'Red Dead Redemption 2' Review Roundup

ComicBook - 5/5

"Some of you may just be coming in to see how things built up for John Marston. But Red Dead Redemption II is more than that, and Rockstar Games once again lives up to a potential level that we can all aspire to. I hope this one goes on to sell nearly 100 million copies down the road like GTA V has -- its tireless development team of former and current employees deserve as much," reads our full review.

Our own Robert Workman added, "The game as a whole really just stacks up with one great thing after another. I've spent a good, long week plowing through what it has to offer and I'm still digging, just to see what surprise will come my way next. The amount of replayability is through the roof, whether you want to create a business enterprise for yourself or your "family," or just seek getting into trouble with a few shootouts and wagon takeovers. We'll still be playing for months and finding something -- and that's not even counting the promise that comes with Red Dead Online. Hope you saved some time for that in November."

IGN - 100/100

"It's a self-contained and linear introduction but it's a clever one," began IGN's review following a perfect score. "The slick cinematics make a hell of first impression, embedding you in the gang and bringing you right up close to the characters who are doing their best to bellow over the howling wind. It also placed me in a distraction-free bubble while I learned some of Red Dead Redemption 2's early controls and systems, which heightened the impact of having the full map open up to me a few hours later. The conditions on the mountain are almost claustrophobic, with visibility at a premium and thick snow trapping Arthur's feet. Being set loose in the true open world after toughing it out in this intentionally oppressive environment really underscores the incredible feeling of freedom the full map offers."

Game Informer - 10/10

Game Informer couldn't say enough amazing things about the Western title, "Rockstar Games has outdone itself again with Red Dead Redemption II. The up-close portrayal of the outlaw Van der Linde gang's unraveling is a compelling companion story that blends seamlessly with the original game, and depth and breadth of the open world is a technical triumph that every gamer should experience."

Variety - 90/100

According to the folks over at Variety, "Red Dead Redemption 2 was the first time playing a Rockstar game where my reaction went past interest to investment. I cared about what happened to these people, I cared about their stories and their lives, and there were moments where I was genuinely saddened or excited by what happened to them. And as the story winds toward its various conclusions, I was completely invested in them, hoping for the best, and fearing the worst. For someone there for the story, who wanted a game to feel fun more than they wanted it to feel comprehensive, I was completely absorbed."

Kotaku - No Numerical Rating

Kotaku's review was one of the more stunning one's out there as it paints an exact picture as to why this adventure is so great, "It is human nature to pursue greatness, even when that pursuit brings destruction. It is also human nature to pursue achievement as an end unto itself. Red Dead Redemption 2 is in some ways emblematic of those pursuits, and of their hollowness. The game is saying that progress is a cancer and that humanity poisons all that it touches, but it was forged at the apex of human progress. Its gee-whiz technical virtuosity has a built-in expiration date, and in ten years' time, the cracks in its facades will be much more apparent. At unimaginable cost and with unsustainable effort, it establishes a new high-water mark that will perpetuate the entertainment industry's relentless pursuit of more, accelerating a technological arms race that can only end at an inevitable, unfathomable breaking point.

"But there is a pulse pumping through this techno-artistic marvel. This game has heart; the kind of heart that is difficult to pin down but impossible to deny. It is a wonderful story about terrible people, and a vivacious, tremendously sad tribute to nature itself. There is so much beauty and joy in this expensive, exhausting thing. Somehow that makes it even more perfect—a breathtaking eulogy for a ruined world, created by, about, and for a society that ruined it."

Red Dead Redemption 2 launches on October 26 for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 players.