RED DEAD ONLINE
PSN prairies show plenty of promise
Considering GTA Online pulls in enough cash to make Elon Musk’s bank account look positively piddling, Rockstar’s wild west epic was always going to get its own multiplayer outing. And just like the life-swallowing PvP mayhem Los Santos serves up, Red Dead Redemption 2’s vast frontier is a perfect setting for online action.
Unlike its car-jacking counterpart, Red Dead Online’s beta has started rather smoothly. Using the Posse Up feature to match with five other PSN outlaws works consistently well. Whether you choose to go lone wolf and tackle bounties on your lonesome, or partner up with other cowpokes to tackle a clutch of story missions, RDO is enjoying a rollicking start to outlaw life.
From the off you’re free to amble around Amabarino, West Elizabeth, and New Austin – all of RDR2’s map is open from the start – with fast travel points charging you a small fee for a stagecoach ride. From here, you can clear out gang hideouts or take on Stranger missions, which usually involve hunting wanted men or protecting stagecoaches. While you’re in Free Roam, your customisable outlaw can also take on main missions from returning characters from Arthur Morgan’s single-player adventure. With well-produced cutscenes and varied objectives, they feel more bespoke than GTAO’s sometimes cookie-cutter challenges.
With an interface that’s much the same as GTA’s online offering, a press of 4 brings up an interaction menu, where hassle-free matchmaking takes you into Normal or Large Showdown series, or a set of horse races. The former playlists span Shootout and Team Shootout deathmatches, the zone-capturing
ROCKSTAR’S FRONTIER PROVIDES THE PERFECT SETTING FOR ENGAGING ONLINE ACTION.
Hostile Territory, Name Your Weapon (where kills with more challenging guns reward greater points), and RDO’s takes on battle royale – Make It Count and the new Gun Rush mode. Limiting players’ equipment, these 16- or 32-player last-man-standing skirmishes offer an intimate, nerve-shredding spin on Fortnite. The Rockstar cowboy take on popular game modes you might already be familiar with is one of RDO’s most intriguing elements. It’s a moreish pillar of the entire RDR2 package. A generous auto-aim gives novice outlaws a fighting chance in the
above modes, but RDO’s hectic shootouts can still overwhelm players just starting out. Death is dealt out swiftly… and constantly. Persist through the harsh learning curve and the journey through RDO’s upper ranks should give dozens of hours of compelling cowboy carnage.
VERDICT
With slick presentation Rockstar’s online prairies are off to a promising start, but unforgiving deathmatches are a hurdle. The new Gun Rush mode could turn the tide. Dave Meikleham