Breakin' Hearts and Ships in Hardspace: Shipbreaker

I decided to do something that I generally don't do--buy a couple of games that are in Early Access.  Generally, I like to wait until games are in full release and all the bugs and weirdness have been worked out.  Both of the games I purchased had positive reviews so I decided it was worth the gamble.  One of the games I purchased is a follow-up to one of my favorite food related indie series--Cook, Serve, Delicious--and I'm currently playing it and will write it up sometime later.  The other game I purchased is a new entry into the simulation world--Hardspace:  Shipbreaker.

In Hardspace, you play as an unfortunate individual who has managed to rack up an impressive amount of futuristic debt (there isn't currently a backstory about this debt) and has no choice but to take up the lucrative, but extremely dangerous profession of salvaging spaceships.  Breaking up ships requires special tools--a grapple gun that can connect to objects and push or pull them toward a target; a special laser torch that can be used to cut through or melt certain materials; a specialized scanner that can help identify the components on a ship; and, of course, thrusters to help you navigate zero-g, and your handy space suit to protect you from the dangers of a no atmosphere.

The game begins with a short tutorial that explains the basics--how to use your tools, how the various components on ships function, and how to avoid the various dangers of space salvage.  Each ship has a "work order" that details exactly which valuable components you should recover and your goal is to recover them as quickly as you can--each "shift" is 15 minutes long and the ultimate goal is to salvage an an entire ship within this timeframe (which is really, really difficult and is a huge point of contention right now in the Steam discussion for this game).  Salvaging ships means using your tools to cut and then guide the various broken down parts to the correct area for processing--this can be challenging as sometimes you are guiding HUGE chunks of material toward a specific goal.  Another major hazard are the contents of the ships themselves--ships are powered by nuclear reactors which are very valuable, but will go into meltdown as you try to remove them--failing to properly remove reactors within a specific amount of time results in a BIG BOOM and potentially your death (you can be cloned, but it costs!).  Electrical components on a ship can zap you....potentially causing your death.  Coolant components can freeze you....potentially causing your death.  Fuel components can start fires and burn you...potentially causing your death.  See a pattern?  One of the other interesting ways to die (and/or make your job even more difficult) is caused by depressurization--ships are pressurized for safe interspace travel so one of your first goals is usually to depressurize them (using controls located inside the ship) to avoid a violent depressurization which usually has the effect of violently blowing up part of the ship.

During your shift there are resources that you need to buy--oxygen being the most important, but also other things like fuel for your thrusters, tethers (a tool for your grapple gun that allows you to link and pull objects toward a specific direction), or repair kits (because your tools degrade through use).  You're incurring more debt, even as you work toward paying off your debt...sigh.  When you finish your 15 minute shift and return to the "hab" (your space home) you find out how much money you made during your shift...well, minus the expenses for renting your equipment, your room and board on the hab, interest on your debt, etc.  Basically, every day you're getting charged almost $500,000.  If you want some of your hard earned money to go toward paying off your debt, you're going to need to exceed these daily costs.  If you don't....the amount gets added onto your debt.  At first, it really feels like a Sisyphean feat.

Since Hardspace:  Shipbreaker is in early access, this isn't a formal review, but more of an informational post about the game (currently, they just released the first update which was mostly bug fixes).  Eventually, when the game goes into full release, I will do a formal review.

Good:

+ If you're a fan of simulation games and space related games, you will enjoy the zero-g atmosphere and the space-y feeling of the game.  Learning how to maneuver in zero-g is pretty fun and learning how to use your tools to make this easier is also fun.

+ Two different game modes.  In career mode you have specific objectives that help you earn higher ranking certifications and unlock bigger, more difficult (but more lucrative) ships to salvage.  In career mode you work in 15 minute shifts and can work as many shifts as you want toward salvaging a ship (but, you will incur the new fees at the end of every shift).  In free play mode, there is no shift timer and you can choose which type of ship you want to salvage--it's mostly a relaxed experience (there are no fees and you make no money).  Once you max out your certification level there are also more challenging modes that unlock--one limits you to only a certain number of clones (basically you start a career with only a certain number of clones) or an iron man-like mode where don't get any clones.

+ The type of game where you want to practice to improve your skills.  The goal is to pay off your debt, and this can seem very challenging at the beginning of the game as you're learning the ropes and figuring out the best way to make money.  The 15 minute timer is unrealistic for me, so I mostly focus on trying to make sure that I can at least make some profit every shift.  Some shifts I fail at this and some shifts I can make a good sum.  You're constantly trying to figure out the best way to reach your goal without the game handholding you through it.  Navigating various dangers is also challenging.

+ Some fun aspects and sort of collectibles--each ship you salvage contains data drives which you can take back to the hab and decode for Lynx points (which are used to upgrade your gear).  The data drives contain messages that add some flavor and backstory to the game world.

+ Leaderboards and competitive aspects.  The devs seem to really want to make part of the game about competition.  If you're into that, it could be a fun opportunity to see how efficient you can get.

Needs Work:

- Currently, there are only 5 or 6 different ship types.  I've reached rank 6 (or 7) and all the ships I salvage are the same type.  There are 4 more certification levels and no other ship types.  A big consensus in the community on Steam is that going forward there will need to be more ship types added.

- Not well optimized and might not work well on older machines.  I noticed that it makes my computer run a bit on the hot side (I turned down the graphics settings and it still gets a bit warm).  Others have also commented on this.

- Currently, ships will not save when you quit the game.  You can work as many shifts as you want on one ship, but if you quit, it will be gone and you will have to start on a new ship.

- All the normal early access bugs.  Some people were reporting that their career advancement was resetting (I haven't encountered this).  I have encountered a known issue with fuses--if you try to pick them up they will kill you (through some sort of massive force explosion that destroys your helmet).  Just know that you will likely encounter bugs (it's early access...so, to be expected).  I've also encountered 1 crash.

- Advancing certification levels feels quite grindy at the moment (it will be better once they add more ship types).  Each level means completing a set of objectives--it could be something like a certain amount of metal salvaged or a certain number of work order specific objectives.  If you just enjoy the challenge of breaking the ships (and trying not to die) it doesn't feel too bad, but if you're focusing quickly advancing...you're going to feel those grindy feelings.

- The tutorial explains some basics about using your tools and gameplay, but there are quite a lot of things that really aren't explained.  Some of them you can figure out for yourself, but others are more difficult--for example, salvaging certain items can require a specific set of steps (class 2 reactors will go into premature meltdown if you don't follow a very specific method for removing them) and those are not detailed in the game.  I still don't understand how fuses work and how they are related to the power cores (but I avoid them anyway because they're bugged).

- 15-minute shift timer controversy.  Many people are not enjoying the 15 minute timer and want the devs to make it longer.  Personally, I mostly ignore the timer and just do as many shifts as it takes but some people are upset about the difficulty of trying to salvage the whole ship within 15 minutes.  I wouldn't mind if the timer was longer for the bigger ships, but it's not a huge deal for me.  There are some hints that penalties for taking many shifts might be added into later gameplay. (**addressed in patch on 7/9**)  

Should you buy it?

I've played a mostly enjoyable 22 hours but am currently giving it a break.  Figuring out how to deconstruct ships and navigate dangers is enjoyable and is good for people who want a relaxing experience.  At the moment (and it is very early in early access) there isn't a ton of content so once you've played for a bit, you've pretty much experienced what there is to experience--you can continue grinding the same ship type and slowly watching your debt tick down and advancing your certification.  I guess, at this point, I would say buy with caution and understanding that it's a work in progress.

There's actually very little heartbreaking going on...except the feeling of breaking your own heart when you do something asinine like accidentally flinging a huge chunk of ship into the wrong tunnel or blowing yourself up (twice) while removing a class 2 reactor.

UPDATE 7/14/2020:

In the most recent update the devs addressed the shift timer controversy by adding in another campaign mode called "open shift."  In open shift mode there is no timer, so you can fully dismantle a ship taking however long you want.  Another strange (but according to the devs, much requested) feature is that your oxygen no longer depletes.  Personally, I don't understand changing the way the oxygen works, but I think the open shift option gives players the more relaxing, less rushed experience that many wanted.  I don't think you will fully be able to dismantle a ship without returning to the hab due to the fact that your gear does degrade with use and you can only use repair kits in the hab.

Even with this much applauded change there are still looming issues--ship type is still scant, there are still lingering performance and optimization issues (I forgot to mention some--like the fact that your mouse sensitivity behaves very oddly at times), but I think it's a a step in the right direction to accommodate different types of players--those who like the challenge and difficulty of the shift timer and want a competitive aspect to the game and those who want a more relaxed campaign.

Outlaw Adventure--Red Dead Redemption 2 Review

After many, many hours of horse riding, bank robbing, and stupid deaths, my adventure in the epic Red Dead Redemption 2 came to an end.  Rockstar has created another great world and story that will undoubtedly remain a steady, top seller for many years.  I really enjoyed my time with RDR2 and am a little bit sad to have wrapped it up (I might experiment with the online portion, but multiplayer generally isn't my bag).

I was unfamiliar with the Red Dead franchise prior to this game but kept seeing high praise from console gamers.  When RDR2 finally made the transition to PC, I was excited but also cautious--many PC reviews cited optimization issues and issues with connection via the Rockstar Games Launcher.  So, rather than jumping immediately on the RDR2 train, I decided to wait it out and see if some of those issues were patched and if reviews improved (and also, for a sale price, because I'm cheap).  The reviews did eventually improve (although some of them are very centered around the online portion of the game) and with a snazzy $10 off coupon from Epic, I decided it was time to mount up on my figurative RDR2 horse.

The story in RDR2 follows the Dutch van der Linde gang--a diverse set of individuals who use their unique talents for acts that aren't exactly legal--and is set in a late 19th century version of a pseudo-United States.  The story opens on the gang as they are in full flight from a robbery gone wrong and are looking for a new place to set up camp.  You play as the rugged cowboy/outlaw Arthur Morgan--a loyal member of the gang who is perfectly content carrying out the orders of its leader, Dutch van der Linde.  The story follows the gang as they try to figure out a way to flee from their past and work toward a potential new beginning that doesn't involve constantly running from the law.  Unfortunately, things quickly start to go wrong and the gang finds itself questioning everything they've worked for (no spoilers!).

A frame of reference for this review:  I have only played the story potion of the game.  I don't know my exact played time (because I bought it on Epic Games and they don't have a play time tracker like Steam) but I would estimate it close to 100 hours.  Even though I like to complete things, the epic scope of this game is insane so I quickly gave up on trying to complete everything.  I mostly stuck to the main story missions and side missions.

Pros:

+ Gorgeous, amazing world.  Rockstar always creates magical, massive playgrounds and RDR2 is no exception.  The open world is a reflection of various regions in the United States--the story begins in the snowy, mountains and quickly moves down into a somewhat wild, western frontier area.  As you explore and advance through the story the world varies--there's the southern inspired, plantation region around the city of Rhodes; the swampy, Bayou Nwa; the Appalachia-esque Roanoke Valley; the sprawling, dirty city of Saint Denis and later in the game the open, Great Plains area as well as the southern deserts.  There's a ton of variety and it's all beautiful.

The open world bustles with life--various species of animals populate their own specific zones and simply identifying all of them is a challenge.  The world is dotted with various cities, farms, cabins, and oddities.  The simple act of trying to uncover the entire map could be quite time consuming, but is a lot of fun.

A beautiful view of the open world in RDR2.

+ Great story filled with plenty of ups, downs, and memorable shootouts.  The van der Linde gang is working toward an ultimate end game--making enough money to leave their pasts behind them and escape to a lush retirement on a tropical island.  In order for that to happen the gang needs to figure out how to set aside enough cash for everyone to get out--this will require more high risk robbery, rubbing elbows with the elite who can help facilitate high paying opportunities (and who often end up victims themselves), and lots of crazy plans.  The road to the ultimate out turns out to be fraught with problems.

+ Challenges, side tasks, and enough activities to keep you busy for a long, long time.  Challenges are molded around various activities in the game world--bandit challenges require players to perfect their skills at robbery; the horseman challenges test your ability to master riding skills--there are many other challenges and each set rewards players with uniquely styled gear.  One of the side tasks I spent a lot of time on was hunting legendary animals and then fishing for legendary fish.  Both activities take you to the far flung regions of the map (there's an aspect of exploration) and killing legendary animals rewards you with unique pelts that can be combined with other hunted pelts to create themed gear sets.

If completing challenges isn't your thing you can spend time trying to find the various stranger activities scattered around the game world or on side missions.  If you really want to dedicate yourself to a life of crime there's the option of robbing trains, stagecoaches, or grand theft auto circa 1890's--stealing horses and wagons to sell.  It's your world!

+ A gang of great characters who you get to know and love (or hate).  The van der Linde gang is a band of misfits--Strauss, the bespectacled Austrian loan shark; Javier, the Mexican gunslinger; Charles, the half-African American, half Native American pal of Arthur; Uncle, the layabout whiner who spends most of his days drunkenly avoiding any work; Miss Grimshaw, the matron and camp boss who keeps everyone in line; Pearson, the former Navy sailor and camp quartermaster; the Marston/Roberts family....and all the others.

+ Riding your horse is weirdly relaxing and enjoyable.  Finding the best horses in the game is another fun way to spend time.  I vote that RDR2 has the best horses--they are beautiful, your character has a relationship and bonds with their horse, and their movement is really well done and feels fluid and natural.

+ Tons of customizable weapons to choose from.  Pistols are your stock sidearm, but throughout the game you find/unlock/can purchase repeating rifles, bolt action rifles, shotguns, a bow, and a wide range of melee weapons (knives, tomahawks, and a machete).  Almost all the weapons can be customized to make them really feel like your own--you can improve a weapon with better rifling, various scopes, metalwork and engraving, custom varnishes and leathers....you can really turn them into personalized works of art (it does cost, but once you're flush with cash you can start adding in these features).

+ Signature oddities hidden in the game world.  Rockstar likes to sprinkle a bit of weirdness into its games and RDR2 is no exception.  I found a cabin that belonged to a cult who had apparently committed suicide while waiting for alien abduction; another cabin fell victim to a hunk of meteor that fell through the roof and killed all the occupants--those are just two examples that come immediately to mind, but checking out the various structures in the game is definitely a fun way to spend time and find all the weird little stories.

+ Combat means shooting a lot of people...and it's really fun--the best part is the Dead Eye ability which greatly slows time and allows you to line up the perfect shots.  As you earn experience by using the Dead Eye ability it improves to include highlighted kill zones on your foes--an even better way to one-shot slay your way through encounters.

I felt a bit mixed about the cover system in the game--you can take cover behind various objects, but you will still get shot through those objects.  Rocks are irregularly shaped and using them for cover is sketchy at best.

+Photo mode.  A beautiful game world naturally lends itself to amazing screenshots which are facilitated by the built-in opportunity to snap a pic.  There are plenty of options for capturing the perfect screenie.

+ A jillion graphics settings to help (confuse) you figure out your perfect setup.  

+ Some of the best weather effects that I have seen in a game.  Blankets of dense fog that make seeing anything difficult, brilliant flashes of lightning, blowing blizzards--each weather effect helps add to the uniqueness of specific regions.

Cons:

- Launchers within launchers.  In order to play RDR2 (regardless of your digital service of choice--Epic or Steam) you have to use the Rockstar Games Launcher.  This means downloading said launcher, trying to remember log-in information from the time you setup a Social Club account (which, by the way, the e-mail account that you used for your initial Social Club account CANNOT BE CHANGED ONCE YOU CONFIRM IT!  Be extra cautious about this!).  I had numerous issues with initial setup--the Rockstar Launcher couldn't find the game files...then I found a fix for that; then (and this was a fluke thing) the Epic Games service couldn't authenticate the files (due to server issues related to a massive number of people trying to activate their free copies of GTA V).  It took me well over an hour just to get the game started!  I was on the brink of hitting refund (I'm really glad I didn't).

The reality is that you need to have an always online connection--I don't even know if playing offline is an option (and that's for the singleplayer story mode).  After my initial issues with setup I think I only had one log-in related issue (many reviews will mention the sketchy nature of the Rockstar Games Services--those issues seem to have been largely fixed).

- Morality system and a handful of choice-based opportunities.  I feel mixed about this aspect of the game.  Players have the ability to mold their version of Arthur into a ruthless criminal or a generally honorable thief--this is mostly facilitated through activities that take place in the open world.  You might encounter someone who needs help and offer to aid them (earning honor points) or you might turn a blind eye and then rob their corpse (earning bandit points)--but, the main storyline is largely linear--Arthur will still be participating in the illegal activities of the gang regardless of what kind of person you've shaped him into.  It just felt disjointed to me.  There are a handful of opportunities within the main storyline to choose Arthur's path of action and I'm not really sure what impact it has on the story.  It lends itself to replayability to choose a different path and witness the impact of those choices.

- Crashes and graphics settings.  I mentioned this as a pro, because the graphics settings are exceptionally detailed and were specifically made that way for the PC version--but finding the perfect settings can be chocked with trial and error.  The initial setup for me defaulted to very high settings which, once I figured out how to change them, I quickly turned down (the game looked absolutely great on ultra but my PC was a bit toasty).  I had numerous crashes (and generally at weird times....like during table games) until I finally settled on what must've been the goldilocks level of settings--"prioritize performance."  If you're experiencing crashing, I would recommend lowering the settings--the game still looks great.  It's worth being aware that that the game will want to leave texture settings on ultra even as you turn down the level of detail.  The downside of the highly detailed graphic settings is that you will need to play with them to figure out what works for you and will result in no crashes.

- Save system is a bit weird.  The game largely autosaves which works well.  You can manually save, but it sort of messes up the autosaves.  I manual saved before a store robbery that I wasn't quite sure I wanted to commit to.  In the course of the robbery there was a weird situation and I accidentally shot someone (I would explain more, but it's kind of spoilery).  I went to reload the save I made just prior to the robbery but found that the autosave had basically overwritten my manual save and I couldn't go back.  I don't think there are any quick saves either.  You're basically stuck with autosaves--I still don't fully understand how it works.

- Some side tasks are quite tedious.  100% completion in RDR2 is a true testament to patience.  It still boggles me why games continue to include laborious collection side tasks.  One set which immediately comes to my mind is given to you by a gentleman who makes fancy hats in Saint Denis and tasks you with gathering rare flowers and Egret plumes.  The flowers only spawn in one very specific set of locations and in a limited amount (same with the Egrets) and collecting the number that this individual wants is not enjoyable.  I completed the first round and then said eff it to the rest.  I also found the table games to be pretty boring and they felt like a chore to complete (which you have to do for the gambler challenges).  I'm also strongly opposed to looking up guides and would rather accomplish things organically--that takes way more time and patience.

- Screenshots taken through the in-game photo mode are not easily accessible--they are physically saved in a strange format that requires special file conversion or they can be uploaded to your Social Club account and downloaded from your page.  It's an extra step that feels unnecessary.

Recommendation:

I had a great time playing RDR2 and would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys open world games with a strong story core.  The cons that I mention were mildly irritating, but the quality of the game and world are definitely worth it.  It is a game that is worth paying full price for.  I wished that I had bought it on Steam due to the fact that its built-in features are definitely better than Epic's (the web browser and screenshots namely).  

How to Die Like an Idiot in Red Dead Redemption 2 (and Other Failures)

I'm still riding and shooting my way through the massive Red Dead Redemption 2.  My focus has finally shifted over to advancing the story (something that I should've done earlier) and Arthur has transitioned to the culturally jarring world of Saint Denis.  Arthur isn't made for the big city and riding through its narrow, dirty streets is unpleasant when compared with the open plains and forests of the earlier zones.  The big city has offered several very memorable shootouts though--notably one involving a high speed chase on a trolley.  When I'm not busy guiding Arthur through the story missions, I've been really good at guiding him (and several times, his poor, amazing horse) into stupidly apparent traps and obvious areas where death is implied (mostly through my own dumbness).

The Night Folk are super creepy.

I've made it my mission to mold Arthur into an honorable thief--I will stop when a stranger asks for help (and most of the time helping people does pay off--I've managed to get several free items as a reward).  Unfortunately, having these "good guy" instincts can yield negative results thanks to the deviousness of the other inhabitants of the RDR2 world.  The creepiest death (so far....) of poor Arthur occurred at the hands of a group known as the Night Folks--denizens of the swampy Bayou Nwa region who enjoy silence, creepy skeletal face paint, and slaughtering people.  The situation was an obvious setup--a woman was crying for help in a very remote area.  I trotted Arthur over to the lady, twice asked her what was wrong (to which she wouldn't reply.....derp), and rather than just ride off and ignore the death trap, I figured that Arthur could fend off any stray attackers.  I armed Arthur with the big guns and prepared for whatever was going to jump out of the bushes.  My preparations weren't good enough though and the Night Folk don't mess around with normal weapons--poor Arthur was promptly hacked to death with a tomahawk (yeah, you really want to kill any Night Folk at range because melee weapons are a guaranteed one-shot).

In case you're wondering, there are other very obvious traps that you should avoid.  Poor Arthur also died at a location in the far Northern area around Annesburg when I stupidly stopped to inspect an oddly positioned hanging corpse (I can't resist looting a good corpse).  Upon shooting down the corpse, Arthur was ambushed by the hill people known as the Murfree Brood and died at the hands of a knife wielding redneck.

Arthur has also had a number of tragic run-ins with wildlife--namely cougars.  Cougars are probably the trickiest animals to track (that I've encountered so far).  Every time my HUD lights up with enemy movement I always try to figure out exactly what's causing it (a snake?  A bear?) but you don't have the time to pause when it comes to cougars and they're difficult to detect with Eagle Eye.  At one point I dumbly got Arthur killed in an area where I knew there was a cougar only to have him respawn and then promptly get killed again!  It was crushingly stupid.  I would also partially attribute the deaths of Arthur at the hands of cougars to a challenge that requires killing five cougars with a bow and arrows--I never have the bow equipped and taking the time to cycle through numerous weapons to find it generally results in the gnawing doom of the cougar.  I have developed a healthy desire to slay all the cougars in revenge for Arthur's numerous deaths.

Keeping Arthur alive has obvious financial benefits--it seems to cost an increasing amount of money every time that Arthur dies--but keeping his horse alive has been an overriding focus for me.  Thanks to my obsessive desire to fish and hunt all the legendary animals early on, I stumbled across a very excellent horse--a white Arabian that spawns in the snowy region of Lake Isabelle.  Even though I anticipated that taming this horse would be difficult (because I hadn't encountered another Arabian horse, so I knew it was rare), I managed to help Arthur wrangle it and tame it.  The white Arabian is an amazing horse--great speed and handling!  The only downside that I've encountered is that it does seem extremely skittish and tends to buck you off rather easily at the first sign of trouble.

A majestic beauty.

The real tragedy of the white Arabian is the fact that if it is somehow killed, I have to trudge Arthur all the way back into the mountains and re-break it (and then spend the time increasing its bonding).  Sadly, I've had several versions of the white Arabian thanks to similar stupid death situations as previously described.  The first time I lost it was when I thought that I could possibly gallop quickly across the region of West Elizabeth (an area that is currently completely off limits thanks to the bounty on Arthur's head) to reach an area I wanted to fish--the short answer is no, you cannot do that.  An army of bounty hunters armed with devastating weaponry made quick work of Arthur...and unfortunately, his horse too.

So, I trekked him back up into the mountains to re-break the white Arabian version 2.0.  This horse lasted much longer, but fell victim to the stupidest death at my hands.  One of the survivalist challenges requires you to catch fish from some unconventional and dangerous areas--one fish must be caught by boat from the alligator infested waters of Bayou Nwa and the other must be caught from the railroad bridge close to Saint Denis.  It goes without saying that fishing from railroad tracks is an obvious ploy to force you into a ridiculously dangerous situation.  I was prepared for this situation and dismounted my horse well back and well clear of the railroad bridge...just in case.  I had Arthur hop off and make his way to the (very dangerous) middle of the bridge and was prepared to listen intently for any signs of oncoming trains and to be ready to dive Arthur off the edge.  Well....planning is all well and good until real life distracts you!  I had just started fishing when I got distracted by a text message and lost my attention on potential oncoming trains.  Fast forward to a few minutes later, I completely forget about the train and start fishing.  I catch a very large fish and hear the ominous toot, tooting of the train whistle!  The situation becomes doubly tragic when my horse automatically runs from its safe position at the end of the tracks right onto the middle of the bridge to help facilitate transporting the large fish.  I could do nothing but watch as first Arthur was rammed by the train, dragged up the tracks, and then his poor, beautiful horse was launched into the river.  I actually laughed at this death because it was particularly dumb (and caused by my distraction).

There was nothing left, but to swallow my pride and trek Arthur back into the mountains to track down version 3.0 of the white Arabian.  (Horse #3 is still going strong!)

The moral of the story--distraction kills; ignore your text messages while dangerously fishing on railroad tracks.

When Side Tasks Rule

Red Dead Redemption 2 has been ruling my gaming world.  I've spent hours and hours traversing the massive, open world of the old American West.  Have I finished the story?  Haha....not even remotely close.  Rather than focus on the story missions, Arthur Morgan has been spending the bulk of his time on a mission to hunt (and now fish) across the entire region.  Tracking down legendary critters requires travelling to the far reaches of the map, finding clues related to the animal in question, and then tracking down and slaying it.  There's a part of me that feels a bit sad about killing the amazing, majestic creatures (and, as a side task hunting is purely optional) but slaying legendary beasts provides materials for trinkets (or talismans) which provide benefits for Arthur.  Another side benefit of skinning the beasts is that you can sell the hides and use them to craft themed outfits for Arthur.  The outfits are purely cosmetic, but offer the ability to mold Arthur into a true character of the old West.  Some of the outfits are a bit ridiculous--I have no desire for Arthur to roam around with a ridiculous bear head hat or a giant grenadiers cap.  Cobbling together one of these custom outfits is no mean feat--besides requiring the skins of the legendary beasts, they also require perfect skins from various critters scattered throughout the world.  I'm not sure I have the resilience to hunt down all the required animals.

One aspect of hunting that I'm really questioning is the fact that many of the crafting tasks require materials from non-wild creatures and instead aim you to killing farm animals (pigs, goats, cows, etc.).  It feels a bit weird to have to intrude on a farm and slay its livestock.  I wish there was a way that Arthur could buy the hides of these farm animals from butchers rather than having to slay and skin them himself.

It's a beautiful world in RDR2.

Mostly, I'm having a good time with RDR2.  The world is absolutely amazing and while I've been sending Arthur on his legendary animal hunts, I've also made it a point to try to explore various places scattered around the map.  In true Rockstar form, there are some unique (and weird) stories attached to these places.  I found a remote cabin with a hole in the roof and a circle of mutilated inhabitants sitting around a crater in the floor--what the actual hell?  Some minor exploring revealed that a meteor had crashed into the cabin and killed the unfortunate group of settlers.  I also found the 19th century version of the Heaven's Gate cult in a cabin filled with skeletons and the eerie glow of a passing UFO.

There are parts of the game though that conflict with other parts of the game.  One part that I'm questioning is the morality meter.  You can choose how Arthur reacts to certain situations in the open world or in the story--for example, strangers might ask Arthur for help or present a situation that could potentially be financially beneficial (opposing gang members holding up a wagon or train are ripe for attack and claiming the fruits of their misdeeds for yourself).  Arthur scores "honorable" points for helping people...but to me, that part of the game feels weird.  Arthur is a member of an outlaw gang--the story (so far....which I'm not very far) revolves around the gang robbing and stealing from various entities.  Arthur's a "good," bad guy?  It's strange and I'm curious if it's going to have an impact on the story later on.  I always lean toward the "honorable" side of things.  I've also been confused by how morality works in relation to looting--looting the corpses of hostile gang members is fine, but looting the bodies of strangers will result in "bandit" points.  It's odd.

Another set of side tasks that have been mildly distracting are the challenges.  Challenges require you to complete a certain set of skilled tasks and reward Arthur with unique gear.  I was focusing on the gambler challenge, but I don't find the side games to be overly engaging so I don't know how much more I will accomplish--I'm at the point where I'm supposed to get three people to bust out of three separate poker games.  Other challenges have been easier to accomplish--the horseman tasks have been fairly straightforward.

Speaking of horses, one irritant I encountered was a weird experience with my horse.  I was completing a bounty and was attacked by some other bounty hunters.  In the process of trying to escape them and gun them down, my horse, Fred, was shot and downed.  I managed to kill off the remaining bounty hunters and used some horse reviver on Fred to get him back on his feet, but oddly, a few minutes later I failed the mission because I had acquired a wanted level (a witness riding by witnessed the shootout with the bounty hunters).  When the game reloaded it was after the point where I had slain the bounty hunters, but I was on an unnamed, random horse!  Fred had disappeared into the ether (he wasn't in the stables either).  Although Fred wasn't some super rare type of horse, I was still a bit irritated at the situation (but instead have focused on finding and breaking other types of horses).

Black Belle offers to pose for a quick photo.

One of my favorite side tasks so far has been tracking down former gunslingers to try to get them to share information about Jim Calloway (the fastest left-handed gunslinger in the West).  Mostly these former gunslingers aren't cooperative and you get to have the enjoyable experience of quickdraw shootouts with them.  Only one of them has been cooperative--the lady gunslinger "Black Belle," who offers to help you if you help her in a massive shootout with bounty hunters who are after her head.  She's quite a character and has rigged her swamp hideout with strategically placed dynamite which can be used to explode any bounty hunters who get a bit too close.  I helped her fend off the waves of bounty hunters and escape and she let me snap a goofy picture for the author of the book about Calloway (Calloway seems like an idiot from the small amount of information that these individuals shared prior to being gunned down).

It's back to the old West grindstone for me.  I'm going to be spending more of my time in RDR2 on a new legendary challenge--fishing!  The story can wait for there are fish to be caught.