(horse neighing)

- You bastard shot my cousin.

- Well he started it.

- I'm going to break your neck.

- [Luke] Red Dead Redemption two is a sprawling

western tale of loyalty, conviction,

and the price of infamy, all set in Rockstar's

most authentic and lived in open world ever.

- Timber!

(thump)

- [Luke] There are so many things to do,

so many people to meet, so many places to explore.

Red dead redemption two isn't just

Rockstar's greatest achievement to date.

Its a game so lacking in compromise

its tough to know where its best to start discussing it.

(western music)

So lets start at the beginning,

its 1899 and american outlaws are an endangered species.

Dutch Van Der Linde and his gang

are on the run after a botched heist

in the growing town of blackwater and they've

retreated high into the mountains where an

atrocious blizzard is covering there escape.

We slip into the spurs of Arthur Morgan

an exceedingly cool and capable outlaw.

And settle in for a roughly 60 hour story.

Its a self contained and linear

introduction but its a clever one.

(gunshot)

It heightened the impact of having the full

map opened up to me a few hours later.

Being set loose in the true opened world

after toughing it out in this

intentionally impressive environment

really underscores the incredible

feeling of freedom the format offers.

(western music)

And what a world it is, more beautiful,

broader and more varied than the one we explored

in 2010s Red Dead Redemption by a massive margin.

There are snowy peaks and tank aligator infested swaps.

Thick forests and open plateau's,

quaint homesteads and grand plantations.

Narrow streams and great lakes,

dusty gulches and dim caves.

There's the muddy livestock town of Valentine

with its wooden buildings and rusty charm.

And then there's the imposing city of Saint Denis.

A grimy, growing metropolis full

of modern extravagances like electric trams,

paved roads and Chinese restaurants.

The vast assortment of ecosystems

and environments seamlessly stitch together here

is nothing short of remarkable.

The ability of this game to keep it

so fresh after so many hours is extraordinary

and not entirely due to just the

size and diversity of the world.

Its how alive all those places feel.

(dog growling)

The country side of Red Dead Redemption two

is absolutely brimming with wild life to discover,

(gunshot) (screaming)

people to interact with and potentially help

- Both of you get your hands up!

- [Luke] And places to scrutinize.

The more laid back pace of Red Dead Redemption 2

compared to something like the

slightly more break neck GTA five

is also a big part of how it encouraged me

to slow down and drink in all the world has to offer.

- We get a couple of beers please?

- [Luke] Bodies have to be manually looted.

Single action pistols have to be cocked before firing.

(gunshots)

Coffee needs to be brewed before drinking it.

(sips)

I suspect some folk might regard this

sort of stuff is chore like but I really dig it.

There's something methodical about it

that really helps ground Arthur in the world

rather than have him feel like he's gliding through it.

I love the deliberate mechanical process of

cycling a new cartridge with lever action rifle

virus that can pull the fire button.

You can even pause the dramatic effect halfway through.

(horse neighing) (gunshot)

Rockstar's designers didn't need to factor that in

but I think they understood that the tiny almost

trivial instances of settle control like this

subconsciously seep me into the world of Arthur even more.

(screams) (gun shots)

- What are you doing!

(western music)

the main story mission themselves

are a cocktail of high stakes heists.

- To goddamn slow!

- [Luke] Deadly shoot outs.

(gunshots)

desperate rescues and thrilling chases.

(gunshot)

Mixed with a lengthy list of other tasks,

many of those function with organic ways

to teach us about new side hustles and

other activities that can be undertaken

from selling stolen horses to playing poker.

- Shit.

- [Luke] Or fishing.

- Good to meet you.

- [Luke] It all feels great to play

similar in a lot of ways to its immediate

predecessor but injected with a pile of new animations

and multiple layers of vigor activity.

- You son of a! (gunshot)

- [Luke] Shootouts are supremely cinematic

thanks to plenty of gun smoke and the same style

of on the fly ever changing death animations

that have characterized Rockstar games since GTA four.

(gunshot) (thump)

Red Dead Redemption 2 is a undeniably

pretty game across the board.

The lighting is fantastic, the facial animation

is a noticeable step up from GTA five

and the level of gradual detail is almost absurd.

From the way blood smears on Arthur's shoulder

after carrying a kill, to the way individual

strands of his majestic Muttonchops quiver in the breeze.

Remember this is a game where horse testicles

shrink when the weather is cold.

- The hell are you doing.

- [Luke] Equally impressive is the audio

from the satisfying metallic crunch of a reload.

(gun cocks) (gun shots)

to the twang of a Hollywood inspired ricochet.

(gunshot)

Bullets fired on mountains tops ring with cracking echoes.

(gunshot)

completely different to the sound of bullets fired indoors.

(gunshot)

A game little seems to be have missed

and the music absolutely outstanding.

(western music)

Red Dead Redemption two is Rockstar's most serious

and earnest story to date and certainly the best written.

- Only the feeblest of men take jobs in the government.

(laughs)

watching Dutch's gradual decent from being

the charismatic successful and clever leader

of a gang of deadly outlaws to someone

on track to become the coldblooded and

beaten man being hunted down by Marston

12 years later is captivating.

We get to watch an incredibly nuance performance

as Dutch's confidence ebbs and his restraint fades.

- Them goddamn cowards, Arthur cowards.

excellent to his main man Arthur.

Not only is there an infectious authenticity

to his low and smooth tone of voice

- Thank you - This is a very good tank.

But when Arthur himself is a far

wearier man by the stories climax.

His delivery is doubly potent.

- I don't know what your saying dutch

but it seems like I heard it all before.

- [Luke] Combined with strong writing and direction,

the result is a game that's sincere instead

of satirical and funny while remaining

capable of some supremely well earned emotional moments.

especially throughout the truly

excellent crescendo and epilogue.

And even after completing the epilogue

I still have a stack of strangers that need helping,

gangs that need killing

(gunshot)

and fish that need catching.

There are 30 different types of in this game about cowboys.

I've caught four.

- Wow

(western music)

Red Dead Redemption two stands shoulder to

shoulder with Grand Theft Auto five

as one of the greatest games of modern times.

Its a gorgeous depiction of an ugly age

that's patient, polished and a huge amount of fun to play.

(gunshots)

and its combined with Rockstar's best story telling

to date even after finishing the lengthy story

I can't wait to go back and play more.

This is a game of rare quality.

(gunshot)

a meticulously polished open world

owed to the outlawed era.

Looking for one of this generations very

best single player action experiences.

Heres your huckleberry.

For plenty more on Red Dead Redemption two

check out the first minute and our graphics comparison.

( calm western music)