The first official gameplay video for Red Dead Redemption 2 gave us a look at the new gang system, the hubs, the ecosystem and the eye-wateringly amazing graphics. Now that we’re into the month of release, Rockstar has given us a second gameplay video that makes the game look good enough for all other games to stop bothering.
We already knew that wondering around gawping at the scenery was going to be enough for at least a few months of gameplay, but a look at the game’s missions suggests there’s going to be more than enough to actually do in Rockstar’s wild west GTA.
“You can get into raucous altercations, take in a show, chase down bounties, fight a duel, and a lot more!” says the weirdly upbeat voice-over, showing Arthur Morgan fishing, fighting, holding up trains, robbing banks, blowing up bridges, hustling shopkeepers for money, taking a load of girls for a wagon ride (or a “wagon ride”) and generally playing out every Western movie that wasn’t covered in the first game.
The set-pieces look massive, and the smaller side-missions look like they have real depth – with a progressive morality system that remembers how much of a mean son of bitch you really are.
We can’t tell yet if any of the missions are ever going to play out when the weather just looks a bit dull and boring, but everything we’ve seen so far suggests that Rockstar’s violent wilderness is permanently beautiful – bathed in snow or fog or golden-hour sunlight.
Also… canoes, dual revolvers, and an optional first-person camera. An embarrassment of riches already, the game looks like the sort of time-suck that’s going to make us late for work until about 2020.
Find out for sure when the game releases for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on October 26th.
In case you missed it, here’s the first gameplay video too: