Red Dead Redemption 2

"An epic tale of life in America’s unforgiving heartland, the game's vast and atmospheric world will also provide the foundation for a brand new online multiplayer experience."

- Official description

Red Dead Redemption 2 (stylized as Red Dead Redemption II) is a western-themed action-adventure video game developed and published by Rockstar Games. It was released on October 26th, 2018 on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

It is the third entry in the Red Dead series and a prequel to 2010's Red Dead Redemption. Taking place in a wide and vast open-world which features the western parts of the American countryside and desert, Redemption II is presented through both first and third-person perspective.

After a robbery goes badly wrong in the western town of Blackwater, Arthur Morgan and the Van der Linde gang are forced to flee. With federal agents and the best bounty hunters in the nation massing on their heels, the gang must rob, steal and fight their way across the rugged heartland of America in order to survive. As deepening internal divisions threaten to tear the gang apart, Arthur must make a choice between his own ideals and loyalty to the gang who raised him.

Gameplay
Red Dead Redemption II is a western action-adventure game set in an open world environment and played from a third-person perspective, featuring single-player and online multiplayer components. The game has new features absent from the previous game. Scenes in the trailers show characters wading in water, using a bow and arrow, dual-wielding revolvers, and using a canoe. Wildlife and hunting in the game have also improved.

The game focuses heavily on player choice for the story and missions. During IGN's First Look preview on the topic of how player choices can affect interactions and missions, Rob Nelson, Co-Studio Head at Rockstar North said: “We try to give you options within a lot of these missions to choose how you approach it, whether you'll send your buddies in first or whether you'll go in first.”

Players can communicate with any NPC in ways much different to previous Rockstar games. They can choose options such as having a friendly chat, having a threatening chat in order to steal money from the NPC, or they can just downright take out that character and loot the corpse.

In a further expansion on immersion, players need to take care of their equipment, such as their weapons, by cleaning and oiling them. In terms of character customization, players have the option of visiting a barber for a cut and style; however, what styles are available to players depend on how much they have let their character's hair naturally grow over the course of the game. Characters will have different sets of clothes for different weather conditions, have to regularly eat and bathe, and actions that were once more automatic have been greatly expanded upon in detail, including skinning a kill and examining objects.

Hunting and fishing
Hunting and fishing are essential skills for survival in the wilderness, providing food, materials, and a source of income. A huge variety of fish swim the many rivers, lakes, and streams, and selecting the right bait or lure is key to a successful day's haul. Tracking an animal takes focus and patience; move carefully and watch the wind direction or players will alert their prey. Choice of weapon and shot placement are also very important and will affect the quality of the meat and pelt, which in turn affects the price that traders will pay for them. Players need to make sure to pick the right gauge of rifle for the size of animal that they are hunting, or master the use of the bow for a quiet and clean kill. If prey are injured, they will try to escape, forcing players to track them down.

After a successful hunt, players can either skin and butcher the animal on the spot or take it with them whole. Animal skins and carcasses will rot over time if not properly tended to, and this both decreases their value while making them stink, and makes the character a target for wild animals when out of town. Skins, parts, meat, and entire carcasses can all be loaded onto horses to be sold to the butchers or the general store in town, taken back to camp for the stew pot, or crafted into clothing or other items. Trappers can craft more exotic goods for players.

Maintaining Arthur
Unlike previous Rockstar games, Red Dead Redemption II will feature hair that grows. Overtime, Arthur's hair will grow and he can also grow a beard. Should the player wish to cut Arthur's beard, his beard can be shaved at camp. If players decide they want to cut off his hair, they'll have to visit a barbershop, where the barber will cut their hair. No hair can be added at barbershops in the same way as previous games.

In addition, Arthur can also take baths. This may be just something the player can do, or it may serve some function, such as changing comments on Arthur's smell by people on the street. Arthur needs to sleep and keep himself healthy, otherwise he'll be tired and drained of energy.

Development
Production of the second installment began in 2010 as production drew to a close on its predecessor, Red Dead Redemption. Over 700 voice actors were used in the development of the game.

Setting and background
Set in the American frontier in 1899, Red Dead Redemption II follows the story of Arthur Morgan, a member of Dutch van der Linde's outlaw gang.

Plot
In 1899, after a robbery goes wrong in the western town of Blackwater, Dutch Van der Linde and his gang, are forced to flee their hideout in Blackwater and attempt to cross the mountains west to evade law enforcement. Its members includes Arthur Morgan, a young John Marston; Hosea Matthews intelligent outlaw and Dutch’s right hand man; Bill Williamson, Javier Escuella; Lenny Summers, Charles Smith; Sean MacGuire, Uncle; Abigail Roberts; Molly O'Shea, Tilly Jackson, Simon Pearson, Leopold Strauss; Karen Jones, Susan Grimshaw, Josiah Trelawny, Mary-Beth Gaskill, Reverend Swanson.

In order to fund their escape, Dutch has the gang rob a train belonging to the wealthy oil magnate Leviticus Cornwall. A furious and vengeful Cornwall then hires the Pinkerton Detective Agency, who send Agents Milton and Ross to apprehend the gang. As a result, the gang is forced to be constantly on the move to stay one step ahead of them. All the while, Morgan and the rest of the gang continually have to perform numerous jobs and heists to keep the gang funded as Dutch continually promises one last, big heist that will secure their freedom.

However, their heists soon begin to become more dangerous and less successful, with several of the gang members being killed in the process and Marston being arrested. Morgan saves Marston, but begins growing increasingly disillusioned with Dutch's leadership as he becomes more violent and paranoid. Dutch's decline is also helped along by one of the newer recruits, the ambitious and unscrupulous Micah Bell. In addition, Morgan contracts tuberculosis. Morgan's loyalty to Dutch finally breaks when Dutch murders Cornwall, instigates a war between a local Native American tribe and the US Army, leaves Marston to die, and refuses to rescue Marston's girlfriend Abigail when she is captured by Agent Milton. Morgan disobeys Dutch's orders and rescues Abigail, killing Agent Milton and learning that Bell has been working as a mole for the Pinkertons. Morgan convinces Marston to leave the gang and start a new life, Morgan stays behind and confronts Bell one last time. Dutch, realizing Bell is a rat, parts ways with him, and Morgan is either killed by Bell or succumbs to his tuberculosis.

Years later, Marston is attempting to lead an honest life and provide a living for Abigail and his son Jack. In order to convince Abigail he's changed, Marston buys a plot of land with the intention of turning it into a ranch. He reunites with several surviving gang members, who help Marston build his ranch and provide him with jobs to pay off his bank loans. Eventually, Marston comes across information leading to Bell's location. In revenge for Morgan's death, Marston tracks down and confronts Bell, only to be shocked to see Dutch is with him. Upon seeing Marston, Dutch kills Bell and takes his leave. Marston finds the gang's old money stash and uses it to fully pay off his loan. Afterwards, he formally marries Abigail, and they both look forward to living a new life on their ranch.

The mid-credits scenes show the fate of some of the surviving members of the gang, while Agent Ross follows Marston's trail. Eventually, Agent Ross' search leads him straight to Marston's ranch. Leading to the events of the first game.

Upon 100% completion, a scene will play, depicting John Marston visiting Arthur Morgan's grave after getting revenge on Micah. John looks at the grave to which he says "I guess we're just about done my friend."

Information

 * Characters
 * Arthur Morgan
 * John Marston
 * Van der Linde Gang
 * Locations
 * New Hanover
 * Ambarino
 * Lemoyne
 * West Elizabeth
 * New Austin
 * Animals
 * Horses
 * Storyline missions
 * Weapons
 * Activities
 * Companion Activities
 * Hunting
 * Transport
 * Multiplayer
 * Trophies/Achievements
 * Cheats

Release
On October 16th, 2016, Rockstar Games changed all of their social media and Newswire images to two red and black Rockstar logos, one of which appeared faded in a similar way to several Red Dead Redemption screenshots. The following day, Rockstar teased another photo, appearing to show Dutch's Gang walking in front of the sunset. On October 18th, 2016, Rockstar formally announced Red Dead Redemption 2, and a trailer was released on October 20th, 2016.

On May 22nd, 2017, Rockstar announced the game was delayed until spring 2018 and released screenshots from the game.

On September 28th, 2017, Rockstar released the second trailer, revealing Arthur Morgan as the game's protagonist and Dutch van der Linde as one of the central characters. The trailer also revealed that the number "2" had been changed to the Roman numeral "II," similar to that of the GTA series.

On February 1st, 2018, Rockstar delayed the game for the second time, announcing the release date for October 26th, 2018, along with 7 new screenshots of the game.

A few months later on April 30, 2018, Rockstar announced that a third official trailer would be coming the following Wednesday on May 2, 2018, at 11AM Eastern time. Along with the announcement they also added a promotional video snippet showing the protagonist, Arthur Morgan, holding a revolver along with the date of the release of the third trailer.

On May 3 and May 4 2018, several news outlets gave their first hands-on impressions of the game, with a total of 33 new screenshots released as well. On May 4, Rockstar Games also announced that they will unveil first details on the game's special editions and more the following month. Two days later on May 6, Rockstar released 10 additional screenshots scattered out between their Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts.

The following month on June 4, Rockstar Games released first details on the game's special editions including digital pre-order bonuses, Collector's Box and more.

On July 23, announced the Red Dead Redemption II Complete Official Guide book and the two variants of it, aswell as confirming the release date of October 26 for the book.

On July 31st 2018 Rockstar announced that the pre order bonuses have been extended to August 15th 2018.

On August 8, 2018, Rockstar Games announced that an official gameplay video of the game would be released the following day on August 9, 2018, at 11AM Eastern time. Along with the announcement, a promotional image was also attached to the Newswire post.

On August 30, 2018, Rockstar Games announced the Outlaw Essentials Collection, featuring various limitied-edition items, everything from t-shirts, domino sets and shot glasses, to iPhone cases and much more. The collection is planned to release on the Rockstar Warehouse in the near future.

On September 5, 2018, Rockstar Games posted a proclamation from the Pinkerton Detective Agency issuing the killing or capture of Dutch van der Linde. The proclamation features significant plot details.

The following day on September 6, 2018, Rockstar Games posted a total of 23 new promotional character art for various members of the Van der Linde gang. With an interval of 30 minutes between each.

The next day on September 7, 2018, Rockstar Games announced a dedicated page for the Van der Linde gang on the official Red Dead Redemption II website featuring all of the original artwork along with quotes and bios for each character of the gang. They also made the original artwork available for download via the Rockstar Downloads page.

Special Edition
Pre-Ordering any version of the game includes the following: The digital versions purchased through the Xbox and Playstation Stores include the above, and additionally include:
 * The War Horse
 * The Outlaw Survival Kit
 * Pre-order by August 15, 2018 to get an exclusive Treasure Map and a cash bonus for Red Dead Redemption 2 Story Mode.
 * Bonus cash for Grand Theft Auto Online. The regular edition awards the player with 500,000 GTA$, the Special Edition gives 1,000,000 GTA$, and the Ultimate Edition is worth 2,000,000 GTA$.

The Red Dead Redemption 2: Special Edition contains a selection of exclusive content for Story Mode including:
 * Story Mode content
 * Bank Robbery Mission and Gang Hideout: Get access to a Bank Robbery Mission, in which Arthur and his fellow gang members come up with a plan to break in and rob the bank in the southern town of Rhodes. Elsewhere, the Del Lobos Gang has taken over a hacienda - clear this gang’s hideout and rob their stash for a lucrative take.
 * Dappled Black Thoroughbred: This thoroughbred racehorse sports a reverse-dappled black coat and has exceptional speed and acceleration. Get the Nuevo Paraiso Saddle, handmade in dark chocolate leather with silver medallion detailing. This horse and saddle are available in Red Dead Redemption 2 Story Mode.
 * Talisman and Medallion Gameplay Bonuses: These Story Mode items give Arthur a hand whenever they are equipped. Attaching the Eagle Talon Talisman to his boot, Arthur’s environmental awareness skill will last longer. By carrying the Iguana Scale in his personal Satchel, Arthur will take less damage while riding on horseback.
 * Gameplay Boosts, Cash Bonuses, and Discounts: The Core Stat boost benefits Arthur’s Stamina, Health, and Dead Eye Cores. Earn more cash during robbery missions with the Van der Linde gang, and when hunting and selling animal carcasses. Receive discounts on all upgrades to the Van der Linde gang’s camp, and more.
 * The Nuevo Paraiso Gunslinger Outfit: This Story Mode outfit for Arthur is inspired by the clothing worn by vaqueros and banditos south of the border. The outfit features a wide brimmed black cowboy hat, deep indigo coat, worn denim chaps, leather gloves and boots.
 * Access to additional weapons in Story Mode.

Ultimate Edition
The Red Dead Redemption 2: Ultimate Edition contains all the Story Mode content from the Special Edition plus additional bonuses for a head start in online. Get access to three weapons at the Gunsmiths in Story Mode and online: the Volcanic Pistol, Pump Action Shotgun, and Lancaster Varmint Rifle.


 * Online content
 * Bonus Outfits: Get two outfits for online character. The Blackrose Bounty Hunter Outfit features a long oxblood-colored coat and a vest with gold pocket watch chain. The Copperhead Enforcer Outfit features a fur-lined saddle-brown leather waistcoat and two-tone gloves.
 * Rank Bonuses: Can rank up faster in online, up to rank 25.
 * Black Chestnut Thoroughbred: Thoroughbred racehorse in a black chestnut coat; also receive the exclusive High Plains Cutting Saddle crafted in jet-black leather with gold metal accents. This horse and saddle are available in online.
 * Access to the Survivor Camp Theme: Customize personal Camp in online with access to the Survivor theme.

Collector's Box
The Red Dead Redemption 2: Collector’s Box, available exclusively from select retailers and the Rockstar Warehouse, features a curated assortment of outlaw essentials all packaged in a thick gauged metal tithing box (Red Dead Redemption 2 sold separately).


 * Metal Tithing Box with Lock & Key: Inspired by the lockbox used by the Van der Linde gang to stash contributions to the camp’s upkeep, this thick gauged metal box includes a lock & key, and features black metal band detailing and an engraved Cornwall Freight & Commodities plaque.
 * Collectable Challenge Coin: Featuring the majestic American Buffalo on one side and a scenic landscape on the other side, this engraved, gold-colored collectable coin comes in a magnetic presentation holder with a black, engraved plaque describing the history of this endangered species.
 * Double Sided Puzzle: This double-sided, 100-piece wooden jigsaw puzzle features an illustrated view of the bustling port of Saint Denis on one side, and a classically inspired Rockstar Games logo on the reverse.
 * Six Shooter Bandana: A staple for any frontier outlaw, this bandana features a traditional paisley-inspired pattern with hidden weapon iconography throughout.
 * Treasure Map: Printed on durable, unrippable paper, this exclusive treasure map reveals the location of some buried treasure that may start Arthur on a search for more riches hidden throughout the world of Red Dead Redemption 2.
 * Pin Set: This set of six individual pins includes representations of key weapons from Red Dead Redemption 2 including a shotgun, revolver and Dead Eye “X” marker. The set comes in a canvas carrying bag
 * Playing Cards: Commemorate the outlaws of the Van der Linde gang with this fully illustrated deck of playing cards featuring key members of the gang including Arthur Morgan, John Marston, Javier Escuella, Bill Williamson and Dutch van der Linde.
 * Wheeler, Rawson and Co. Catalogue: The one-stop shop for everything from weapons to clothing, the Wheeler, Rawson and Co. Catalogue is an essential shopping tool for turn of the century life. This complete 150-page book is a replica of the edition found in stores throughout Red Dead Redemption 2.
 * 12 Cigarette Cards: These beautifully-illustrated collectable cards can be found throughout the world of Red Dead Redemption 2. This physical collection includes one select card from each set like Famous Gunslingers and Outlaws, Stars of the Stage and Marvels of Travel and Locomotion.

Guide books
The Red Dead Redemption II Complete Official Guide is presented in two distinct variations:


 * Standard Edition

Packed with essential information about every mission, character and feature of this vast and detailed world, the Standard Edition includes an at-a-glance walkthrough, dedicated maps chapter, comprehensive reference sections, and an all-encompassing index.

The premium hardcover Collector’s Edition features everything from the Standard Edition, printed on superior quality art paper, and also includes an exclusive character art gallery.
 * Collector's Edition

Both editions of the guide book will be available at game launch on October 26, 2018.

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