Was it a sequel to one of the most beloved open world games from the previous generation of hardware? Well, that's a somewhat cynical response. Based on the teaser trailers, screenshots, and other bits of information going into our lengthy hands-on preview with the game we expected something a bit more - greatness. But even that, would be selling it short.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is the real deal, a once in a generation experience - built from the ground up for modern current-gen hardware.

In many ways, the Van der Linde gang, as lead by Dutch, could be a VICE documentary more centred around cultism and cult leaders. As a servant of the cult, like Tom Cruise buying milk for David Miscavige, Arthur -- the player lead -- is at the beck and call of his transient boss. You gain new missions and relationships through the campsite, but it’s not a binary setting; it moves with the story and the characters within it shift based on your actions, interactions and choices. It’s unique in games, and stands tall as potentially the biggest shift from the first game. How deep it runs will remain to be seen, but as a hub away from the daily grind -- even though you’re kind of feeding it, it’s a breath of fresh air.

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