Red Dead Redemption 2 is one of, if not the best, games released by Rockstar Games. It’s a fun, engaging game that balances realism and action well. The short of it is that if you have the patience for a game that will require you to sink 80 plus hours into and are ready to live in the world (not just play the game), then this is a game for you.

The Good: The main campaign focuses on Arthur Morgan's story and the final days of the Van der Linde gang. What I love about the campaign missions is that they do not beat you over the head with the main conflict of the story; rather, it is conveyed through character facial expressions and actions, engaging side content, and the incredible voice actors in the game. The game's narrative is one example of how the developers really leaned into realism. Other realism aspects include fishing, hunting, minigames, character and horse management, crafting, animal movement animations, weather, and so much more. It is incredible just how much detail goes into every aspect of this game, as it straddles the perfect line between showcasing technological advancement in video game development and maintaining a fun and engaging game.

The Bad: Aside from the simplistic gun play as seen in all Rockstar Games, performance glitches are about the worst I experienced. I played this on a high-end PC, so it is difficult to predict how it will run on low- or medium-end PCs.

Overall score: 5/5

Score translation:
1: Don’t buy – awful game
2: Poor – buy only when heavily discounted
3: Decent game – buy on sale
4: Good game- can play full price or wait for sale
5: Excellent game – must buy!