GTA 6 needs to avoid this clunky Red Dead 2 feature to get me interested
Topics: Red Dead Redemption 2, Rockstar Games, GTA, GTA 6, Features, Red Dead Redemption
Featured Image Credit: Rockstar Games
Topics: Red Dead Redemption 2, Rockstar Games, GTA, GTA 6, Features, Red Dead Redemption
I’m not the biggest Red Dead Redemption 2 hater around, but I have to admit that I wasn’t quite as enamoured with it in 2018 as many of you were.
I mean, it’s fine. The world design is unlike anything else I’ve played and I love how immersive some of the gameplay mechanics can be. The story kept me hooked for much of its runtime, and I enjoyed getting to know the characters during this time.
Red Dead Redemption 2 does, by and large, have that Rockstar Games seal of quality. And I’m sure that this kind of polish will be maintained for Grand Theft Auto VI when it releases later this year.
But if there’s one thing that kept Red Dead Redemption 2 from being a great game for me, it’s something so intrinsically baked into the game’s DNA that I fear the same may keep me from enjoying GTA VI.
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Red Dead Redemption 2’s restrictive and repetitive mission structure is arguably one of the weakest parts of its design.
It’s been documented as a low point for players many times over the years, with plenty of people feeling burned out by the way each mission is designed to discourage sandbox-style gameplay and creative problem solving.
Rockstar Games designed many locations in Red Dead Redemption 2 to have multiple entrances and exits, with loads of different ways to get around and interact with the environment. Many systems, such as the law enforcement or wildlife populating the land, also interact with each other in unique, fun ways.
However, inside missions it’s a different story. There are fewer ways to approach each objective, and you’re usually forced into the one approach that Rockstar has designed for you, without many opportunities to divert off the beaten path.
There’s a mission in Red Dead Redemption 2 where you’re tasked with reaching a room in a compound to kill a guy. It’s a pretty simple ‘video gamey’ premise, but it’s something that sounds about right for an open world action adventure game.
Except, any attempt to flank the building, or use some creative thinking to reach the room, or even try to kill the target without entering results in a mission failed screen.
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You’re basically forced to follow the path that Rockstar laid out for you, whether that’s your preferred route or not, and you’re not given much freedom to go outside of these parameters.
When you also consider that a lot of Red Dead Redemption 2 mission objectives basically boil down to “five minutes of riding with your posse to another location, one minute of combat, and then another five minutes riding back”, you can see why the game gets a little repetitive in that regard.
Some people like all of this, I guess. It’s a tool in making the game feel more “cinematic” and “scripted”, which is something that has obviously appealed to many players over the years.
However, it’s a far cry from the mission design in the first Red Dead Redemption, which gave you plenty of freedom to tackle objectives in multiple ways, including methods that weren’t anticipated by Rockstar.
The same goes for earlier GTA games, especially those in the 3D trilogy. Missions gave you a very simple objective, and wouldn’t hold your hand in trying to complete it.
Oh, you have to kill a guy? You can sneak up to him and take him by surprise, you can gun him down from afar, chase him to his car and pursue in a vehicle, run him over with your car, you can blow up his car with a bomb. The opportunities go on, and what was fun about these games is that Rockstar would very rarely give you a game over screen for thinking outside the box.
For Grand Theft Auto VI, I’m a little worried that Rockstar might set the same rules and restrictions for many of its story mode missions. If I’m playing a well-realised, and well-polished open world game, I’m going to want to mess around in the missions. The more restricted I feel, the less fun and rewarding that feels.
So far, we haven’t seen any real gameplay from GTA VI, so I’m keeping an open mind for now. But if Rockstar really wants me to pay attention, then it could do me a solid and avoid the clunky Red Dead Redemption 2 mission structures in favour of something that promotes freedom of approach and encourages creative problem solving.