Red Dead Redemption 2: 5 Characters That Must Return

By the time you read this, chances are Rockstar will have released more information about Red Dead Redemption 2. You can check back for all our thoughts in the coming hours, but while we eagerly wait to see what's in store, I can't help but speculate what exactly awaits us in the return to the Old West.

How big is the map? What new animals will be helplessly skinned so we can make a buck or two? But more importantly - is it a prequel?

Given that the first game centred around civilisation being evermore present, with cities and cars essentially putting an end to the horseback, gunslinging savagery of the cowboy era, it is most likely set before the events of the first game.

If this sequel is indeed a prequel, then we could see some of the characters in the first game make a glorious return - albeit with a few less wrinkles. Part of the original's success was in its realistic character portrayals. Only a few lines of dialogue concerning one character or another tended to unveil their true depth, and if Rockstar continue to be on top form, we'll be in for a real treat.

Dutch was Marston's former gang leader, and we learn that the entire gang looked up to Dutch. He taught John how to read, and taught the gang right from wrong. Dutch was once a good man, but eventually slipped into becoming the madman we meet in Blackwater.

If RDR2 is a prequel, it would be truly enlightening to see the contrast of the Dutch we met, and the Dutch we heard about. How strange it would be to see the man who shot an innocent woman through the head be an almost Robin Hood-esque figure in his prime.

Not only that, but seeing the dynamic of the gang we all heard about would be truly amazing!