Red Dead Redemption II launched over a month ago. This insanely anticipated sequel can be obtuse at times, and at other times “methodical,” but features amazing detail, and one of the greatest stories in the genre or medium, possibly in the English language. Even South Park can’t stop talking about this masterpiece.
Now, one month later, purchasers of the Ultimate Edition are getting access to Red Dead Online. A few of us at Handsome Phantom opted for the sweet steel book edition, and we’re thankful for the early access to RDO. While some of you are heading into finals week, and some of you are already getting stressed over the holidays, let us give you some quick impressions of RDO. It’s got a lot of polish, and for better or worse, the Rockstar brand is palpable throughout.
Getting Started
RDO keeps you on rails at the beginning, not as a tutorial, but as an introduction. This introduction toes a weird line, moving players through basic gameplay tips and hints, and showing them an example of activities they will be participating in with other players. But before all that starts, players have to customize their online character. The customization options are okay, the depth is much greater than GTA Online, but most of the iterations I cycled through had a level of oddity that could not be removed. While Fallout 76 has its detractors, it does have an excellent character customizer. The customization options aren’t a problem exactly in RDO, but it leaves a little to be desired.
The game then escorts players through the initial plot via a series of cutscenes. This level of story telling was unexpected for an online component. People have been betrayed, murder most foul has been committed, and you’re right in the middle of it. On one hand, this interesting story-line is a surprising addition that provides more impetus to play through this new mode, but its simplistic beginnings really show how incredible the narrative for RDR2 is, miles beyond most games in the medium.
Stretch Your Legs, Kill Your Friends
RDO opens up like the dark haired, slightly gothic, quiet girl in the corner who, after hearing everybody else share their nuanced backstories that separate them from their surface level stereotypes, suddenly dumps out her purse for everyone to see on a path that will eventually lead to fooling around with Emilio Estevez at his most nineteen-eighties. Does that work for you? That analogy? Too contrived?
Anyways, the game offers a gauntlet of activities all the way from the dusty reaches of New Austin, to the unsettling swamps of Lemoyne. Content ranges from mundane activities, like delivering mail, to story-content, to traditional shoot-em-up death matches. The simple stranger missions can affect player’s honor, and often take no more than a few minutes to complete. Other stranger missions will start with lengthy cut-scenes that introduce, or re-introduce, full characters that feel like quality side missions.
The more online of the online content is unsurprising but fun. A more traditional team death match featured three teams of color-coded players shooting it out at the Van Horn Trading Post. A play on a classic death match in Armadillo offered a wonderful sense of nostalgia for RDR1. By far, my favorite activity was “Dispatch Rider.” Players fight each other to deliver a specific stolen horse. The resulting chaos was glorious. A dozen criminals shooting each other in the back, front, head, feet, and stomach just to hop on a horse for a few – seconds before getting gun-downed. At one point, after head-shotting a moving player who had just taken control of the horse, I was called a “dickhole.” It’s the good old bad days all over again.
Safe Spaces
Playing with other players is, of course, always the best and worst parts of online. I and Ben of Handsome Phantom found our first story mission spoiled by over-enthusiastic, possibly selfish players, who rushed through the objective and left us with the short end of the stick. When in the open world, players can interact with each other however they deem fit. I discovered that one could lasso a fellow player, hogtie them, and ride away laughing heartily. I stopped laughing after I was blown to pieces while skinning a dear only a few minutes later. I tried pulling my new lasso trick on Ben of Handsome Phantom. He got himself free of my loop in a few seconds, and promptly shot me in the face. I won’t be pulling that trick on Ben no more. Shops are one of the safe zones on the map where you won’t be bothered by griefers. This didn’t stop a player from setting up shop overlooking the butcher and tailor in Blackwater, and shooting any poor, unfortunate soul looking to get a new pair of damn suspenders.
Player’s camps are also safe spaces. Here you can change up the wardrobe, craft at the firespot, or just stare out at the beautiful vistas without a six year old kid shooting you right in the ass. Right now the camps seem kind of light on reasons to spend time there, but it is a slightly customizable place to call your own. Its also a spot to go through the handheld catalog. Players can order items straight from the left d-pad button, and have the items delivered to them. To be clear, this can be done anywhere on the map.
There are a ton of new customization options for hair, beard, and outfits. These are, predictably, locked beyond progression and micro-transaction currency. As of right now, the micro-transaction economy doesn’t seem worse or better than the industry standard. It’ll be interesting to see how RDO evolves. If you enjoyed the main campaign, or are looking for a new virtual world to dig into with your pals, RDO has something for you.
Be sure to check out our recent Platted That! for Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, or our review of Darksiders III. As always, let us know what you think! Tweet us your impressions of RDO!
