Now that Red Dead Redemption II is out, Rockstar has more or less solidified their latest title as Game of the Year. With only Super Smash Bros. Ultimate to rival the long-awaited sequel to 2010’s hit, we can safely assume the latter will wind up the more revered multiplayer title while the former solidifies itself as one of the greatest single player experiences of our time. No game is perfect, however. For as critically revered as Red Dead Redemption II has become, it has some serious flaws. Granted, we all more or less choose to ignore them on account of the title’s high quality, but let’s shine a light on the masterpiece’s cracks for just a bit.
For starters, Red Dead Redemption II is derivative. Everything it does has been done before. Even its story is a thematic retread of the first game from start to finish, just with a different cast. Realism? Who cares about realism when it makes playing a game less fun! Online? What Online? If you’re the type who disregards any and all criticism because you like something, this list may not be for you. Or maybe it is precisely for you. Part of loving a work of art is understanding where its faults lie so to better understand its strengths.
This article contains SPOILERS.
30 Too Many Missions Boil Down Into Gunfights
Mission variety is important for any game. One of the first game’s greatest strength was just how varied all 57 missions were. John found himself in a great deal of gunfights, as expected from a game where gunplay is the main form of combat, so it’s only natural RDR2 go in the same direction, but it perhaps goes too far.
Too much of a good thing.
Almost every single mission in the second game ends with Arthur in a shootout. Rob a bank in complete stealth? You’ll alert the law somehow and end up in a gunfight. Herd some cattle? Gunfight time. Just want to hang out with a friend for a bit? A massive gunfight between all parties involved. Combat just doesn’t feel special anymore when every mission ends up the same.
29 The Horse Physics Get In The Way Of Fun
Who doesn’t love horse riding? Horse riding in the first game was an absolute treasure. There was a true joy to exploring the Wild West on horseback as John Marston and that extends to Arthur Morgan as well. For the most part. While horse riding is still generally quite fun, the new realism based mechanics can make it a bit of a chore.
Your horse often can’t gallop too fast; your horse will occasionally crash into rocks and trip over, and your horse can be swayed by the course of a river to its doom. It’s real. It’s cool in that regard. But it makes riding an absolute chore at times. One wrong move will result in your horse collapsing and Arthur needing to waste one of his many Horse Revitalizers.
28 Eagle Vision Takes The Fun Out Of Hunting
Chapter 1 feature a great introduction to hunting. Not only does Arthur need to move methodically and carefully while hunting his prey, he needs to physically track them by examining his surroundings. Then Eagle Vision comes into play.
Why bother hunting when the game can do that for you?
Eagle Vision is basically Red Dead Redemption II’s easy mode, taking all the challenge out of hunting and allowing players access to every single piece of valuable information on screen at once. It takes all the established effort out of hunting and gives you a means of skipping all the actual work associated with hunting.
27 Online Was Delayed At Launch
Grand Theft Auto V’s biggest issue at launch was the state of Online. Despite being marketed as one of the game’s major components, Grand Theft Online was held back for as long as humanly possible, potentially milking the game for as many consumers as Rockstar possibly could. For as much backlash as the move got at the time, fans let themselves forget.
Which allowed Rockstar to pull the same stunt get again with Red Dead Redemption II. The back of the box even explicitly states to keep an eye out for the online component. This is not done in good will either. It likely does need further development time, but this is just as much a means of advertising RDR2 twofold.
26 Gun Maintenance
Realism is not always for the best. While there is certainly an immersive element to watching Arthur interact with his world as realistically as possible, there is quite a tedium as well. Specifically through the concept of gun maintenance. Don’t get too comfortable since any time you fire your gun you’re running the risk of throttling its accuracy with rust.
There's nothing more fun than holding down square to clean a gun.
More often than not, maintaining your gun is simple enough. So long as you have gun oil, you can maintain your gun anywhere on the overworld. Should you run out, however, and in a mission at that, you’ll basically be stuck firing a shoddy pistol or rifle until you can get back to a gunsmith. It makes the game far harder than it needs to be without really enhancing the experience on a gameplay level.
25 All The Challenges Are Terrible
Challenges in the first Red Dead Redemption were difficult, but tolerable for the most part. The latter challenges were demanding enough to give any player a headache, but never so overwhelming where they outright detracted from the game’s overall quality. The same cannot be said for Red Dead Redemption II, unfortunately.
Challenges in Red Dead Redemption II are utterly nightmarish. Not only are there 90 of them now, they require such accurate precision to pull off that you’ll actively need to go out of your way for hours on end to complete them. This is to say nothing of the Gambling challenges which require actual RNG to win in the later entries.
24 You Make Too Much Money After Chapter 3
Every dollar counts in the first three chapters. Should you want to upgrade the camp or any of Arthur’s belongings, you’ll actively need to find means of making money. Whether it be selling valuables, robbing folk, or just playing mini-games, money making is slow, but precious. You truly feel as though you’re building a wallet you can be proud of.
It's hard to care about money when you have a surplus.
Then the game just stops caring and starts throwing thousands of dollars your way at any possible moment. You’ll be utterly swimming in cash by the end of the game that it truly does not matter whether or not you spent time early on attempting to make money. The game will just take pity on you and give you everything you need to survive.
23 Kieran Is A Wasted Character
*Spoilers* Kieran has perhaps the clearest telegraphed arcs in the entire game. One of the first characters you meet, Kieran betrays the O’Driscolls, joins Dutch’s gang, and gets a chance to prove his loyalty while earning his keep. Logic dictates he play a large role in the story and form a natural bond with Arthur. Then he gets eliminated and the game just sort of forgets he ever existed.
For whatever reason, despite clearing setting up a meaningful arc for Kieran, absolutely nothing happens with him until his demise. He has no story relevance, his side missions never delve into who he is, and the gang never properly accepts him. The only weight he has is the implication that Dutch is deliberately using Kieran as a martyr to influence the gang. Other than that? Kieran is wasted.
22 John Keeps Letting Himself Get Taken Advantage Of
One of the recurring threads of the original Red Dead Redemption was John Marston’s willingness to go along with just about every scheme thrust his way. It didn’t matter whether people wanted him to shoot, lie, or cheat, John would play along just so he could be reunited with his beloved wife and son. Naturally, this is a trend that extends all the way back to the second game.
It's hard to tell whether John is dumb or smart.
Interestingly, however, you’d think that getting taken advantage of so much in the prequel would help John realize how to say “no.” Instead, it only reinforces his willingness to participate in any hairbrained scheme he catches wind of. It’s a genuinely perplexing characterization even if it does technically feel in-line with his original depiction.
21 Arthur Moves Too Slow
If there’s one thing we all need to take away from Red Dead Redemption II’s design it’s that realism is not necessarily a good thing. Mind you, the game’s more real moments are not detrimental to the whole experience, but they bog the game down considerably. Want to walk from point A to point B? Get used to Arthur moving at a snail’s pace.
This is made all the worse in missions where, for whatever reason, Arthur will always walk slower and behind his fellow gang members. This doesn’t just apply to walking, though. Looting takes absolutely forever as Arthur needs to prop up bodies, feel around, and grab items. Do this enough time and you’ll wind up wasting time that could have been spent actually playing.
20 Chapters 2 And 3 Are Too Long
Chapters 2 and 3 feature some of the greatest missions and moments in the entire game. The gang is happy, everyone is united, and there’s an air of genuine fun surrounding the game’s earlier moments. There is one problem, though: both Chapters are way too long in hindsight.
When you take into consideration just how fast Chapters 4 through 6 move, Chapters 2 and 3 genuinely feel inappropriately long. The story lingers on the lighter moments without properly building up to the second half. As a result, while the first half is incredibly strong, it doesn’t match the pacing of the rest of the game and ends up feeling thoughtless as a result.
19 Chapter 4 Is Unfocused
Chapter 4 starts with a lot of promise. Saint Denis is a genuinely unique setting for the series, Jack getting taken makes a great set piece, and it’s clear that Dutch is beginning to become unhinged as a character. Then the focus all breaks apart. Bronte is a wildly inconsistent villain; Jack is rescued incredibly early; and just about every mission is disjointed.
Who needs plot when you can have disconnected missions?
All this culminates in the metaphorical and literal shipwreck that is Chapter 5. Chapter 4 is an enormous disappointment coming from the game’s first three chapters, meandering from beat to beat. What makes this all the worse is just how good Chapter 4 at its absolute best. The final mission is absolutely outstanding. Not so much for the rest.
18 All The Connected Missions
There is only one set of connected missions in the original Red Dead Redemption: “And You Will Know The Truth” directly into “And The Truth Will Set You Free.” This mission marks the end of the West Elizabeth arc and finally sees John confronting Dutch. He heads home to the score of “Compass” and RDR solidifies itself as one of the greatest video games of all time.
Rather than keeping this special in the sequel, Red Dead Redemption II basically exists on a thread of interconnected missions. Time and time again, each Chapter somehow devolves into a series of missions that somehow never seem to end. What was unique in the first game becomes a tired concept in the second.
17 Mini Game Payouts Are Pitiful
Money making in Red Dead Redemption was difficult, but it wasn’t impossible. Should you at any point be struggling to pay off your finances, simply pick one of the many mini-games and get all your money. Want to make a fast $2000? Just get really good at five finger fillet and purchase everything in your path.
High stakes poker has never been so worthless.
Logistically, this is an aspect that should extend to Red Dead Redemption II, but its emphasis on realism ensures that Arthur will pretty much never be betting more than $5 at a time. Mini-game money making is absolutely pitiful. You’re honestly better off ignoring every mini-game in your path since you’ll never come out with more than a few dollars at a time.
16 Where Did All The Dueling Go?
Duels have been a major aspect of the Red Dead series since Red Dead Revolver all the way back on the PlayStation 2. The biggest moments in the game involved Red Harlow in classically western duels. This was a trend that extended all the way into the main game with John Marston even losing his life during a massive duel.
When it comes to Red Dead Redemption II, however, duels are nowhere near as prominent. Arthur does duel from time to time, but never does he pick up his gun for a classic duel after Chapter 4. Considering the changes made to dueling, it’s quite disappointing. Dueling would have especially made a nice way to end the Epilogue.
15 Javier Is STILL Underdeveloped
Of all the main antagonists in the first game, Javier was by far the least developed. With less than five minutes of screen time in the entire game, it was hard to get a real feel of who Javier was as a person. John does comment on his quite a bit during the Nuevo Paraiso arc, but not nearly enough to elevate Javier to more than what he is.
Come Red Dead Redemption II, it seems as though Javier will finally be getting the focus he deserves. He’s genuinely interesting; he’s clearly charming; and he has strong ideals. Then he just kind of stops showing up as often. The missions he participates in don’t make great use of him and he’s left out far too often when compared to Micah or Bill.
14 Bill Has Too Large Of A Presence
Speaking of Bill, do you know who absolutely did not need more focus on Red Dead Redemption’s sequel? The one villain from that game who got more focus than any other antagonist in the whole story. Bill Williamson is so prominent in the first game that there is genuinely no logical reason to expand his role in a prequel.
Bill Williamson will surely force himself into RDR3 somehow.
You know where this is going. Bill is given way too much focus. He participates in nearly every single major mission whereas Javier pretty much sits on the back burner up to the very end. Bill even has something of a character arc tied to Micah, “fleshing” him out. It’s a turn his character did not need by any means since he was already fairly complete as a character in the first game.
13 Tumbleweed
Tumbleweed in Red Dead Redemption served as the classic abandoned Western town. Due to the advent of the railway, the citizens of Tumbleweed abandoned the large settlement due to the inconvenience of living off the railway. Everyone left and Tumbleweed suffered as a result with John only hearing of the glory of its heyday.
There's just no winning when it comes to Tumbleweed.
As RDR2 takes place much earlier, it’s only natural we see Tumbleweed in its prime. What may seem natural is not always what happens. Despite the prequel taking place far earlier, Tumbleweed is ALREADY on the verge of collapse by the time John can visit it in the Epilogue. It’s a nostalgic addition, but nonetheless, disappointing considering a collapsing Tumbleweed is basically a collapsed Tumbleweed.
12 Herding Returns
Herding was easily one of the worst aspects of the first game. For as narratively appropriate as it was, spending multiple missions with John Marston herding made for… an inappropriate change of pace. Naturally, going into the sequel, it only makes sense that Arthur Morgan would for no good reason herd sheep, cattle, or horses.
Has Rockstar learned nothing?
Yet that is exactly what happens. Near the end of Chapter 2, John will devise a plan for Arthur to steal sheep so that they can sell them at an auction. What follows is Arthur slowly herding sheep towards Valentine. Thankfully, this is the only mandatory use of herding in the entire game, but it’s still one time too many.
11 The Camp Is Convoluted
The mere concept of Dutch’s camp is incredibly strong. Rather than simply having Arthur interact with his peers through mandatory story beats, the game allows players to interact with their camp on a more intimate level- even offering side missions with specific characters that help to flesh them out.
Frustratingly, the camp system is actually far too convoluted for its own good. Want to learn more about someone? Better talk to them all the time to potentially get a secret side quest. Want characters to react more positively to you? Better greet them all the day and constantly donate. Want to have a party? Better never leave camp after an important mission just in case.