What do you guys think of the new screenshots?

[NewsBot]

The silver lining to today’s announcement that Red Dead Redemption 2 will be released in the Spring of 2018, as opposed to this Fall, is that Rockstar gave us a handful of screenshots alongside it.

While players will undoubtedly spend the next few weeks analyzing every pixel of every image, it’s pretty clear from a first sweep that no major reveals are hidden within them. We’ve done our best to try and bring you a few interesting highlights and tidbits though.

Firstly, some characters can be seen in several images, but their faces are always obscured save for a single screenshot. For all we know, the characters could be Red Dead Online player avatars wearing various outfits. The single screen showing the faces of characters shows them in a distance around a caravan, but upon magnification it becomes clear that at least two of them are duplicates, meaning either placeholders or NPCs.

Though the shots are clearly staged, they’re also in-engine giving us a good idea of what kind of graphical quality to expect, and it’s the kind that would have cowboys tipping their hats in respect and awe. The graphics are a marked improvement upon Grand Theft Auto V – an advantage of having new hardware to work with.

The varied landscapes of the game are on full display, from lush forests to barren deserts, as well as busy towns and cityscapes. Something about the forest screenshot is really striking, and if you can’t put your finger on it, we’ll help: video games rarely depict trees to be so massive. Most likely we’re looking at redwoods here, which would fit the setting of the game.

An exciting game mechanic, which wasn’t present in the previous title, is also confirmed by the screenshots. Dual wielding pistols, as ineffective and inaccurate as it may be, has been a staple of Wild West fiction and it’s appearing in Red Dead Redemption 2 as well if the screenshots are anything to go by.

If we’re to assume that another image, which is a close up of two pistols being dual-wielded, is from the multiplayer version Red Dead Online, then it seems that weapon customization through engravings (and maybe more) will be possible. The various outfits on show also indicate that players will be able to mix and match different articles of clothing, as opposed to selecting full outfits like in the original Red Dead Redemption.

Images showing off the busy town street have sent the community into overdrive, with everyone trying to figure out its exact location. However, doing so would only be possible if this is a city we’ve already seen in Red Dead Redemption. Unfortunately, it doesn’t quite line up with any of them, but then keeping in mind the massive changes Los Santos underwent between its two outings means that maybe Armadillo or one of the other towns simply received a redesign. On display, however, are what seem to be dynamic foot-and-wheel prints in the mud, as well as some beautiful lighting effects.

The shot of the train crossing the bridge, other than being incredibly epic, further shows off how great the graphics look with what may just be the best-looking smoke effects ever seen. The area the train is leaving looks like the one seen in the forest screenshot, indicating that locomotives may be a method of fast-travel in the world, not unlike the trains in GTA V. A single train can also be seen in the screenshot with the man wearing a blue bandana, indicating that train robberies or heists could be a feature.

Finally, the shot of the stagecoach and duplicate NPCs shows would could be a mechanic involving guarded convoy raids, evoking some GTA-like side missions no longer available in Online.

As time goes on, further analysis will no doubt bring with it new revelations which we will cover as they appear. We’ve also collected the screenshots in a gallery which you can access here.

The post First Red Dead Redemption 2 Screenshots Released appeared first on RDR2.

Read the full story

[Archbell]

Although it is unfortunate that Red Dead Redemption 2 has been delayed till Spring 2018 it's not like we didn't see this as a possibility, part of the reason Rockstar are so successful is because they polish their games to perfection and sometimes delays are inevitable I just wish Rockstar wouldn't get peoples hopes up when they know how likely it is that their games are gonna be delayed.

On the bright side, we got some superb screenshots to gawk at so I'm interested to see what you guys think of them and if there's anything in these screenshots that stand out to you.

The first thing I noticed when looking at this screenshot is how obscured by the darkness these characters are which is something that wasn't present in Red Dead Redemption as even at night you could always make out the faces of anyone you came across so I'm interested to see whether light and dark will affect gameplay in Red Dead Redemption 2. The man centre left crops up a few times in these screenshots and shares similarities with the man that appears in both the trailer and the centre of the teaser artwork, the two men on the right also share similarities with people seen in the trailer and teaser artwork. I think it's safe to assume that the man centre left is gonna be a playable character due to how prominent he has been as well as how obscuring his face seems to be a constant trend in these screenshots.

This screenshot appears to show the same man that appeared centre left in the above screenshot, the coat has changed but the distinctive hat with the rope around it has remained. I love how steam from the train affects visibility in this screenshot and as previously seen in the trailer and artwork dual wielding looks to be an option for the player but what caught my eye in this screenshot is that the two revolvers he's holding are not the same so maybe we'll be able to mix and match what weapons we wish to use, I'm personally hoping I'll be able to dual wield a sawed-off shotgun and a revolver.

This beautiful screenshot of a dense forest is my favourite and appears to show the same man from the first and second screenshots wearing what looks to be the same hat with the same coat as the first screenshot.

We get a good view of Red Dead Redemption 2's vast open world in this screenshot, I can't with any certainty link any of these men to anyone in the trailer or other screenshots but it does seem apparent that they are protecting the contents of this armoured stagecoach (which looks very similar to the armoured stagecoach that Colonel Allende and Bill Williamson used in Red Dead Redemption) so I'm assuming that this may be a random event where you can choose to commit stagecoach robbery. The stagecoach does have writing on the side of it but I am unable to make out what it says.

This screenshot shows the same train seen in the trailer crossing over a stream, in the background we can see birds in the sky, mountains and a building that is mostly obscured by trees. There is writing on the side of the train carriages but I can't make out what it says but in my opinion after taking a closer look at the carriages this does not look like a passenger train.

The man from the first, second and third screenshot appears here again riding the same horse seen in the third screenshot through the centre of an unknown town, out of the 8 people seen here he is the only one that I believe we have seen before. If we look down the street we can see a Saloon, a building with rooms for rent and a Doctors advertising Tonics, Remedies and Powders. Looking at the recurring man he has a small satchel on his left side, a Spencer Rifle on his back, what looks like a Colt Peacemaker and a bone handle knife on his right side. Other small details in this screenshot are the imprints made in the mud by people and horses, the shadow affects on the left side of the screenshot as well as the very detailed engraving on the Spencer Rifle.

In the last and probably most detailed screenshot we see two Schofield Revolvers with very ornate engravings being dual wielded in a brick wall building possibly a bank, in the background there are shelving units holding boxes and crates as well as a smoke cloud possibly created by the revolvers. On the shooter's right hand we can see two rings, a circular lion ring on their pinky and a ring with what appears to be the letter "D" on his middle finger.

Hopefully we get more info on Red Dead Redemption 2 soon but in the meantime I'd greatly enjoy reading your predictions and what you guys have noticed in these screenshots so please comment.

- Archbell

[Lonestar]

Wow, amazing breakdown @Archbell, I'm merging our analysis into this thread!

[Archbell]

Thanks dude, I greatly enjoyed reading your analysis.

[Nima021King]

I really don't know to be angry about the delay or be happy about the screen shots 

[YellowDragon]

Well at least we got some news then guys. We now know it will be out next year... What many believe to be the case. 

[Benjo]

You missed this guy on his cell phone

 

[Benjo]

7 hours ago, Archbell said:

This screenshot appears to show the same man that appeared centre left in the above screenshot, the coat has changed but the distinctive hat with the rope around it has remained. I love how steam from the train affects visibility in this screenshot and as previously seen in the trailer and artwork dual wielding looks to be an option for the player but what caught my eye in this screenshot is that the two revolvers he's holding are not the same so maybe we'll be able to mix and match what weapons we wish to use, I'm personally hoping I'll be able to dual wield a sawed-off shotgun and a revolver.

They are the same

[Archbell]

Look closely @Benjo, they are not the same. Although I don't know what kind of revolver he is holding in his left hand his right hand he seems to be holding a Colt Peacemaker.

Edited May 23, 2017 by Archbell

[Nima021King]

11 minutes ago, Benjo said:

They are the same

They're not the same 

[D3x]

9 hours ago, Benjo said:

You missed this guy on his cell phone

 

[Benjo]

12 hours ago, Nima021King said:

They're not the same 

They are possibly not the same. 

[Hazed0NE]

Well even though I am upset over the delay which I thought was likely to happen anyways...

These look amazing. I really enjoyed that breakdown as well. I was trying to pick a part pieces on them the other day. Trying to find anything that gives a clue to John and I couldn't see anything. 

[ArmedNAruba]

On 5/23/2017 at 7:00 AM, Benjo said:

You missed this guy on his cell phone

 

 

Just noticed, if you look at the building above his head, it is the letters "BL..C..."    

Blackwater??

[Benjo]

4 hours ago, ArmedNAruba said:

 

Just noticed, if you look at the building above his head, it is the letters "BL..C..."    

Blackwater??

Nice spot, but I'd say it was more likely a blacksmiths or something. Certainly possible though!

[ZLion]

Very nice shots. I appreciate the breakdown you did as well Archbell.

I usually don't try picking a part things like that but it kind of makes me want to see what I can find now.

[HIGHHorse]

The overall look throughout these shots reminds me A LOT of the first one. I feel like we will be playing in the same areas, maybe slightly more up north not so close to Mexico. Also, they feel "fresher". The graphics are clearly a lot better and the detail is a lot more crisp. 

Not to say the first one was bad. It was stunning for its time. 

 

[Benjo]

On 5/23/2017 at 10:38 AM, Archbell said:

dual wielding looks to be an option for the player but what caught my eye in this screenshot is that the two revolvers he's holding are not the same so maybe we'll be able to mix and match what weapons we wish to use, I'm personally hoping I'll be able to dual wield a sawed-off shotgun and a revolver.

[Kean_1]

You see???   Dreams do come true.