Throughout the years, Rockstar Games has proven to be one of the best video game developing companies in the world. Its Grand Theft Auto series has sold more than 250 million copies since its original release in 1997. Red Dead Redemption 1, which was released in 2010, sold over 13 million copies, proving to be very successful. Its prequel, Red Dead Redemption 2, is expected to be one of the best selling games this year. According to Rockstar Games, “Red Dead Redemption 2 has achieved the single-biggest opening weekend in the history of entertainment. With over $725 million in worldwide retail sell-through during its first three days.”

Since its release, Red Dead Redemption 2 has lived up to its high expectations. In my opinion, it is Rockstar Games’ best open world game. There’s unlimited things to do and places to explore. The way you interact with other people and animals makes the gameplay very unique. The lively sounds and realistic graphics show the true effort that was put into creation of this masterpiece.

Even though most people don’t pay attention to sounds in game, these make Red Dead Redemption 2 unique and alive. Every single action is supported by a sound. From drinking a cup of coffee, to shooting your gun, to calling your horse, etc. There’s also a soundtrack with 48 songs with a Wild West theme, that plays during free roam. All of these sounds combined make the game much better and realistic.

Graphics in Red Dead Redemption 1 were standard and there were many visual glitches. This year’s version of the game has shown a lot of progress as graphics have improved massively in all aspects of the game. Movement is much more fluid, there are almost no visual glitches, landscapes look truly natural, animals and humans look very realistic.

The most shocking thing about this year’s Red Dead Redemption is the quality of the gameplay. Rockstar Games threw it out of the park when it comes to things to do in game. There’s 109 missions which are separated into 6 chapters. The map is separated into 5 parts which cover a variety of landscapes. There’s snowy mountains, swamps full of alligators, plains, cities, towns, and many side missions who come along with these.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is one of the games with the most replay value currently. After completing all the missions, the game isn’t over. There’s multiple activities that keep the game alive. You can go fishing, hunting, play a round of poker or dominoes, take down rival gangs, rob a bank, etc. Similar games like GTA V or Red Dead Redemption 1 basically ended after completing the main story missions, but Red Dead Redemption 2 has much more to offer after finishing the missions.

There’s two game modes which are Story Mode and Online. Story mode is an incredible experience which will take many hours to fully complete. The online game mode is still at the BETA stage. There’s many glitches and connectivity issues. Rockstar still hasn’t announced when the full version of the online game mode will be released.

Red Dead Redemption 2 exceeded my expectations. Every little detail makes it feel more alive and realistic. The sounds, graphics, and quality of gameplay make it one of the best video games of this century. If you want to truly experience the life of an outlaw at the end of the Wild West era, Red Dead Redemption is your game.