Scott Kowalski

From the visuals and score that feel drawn straight from the past several decades of Western cinema classics, to a world that is full of secrets to discover, to a story that continually pulls you in over the course of its many twists and turns, Red Dead Redemption 2 truly comes as close to the sense of a "living, breathing world" that I think we have ever seen from a game before, and it's truly invigorating to play and experience every inch of this world and see what it has to offer.2015 is mere hours away, and I could not be more excited to say goodbye to 2014. A lot of things happened during the year that I liked, and a lot of things I didn’t. The games industry has plenty to prove after 2014 with numerous disastrous launches, delays and disappointments. Going forward into 2015 there are certain games I'd like to see announced, certain games launch, or specific things happen within the gaming industry. These are my wishes for the game industry; 15 for 2015. Maybe community involvement could help solidify the success of the online experience in _ Red Dead Redemption 2, _ right? Hold your horses, partner. While Rockstar has essentially allowed gamers to mod _ GTA V’s _ single-player campaign, the same cannot be said about the game’s online experience. It makes sense that Rockstar would want to maintain an online integrity to allow all players to enjoy the same experience, but at the end of the day, it is the outspoken gaming community that ultimately decides what is acceptable in the games they pNaturally, headshots are going to be your best option when taking on enemies as they will practically take out anything in one hit. So when faced with a large group of enemies ahead, or if you just need a moment to clear out an overwhelming gunfight, take your time to eliminate large groups of enemies with well-placed headshots rather than going for multiple shots on one target. Unless you really don't like the guy and just want to riddle them with bullets: then that's okay.A bit hypocritical perhaps, but at least two Uncharted games and one Gears of War game could use some serious updating. Both Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune (2007) and Gears of War (2006) are horribly outdated compared to modern standards. It would be cool to see these games redone with modern gameplay and graphics. Uncharted: Golden Abyss (2012) was released on the PS Vita. Seeing it remade for PS4 would be sweet as pie. Personally, I’d love to see the collections bundled together ala Halo: The Master Chief Collection. Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection and Gears of War: The Locust War Collection would be so cool to have.As you spend time with your horse, you'll be able to increase its stamina and health the more that you ride it and care for it, such as feeding it, brushing it, and calming it when it's frightened or startled. However, you can also unlock new abilities and tricks in Red Dead Redemption 2 once you increase the bond with your horse at certain levels, such as rearing and a quick turn maneuver to avoid danger ahead.As a prequel, Red Dead Redemption 2 is set well over a decade before the events of Red Dead Redemption , which takes players into the thick of the Van der Linde gang's story at the peak of their infamy in the great American West. Where Red Dead Redemption followed John Marston's search for vengeance many years after the gang's disbanding, Red Dead Redemption 2 instead follows Arthur Morgan, the right-hand man of Dutch Van der Linde, as he fights to protect the rest of the gang in their journey to stay one step ahead of the law, and the imminent demise of their outlaw life by modern society.Member the games you used to play? We member. The basement at the Hardcore Gamer office has a section known as the Crust Room, with an old grey couch and a big old CRT TV. All the classic systems are down there collecting dust, so in an effort to improve the cleanliness of our work space, we dust off these old consoles every so often and put an old game through its paces, just to make sure everything stays in working order. We even have a beige computer with a floppy disk drive.Your horse is not only your primary means of transportation while roaming the landscape of Red Dead Redemption 2 , but it's also your primary means of storage and carrying equipment between missions. Notably, that includes all of your stored weaponry, tonics, gear, and more, making it all the more important to pay attention to what you have on you.While Red Dead Redemption 2 is very much a "Rockstar game" that allows players to create as much horse-and carriage-fueled chaos as they like, one of the most notable additions to the game is the integration of new layers of interactivity between the player and other NPCs out in the world, including the ability to take a bit more of a pacifist approach to most encounters. Fans of the first Red Dead Redemption understand the importance of a good campfire. Not only was it treated as a save location, it was also the area in which you could fast travel and change outfits. Fans were treated to a beautiful shot of a campfire deep within the wilderness with a gorgeous backdrop of the night sky. It wouldn't surprise us if the campfires served the exact same purpose they did in the first Red Dead Redemption . The only other element that would be a welcome addition to the campfire menu would be if it were the area in which you could level up and/or upgrade your skills. This would assume that Rockstar is leaning more into the RPG mechanics of an Open World games guide-world experie

From the visuals and score that feel drawn straight from the past several decades of Western cinema classics, to a world that is full of secrets to discover, to a story that continually pulls you in over the course of its many twists and turns, Red Dead Redemption 2 truly comes as close to the sense of a "living, breathing world" that I think we have ever seen from a game before, and it's truly invigorating to play and experience every inch of this world and see what it has to offer.2015 is mere hours away, and I could not be more excited to say goodbye to 2014. A lot of things happened during the year that I liked, and a lot of things I didn’t. The games industry has plenty to prove after 2014 with numerous disastrous launches, delays and disappointments. Going forward into 2015 there are certain games I'd like to see announced, certain games launch, or specific things happen within the gaming industry. These are my wishes for the game industry; 15 for 2015. Maybe community involvement could help solidify the success of the online experience in _ Red Dead Redemption 2, _ right? Hold your horses, partner. While Rockstar has essentially allowed gamers to mod _ GTA V’s _ single-player campaign, the same cannot be said about the game’s online experience. It makes sense that Rockstar would want to maintain an online integrity to allow all players to enjoy the same experience, but at the end of the day, it is the outspoken gaming community that ultimately decides what is acceptable in the games they pNaturally, headshots are going to be your best option when taking on enemies as they will practically take out anything in one hit. So when faced with a large group of enemies ahead, or if you just need a moment to clear out an overwhelming gunfight, take your time to eliminate large groups of enemies with well-placed headshots rather than going for multiple shots on one target. Unless you really don't like the guy and just want to riddle them with bullets: then that's okay.A bit hypocritical perhaps, but at least two Uncharted games and one Gears of War game could use some serious updating. Both Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune (2007) and Gears of War (2006) are horribly outdated compared to modern standards. It would be cool to see these games redone with modern gameplay and graphics. Uncharted: Golden Abyss (2012) was released on the PS Vita. Seeing it remade for PS4 would be sweet as pie. Personally, I’d love to see the collections bundled together ala Halo: The Master Chief Collection. Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection and Gears of War: The Locust War Collection would be so cool to have.As you spend time with your horse, you'll be able to increase its stamina and health the more that you ride it and care for it, such as feeding it, brushing it, and calming it when it's frightened or startled. However, you can also unlock new abilities and tricks in Red Dead Redemption 2 once you increase the bond with your horse at certain levels, such as rearing and a quick turn maneuver to avoid danger ahead.As a prequel, Red Dead Redemption 2 is set well over a decade before the events of Red Dead Redemption , which takes players into the thick of the Van der Linde gang's story at the peak of their infamy in the great American West. Where Red Dead Redemption followed John Marston's search for vengeance many years after the gang's disbanding, Red Dead Redemption 2 instead follows Arthur Morgan, the right-hand man of Dutch Van der Linde, as he fights to protect the rest of the gang in their journey to stay one step ahead of the law, and the imminent demise of their outlaw life by modern society.Member the games you used to play? We member. The basement at the Hardcore Gamer office has a section known as the Crust Room, with an old grey couch and a big old CRT TV. All the classic systems are down there collecting dust, so in an effort to improve the cleanliness of our work space, we dust off these old consoles every so often and put an old game through its paces, just to make sure everything stays in working order. We even have a beige computer with a floppy disk drive.Your horse is not only your primary means of transportation while roaming the landscape of Red Dead Redemption 2 , but it's also your primary means of storage and carrying equipment between missions. Notably, that includes all of your stored weaponry, tonics, gear, and more, making it all the more important to pay attention to what you have on you.While Red Dead Redemption 2 is very much a "Rockstar game" that allows players to create as much horse-and carriage-fueled chaos as they like, one of the most notable additions to the game is the integration of new layers of interactivity between the player and other NPCs out in the world, including the ability to take a bit more of a pacifist approach to most encounters. Fans of the first Red Dead Redemption understand the importance of a good campfire. Not only was it treated as a save location, it was also the area in which you could fast travel and change outfits. Fans were treated to a beautiful shot of a campfire deep within the wilderness with a gorgeous backdrop of the night sky. It wouldn't surprise us if the campfires served the exact same purpose they did in the first Red Dead Redemption . The only other element that would be a welcome addition to the campfire menu would be if it were the area in which you could level up and/or upgrade your skills. This would assume that Rockstar is leaning more into the RPG mechanics of an Open World games guide-world experie