Rockstar Games' most recent open-world opus, Red Dead Redemption 2, is a nearly perfect game. Nearly because it's certainly not without its flaws. Most of them are forgivable when going through the campaign, as players are drawn in by Arthur Morgan's gripping tale and look past any indiscretions. After jumping online, however, certain things become clearer.
Small cracks start to show, or facets designed for a singe-player experience don't translate perfectly to a multiplayer mode. Here are ten annoying details about Red Dead Redemption 2 one only notices after playing Red Dead Online. To the developer's credit, the component has seen vast improvements since launch, and is only getting better with each update.
10 Shooting
Save for Max Payne 3's divine aiming, the studio's titles aren't known for their tight shooting mechanics. Free aim isn't a problem When going solo because the enemy count is always manageable. In online using auto aim is pretty much a must. missions swarm the players with enemies, giving them no time to line up shots. Pointing just doesn't feel intuitive enough to be engaging without some sort of assistance. PC players probably have a better time with this, given the mouse and keyboard's precision.
9 Cooking
It's not enough to hunt an animal. If the player wants to eat it, they also have to cook it over a fire. This can be done at one's own camp or any other camp fire out in the world. Cooking in bulk isn't an option though, so be prepared to hold the action button for a while when preparing some reserves for those long treks out in the wilderness. The dedication to realism is commendable, but in an online mode people yearn to get out there and start shooting. No one wants to wait several minutes for the posse to prepare their meals.
8 Movement
Fortunately, this has already been remedied to some extent. Walking and running in the world used to be exactly like it was in the single-player mode. An update several months back sped things up significantly, making on foot segments less of a chore.
Still, maneuvering around the world isn't as fluid as it is in other open-world games. They strive for realism, so they don't want people jumping around like it was an arcade shooter, but walking around indoor environments has always been a weak spot of the engine, and it is the most notable in online.
7 Skinning
Looting bodies used to take forever, but an update sped up this process. Now, stealing off bodies too dead to do anything about it is done at the snap of a finger. Sadly, the same cannot be said for skinning, which still goes through the whole animation. Knowing each animal skin takes several seconds to acquire makes the whole prospect of hunting less appealing. At the same time, it's amoral to kill an animal and leave it to rot without taking every piece.
6 Traveling From One Place To Another
Thankfully, fast travel is available when not on a mission. Once one is activated, however, horseback is the best way to reach a destination. Riding takes just as long as it did in the campaign, but this time no other NPC is riding alongside the player engaging in conversation. The handful of story missions thankfully have dialog, but other smaller tasks don't. Hanging out with friends is recommended in order to fill out the silence with your own conversations.
5 How Expensive Things Are
A hundred years ago people didn't make as much money as they do today, so it makes sense for missions to dole out little cash. It's doubtful weapons back then cost as much as they do in Red Dead Online. Prices are adjusted to encourage in game purchases with real money.
If one grinds and takes advantage of certain events, they can rack up the cash, but no one enjoys when a game feels like a chore. There's more to do in the game than ever, but even some many of those activities are locked behind gold bars, which can either be bought or slowly earned in the game.
4 Hunting And Gathering Supplies
What are all the things typical of a wild west fantasy? Shootouts with the law, bank robberies, rescuing people tied up on the train tracks, and picking flowers in a field. Yeah, the last one seems a little out of place. Yet if one wants to earn certain rewards and gain experience, gathering herbs and plants is essential to the online experience. Hunting is at least dangerous, but bending down to gather flora is like counting sheep.
3 Glitches
In single-player glitches are kind of cute as long as they don't break the game. When trying to make a transaction in multiplayer or chasing down another player, they end up being as frustrating as all get out. It's impossible to make a one hundred percent bug-free experience, but they should be as few and far between as possible, and they aren't quite at an acceptable level in the old west. Then again, no player is old enough to know what life was like back then. Maybe people did randomly fly off their horses, have their steed burst into flames, or have the letterbox stay on several seconds too long after a cutscene.
2 Too Few Story Missions
Unlike GTA Online, Red Dead Online has a set of story missions with a beginning and an end. Only a small handful were available which could be completed in less than an evening of playtime. Fans don't expect the whopping ninety-four missions from the story, but something a little beefier would have been appreciated by those who appreciate a good story. At least stranger missions add cinematics, but the objectives themselves don't have the same depth as the story line.
1 Load Times
Loading into the world for the first time in Red Dead Redemption 2 takes forever, but it's relatively seamless afterwards for the game play sessions. In multiplayer, load times occur more frequently, especially when engaging in any of the competitive modes. Even after waiting, the chance for a dropped connection can make it all in vain. Assuming a next gen version comes our way, the long load times should a first priority.