Red Dead Redemption 2 - The Review (2018)

I gave up on coming up with some clickbait for this video. Somehow this just seemed more fitting.
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[@SkillUp]

Thanks to Displate for sponsoring the video. If you click the link and use offer code 'OFF15' you'll get 15% off any purchase: displate.com/skillup?art=5bc5a8ccc88fd And thanks for watching. If you enjoyed the video, be sure to hit the like and subscribe buttons, and if you REALLY liked the video, consider supporting me on Patreon. You get a fancy script every time I do one of my big 'The Review' reviews: www.patreon.com/skillupyt

[@andyespinozam]

Just some things bothering me, the first thing, why is it a problem of choice with this game and it’s not with God of War? I am ok with both because those game are story driven, also, regarding God of War, you were able to make a full review without spoiling anything, why you said it can’t be made for a review this long? Edit: sorry I forgot that it was a brief review that one of GoW you did

[@pedromiguel0007]

i actulay disagree with your critique of the movement in this game. The intent of the developers was to make a game that felt heavier and more realistic, so they made the animations for everything you do, a bit longer. Sure, you lose precision and that snappy feeling you have when you play DMC for example. But i do think it works overall, having in mind the intentions of the devs. Same thing goes for The Last Guardian, personaly i didnt have any problems with the movement and comands of the beast, you just had to be more patient and expect that when you press a button, the command will be a bit delayed. It requires a bit of adaption from the player, and diverges from the responsiveness we have been used to, but i think in certain games, it is a valid way to design movement and animations.

[@AnnaCurser]

damn dude. such feelings

[@masacuna]

this game is wait for a deep deep sale for me. Wait till they fix bugs and have a collectors edition with all dlc for cheap.

[@riot_team_ready5245]

Skill Up your review game is something special.

[@carstentilsgren2079]

You say the game is really about Dutch, and his journey. But REALLY it's about finding Gavin.

[@metpach]

Gaviiiiiin!?

[@Altair-xw8ze]

True

[@miracleofsound]

I was right there all along!

[@Cruzboy]

yeah where is that bummer?? still can't him!

[@jamesrsk]

Where the FUCK is Gavin anyway?!?

[@miracleofsound]

Best RDR2 review I've seen. Recognises everything I love & adore about the game while also addressing the multiple glaring issues that the broader games media seemed to completely ignore & overlook

[@SkillUp]

We found Gavin!

[@toosnkeets]

Skillup has a gift for reviews

[@Army1601]

@Sgt Sammy Dont forget Sony Santa Monica, Naughty Dog, and Imsoniac!

[@proassassin8473]

@Sgt Sammy You obviously only have a Xbox. Wake Up.

[@jamesharrington6228]

ProAssassin84 You sound like a petty child. Grow up.

[@AngryJoeShow]

Damn, love this video! Well done review sir!

[@SkillUp]

Thanks Joe. Means a lot coming from you. All the best mate.

[@DNH17]

Yiiiiiiaaaaah! @@SkillUp

[@DNH17]

@Adolf Hitler lol and u r just a troll

[@WatersAbove77]

AngryJoeShow lol you still an sjw my dude. But I still like your videos.

[@ggsacomani2188]

AngryJoeShow High praise coming from the Lazy SJW Show .....

[@Yomom12388]

RDR2 was so good and so well written that my mom would get pissed if I played when she wasn’t home. She would literally sit on the couch behind me and watch me play for hours like it was a long form movie, which I guess in some ways it is, just better.

[@o7k4vokb0ksp5n2]

Unexpectedly wholesome. My mom was like that when I was playing Final Fantasy X as a kid and we both cried at the true ending. That's also how I feel watching playthroughs of Last of Us 1 and 2. Incredible cinematic experiences even if you're not playing.

[@farazahmed9588]

Wow Your moms' are awesome.

[@Unknown-tm2mr]

Same with my dad

[@blumae1170]

That's also my mom, though sometimes it will be the other way around 😅. I sometimes go home and see that she's already playing it, heck sometimes she will even teach us some of the mechanics she found out, like fishing or playing blackjack. When we're all home (our whole family), that's the time we will do main missions and some side missions. It became our bonding time where my older sibling and I are alternating on playing the main missions, especially on missions where one is better at it than the other, with my other sibling and parents are watching it like a movie and will be the one playing it when it's a side mission.

[@MakaTaNav]

Same with my girlfriend. She watched it as a movie.

[@DaisahMephisto]

Alright, fine. You sold me. I'll finally watch The Wire.

[@someguy315]

Any updates on how it is?

[@807D14M0ND5]

I keep on putting it off. Maybe I'm just afraid to dethrone the Sopranos..

[@randyjax09]

Lord Daisah For real. It sounds exactly like the kind of show I would watch given its relevance to era we’re living in.

[@bajingo4759]

@@807D14M0ND5 I've seen both, The Wire is really good butThe Sopranos is better. I've rewatched the sopranos and Deadwood so many times (Deadwood is excellent) but i cant get myself to rewatch the Wire although i liked it much.

[@GOOODV1BES]

You won't regret it. It's an amazing show

[@Pheenam]

Seeing the mess that's Cyberpunk makes me appreciate how polished RDR2 was on release in spite of its scale

[@roskelld]

I've just finished my first play through of Red Dead 2 and for the last month I felt so wonderfully lost in that world, connected to the characters and the story. I dipped into Cyberpunk for a few hours last week and that game is so far away from the craft of Rockstar. I'm surprised it's not been brought up by more reviewers. Especially given that CDPR stated back in 2018 that they aimed to launch a comparable game.

[@DonDadda45]

@Nathan Please by it dude. Bought it last week after returning CP and played through it non-stop. 100% best game since TW3 came out, it's miles ahead from the mess that Cyberpunk is.

[@blackjackhearts9593]

Red dead is so boring

[@roskelld]

@@blackjackhearts9593 that’s an opinion. It’s a fair one, but an opinion nonetheless. The objective truth is that for nearly 100 hours of play RDR2 presented me with a few very minor animation issues. In about 40 hours of play Cyberpunk has presented me with glitches, bugged out quests, janky animations, missing dialogue galore. Not an opinion on whether it’s boring or not, I’m kinda enjoying Cyberpunk despite its problems, though I’d add that it’s a very messy experience at all levels to the point where I’d caution recommending it. I would also state with my recommendation for RDR2 is that it’s a slow game that purposely takes its time. It uses it as a storytelling tool in a game that’s about industrialization changing the pace of the world. It’s a bold choice, certainly not one that will work for everyone but does help bring weight to the immersion and gravity of the experience.

[@frobro5674]

I literally was thinking “I could be playing RDR 2 instead.” during my playthrough of Cyberpunk.

[@cuzacutuza3722]

This game really makes you feel the exaggerated swagger of a western protagonist.

[@Freakingbean]

Good reference

[@milospollonia1121]

@Jefferson Lopez commenting this on a 6 month old comment is so whack

[@milospollonia1121]

@Jefferson Lopez jesus how dumb can a person be

[@ObsidianShinobi801]

Damn well said

[@nrishiee5231]

"There is a terminal quality to arthur that we sense immediately" Okay, I see how it is.

[@aashilr]

Still too soon...

[@Postmanplant]

@@aashilr it continues to be too soon

[@craig2196]

​@@Postmanplant Still too soon 😔

[@brimfire]

Jesus man, you are so, SO good at this. All of this: the editing, the scripting, the pointed moments, the parallels and most of all, the mechanics of the review. I just want to say I truly, truly appreciate the way you work.

[@PriorP92]

The only two issues I take with an otherwise stellar, thoughtful analysis of such a complex game is your assertion that Arthur is dumb and that Guarma was out of place. Looking at Arthur's journal we see that he is a thoughtful man questioning his existence in the world and pondering everything around him. He is one of the few who acknowledge that their way of life is over, stating so in the first cut scene of the game. It has been a few months since I played so I unfortunately can't think of anything specific, but there were numerous bits of dialogue and parts in his journal that truly struck me. He just comes across as fool hardy in the way he speaks and his lack of self-confidence. As for Guarma, I do agree that it was clunky and I didn't find it particularly fun. However, I do believe it served a significant narrative purpose. Until this point, Dutch had been talking about fighting against the injustice of the modern world and the government; it wasn't until you got to this island and witnessed the real struggle of an impoverished people against a brutal dictatorship do you see that Dutch's preaching is hollow. It may have not been executed well, but I think it had a purpose

[@zeroualamohamed7775]

especially after Dutch kills that old woman that led them through the bunker where Arthur says "You keep killing folk Dutch", I think that's when Arthur realized that it wasn't madness that was driving Dutch, he's just becoming who he really is

[@tidester3655]

Skill Up should read this

[@victorochoa3662]

Tidester U ar wroong. Skill up Gud. Red dead bad.

[@tidester3655]

@@victorochoa3662 ooga booga shmooga

[@807D14M0ND5]

@@zeroualamohamed7775 SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS: I agree with prior's comment but I don't get why people always bring up the killing of the old lady like it couldn't have happened anywhere but Guarma. What I'm saying is you didn't need a chapter in a tropical island for Dutch to kill an old lady.

[@LimitedSpartan]

You named your horse "Gjallarhorse" 10/10

[@praisethepuck]

Literally came to the comment section to make sure this was noticed

[@dougmuntz1186]

Yes

[@Onikame]

I named all my horses Roach.

[@bigtomo8250]

I named my hire moon pie 🐎

[@johnmcteggart89]

i named mine My Hoe only stupid name it would let me have

[@TheC4]

There are very few KZbinrs who can make an hour long video entertaining. You are by far my favorite content creator. I find myself up at midnight watching your reviews for games I have never played or heard of. Thank you for spending so much time and effort into your reviews, it is truly appreciated!

[@shabibmahab]

The C4 pretty sure most youtubers would do a 10 minute review with just as many ads. Soulless.

[@BuDDa100]

Very nicely put and I totally agree with you.

[@Sleepin-N-Snoozn]

i didn't even notice it was an hour long video until you mentioned it. I was enjoying myself too much to notice.

[@fightme2729]

Not a lot of people take the time to make a review like you. Your reviews always make me feel certain ways, when you talk about the good i get a overwhelming urge too feel good about the game and when you talk about the bad you give me a new point of view and show me how we can always better ourselves. During almost every one of your reviews i find myself multiple time exiting out of full screen to like the video and finding I've already liked it. Your reviews are so well done i forget that I've already praised it. Any moving topic you talk about allows me to experience that same topic, be it in a video game, again and want to go back to live it another time. Another job well done and a thank you from a fellow gamer for giving me enjoyment and allowing me to enjoy the best of gaming.

[@asain3586]

He makes you....feels gay?

[@artistryartistry7239]

So in other words, you're a sheep and he's your shepherd. That's both touching and a little sad.

[@fightme2729]

@@artistryartistry7239 i was only stating that he's done a good job. Didn't imply I was of any sort. I was only give the man praise for his work.

[@БорисЧернуха-ъ9т]

The review has a duration of 8-12 minutes. This video is an analysis.

[@fightme2729]

@@БорисЧернуха-ъ9т He still did a good job. Never said it was any less than that duration. Only said he did a good job

[@demonic177]

"There is a terminal quality to Arthur that we sense immediately," That. I see what you did there.

[@bearpuns5910]

*coughing can be heard in the distance*

[@rfafjmasf2893]

Black lung

[@Ghaffar_KH]

I thought chapters 5 and 6 were phenomenal, especially 6 as it was the climax to the story and the conclusion to everything. And that ending as well...

[@tombob7741]

Ghaffar_KH I’ve seen a few people complaining about the last 2 chapters and I just don’t see it. I found the rising tension in chapter 6 to be my favorite part of the story

[@Ghaffar_KH]

@@tombob7741 I know right, and the part where you get stranded in an island was so fun. It was a breath of fresh air from the wild west and the way they set up chapter 5 with Arthur walking in the beach and the camera zooming out was so well done.

[@kirigaya3642]

Idk, but when i was in guarma i thought that i was playing a level from uncharted 4.

[@JoeySehn]

Ghaffar_KH agreed, but aye, we all love and hate different things about different games. Personally, I loved everything besides fishing... Seriously, fuck fishing

[@fgdj2000]

@WWE 4 life I think Chapter 5 was too short. I think they were going for a similar feeling like the Mexico section in RDR1 where everyone is more aggressive and there is so much shooting and ultimately you are glad when it's over and you finally return to the previous area. But Guarma was just too short for that feeling to settle in. But I still love the game. It's probably my favorite game to come out of the past 3-4 years, even with its gameplay problems.

[@SilentDeterrent]

Sorry I prefer the superior story. Woodys Round up from Toy Story 2

[@kk.3850]

Man of culture

[@captainmarvelous7678]

*Starts video* *Wonders what documentary he's gonna start with this time.*

[@Lumineszenz]

Captain Marvelous It's his thing but I think Skill Up overdid it a little this time. I mean, he goes through: The Wire, Ocarina of Time and Halo. Not just mentioning these games or making a comparison but actually explaining what it is that the thing did and then segueing it into how it's similar to what RDR2 does. It's fine but I think he overused it this time around.

[@lemifan2989]

SkilUp reviews are almost as long as Red Dead 2's tutorial section... Almost.

[@bullsheet88]

Im pretty sure game is just a tutorial until the end of chapter 4 lol

[@wesleywinklaar]

^^^

[@Kicktugo55]

People are reaaally impatient these days huh. Its not so much a checklist tutorial as it is just the start of a journey, teaching you things that you need to know.

[@MrDrManPerson]

@@Kicktugo55 There literally is no negative implications of the tutorial in this entire comment thread. Stop projecting dummy.

[@MrDrManPerson]

@Danny Boy I meant *projecting sorry. He is projecting (not sure if that is the right word either) that the previous commenters were impatient because they said the tutorial was long when none of them said they didnt have the patience for the tutorial, they only said it was long. Commenters saying the tutorial was long ≠ Commenters complaining the tutorial was long.

[@ecMonify]

as i was playing this game i quickly noticed that whenever dutch and arthur were in the same cutscene, dutch almost always took the center role and arthur became an "extra" in the background. i don't know why i loved that so much, probably because i've never seen that done in a game before. the character you play as is always the main character of a game, but in rdr2 the main character and the character you play as are not the same. just thought that was so cool, and i love that you brought that up :)

[@mellochello921]

I found that interesting and ironic as well because ironically Arthur is the protagonist of the game yet during dialogue or missions aruthor was the back ground character when dutch spoke yet around chapter 6 he started voicing his own concerns and opinions on his situation that made me look at is as Arthur being a introvert when dutch was around but slowly became a extrovert once the deadly disease came along, it truly highlighted the game for me in which I found myself not only playing a game but reading/watching a movie unfold beyond my eyes. Long live Arthur morgan a saint in graces🙏

[@MerquryCity]

You know a review is good when you watch it again, 1 year after release, after having played the game several times.

[@johnnyflannigan136]

I watch the review everytime I play the game.. On my 4th playthrough in 2024.. Started in 2020. Play every year.. Like having his review as background noise as I'm playing..

[@lukebainbridges1974]

Might just be me but I had absolutely no issues with Arthur’s movement or the combat system, thoroughly liked both

[@arthurmorgan3111]

harrythebarry yea I’m an auto aim user😂 only for this game tho

[@godsendthegeneral2255]

Indeed

[@godsendthegeneral2255]

@harrythebarry no shit bitch it's there

[@sebastiangomez6587]

@harrythebarry damn, i played it without it and really love the movement and combat

[@Tiger_man81]

harrythebarry yeah no shit, it’s really not a competitive game

[@kimisenberg3140]

Best review of RDR2 - period. Sayings like the atmosphere transcend into part of the gameplay, which absolutely hits the point, makes your review the best. There are many other points, for example, the analogy to "the wire", shows perfectly that you really understood the essence of the game. It taught me some new perspectives of the game. Thanks for your great review!

[@alexandrosmirza5405]

I felt so much better playing RDR2 without ever playing RDR1 since I didn't own a console back then. It just hit me very hard at the end, and it was really hard to play the epilogue. One of the very few games I have cried over. And even in the ending of the epilogue, I cried there too, I couldn't hold it in, I felt so attached to the characters, so immersed in the world. I remember the few days that I wasn't home playing RDR2 I would feel like I was missing something, the entire world made me feel at home, and what skillup says in the end the nostalgia was unbelievable, I wish I could forget the entirety of the game and replay it like it was the first time again and experience everything like I was experiencing it for the first time. After it was all over I didn't know what to do I had completed like 90% of the side content already, my compendium was almost completely finished, I played nearly 500 hours before actually finishing the game, it was not that I was avoiding the main storyline, it was just that the world was everything, I wanted to see and experience everything. When the realization hit me that, I would probably close the game and never relaunch it since I was mostly done with everything, I decided to go to key locations, like all the campsites, the strangers I met with Arthur, and at the end Arthur's grave just to say my goodbyes to my favourite protagonist of all time. :(

[@frontier_fancier]

I hope you’re planning to now play RDR1 since you’ve completed RDR2. The first game is definitely not one to miss. In terms of narrative I’d actually put it slightly above RDR2, and I think RDR2 had the greatest single-player of the generation, so that’s definitely saying something.

[@alexandrosmirza5405]

@@frontier_fancier I'd love to if it ever gets released or remastered or anything like that on PC

[@ajaxslamgoody9736]

you gotta be a wahman

[@yousifassar4275]

Well, looks like RDR1 might be getting a remaster now :)

[@jasondmello428]

Bruh spoiler alert wtf!

[@SandyCheeks1896]

There’s a weird thing happening with this game. It’s so good and so hyped up, that when there are flaws to it, people really lay into those flaws harder than they do with other games. I feel like this game is being harped on for flaws that would get off fairy easier in lesser games.

[@camphipps10]

This!!! My biggest issues with the reviews of this game is how high the game was reviewed led to alot of KZbin reviewers feeling the need to criticize the few flaws more than neccessary in order to balance out the criticism, but now if you were to look up a review for the game on KZbin alot of the reviews are about how it's a "masterpiece with flaws" which is fair but other games like God of War or the Witcher 3 never see the same treatment besides arguably having more flaws.

[@melloyoung879]

@@camphipps10 yes then when I watch those reviews they always end with saying it's a good game and a masterpiece when literally all they did during the video was point out flaws.

[@jayashreems18]

Unless it's witcher 3 People Love to dickride that game

[@SandyCheeks1896]

Jayashree MS you means a lot of people like it because it was well made. Yeah? I’m dick riding that game 5 years and counting.

[@jayashreems18]

@@SandyCheeks1896 I meant that to me, red dead 2 was much better than witcher 3. But you tell that to anyone, they gush at you calling you a lunatic While I love witcher 3, it's not at all flawless like the circlejerk they do for it

[@Th3Jez]

I feel like I've played the entire campaign after watching this, thanks Ralph

[@kraziel]

That suppose to be a good thing? Damn you like being spoiled.

[@Slayer021800]

Keiny Lai who doesn’t like being spoiled?

[@Atromnis]

RDR2 in a nutshell when?

[@OoXLR8oO]

Rud Craven I do when it’s this game lol I ain’t playing for 60-100 hours for 4 endings.

[@philipsk]

There really only is one ending in this game. Slight differences between them, similar to same outcome.

[@Kmaitland89]

He nailed this review. Both the good and the bad where on point. I like that I can trust him to be honest and forth coming about it.

[@danielburgos3817]

He is amazing for sure one of the few guys I can actually trust for a review always being clear about the facts and also his opinions

[@blaymeister]

This review has a 51gb patch on day one. Ps - displate is awesome (so is the Wire)

[@KATXUMPAY]

It's fine cause it's a (almost at launch) beta!

[@mr.penguin4614]

saying it was even borderline unplayable in any aspect is kinda hyperbole. in no way is the game unplayable lol

[@likethemovies8991]

yeah. i mean, the combat isn't great, nor is the movement, but "unplayable" is definitely a stretch. Maybe if I wasn't so invested in the world and characters I would have cared more, but besides the occasional annoyance I didn't have much of a problem.

[@Jesuscrisis]

Who uses words like "hyperbole"? Straight up nerd stuff

[@EnemyOfEldar]

What a fantastic review, SkillUp, my friend. You so eloquently, skillfully and confidently articulated the tone, feel, atmosphere of the game -- that which tries to precipitate and diffuse into me with its inevitability. Your review encapsulates this in a way I can conceive of while playing but could never say so well. Thank you man for all the work you do. Thank you.

[@skyfiredraco]

man... it says something about the gaming community today when an honest review feels like such a breath of fresh air. Most gaming reviews (especially from major publishers) these days seem to boil down to "ITS TRASH" or "10/10 GAME OF ALL TIME!!!" Then stuff like this comes along. Almost quietly even. No numbered score. Just an honest, full playthrough (you actually seemed like you played the game?! BLASPHEMY!!") with the praise where it is praiseworthy and the warts put on full view. I haven't bought this game yet... mostly because of time constraints (damn you work and Fortuna :P) but stuff like this makes me want to pick it up more. And, honestly, i want to pick it up far more from a review like this than some corporate shill screaming "10/10 YOU'LL NEVER PLAY A GAME LIKE THIS AGAIN!!!". Ty SkullUp. This channel and Laymen Gaming are some of my favorite of youtube. Finding actual gamers making actual reviews on the good, bad and ugly of the releases coming out seems like a rare thing these days (sad as that may be).

[@Racingboom]

The best reviews are when they say they were disappointed or it was average then they give it a 7/10 It’s like people totally forgot how the rating system works. A majority of random games *should* be a 5/10 but they’re almost all either a 2, 7, or 9 and 10

[@snakefriesia6808]

@@Racingboom i agree, is a game is disappointing or average it should be no more than 5.5/10 and never a 7/10

[@MEzZ117]

Am i the only one who didn't have problems with the controls? Idk, maybe it's because i played too much of the first red dead (which had similiar controls) and other rockstar games.

[@jibb1451]

I think this game has a pretty large excess of controls, even for an experienced player. But if you tweak the sensitivity they sort of work in your favor, and allow you to interact with the game world in much more detailed ways. I give the controlls like a 6.5/10 but regardless it never bugged me.

[@Lifter999]

Yea, I think the controls fit with the rest of the game. I can´t see how people have so many problems getting used to it. But I also liked the vehicle handling in gta 4, so make of that what you will.

[@Stubrok]

I didn’t have any issue with the controls, Rockstar focused on realism, which makes sense because even with dead eye you have to be precise to hit your target in the head, it’s realism with that video game flare of feeling like a bad ass cowboy, not a superhero.

[@omarsabir1210]

I wish they would improve it they've been using the same controls (clunky at times) since GTA IV

[@Deeplycloseted435]

Yeah, I think to his point......it is a Rockstar game. We LOVED GTA3/VC/SA, despite the clunkiness, because they were the biggest most freeing open world games of their time, by far! I think we were all hoping for combat to match the gorgeous scenery. I don’t think it’s bad at all, just nothing special or different than what they’ve always done. At the same time, its a 3rd person shooter, how much can be done? You aim, shoot, get behind something, wait until the foe jump out slowly, and aim and shoot again. There were no scoped rifles in the time of RDR2, hence their are no scoped rifles in RDR2. It is what it is, but I get that things could have been a bit smoother, a tad more polished.

[@kratos6786]

Honey, cancel my surgery. Skillup just posted another video!

[@HueghMungus]

So.. You still dying or what x'D haha

[@lkvideos7181]

@@HueghMungus Of course. Priorities mate.

[@spartaxjp5073]

we can bring the doctor here so you can watch and a real cowboy doesn't need anesthetic.

[@ijustwantmyphonecall6947]

You can watch it after the surgery

[@gurjindersingh3843]

5:30 SkillUp: "My Review Begins" Gamespot: "My Review Ends"

[@thearchitect003]

well they gave wolfenstein youngblood a 8/10 so....

[@gurjindersingh3843]

@@thearchitect003 Considering most KZbinrs think it deserves 6-7 that score is not terrible.

[@Bacher108]

What put this game over the top for me is ALL of the voice actors were so good in my opinion. Obviously Arthur was played to perfection, he was absolutely nailed. But even characters like Sadie or Charles, I thought they were all voice acted really REALLY well. It drew me into the story even more. Really great job by all of them.

[@RRRRRRRRR33]

I disagree... Sadie is too forced, almost a caricature. The way she screams "shit!", how she tries to hoarse her voice (it's not natural, the voice actress has a "normal" voice) and so on... She is not a human being, but a caricature. Charles is the same thing, very calm and collective, no slangs, no accent, no curses... he is too clean in a way, it also sounds unnatural. Deep voice, it's like you talking with educated singer, not an outlaw.

[@yashsinghal1023]

@@RRRRRRRRR33 I can agree on sadie but Charles and everyone else was perfect for me atleast

[@RRRRRRRRR33]

@@yashsinghal1023 Everyone did a good job really, even the Sadie and Charles voice actors. My issue with both is how unnatural they sound sometimes. Sadie is a caricature (also poorly written), Charles is too clean... it's like Charles don't belong in that situation. He is too well educated, soft spoken and polite to be an outlaw on the run. Sadie looks like a Mary Sue on a revenge mission (the law can't touch her for whatever reason, even if she committed worse transgressions than Bill and Javier combined)... And I know Charles is supposed to be the "wise Indian" stereotype, but c'mon, lol he is too nice, too clean... When I saw him performing street fights, that was a sign of relief because finally Charles is looking more human instead of a caricature, but soon later he reversed to his original gentleman personality, always helping, always that soft voice... It's not natural, idk why but it's not natural lol

[@jacobedwards4747]

I agree with R, Sadie's voice acting was terrible. WAY too forced, she was a kinda shitty character anyway.

[@RRRRRRRRR33]

@@jacobedwards4747 I think Sadie starts ok, I was intrigued by her development. Badass widow seeking revenge, cool archetype... but then, she becomes untouchable lol All the other character suffer consequences for their actions, but Sadie actually works with the law instead of being prosecuted. She killed prison guards, stole from the army, killed people at broad day light in the O'Driscoll hanging, she massacred his gang, etc.. And she can go free? Revenge is a fool's game, unless you are a Mary Sue protected by the heavens

[@6ix76ix8]

Micah Bell is under rated. Rockstar made me hate him so much lol

[@jermasbiggestfan7796]

6ix 76ix Goddamn was he an annoying prick

[@jermasbiggestfan7796]

Daymn That’s idiot cause me to rack up 250 bounty in Strawberry because of his dumbass needing to be broke out of jail

[@jibb1451]

That final fight had me on the edge of my damned seat. Hahaha. I don't think my hands have ever been more sweaty during a sequence before that.

[@Woozie87]

6ix 76ix friend tried to introduce me to his new friend Micah... obviously I didn’t meet him lmao fuck Micah

[@nicholasnierste8254]

I’m so excited to see what hidden documentary is in this review.

[@christophluger793]

Has someone seen Gavin?

[@SkillUp]

I'm so worried!

[@billyjackson4318]

Christoph Luger has anyone found Gavin like what's the outcome ?

[@acidbased]

Poor guy.

[@Kicktugo55]

(SPOILERS) Seeing him in the epilogue made me laugh so hard. Poor guy.

[@nickdiciurcio158]

Christoph Luger gavvin!!!

[@mattguy1980]

ITS BEEN A YEAR AND A HALF AND I'VE STILL GOT 'THAT'S THE WAY IT IS' THEME MUSIC IN MY HEAD

[@tracyrae4854]

Facts Man Timeless Masterpiece😭😭😭

[@anthonyadams9563]

The first thing I did when I finished the game was that I went to Horseshoe Overlook and thought about the good ol times I had listening to everyone and chatting, even if it was the same lines over and over again. Then I went to visit Arthur’s grave and felt nostalgic and sad and wanted to play as him again because I felt that I rushed through the story with him and didn’t get everything that the game offered me. Now I’m on my second playthrough and Im exploring everything and getting all the experience and uncover everything that I can within each chapter

[@ztlabraptor211]

The best gaming experience I’ve had in years, potentially ever. Nothing recently has even come close aside from the Witcher 3. The story is remarkable, the characters are interesting, well developed and likeable, and through a combination of story and dialogue it truly weaves that sense of family and unity with the gang, which makes it hurt so much more when they start to die throughout the story. It got to the point where I was just burning through main missions to find out what happened next due to how gripping the progression of everything was. Hell I started a second play through to do all the side stuff I missed along the way. The ending is bittersweet with an excellent epilogue as well. The world is breathtaking; I’ve never seen a world that combines such excellent and detailed landscapes interwoven with others so seamlessly. There are dozens of diverse regions that all feel so unique, the wildlife brings everything to life and seeing them hunt one another and live life under your observance helped fuel the live feeling the world was going for. Best game world of all time both design wise, size wise, graphic wise and lore wise. The cities are all great and unique as well. Overall; the world and the story alone sold me on the game and while the gameplay itself is somewhat repetitive, I see it as more of an experience than a typical rockstar shooter like GTA, similar to the last of us.

[@codyvandal2860]

Josh You articulated my thoughts exactly. This game only has superficial similarities to GTA the tone is completely different

[@greenleafgaming8526]

Aurther doesn't have a way with words. Cuts to compilation of him saying sure

[@dannyrodz]

notification for review from skill up... *turn on TV, synchronize pc and tv with youtube and sit on the couch with some popcorn.

[@richardjackson9725]

40 years of gaming and RD2 is hands down the best game I’ve played.

[@mochigb621]

I'm the same. My dad bought us an Intellevision console when I was just a small child. Been gaming ever since. RDR2 is the greatest of all time.

[@asherrobinson5586]

I think the comment about having no consequences on your actions is partly true, but that is why the honour system exists... it allows for greater consequences for your actions, changing the cutscenes and how your character acts.

[@whodatninja439]

it doesnt change the cutscenes

[@AmonGus-ml1fh]

@@whodatninja439 yes it does. In chapter 6.

[@josiahablordeppey4334]

It literally only changes the final ending… which doesn’t even really change anything. I hate when the game makes me feel bad for being an outlaw in a game about a gang of outlaws. Just for a different ending.

[@Lyderies]

This is hands down the best review i have ever seen, an absolute fantastic video, thank you so much

[@TRILLTheTEXAN]

This review is a masterpiece itself. I feel like I should be paying to watch this.

[@ivanandreev1958]

I don't understand why people say that cover system doesn't work. I think it works perfectly, no matter what rock, what fence you'll see just press the button and character will take cover behind it. The only thing that's is kinda clunky is cover transition, besides that everything worked perfectly.

[@jasongarman]

Because it doesn't work that way for other people? I'm only a couple of chapters in, but there have been several times that I've moved up to a crate or tree and pressed the cover button, only for Arthur to stand out in the open stupidly or take cover on the wrong side of an adjacent object.

[@sonofedis]

I learn to never watch gameplay trailers, read news or tweets and watch reviews of any games I anticipate until I finished playing it. It's always the best experience

[@JimbobMcDonut]

I swear you have the best game reviews ever. I love that you truly see video games as an art and you appreciate and recognize that in such a great way. You rock man

[@awesomesquares7023]

Big Valley is one of my favorite locations in any video game. there’s not a lot to do in terms of gameplay, but it is just stunningly beautiful and i could just hang out there for hours

[@jzilbert2]

"Terminal quality to Arthur" Bravo sir. *hack cough* Bravo.

[@shujima0666]

Hey man, the scene at 15:12 isn't the game showing you how Arthur doesn't care about what he does. It's the game telling you Arthur doesn't like what you're making him do. They put those conversations with Tilly and Karen specifically to tell you how you're doing with Arthur. Listen to what he says again in that context.

[@emanethan8767]

I disagree with you about Dutch. I didn’t like him at all in the game. He seemed like a man with a delusional sense of grandeur and I wanted Arthur to abandon him the entire game.

[@andrewvazquez9557]

Yeah, I know what you mean I also wanted that. Dutch resembled so many douchey guys I've met in my life that by the end of chapter 2, I was pretty much done with him and all of his bullcrap

[@frankwagner1964]

First of all, in my book you're easily one of the best game reviewers on youtube. I just watched this video again and your analysis of 'The Wire and your words about the finest tale ever spun in video game form. Man, nobody nailed this the way you do. My deepest respect for your work!

[@crazyhourse4012]

At the end of the game I watched all of the credits and with the music it really felt depressing that the game was over.

[@LazloWoodbinePI]

Glad it wasn't just me then :)

[@intrepidmatter8165]

I haven't finished it, but I'm too scared to end it lol

[@Dwight_]

i honestly feld depresd after finishing this game

[@barned]

Same so I started a new playthrough, gonna be a bad boy now!

[@miguelrussohart9360]

Sir, your reviewing style is second to none... I love the game, love the art style, love the story, love the music... something deep, deep inside of me wished Rockstar had found a better way to implement the shooting/cover combat. It works just perfect when hunting but not when in the heat of battle. And Sir, you might just be the very best journalist the industry has the privilege to have! Thank you.

[@bordje123]

"My favourite TV show is The Wire..." ahh I've missed you

[@LevelDesignNige]

I'm here nearly 5 years after this game released because I'm debating another playthrough. God damn your editing, use of the game's music and scripting has always been great. Brilliant review, Ralph!

[@mister-pinkman]

The PC port exponentially improves the shooting. Try it out. When you talk about no consequences happening for your actions you mention the mission where you rescued Micah and you say the town doesn’t react to you when you return. This isn’t entirely true. Outside of a mission if you kill someone in a town and return later, the citizens will tell you to leave and say you’ve caused too much trouble

[@eliasnaser747]

Dude seriously you make an hour long video fell like 10min. Now that's what I call quality

[@thanekrios9328]

Never had much of an issue with the controls. After messing around in the settings, I found a sweet spot. Gunplay felt weighty and I appreciated that.

[@DvsMoi6]

Stfu

[@Senoba]

@DvsMoi6 fuck off cretin

[@iTwisterr]

Very good review, although I would argue my mate Gavin is a better written video game protagonist

[@DemonicLoki]

I could never find him lol

[@JTtopcat]

I have been looking for him for years. I can't even remember what he looked like.

[@paulallen-01]

Gav?? .. Gavin!?!!??.. have you seen him ? GAVIN !!?? .. oh Gavin where are you

[@blaxative]

Ralph I always think your reviews are too fucking long. I don't have time to watch them in their entirety. Then I get sucked in and watch the whole thing. Very well thought out, written, and compelling my dude

[@KylerRamos]

The amount of detail in this game is absolutely insane. When this game first released I played it day one but honestly felt a little over whelmed/bored while playing it so I just stopped and never looked back. Very recently I started playing it again and it just clicked and I have been loving it so so much,crazy what time can do. For me it’s all about the details and secrets that can be found and it’s hard to believe this game released 5 years ago, no other open world game feels this immersive to me and I’ve played most of them except of Baulders gate 3 but I do plan on playing that soon.

[@Svyatozor]

Man, this guy. I am not easy to get into promotions and staff but here I am, hopelessly in love with skill up, his reviews and personality I mean, cut story short. I am buying all the posters and watching 'WIRE' tonight. Well done skill up, representing Australia, I am from Melbourne would love to play some Destiny with you, like the game only because of you m8. Dam smells like a little fanboy is here. :) GOOD review thank you.

[@TNTales]

"This isn't a war... wars end."

[@jonasan77]

Honestly mate, i was debating getting this today.... then I remembered you'd reviewed it.... watched the intro.... saw you compared it to the wire... stopped the video.... downloading now! No other game reviewer offers anything close to what you give us, thank you!

[@vukantic1978]

You enjoying it?

[@RRRRRRRRR33]

One thing that infuriated me was the "medals" system, most missions have the minor objective of "complete this mission in X amount of time"... What is the design logic of this? The entire game is designed to be as slow and methodical as possible, we need to be immersed, pay attention to the world, the dialogues and all that... but you need to run like a idiot to earn a medal, lol forget about immersion, just run Arthur! This design philosophy makes no sense whatsoever. How many times I finished missions with every minor side-activity completed, you named it, hit X amount of headshots, 80% precision, etc, etc.. but I only got the silver medal because I didn't played fast enough? Nonsensical design choice.

[@c-moon8789]

Just ignore the medals lol

[@RRRRRRRRR33]

@@c-moon8789 I ended up ignoring them, lol It's useless, I prefer to slowly walk and make things looks as "cinematic" as possible. That's more fun to me than going after these dumb medals

[@Jeremus717]

I watch every single one of your reviews, and this was my favorite won hands down. Thank you for all the hard work you put in here, it really shows.

[@darthdespot5120]

I just got to the Epilogue. This game had me close to tears at times. Unbelievable. Such an experience.

[@demantim]

Many reviewers go "this game has problems, but the problems melt away because of the strong points". I love how you balance things out in a more sober way. The game has problems, but the strong points make the game worth it for your sensibilities. (By the way, the Zelda team are reported to be inspired by RDR2 for the Breath of the Wild sequel. Thinking of the way they extracted the strong points of Skyrim and other western open world games for Breath of the Wild I'm excited to see what lessons they learn from RDR2.)

[@w4cky7]

Huge thumbs up for the Displates ad. Never knew about these til now. I hope to be able to pick up a few soon.

[@NikoYaqoub]

My grandma loved it when I used to play RDR2. Every time she walked in on me playing she'd just sit on my bed and watch me play for hours til she fell asleep lol. Sometimes we'd have my uncles and aunts and their families over and all my cousins would come to my room and watch me play and just wonder at how beautiful the game was. God, life was so good when RDR2 came out.

[@DankDoggo]

You are one of the few youtubers who can make me watch a full 50-minute video. I am not saying this lightly, the way you do your videos, the effort that goes in them, the detail, the way you deliver your words so classily, 100/100 sir. Just brilliant.

[@chiefynproud1787]

I personally never had a problem with the controls, it feels the same as every other rockstar game, great review though!

[@venix6473]

You're the only one that I trust, keep the amazing work up, much respect to your efforts

[@kuljindersingh6499]

I honestly cried in certain moments of the game... and I am not ashamed of it. perfect review by the way.

[@randyjax09]

You have some of the best game critiques on KZbin and make everyone else sound like amateurs. That being said, it drives me crazy that every game critic has a complaint about games being “too long” or have open-worlds that are “too big”. I can see how it’s inconvenient for someone who plays & evaluates games for a living, but for the average gamer, being immersed in a game’s world for countless hours is exactly what makes these games so enjoyable. It makes us feel like we’re really getting our moneys worth.

[@ivanandreev1958]

Stranger encounters have flags so you don't have the same encounter twice, so if you had the same encounter that means that it was unsuccessful (for example you scared the stranger by aiming a gun at them or pushed them off their feet) or there was an unsuccessful save.

[@40krocks21]

Best review video I’ve ever seen. You put a lot of time and thought into this, and articulated every aspect so well. Thank you so much for this!

[@earldowns6222]

Such a amazing and well written review. Honesty and best game reviewer in many years, especially from Australian like myself. :)

[@ulgrimthemad]

I have a sneaking suspicion I'll have the same grievances with controls as you, but it does sound like a truly great game none the less. Great review Ralph. Thank you for taking the time to do it right.

[@okeymmeje5118]

The intros to your reviews are top notch. I just watched your metro exodus review and now this. I would normally not have the attention span to watch a 1 hour review but you have mastered the art of intros. Its able to grip me so hard that I feel the need to watch it through. Bravo

[@Jewboi30]

I REALLY have to disagree with the assertion that Arthur isn't smart. He's arguably more introspective than any of the gang, even John and Dutch. He's perceptive and observant enough to see things coming from farther away than most. He has this incredibly muted depth to him. Academic, no. Smart, absolutely. But you can't view his intelligence at face value. Otherwise, you'd assume he's just an average outlaw. There was a fitting quote by Arthur along the lines of, "Someone you would have thought in the past to be a fool is actually wise, thoughtful, and sensible.", when reflecting on the Indian chief. That's Arthur Morgan himself in a nutshell.

[@AlbertAlbertB.]

43:11 That is really just a controller problem. I had NO problems at all with the shooting with mouse and keyboard.

[@harry5998]

pc version wasn’t out at this time

[@AlbertAlbertB.]

@@harry5998 I know. It was just informational to the people here. Not against SU

[@harry5998]

@@AlbertAlbertB. oh my bad

[@h9_nier605]

It feels so nice to have my favourite game mentioned (dishonored). Great review as always. Time for fortuna Now!!!!

[@dazdealz4648]

Best review I've seen so far. Couldn't agree more with everything you said. Fantastic job you can tell you put a lot of work into this

[@davidwhite206]

You gained a subscriber in me quite a while back, but you gained my respect as a man when you said your favorite show is The Wire. Only the real OGs know what's up with that show.

[@tmbfreak_16]

RDR2 is one of the greatest 30 hour stories I've ever experienced stretched over 150 hours

[@acheman8836]

This is my new favorite game, it's among Resident Evil 4, Rayman 2, MGS3 and a few others. It has a few flaws, no game is perfect but this one, to me, it almost was. Some disliked the slowness of the game, but it was to be expected, it is a Western after all. I loved the immersion. I agree on the gameplay, it could've been better. Imagine if the gameplay was something like Uncharted 4's. Still, it works. Loved the story, the cast, the music, Arthur is perhaps my favorite video game protagonist.

[@Jesse__H]

Yeah. It's _all_ about the immersion, with this game. If you're on board for that, it's the experience of a generation

[@adeelabbasi2811]

tell me your view after few months later rdr 2 is a extremely overrated game of this generation after BOTW this game is still have same mediocre struggle for missions talk, talk and shoot talk, talk and shoot talk, talk and shoot from gta 3 era

[@acheman8836]

adeel abbasi I'm not one to change my mind. It's okay if you think the game is overrated. I think the Witcher 3 is the most overrated game ever, so you and I are in the minority. As I said in my previous comment, the immersion is divisive and I'm on the side who loves it, the flaws you listed with the game are my positives and that can't be judged. There are true negatives which I'll agree with such as Chapter 5, not being able to walk in the camp and the gameplay being clunky. Despite that, the game's a masterpiece.

[@iKrazyyi]

@@adeelabbasi2811 BOTW is my favorite game of this generation but everyone has an opinion I guess. Alot of people say TW3 is the game of this generation and I'd agree even though I enjoyed BOTW more 🤷‍♂️

[@rhiannadahmer4052]

It's also my favourite game of the year, GOW was pretty good but I dont see replay value. I could play RDR2 a few times

[@iBot.]

31:13 I always thought Fallout New Vegas did an amazing job with sort of thing. If you go to into an NCR camp for example and murder everyone, then your reputation with the NCR will be damaged. Whenever you talk to an NPC they have something (usually more cruel/mean) to say to you if your reputation is bad enough. You also have the possibility of being shunned which further hurts your reputation. It proves it's possible to have a game with so much player choice, player consequence that demonstrates how much of an impact you can have on the game world (in this case the Mojave wasteland). Compared to RDR2 and how it deals with that sort of thing, I agree that they defiantly got lazy when it came to that area. A lot of the game is very scripted and you don't have a major impact on the game world.

[@Jim-Stick]

I played red dead. Red dead 2 was the most amazing experience of a video game for me. Hunting for the camp took up most of my time. The games attention to detail is amazing.

[@th3orist]

only 200k clicks on this review? this gotta be one of the best reviews for this game out there. yes it's lengthy, but worth it. more people should take the time to watch it. it did it, in three 20min sessions over two days.

[@fehllyy]

I understand the hate on the random world events, however I found myself mostly skipping over these and instead engaging in the "side mission" elements which include multipart chapters where unique and honestly hilarious characters pull you along random and often ridiculous storylines that are soooooooooo rewarding and satisfying.

[@lozerisdead999]

A brilliant review as always. You were honest throughout and it’s refreshing to hear someone challenge this game! I do disagree with pretty much all of your negatives however. Gunplay felt weighty and appropriate for me. I didn’t have nearly the same issues with the controls as you, the weapons all felt unique and having to space out my shots to get the best of accuracy felt nice, and the animations are so fucking satisfying. Arthur feels heavy and bound to animations, as he should, particularly when you bring up the sim aspect of the game. There was some silliness with recognizing who i’m trying to tackle or the memes that have spawned from horses running into trees but i’ve gotten past it and found myself knowing what to do and not to do based off animations. Finally for me? Chapter 5 and 6 with the epilogue were beautifully done. This to me is where the story really hit its high. This is where you see Arthur’s redemption and acceptance of his situation, and doing a good playthrough really added so much weight to the moments that transpire. The epilogue while slow was something that was a big risk and love it or hate it, the direction was flawless imo. The nostalgia was in full effect and for me two moments absolutely stood out. When the barn is completed for whatever reason, turning and facing the door to exit it felt... heavy. And Rockstar knew what’d be in our minds. When i opened it I fully expected 20 men to be on the other side. And finally coming onto the final sequence to kill micah and hearing the RDR Theme for john remixed and amped up to full baddassery just made me scream with hype and urgency to get the man who fucked up the gang. This is an essay of a comment with too much praise and it’s dragging but the game has its flaws, and as you said, it doesn’t detract from the experience enough.

[@ChrisGodinezGoTinZi]

I love this video but at the 40 minute mark I just realised that I was using my phone data oh my god Still worth it

[@blehxx]

Skill Up you're without a doubt one of the best game reviewers out there. After watching your review of Odyssey I decided that I'm going to get it as soon as I can afford it. I love how detailed you are about the pros and cons of a game instead of just saying something like "Errr it's an 8 or an 8.5" lol. Anyways yea I love this channel. ;p

[@ShinzuXTruth]

I know this is late, but theres a balancing act between realism and gameplay. Ultimately too much realism ruins gameplay. Too much gameplay ruins realism...there needs to be a happy medium. In your example at 32:04 if you were never able to go to that town again..realistically, it would potentially make the game unplayable. In elder scrolls morrowind for example..if you killed someone important to the main quest, you could no longer finish the story. Rockstar wasn't trying to make a cowboy simulation, they were creating a video game with realistic elements. The whole, can't return for a few days is just one example of how they compromised gameplay for a touch of realism..and I think that was a great choice.

[@recoil88]

A few hours in, my friend asked me what I thought of the game. I told him it was the most perfect Wild West movie simulator, if not simulation full stop, ever created. On completion, I standby that statement and would reconcile the more traditional 'game play' elements to be a side note of what I consider Red Dead 2 to be as a piece of art.