Put simply, Red Dead Redemption 2 might well be *the* greatest game I have ever played. For a tl;dr, I recommend skipping to the end of this review.

I very rarely purchase full-priced games. I tend to wait until games are on sale, and even then I hesitate if the game is £20 or more. Whilst at home for Christmas, I saw that RDR2 had been released on PC. I hadn't played the console version but had heard that the game was good, so decided to take a risk and purchased the game full priced. I don't regret it.

To give some context, I don't usually like buying AAA single-player games with a heavy story-driven narrative. I like to play strategy games, I like to play sandbox or loose multiplayer games (like Mount & Blade) and I like to play open world games without being forced to complete the main quest. I have many hours on Skyrim over the years, for instance, but only very recently completed the main quest for the first time - I spent most of my time on that game just messing around in the open world. I didn't enjoy The Witcher 3 (quite a controversial opinion I know) because even that game failed to make me feel anything other than boredom during the story.

And so, with this in mind, you might think that I rate RDR2 highly due to it's accessible open-world... but that's not the case. I rate this game so highly because it actually made me fall in-love with it's story.

Now, don't get me wrong, the other aspects of the game are wonderful. The graphics are mind-blowing. The open world has been crafted to a near perfect level - it feels alive and natural, extremely large and yet diverse. Everything from the macro to the micro level has been considered and these facts alone should make the game near perfect. Those who have read my Assassin's Creed Odyssey review will note that I rate that game highly due to simply the quality of the open-world. Furthermore, the gameplay mechanics - the movement, weight, the feeling you get firing weapons or riding a horse - it's all top notch (this being an area where The Witcher failed).

But the story, oh my, the story.

I don't think I've ever been so captivated.

I'll estimate and say it took me about 100 hours to complete the main story, give-or-take, so it's not short. However, this isn't a problem at all. Every single character is given perfect weight, the pacing is superb, the ending is simultaneously heart-breaking and wonderful, the voice acting is excellent. I don't really know how much more I can describe without spoiling anything (and this is NOT a game you want spoiled), but trust me, it is worth the time dedicated.

*The simple fact is, Rockstar have raised the standard for video-game story telling.*

Every game that comes before RDR2 now feels outdated and hollow. Every game to come after will have to reach the bar. This is a new generation of gaming and RDR2 is the landmark game.

So, to recap the positives:
- The graphics are excellent.
- The open-world is expertly crafted.
- The mechanics are great.
- The narrative is absolutely unbelievable.

But, what are the negatives, if any?

Well, I think the biggest negative - and it's a shame because it really does put a stain on an otherwise perfect game - would be the online gameplay.

As I'm sure many of you know, one of the biggest appeals (and biggest moneymaking successes) of Grand Theft Auto 5 was GTA Online. Rockstar have attempted to do something similar in RDR2, calling it 'Red Dead Online'. Unfortunately, it is pretty clear that entire function of the game is purely made for microtransactions and to net Rockstar extra profits.

The economy in Red Dead Online is (purposely) broken - it takes an unrealistically long amount of time to grind for money (obviously in an attempt to encourage microtransactions). On top of this, it's pretty boring. I could elaborate, but there are many, many videos on YouTube that explain the problems with Red Dead Online in more detail.

So, unfortunately, the multiplayer does ruin RDR2 a bit. However, given that Red Dead Online is separated from the single-player aspect of the game, it isn't too damaging.

Ultimately, whilst I may spend longer playing Mount & Blade: Warband or other such games (with high replayability), Red Dead Redemption 2 may well be the best made game I've ever played, and the story is a true benchmark for games to come.

Final verdict: 9.5/10. I highly recommend. It isn't 10/10 because of the multiplayer 'scam' by Rockstar (don't buy if you want to play online and don't care about singleplayer).