User blog:JamesTheNerdKing/Red Dead Redemption II: What We Know So Far

With Red Dead Redemption II's delay, we have more time until the game is released after the long wait. Originally announced in October 2016, it was scheduled for Fall 2017, then rescheduled to Spring 2018. Now, we have a release date of October 26, 2018, more than eight months away. In the meantime, let's look at what we already know.

The Characters
We know that we're playing as Arthur Morgan, and that Dutch's gang will play a large part in the game. In trailers and screenshots, we've seen Arthur, Bill, and Dutch. However, we haven't closely seen John, Jack, Javier, or Abigail. We've also seen an unknown woman, who seems to be based off of Bonnie McFarlane. It's likely we'll see more screenshots and learn more information as we approach the release date.

The Location and Environment
Rockstar hasn't announced a location, but many fans have tried to relate screenshots with the leaked map. We've seen cliffs, plains, rivers, forests, small cities, lakes, and snowy mountains. Buffalo seem to be in larger herds, and trains seem to be more widespread than they were in the last game. Animals seem to interact more, with predators hunting prey. There also seems to be more abilities when it comes to hunting. There is more attention to detail. The mountains have realistic snow, with a trail and the ability to see the horse's breathe.

The Plot
Rockstar hasn't revealed anything about the game's storyline. However, the trailers and screenshots show that Dutch's gang will be a large part of the game. It seems that we'll be robbing trains, banks and evading the law throughout a number of missions. Nothing has been shown to indicate players will be able to play as John Marston, but it is still possible.

New Features
It's been eight years since Red Dead Redemption was released, and Rockstar's game capability has improved. In trailers and screenshots, we've seen new abilities such as canoeing, dual wielding weapons, and the ability to swim. In two screenshots, we see explosions, similar to the explosion in a GTA V mission. This may mean that Rockstar will use this again in a mission for Red Dead Redemption II. The graphics have also improved, which much more attention to detail. Rockstar also likely intends to implement online features into Red Dead Redemption II, in a fashion similar to that in GTA Online.

Conclusion
It is likely that Rockstar's reason for another delay is to continue to profit from GTA Online, which is more profitable than it's ever been. While this is disappointing, we now have an exact release date, and judging from screenshots and trailers, we have an epic game ahead of us. Regardless, Red Dead Wiki will be ready to update on the latest information on the game upon it's release.