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[DragoonKain]

I was finishing up some other games so I just got around to finally playing RDR2 within the last week and it’s really stunning how well-made the game is. Even small things that you don’t notice right away that other games simply don’t do like corpses rotting or the realistic way the snow looks when you traverse through it. The voice acting is amazing, environments are beautiful, etc.

But I’m finding it very slow and tedious. Hunting is an absolute bore and a chore, and from what I was told it’s a major part of the game.... at least if you want to upgrade your stuff. I’m only 5-10 hours in and I already am dead bored of it already. Managing your weight and clothing and such isn’t a huge chore just yet, but I can tell it could become one. Stuff like maintaining your horses, I really have no interest in doing it. Making money in this game is extremely slow to start, I’m hoping that picks up.

Maybe I’m just burned out of open world games, I played a ton in the past year, and I should drop it and pick it back up later. I just finished Assassins’s Creed Odyssey, and spent a ton of time on it, so maybe I just need a break from an open world game before I can appreciate it.

Again, incredibly well made game, but it has not come close to sucking me in and have me jonesing to play more yet. I play about an hour and then get bored and put it away and play something else. I assume no one else here feels this way? because every person on the planet I’ve seen talk about RDR2 adored every second of playing it,

 

[kaczmar]

I felt the exact same with Red Dead Redemption 1. I'm about 20% into it and it's a great title, but I feel I'm just going through it to go through with it.

 

[JORMBO]

I dropped it after around 8 hours. It’s an impressive game, but I just wasn’t having any fun with it

 

[MiguelItUp]

Never had a problem with RDR, but I definitely felt a lull in RDR2. However, I pushed through it, and not long after it picked up. Then I was able to complete it and had no problems. In the end, it was so worth it, all of it was.

 

[Toecutter]

You don't really have to get into hunting, unless you really want to upgrade absolutely everything. You don't even have to feed the camp - the worst that'll happen is you'll get some snippy comments from some of the other camp members.

That said, the style of play isn't for everyone - I've got a friend who's obsessed with GTA5, but hates all things Red Dead Redemption. Throw yourself into the story though, and hopefully you'll get into it after a couple of chapters.

 

[JareBear: Remastered]

Been discussed quite a bit in a few threads

 

[gamerEMdoc]

I stuck to the story and side missions. I'll admit, at first I was kind of thinking it was really well made, but kind of boring. But as the story develops, it really does get engrossing to the point that I just couldn't put the game down. By the end of the main story, I was left feeling like that was one of the best told stories in gaming history. I definitely didn't think that in the first 10 hours. It just takes awhile to set up the eventual story.

 

[Pejo]

It's less instant gratification and more a cowboy sim. I get why a lot of people get bored by it, but I'm still only halfway through the story and I bought it at launch. I've just been enjoying exploring/hunting/stealing stage coaches etc. It's definitely escapism at its best if you were a fan of westerns growing up and don't rush the missions.

Hell, I spent nearly an hour just padding out around a lake and fishing virtually in a game. I feel like this is one of those games like the Sims that you don't really need to have a goal in mind to enjoy.

 

[DreamsiclesPlz]

I got bored watching people stream it. No way in hell am I giving it a shot.

 

[Wonkytonk]

I was finishing up some other games so I just got around to finally playing RDR2 within the last week and it’s really stunning how well-made the game is. Even small things that you don’t notice right away that other games simply don’t do like corpses rotting or the realistic way the snow looks when you traverse through it. The voice acting is amazing, environments are beautiful, etc.

But I’m finding it very slow and tedious. Hunting is an absolute bore and a chore, and from what I was told it’s a major part of the game.... at least if you want to upgrade your stuff. I’m only 5-10 hours in and I already am dead bored of it already. Managing your weight and clothing and such isn’t a huge chore just yet, but I can tell it could become one. Stuff like maintaining your horses, I really have no interest in doing it. Making money in this game is extremely slow to start, I’m hoping that picks up.

Maybe I’m just burned out of open world games, I played a ton in the past year, and I should drop it and pick it back up later. I just finished Assassins’s Creed Odyssey, and spent a ton of time on it, so maybe I just need a break from an open world game before I can appreciate it.

Again, incredibly well made game, but it has not come close to sucking me in and have me jonesing to play more yet. I play about an hour and then get bored and put it away and play something else. I assume no one else here feels this way? because every person on the planet I’ve seen talk about RDR2 adored every second of playing it,

Just addressing a small point from your post. I finished the game after about 60 hours, I didn’t hunt a single animal or upgrade a single thing— didn’t matter, doesn’t have an impact at all.

 

[silentstorm]

I guess it's all the worry about telling a story and being an experience that Rockstar had while making the game.

It's something i have felt with other games, the developer is just too focused on being realistic, having a good story or making the player feel something they forget they are making a game rather than a movie or a book.

Don't get me wrong, i don't mind a game having a great story, i just don't think a good story excuses bad or boring gameplay, the parts where the player are in control are what distinguishes video games from mediums like movies or books, you'd think then that some developers would put more emphasis on making it fun, or at least engaging or not make it so long and cumbersome the player feels like they are doing a chore just to get to some dialogue.

 

[pramod]

Never understood why people want more realism in their games. Real life IS tedious and boring, that's why we play games to get away from it.

 

[Grinchy]

My buddy was just saying this to me like a week ago. He was huge into the first RDR and was dying for this one to come out. He says it's really good but everything is just so slow and tedious that it pushes him to play other games instead.

 

[JareBear: Remastered]

Never understood why people want more realism in their games. Real life IS tedious and boring, that's why we play games to get away from it.

Especially when it comes to having individual drawers one at a time and whatnot. It’s a super small thing but its just tedium that adds up slowly over time

 

[MightySquirrel]

Wish there were more open world games that would bore me so bad as RDR2. I even liked to get bored watching sun go down and then getting to my tent nearby so I can get bored fishing the very next morning again. Honestly can't say that about any other game.


Instead we get plenty of crappy corridor games like god of war '18.

 

[DragoonKain]

It's less instant gratification and more a cowboy sim. I get why a lot of people get bored by it, but I'm still only halfway through the story and I bought it at launch. I've just been enjoying exploring/hunting/stealing stage coaches etc. It's definitely escapism at its best if you were a fan of westerns growing up and don't rush the missions.

Hell, I spent nearly an hour just padding out around a lake and fishing virtually in a game. I feel like this is one of those games like the Sims that you don't really need to have a goal in mind to enjoy.

I was gonna call it a "cowboy sim" in my post. I think I went in expecting that, I may appreciate it more.

 

[DragoonKain]

Just addressing a small point from your post. I finished the game after about 60 hours, I didn’t hunt a single animal or upgrade a single thing— didn’t matter, doesn’t have an impact at all.

What about managing your weight and body temp and stuff. Does that do anything other than minor effects on your health and stamina? And if I let it go too far in the wrong direction, can I correct it quickly or is it a process?

 

[MMaRsu]

You dont have to manage your weight, your food, your clothes, your horses, your camp at all.

But I would suggest feeding your horse and giving it a little backrub, cleaning it up from time to time.

 

[Deleted member 752119]

You don't really have to get into hunting, unless you really want to upgrade absolutely everything. You don't even have to feed the camp - the worst that'll happen is you'll get some snippy comments from some of the other camp members.

That said, the style of play isn't for everyone - I've got a friend who's obsessed with GTA5, but hates all things Red Dead Redemption. Throw yourself into the story though, and hopefully you'll get into it after a couple of chapters.

Yep. The game throws all these systems at you, but most don't really matter. Even eating just makes you skinny and gives you a tad less health, but more stamina. Doesn't really matter as the game is easy anyway.

Personally, I really liked the slow, methodical pace. It just came at the right time for me as fall was busy and stressful and it was a great game to relax with. Especially coming off Spider-man and Soul Calibur 6 that were action oriented games that demand a lot of attention.

 

[Helios]

Never understood why people want more realism in their games. Real life IS tedious and boring, that's why we play games to get away from it.

Realism for the sake of realism is boring. But if it's there to enchance other gameplay mechanics it can provide a much deeper experience.

 

[bellome]

Same exact impressions and feeling.

 

[MMaRsu]

Never understood why people want more realism in their games. Real life IS tedious and boring, that's why we play games to get away from it.

Yeah being a cowboy in real life is boring too

 

[MMaRsu]

It's not made for the gaming ADHD crowd who needs instant gratification at every corner. Let's just say that.

And it won't be everyone's cup of tea. But it's a cowboy simulator. If that doesn't appeal to you than the game probably isn't for you.

It's a slow game, just like any western tale should be.

 

[docmindbender]

One persons boring is another persons ambience.

RD2 is a weighty, laborious game and that vibe permeates everything in it. Can totally get why it wouldn't click with some (many) ppl.

That said, you really dont have to engage with much of the camp management stuff, the weight management, many of those systems.

 

[Hendrick's]

corpses rotting or the realistic way the snow looks when you traverse through it.

I've played about 40 hours and had no idea this happened. Very cool.

But I’m finding it very slow and tedious. Hunting is an absolute bore and a chore, and from what I was told it’s a major part of the game.... at least if you want to upgrade your stuff.

Hunting is the worst. I have just completely disregarded it, which is fine. There are still plenty of other things to do and upgrades don't really add much.

 

[AstroRhino]

I think the beauty of it is it can be slow and methodical if you want it to be OR if that’s not your pace you can barrel through the story like I did.

There is absolutely zero need to do any of the hunting, side encounters, camp upgrades etc etc.

It is one of the best stories told in gaming for my money, so don’t ignore it because you are bored by the day to day stuff. You’ll be missing out.

 

[-MD-]

I doubt I'll ever play this one, every Rockstar game over the last decade has put me to sleep and even hardcore Rockstar fans are moaning about this one, definitely not for me.

They need to try something new besides GTA and cowboy GTA.

 

[JareBear: Remastered]

I doubt I'll ever play this one, every Rockstar game over the last decade has put me to sleep and even hardcore Rockstar fans are moaning about this one, definitely not for me.

They need to try something new besides GTA and cowboy GTA.

It’s not Cowboy GTA. That’s absolutely the problem many people had with it. They expected Cowboy GTA and they got something much more naunced.

 

[roflcaust]

1. Hunting is not necessary. It may seen so at first but the only thing you need hunting for is if you want to upgrade your satchels and although it helps, it's not necessary at all. The only good satchel is the Legend of the East (or something) satchel that only unlocks after crafting every other previous ones. I'm approaching 80% on the Main Story mode and there hasn't been one time where I was like: "Welps, I wish I had more space for X." Everything you find in the game is abundant and you'll never have issues with ammo if you re-up once every 4-6 hours. In regards to hunting for the camp, the only thing it affects is the mood of the other NPCs and the frequency at which meals are available. Basically, it's useless.

2. Taking care of your horse means you gotta brush it once in a while. Takes a few seconds. Feed it while you're riding it. Done.

3. Eating to maintain your character is also not really necessary. I only do it if one of my cores is depleted. Haven't had any issues in 60+ hours.

4. Making money is a pain in the beginning but by mid-game, the game flushes you with cash. Don't bother buying any weapons as they will all be unlocked through main story quest and I've gotten three free guns by saving people on the side of the road from snake bites. Just have $700 saved up by the time you reach Saint Denis to buy the Arabian horse that's the fastest in the game. That's it.

Bottom line: if you stick with mission -> mission -> side mission -> mission playstyle, all the extra fluff doesn't impact your gameplay and you can easily have 80+ hours of play time just doing main missions. I was in the same situation as you were when I started the game and felt all the fluff made it overwhelming but it can (and should) be 100% ignored.

 

[Deleted member 752119]

Realism for the sake of realism is boring. But if it's there to enchance other gameplay mechanics it can provide a much deeper experience.

Few realistic games are realistic though.

We aren't cowboys robbing trains, banks, stage coaches, getting in shootouts with Pinkerton's etc. in real life. We aren't professional athletes. We aren't soldiers getting into crazy battles like in Call of Duty or Battlefield etc.

Now I agree to some extent that some things like having to eat and what not gets old and I tend to steer clear of survival games for that reason. That doesn't really apply to RDR2 as you can avoid all that stuff with no consequence as there's no real penalties and it's an easy game. The game just doesn't tell players that and makes it seem like something important you have to do.

 

[DragoonKain]

Will keep some of these tips in mind. I'll just stick with the main story for a while and mix in some sidequests and ignore the tedious stuff for now.

 

[danielberg]

"insanely well made on every level"
I actually disagree with that statement they failed on the most used and most fundamental part which are the controls and control layout, the one thing you do from beginning to end no matter what and the one thing that is essential to interactivity.. they failed at with the biggest budged imaginable following up to the biggest entertainment success... and they cant get controls right, the literal act of playing the game feels bad lol
Doesn't matter how long the game is if its 10 hours or a 100 hours if your game has crap controls this just means more time in which i hate playing it.

 

[Lort]

It’s not Cowboy GTA. That’s absolutely the problem many people had with it. They expected Cowboy GTA and they got something much more naunced.

Yup exactly this game is far more different to GTA than all of Ubisoft games are. This is all about the characters and an investigation into what it is to be an American, its not a comedy, its not bombastic, its not even ment to be fun for funs sake. Its a survival game and the plot is character driven, its dramatic moody, complex and nuanced.

GTA is very much a have fun in this raucous over the top parody world. Pretty much the complete opposite of Red Dead Redemption. I like ken burns documentaries so i love it but if your looking for a puzzel game or just another shoot em up this is not for you.

 

[TeamGhobad]

mandatory

 

[Deleted member 752119]

Will keep some of these tips in mind. I'll just stick with the main story for a while and mix in some sidequests and ignore the tedious stuff for now.

A lot of the side quests are great. I made a point of clearing all those off the map before doing the next story mission (yellow objective markers) while playing and some of them disappear and never come back--I don't think the stranger missions due, just the optional quests with crew members at camp/in cities.

That content is all pretty great. It's just the hunting, eating, supplying things to camp that gets old.

 

[lefty1117]

Yeah don't worry about the side tasks if that's not your thing. For some people, they liked this "realism" because they want to be fully transported, to feel like they're a cowboy living the life. For others, they just want to hit the main story beats. The game accomodates both playstyles and it's seen in the way where doing chores or hunting don't provide any must-have benefits. If you want to do it, you'll get a bit of a reward, but you certainly don't need it for any kind of end-game buff to complete a mission. In fact I'd argue that you're about as powerful as you're going to get in the game in chapter 2.

 

[manfestival]

Wish there were more open world games that would bore me so bad as RDR2. I even liked to get bored watching sun go down and then getting to my tent nearby so I can get bored fishing the very next morning again. Honestly can't say that about any other game.


Instead we get plenty of crappy corridor games like god of war '18.

I guess you are the opposite gamer of me. God of war is so much fun where I get bored of games like RDR and GTA 5 in like 2-3 hours. Open world games are mind numbingly boring.

 

[MMaRsu]

mandatory

Not really since his complaint isn't about the mission structure or the freedom presented in missions.

 

[DragoonKain]

I love open world games typically. I spent hundreds of hours in plenty. I guess the cowboy style doesn’t really appeal to me in a sim style game. I’m more into medieval or futuristic in that regard. I don’t even watch western movies. But I will stick with the game for now. Hope I get into it eventually.

 

[MMaRsu]

Yeah I would have advises you to check out a few classic westerns like Once Upon A Time In The West, or even The Good The Bad & The Ugly.

This game perfectly puts down the atmosphere of being in that world. You have to let yourself get washed over, and let the RP do it's thing.

 

[Javthusiast]

I don‘t hunt, am not paying attention to my weight and have two saved outfits I need for warm and cold weather. Bought some guns and pimped them out like 3 chapters ago and haven‘t bought new weapons since, cause my current do just fine and I pick up new weapons during missions here and there.

Currently plowing through story and white circle side missions to finish the game up and sell it. Started chapter 6 today. Agree with how good the game looks and how amazing the details are. But the story is slow as fuck and often repetitive during missions. All has been said about the not great controls and overall gameplay, which I just tolerate to see it through.

Still have fun with the game. But will never feel the need to replay it ever again.

 

[Come On Tars]

Impressions like these make me wonder if I'll get it for pc. They should have released it at the same time to trick more eager pc players. As the days go by the hype is fading and more people are coming away saying it's just boring.

 

[Toe-Knee]

I was finishing up some other games so I just got around to finally playing RDR2 within the last week and it’s really stunning how well-made the game is. Even small things that you don’t notice right away that other games simply don’t do like corpses rotting or the realistic way the snow looks when you traverse through it. The voice acting is amazing, environments are beautiful, etc.

But I’m finding it very slow and tedious. Hunting is an absolute bore and a chore, and from what I was told it’s a major part of the game.... at least if you want to upgrade your stuff. I’m only 5-10 hours in and I already am dead bored of it already. Managing your weight and clothing and such isn’t a huge chore just yet, but I can tell it could become one. Stuff like maintaining your horses, I really have no interest in doing it. Making money in this game is extremely slow to start, I’m hoping that picks up.

Maybe I’m just burned out of open world games, I played a ton in the past year, and I should drop it and pick it back up later. I just finished Assassins’s Creed Odyssey, and spent a ton of time on it, so maybe I just need a break from an open world game before I can appreciate it.

Again, incredibly well made game, but it has not come close to sucking me in and have me jonesing to play more yet. I play about an hour and then get bored and put it away and play something else. I assume no one else here feels this way? because every person on the planet I’ve seen talk about RDR2 adored every second of playing it,

I only did the mandatory hunt with hosea and never felt the need to upgrade anything.

Never hit any limits other than food but it's everywhere and I only ever really ate at camp.

 

[MMaRsu]

Impressions like these make me wonder if I'll get it for pc. They should have released it at the same time to trick more eager pc players. As the days go by the hype is fading and more people are coming away saying it's just boring.

Those are the people who will make their voices heard. You won't hear people shouting from the roofs and make constant threads about how amazing the game really is. Most people find the game amazing. There is a vocal minority that doesn't like the slower pace.

That's their own fault, the game is a western in every sense of the way. So yes it takes a long time to get going, and then takes a longer time to finish and come to it's conclusion. It's not afraid to take it slow and drown you in atmosphere.

You should get it if you think you will enjoy it. It's a cowboy simulator. Take that for what you will.

 

[Raven117]

In some ways, the game is absolutely brilliant. Other ways it is simply way too tedious to be fun.

The story is great. I don’t think it’s “omg, excellent” I think RDR is better because it captures the western motifs better. “Simple story layered heavily with symbolism and allegory.”

RDR that whole nonsense with the Rhodes and the families. I thought was boring as fuck. That coupled with so many little side missions, the game just dragged. None of the side missions were particularly interesting and the lack of fast travel made doing all these a freakin bore. It could take 30 minutes to knock out some silly side mission.

I understand the importance of the 4th chapter for the story, but I was so irritated by the dragging of the 3rd story, I was irked by it.

Obviously, chapter 5 and 6 things finally pick up the pace and close on a strong note.

(Also, I like westerns and their sense of loneliness... the whole notion of the gang bothered me at the reveal, and sure enough I didn’t like it the whole time in the game either; but that’s purely personal).

Dutch I simply didn’t like as a main character.

In the end. It was when the game stripped out the side missions (happened more in chapter 6) and in the epilogue did the game finally shine.

Personally, it was the epilogue that I couldn’t put down. The characters whom I liked. The whole feel of it. Missions, pacing, everything were far more compelling to me.

I loved the game. But I wish they went with something not related to the gang. A failed lawman looking to regain honor. A outcast civil war vet. Or even an outsider on the frontier reluctantly dragged into some struggle (think jerimiah Johnson (Robert Redford movie)) would have been more compelling to me than what we got.

OP, you can ignore the hunting, eating, and side missions and just main line the story. You really aren’t missing much.

It’s still excellent though.

 

[wit3tyg3r]

I agree that RDR2 won't be for everyone. I have been enjoying the hell out of it though. It falls right into the style of game I really like, which involves mostly being immersed in a setting and environment with tons of lore and story. I often find myself sitting down to play RDR2 and only getting about 1 or 2 missions done in 3-4 hours, but I spend the rest of the time wandering, hunting, fishing, robbing random pedestrians in the middle of nowhere... just living the life of a renegade cowboy. And it's fucking fantastic.

I think it's nice to have these slower paced games in the mix of all the other games available. I am able to take my time and absorb everything in RDR2 at a pace that doesn't always feel rushed, unless it makes sense in the story because of some conflict.

 

[Catphish]

In my opinion, your should just play the game in whatever way you want because, honestly, all the side shit is unnecessary. I finished the game, running all the side missions, and I didn't worry about the side stuff, except to engage with it for fun.

I never upgraded my bags or guns, and I didn't need to. I never bothered with any horse other than the Shire I started with (I never bothered to even rename it), and that was fine, too. I didn't rob coaches or banks (except where mandated by the story), and only lightly engaged in hunting. In the end, none if it was necessary to complete the story.

What I did do was go slow, and soak in the world. I never fast-traveled. I enjoyed the journey, hunted when I wanted to hunt, wandered when I wanted to wander, explored when I wanted to explore, and advanced the story when I wanted to do that. In that process, I grew to love the game, because I played it on MY terms, and that made all the difference.

And I'm honestly torn: Is it a good or a bad thing that none of that side stuff is really necessary to complete the story? I can make a case either way. But having now completed it at my own pace, I can only tell you that it's now one of my favorite games of all time.

 

[dirthead]

It's frustrated Hollywood movie director syndrome.

These people don't want to make video games. That's the fundamental problem. They want to "tell a story."

And it's dull. Dull as fuck.

 

[MMaRsu]

nothing dull to rdr2s story

 

[Hari Seldon]

With all of these similar opinions popping up about this game I am really glad I decided to wait for the PC version, because now I will likely not ever buy it. The backlash on this game has been something to see from afar lol. That is the downside when you are going for a greedy delayed release strategy, you lose a lot of sales if the game ends up being very devisive as the people who waited get to sit back and watch the opinions that form after the initial release hype.