Red Dead Redemption 2 Trailer: 9 Things Everybody Totally Missed
Finally, a female protagonist in a Rockstar game.
After six long, cowboy-less years, Rockstar have finally dropped the trailer for their long-awaited followup to Red Dead Redemption. Otherwise known as the best damned western game of all time.
I mean, it took them long enough. Do you honestly want to know how many TCM western movie marathons I've had to endure to account for the severe lack of Red Dead content since 2010? Way, way too many. But at least we've got solid confirmation of the sequel/prequel/whatever that's heading our way in autumn 2017.
RDR 2 simply has to be a prequel, given Rockstar's hints towards the frontier and the apparent lack of tech in Red Dead's fictitious analogue to 19th century America. And although the trailer was very much a teaser - RDR 2 is about a year away, after all - it's pretty easy to see (if you know where to look) who's going to be returning. Basically, it looks like we're revisiting John Marston before he got well and truly ventilated bringing his old gang to justice in 1911.
Presumably, we'll see a completely different side to the character, as throughout Red Dead Redemption, Marston was forever trying to distance himself from "what he'd done", attempting somewhat to atone for past sins and get on with a life of cow herding, bear hunting, and prematurely tasting Mrs. Marston's cooking.
However, without further adieu, check out what we did pick up from Red Dead's trailer, as it's looking mighty fine indeed.
--
9. This HAS To Be Marston
In the wake of the trailer's release, fans have been trying to figure out who the balaclava-clad anti-heroes seen at its climax are, but outside of that, if I were a gambling man, I'd be willing to bet that the fiery figure at the trailer's epicentre is, in fact, our beloved John Marston.
The ominous narration certainly alludes to story threads established in Redemption, as the crux of that narrative involved John being sucked back into a life he wished no longer to be a part of.
If he is rolling with Dutch's gang at the time of RDR 2's story, I can only imagine the weariest of members was telling John to cut his losses and get the Hell out of Dodge as soon as the opportunity presented itself. Given the lore of Red Dead's world, it wouldn't be at all premature to guess that Dutch van der Linde - one of the unwilling antagonists of Redemption - was handing down this very paternalistic piece of advice to a young twenty-something Marston.
To that effect, seeing the gang's relationships gradually erode and sour over the course of the title would make Redemption's already emotive narrative sting just that little bit more. There will of course be cries that Rockstar are missing a trick in bringing back Marston, but, given the right level of care and attention, bringing the wayward protagonist's narrative full circle could make for a storytelling masterstroke.