Red Dead Redemption 2 Special Edition (PS4)

I very rarely purchase games for release day, and it’s even rarer for me to order a Special Edition… however, being such a huge Rockstar and Red Dead fan, this was a must for me. If you’re still on the fence as to whether you should buy this, then hopefully this will help: Install: The game is huge, so big in fact that not only does it come on two discs, but it also requires a 105GB download… it was a painful 3 hour wait for me before I could play (even with a fast internet connection). Pre Order / Special Edition Bonus Add On's: If you're like me and started playing the game first, and then used the pre-order / bonus codes after, you may find that they haven't installed. To rectify this, close the game down, go to the game icon on the PS4 Homepage and scroll to the very bottom where it states PlayStation Store and select the Add-Ons, here you can select the download arrow which will install them again manually. Re-start the game and they'll be there. Keep in mind that the horse won't be available until you find a stable, and that most of the other stuff (i.e. guns, outfits etc. won't be available until chapter 2 at the earliest). Trophies: There are 52 trophies for any fellow trophy hunters. If you want the platinum, you’re going to need to put in some serious effort. It’s worth pointing out that the trophy list includes 17 multiplayer trophies. Graphics: Goes without saying that the game is stunning. The best visuals I’ve ever seen in a game (and I didn’t think Uncharted 4 could be topped). The snow is the most realistic ever created for a video game… in fact, I think upcoming games are going to struggle in comparison, as this really shows what the ageing PS4 is still capable of (no doubt assisted by the huge install size). Sound: Often overlooked, but sound is integral to immersion. Again, as you would expect, its nothing short of perfect... subtle sounds that you don't necessarily notice, such as the clumping of your horse hooves really give this an added layer of authenticity. Gameplay: Reports say the game is 60 hours long for the main story, well, I've played for at least 10-12 hours now, and I'm only 9% into the main story and I feel that I've barely scratched the surface (I did spend a good hour playing poker though). The map is huge and beautiful. It’s worth pointing out, that like GTA 5, you can play in first person perspective, and you can replay missions to meet the various challenges. The only negative for me is that the character is a little sluggish to move at times, I know this adds to the realism, but it can be a pain during a gun fight! Early Negatives: Whilst the game is amazing, it's does have a couple of niggles for me (although these might be ironed out with updates or further into the game itself). Firstly, I don't like how I can only select 1 item of food or drink from the satchel - if I want to eat 3 items, I have to go back into it 3 times, as it kicks you out each time. Secondly, I'm not a huge fan of how easy it is to get a wanted rating... I accidentally knocked someone over with my horse at the start of Chapter 2 and I had a bounty to pay... by the time I had taken care (ahem) of the two lawman chasing me, I had to use all of the money I had found in Chapter 1 just to clear my debt - its equally frustrating when you go to rob somewhere, as even wearing a bandana you still rack up a bounty, which is often more expensive to pay off than any money you've stolen. Lastly (and this isn't a negative per se) but this is a game structured very much around RPG elements, i.e. you have to eat enough, rest, clean/feed your horse, support the NPC's with food etc. also, there is so much to learn that it can be daunting at first and the pace is quite slow compared to say GTA... this might not be what some people are after as its vastly different from the last Red Dead game. Current thoughts: I plan to add more to this review as I go through, but for now, I would highly recommend RDR2 to anyone who enjoys RPG and sandbox games.

So I decided NOT to review this game straight away.... I received day of release, installed and started to play.... 1st impressions were that the game was way to slow paced and actually quite boring. HOWEVER.... after I continued to play and got used to the controls and game mechanics it became a whole different experience. The story is imersive with excellent character build up. I Truley started to bond with different characters which adds to the impact of events... I have lost countless hours exploring the wilds coming across random encounters that are Truley superb.... (if you meet a dodgy couple don't take that 2nd drink haha) The game play is epic and can be as fast or as slow paced as you like.... I'm currently on chapter 4 and it's anything but a slow boring game... The laugh you can have with your laso is brilliant.... Silently kidnap a random passer buy of the back of a wagon as his friend rides on unknowingly.... Hog time him and we'll there are limitless choices of what to do with him.... Train track... Dangle off a cliff... Throw him in a shallow river and watch him flap around like a fish... 😂 The robberies are superb... Banks trains waggons stores.... Anyone and everything can be robbed... Its a 5 star game worth every gold nugget... So glad I percivered with the first 3 - 4 hours...

really good game,the story has some great missions,graphics are brill,although I have noticed some little glitches,would have given 5 stars but for the online game which doesn't make me want to play it too long,hopefully new content update will be coming soon to help the online experience a bit more enjoyable

I was not really interested in this as I was left a bit wanting with the original red dead. I actually became quite bored of the first game very quickly. The second edition however is a completely different kettle of fish! It’s so seamless and immersive. Rock star have pulled out another game that will hold your attention and I will re visit it for years, like I do with GTA. If you like fast paced shooter games this probably isn’t the one for you, (you should probably get battlefield 5 if that’s the case) but if your a fan of the open map and explore concept then this is bang on.

Rockstar have smashed it once again. Epic story and so much to do in the open sandbox world. Tops the first red dead which is probably the best game ever untill this predecessor. If you like games with a well thought out narrative and plenty to do with out having to play though the story untill your ready then this game is made for you. Train robbing , cattle rustling , gun slinging , hunting , fishing and much more. Enjoy

I have to say this is the best game I've ever played. Didn't play it for a while at first as the controls seemed so complicated but once they've become second nature it's superb to play. The map is huge, the missions are challenging and the diversity of the gameplay is literally mind-boggling! Bought GTA4 after completing this and it makes that feel and look like a PS3 game both gameplay wise and graphically.

As a history buff with a huge gaming interest I used to be deeply impressed with the original Red Dead Redemption years ago. RDR1 with its exciting storyline and unexpected twists left me deeply impressed given the visuals, the motion of the game and the overall atmosphere of its vast open world. For weeks/months I found myself slumbering in the old west and Mexico. Even when not playing my mind dwelled back there. The game remained unsurpassed for a few years until I could start to fill my self-imposed daily game-time allowance with the ever better Assassins Creed games. As such I’ve had great adventures in Revolutionary Paris, Industrial Revolution London and Ptolemaic Egypt – beautiful games, beautiful environments. Yet I couldn’t wait to return to the vast open RDR-world, so here it finally is. Unfortunately… the timing is not great for me as it leaves me with a nasty problem of choice so soon after the Assassins Creed Odyssey release. And so far Creed is winning. The first point is that I'm an obsessive ‘completist’ that aims to complete each challenge and storyline while exploring the full map, eventually completing all achievements. My crude rule to judge a game as ’adequate’ is whether it can be completed with all add-on content by playing for around 1 hour per day for a full year (yes it’s quite a self-serving and protective rule). Despite my enjoyment, RDR1 challenged this principle, I frustratingly never managed to fully ‘clear’ the game, despite completing the storyline. And for example I never got far in the Nightmare add-on. It may have been my strategy and approach but it was primarily because the map was simply too big and some of the challenges too cumbersome/boring. I fear at this stage the new RDR2 will fail my test, in particular since I got the full set of add-ons through the Special Edition version. In addition, because of my completist-disorder I personally don't like online multiplayer modes – after all I just want to be challenged by puzzles, explore new beautiful environments and enjoy a bit of horse grooming without being bothered by shoot-outs with people who have an excess amount of time on their hands. So its perhaps great for many that a RDR2 multiplayer version is coming up, but I’m already annoyed by the likely temptation to complete the associated on-line achievements in order to reach my desired 100% trophy score.. . The installation With the Special Edition set disc you get 2 maps and 2 leaflets with codes for add-on content. The overall presentation is above average. However restrain you impatience because then you’ll have to go through a lengthy installation procedure. As soon as I put in the first disc I got a message that I needed to free up 22 gb of space on my presumably bottomless PS4 pro standard hard drive to fit the massive 105 total GB game files.. . So I first had to go through a painful selection procedure to delete some old game files, somewhat frustrating. Then my PS4 that is wired straight to the BT FTC fibre router, I still had to wait for almost 2 hours before everything was installed and ready to go. The graphics / sound The game starts off in a dark, snowy mountain region that won’t yet show you much of the game’s much applauded beauty and breath-taking views. Apparently the snow is very realistic but I failed to detect that on my high-end Oled HD TV. Perhaps it will come later. Voice acting is very, very good. The level of graphical detail seems reasonable but so far it cannot confirm that RDR2 sets a new standard in graphics, maybe because the first parts a bit dark and limited in scope. Play What annoyed me straight away were the awkward controls. Hitting the X-button to keep up my horse speed was a bit of a pointless start, which will hopefully automate as the game progresses. Then I lost much time finding the right button to mount my horse or to change weapons. Overall I found that your character allows only for very limited set of moves and actions; he can climb up and down, crouch, point his gun, fist fight. But I can’t climb on each object, open each door .. - RDR2 might lack the flowing range of movements and freedom of action possible in my beloved Assassins Creed games – yes I’m biased by now. So despite the freedom of the supposedly huge open world the game constrains the player to a movement-straight jacket – it’s quite possible I just need to get used to the controls. Story line RDR1 had a compelling story line with brilliant twists. RDR2 sets you up for something similar or better. Yet, you're parachuted into a storyline that only gradually becomes clear. It’s not instantly obvious who you are, and why you are there, which is a bit annoying. The game starts with a somewhat slow linear story line, tedious so far. And it doesn’t allow you to deviate at all from the sequence of tasks in the first 90 minutes to 2 hours I played. Is it the epic immersive adventure that soothes my escapism? Not yet, perhaps at some stage but for now I actually struggle to put the game back in my PS4. So to some extend I wonder about the glowing media reviews. Have the journalist actually played it, have they played other recent open world games? Note that I’ve probably only played less than 0.5% of the game. So the review will be continued and I hopefully will change my tone provided I find enough encouragement to continue. Update; I’m now 20 hours into the game, having diligently played it for about 1 hour each day since I got it. I’ve contributed to a train robbery, got wasted in a classic manner at a saloon and have been collecting unpaid bills. Yes, it’s growing on me, and I find myself increasingly annoyed if I run out of time to enjoy a proper playing session. But, but, but ... First of all, the controls remain very clunky. I still don’t feel I can move around fluidly. I suck at shoot-outs. And I sometimes have to try and search for 20 minutes for the right button or layered menu option to complete the simplest act/sequence. Furthermore once you pick up an assignment it feels very much like the 1980 computer game missions; you only have limited control over the events and the same enemies appear at a preset moment as you work your way through the sequence - the point is; there is limited opportunity to solve missions in a range of different manners. Moving around remains plainly dull. And yes, you’ll need to actively save a lot. Once you stop, the next session will take you back to the start of the mission - not where you left.. very ancient. Also you actually have to feed your character. I don’t get that point. It’s almost like a 1895 simulator, a fair bit of time and effort is wasted on keeping your character in shape. IT just contributes to the game’s slowness. Also you have to donate money to your camp .. I really don’t like boring card games that’s why I actually prefer more modern entertainment like video games however in this game, like in RDR1, I’m supposed to have understand the basics of poker while I don’t know the rules & while I have no interest to understand them. Oh and I really hate time-challenges i.e complete this mission in under 2 minutes. Well, RDR2 is full of them. And I probably need to complete each assignment to be awarded certain trophies. Conclusion so far? Well, I’ll continue to play RDR2 for the next few months, and probably get more enthused about it. But I have already given up my completist-urge with this game. As it seems futile at this point. And that’s why I’ll probably won’t get the most out of this game. I’ll most likely complete the story line and perhaps try to collect most of the rare playing cards and look for some unique flower species. But soon I‘ll head back to Ancient Greece in Assassins Creed for the real work.

The first Red Dead Redemption was probably my favourite game of the last generation of consoles. RDR2 doesn't disappoint. The story is incredible, but I honestly played about 80 hours worth of the game before even getting round to starting story missions. There's just so much to do, and the world is both varied and breathtaking. For fans of the first game, it's extremely emotional to see the Van Der Linde gang before the events of the original RDR.

Excellent game, fun, exciting, can challenge the most experienced and occasional player. Graphics are unbelievable and realistic. Truly the best game I have ever played.

Was sent an open case and it was a standard edition with a sticker label on the back of it in small print saying special edition smh lol

This was suppose to be Special Edition. When I played it, there is no difference than my regular dvd of RD2. It does not say Special Edition on disk. I am going to check with Rockstar if it suppose to.