Rockstar Games/Take-Two Interactive
"Red Dead Redemption 2" main character Arthur Morgan.
The biggest game of 2018 - a long-anticipated sequel from Rockstar Games, the folks behind "Grand Theft Auto" - is a surprisingly downbeat, maudlin affair.
On its surface, "Red Dead Redemption 2" is a cowboy game about six-shooters, robberies, and living outside the law. It's a Western-styled shooting game with a big open world. The game's advertising tagline says it all: "Outlaws for life."
After spending around 30 hours exploring Rockstar's fictionalized 1899 America, I found a gorgeous, deep, surprisingly slow-paced experience that focuses on one man's journey of self-realization.
"Outlaws for life" sounds like a battle cry, but - in "Red Dead Redemption 2" - it's actually a desperate attempt to hold together a lifestyle that's rapidly becoming untenable.
Rockstar Games/Take-Two Interactive
"For life" may not be so long.
Like "Grand Theft Auto 5" before it, "Red Dead Redemption 2" is an incredible achievement. Also like "GTA," this game is a clear step forward for the entire medium.
Where "Red Dead Redemption 2" distinguishes itself from Rockstar's past works is in tone: "Red Dead Redemption 2" is somber, and subtle, and slow - for better and worse. It's a game that feels Important™, with all the grandeur and monotony that connotation evokes.
Here's what I mean: