why do you bother so much with Rdr 2, why do you insist on saying you are overrated and this more of the same? I wonder if he won Goty 2018 people will hate him even more

[metalgod88]

It's Rockstar! They put their heart and soul into each component of the games they build. They're a master of the craft. I wouldn't worry about micro transactions and pre-order bonuses all that much man. If this is the reason you're not excited for this game, then were you ever really excited for it?

We know the game is going to be awesome and honestly, if there are micro transactions, it's not a huge deal. In nearly all games, you can ignore them.

But, it's not okay when progression is slowed to validate the purchase of micro transactions in a huge budget game like this. I have faith that the company isn't going to do this. I just can't see them allowing someone to pay their way to the end of a single player campaign.

[watchem]

I bought the Ultimate Edition. I don't even care, gimme all the dislikes.

[Dragonscale]

Been playing gta5 lately and now in the loading screens there is an ad for rdr2. Never play it online though sod that lol.

[Nacho_Z]

I can't seem to get hyped for it myself despite enjoying the first game and not having any concerns about the part that online will play. The only game that stirs up any genuine excitement for me is Cyberpunk because it sounds like something totally new.

[MichaelPyre]

I agree 100%

[RROB]

I hope we don’t have to stop the flow of the game to manage the camp. I don’t care for feeding the camp and leek from morale up.

[Maquina_xf150]

I’m getting tired of these lame ass news. Play whatever you want. This person writing this, bet u its not even a gamer. If it was it would be playing what they want. Writing a articles for ads/money.

[SpineSaw]

"Not excited for RDR2"......... emmmmm just a thought......don't play it No one is gonna force you to. Also, as I didn't care enough to read your rant to understand your reasons for not being "excited" and guess what? No one will force me to read it lol. See how that works? Don't play the game I really doubt anyone cares.