This is the first post of a new series that I am trying out and calling GLOG (Gaming Blog). Simply put, I want to play games and analyze the gameplay and see what I liked and what I didn’t like about the game and be more analytical of the mechanics and design. Then post about it, either via blog post or a YouTube video etc. I don’t want this to become a type of game review thing where I leave scores and what not cuz thats definitely not what I am trying to accomplish here.I’m sure I will figure all that out as I go. Anyways, Thank you for joining me and lets jump right into the action…

Initially released October 26th 2018 (Opening the decade with a 2 year old game) Developed by Rockstar Games - Rockstar North

I figured that I would start out this series and the decade for that matter with a game that I have been honestly addicted to for the last month. Red Dead Redemption 2 definitely is one of the best games to come out this past decade. An amazing single player story in combination with a revamped online really makes this game stand apart. The online mode is what I will mostly be talking about this time.

Once of the biggest accomplishments is how immersive of a world that Rockstar have created. Assuming players like the wild wild west to even the most mild of extents can find a home in this game. The world is ripe with activity all over the map from Busy cities to animal filled forests to high picturesque mountain tops. Not to mention the near endless supply of random encounters that happen throughout the world keep players on their toes and provide endless hilarious experiences. RDO features a main story line that is completed through online matchmaking.

Players find that there is a TON to do whether your first starting out or a season vet there is always something to do. The idea of the online at first seemed rather daunting because as a primarily solo player stepping into the online world would leave me open to relentless trolling from other posse’s. However the online experience was completely different than what I thought.RDO has taken some steps into countering them so it doesn’t completely ruin the experience. If you are murdered, in which you inevitably will be by another player, you are given the chance to “Press Charges” on them, which will place a bounty on that player. Player bounties can be picked up by Bounty Hunters of a high enough rank. Players can also just reload into the online mode and be transferred to a new server.

Virtually everything can be done solo or with a posse. Of course the degree of difficulty changes whether your ridin’ solo or with your buds. The introduction of the Specialist Roles really gives players a sense of purpose. Players can choose from being a Bounty Hunter, Collector, Trader, or a Moonshiner (Moonshiner was just recently added). Bounty Hunter is self-explanatory and technically so is the Moonshiner. The Moonshiner role also has its own story line for players to complete. The collector has the player collecting various variables that can be found around the map. The trader role allows for players to trade in whole animal carcasses and allows players to make money by doing supply and delivery missions. All of the roles have their own role ranks that increase as role objectives are completed. The higher the player is able to get their rank the more unlocks the player receives for the corresponding role. The new roles provide the best and most fun ways to earn money in the west. If you would like more information on how to earn money in RDO, I wrote an article not too long ago that covered just that That article can be found here.

Combat in the game various from sporadic skirmishes to full on fort assaults but are always fun. Players also have the option to do combat with or without Auto aim assist. Those that like the free aim option can join worlds just with other free aim players.

RDO is not perfect by any means. There are a number of bugs the players, myself included, run into almost on a daily basis that really distract the player from the game and drive some players away By far one of the most annoying ones to run into is players camp’s disappearing. Sometimes the icon will be on the mini map but the camp itself will disappear which makes interacting with anything and anyone in the camp impossible. A similar issue happens with the players Moonshine shack. Upon trying to enter their moonshine shack sometimes the shack icon will disappear off the mini map then oddly enough the player cannot access the shack nor their horse and are basically forced to restart the game. I have run into several infinite load screens while loading into Moonshiner missions which I only fixed by restarting the game. I have also encountered immediately failing missions upon starting them. Although I do enjoy the grind that comes with playing RDO, I realize that as I get higher in rank I can already see a sort of plateau ahead as role ranks are capped at level 20. Which leaves me wondering what happens then?