Live Magazine Christmas 2016 ISSUE Live Magazine December 2016 Issue | Page 38

YOUR SAY VIDEO GAMES the wester the king of the wild west: looking forward to red dead redemption 2 In case you missed it, Rockstar Games officially announced that Red Dead Redemption 2 is in development. Even better, they’ve even let us know the release period: Fall 2017 (that’s Spring 2017 for us Aussies!). That’s right gamers, one of the greatest openworld action games is getting a sequel in 2017 and will be available on all current-gen consoles. So what do we know about the game so far and what can we expect? Here’s what we think, but please note, that as very little is known about red Dead Redemption 2 at this point, some of this article will be simple speculation. A Massive and Gorgeous Open-world Rockstar Games have a penchant for creating massive detailed worlds such as the ones seen in Red Dead Redemption and Grand Theft Auto V. In fact, they are considered by many to be the pioneers of the open-world genre, as Rockstar’s own Grand Theft Auto III set the standard when it was released for the PlayStation 2 in 2001. The original Red Dead Redemption released on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2010 – roughly two and a half years before the current generation of consoles. It was built on Rockstar’s RAGE (Rockstar Advanced Game Engine), the same game engine that powered titles such as Grand Theft Auto IV and Max Payne 3. Whilst Rockstar’s games pushed the last generation of consoles’ hardware to the limit, they were still a couple of years ahead of the next console generation. A lot has changed since 2010, and today’s consoles are more much more powerful than that of the last generation – and there are even more powerful versions of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 on the way. While Red Dead Redemption 2’s trailer didn’t reveal anything about the game’s story, the one thing it did show was an immense and breathtaking world. Lush, green fields, craggy cliffs, dusty deserts and bustling towns were all on display. Deer and bison roam the landscape, with steam-trains roaring along heavy iron tracks. From a more technological standpoint, the game utilises more advanced visual techniques as well, such as crepuscular rays (AKA God rays). It’s fair to assume that there will be other modern design techniques in the final game as well, such as more advanced particle effects for dust and debris. One this is for certain, this is bound to be the best looking version of the Wild West we’ve ever seen. A Layered and Rich Story The original Red Dead Redemption had a fantastic story, and featured one of the most popular protagonists in gaming history. Playing as John Marsten, gamers experienced the story of a man who needed to bury his past, only to have it catch up with him. Travelling across the land, Marsten encounters a host of colourful characters, and goes on a number of thrilling adventures. He’ll take on the Mexican army, defeat a gang of bandits, and even face corrupt lawmen in his quest for a new life with his family. Red Dead Redemption captivated players with its enthralling story, and while it was unmistakably a Rockstar game, it had a more cohesive and emotive narrative than that of Grand Theft Auto IV, Bully and the Max Payne games. As far as Rockstar game plots go, it was the cream of the crop.