(UPDATE Oct. 18, 2016) After a couple teases this weekend, Rockstar finally announced today the long-awaited Red Dead Redemption 2. The game will be out in fall of 2017, and Red Dead Redemption 2 will be on PS4 and Xbox One — no word on a PC version. That and news of a Red Dead Redemption 2 trailer were unveiled early this morning in a tweet.
RED DEAD REDEMPTION 2
Coming Fall 2017#RDR2https://t.co/ZacUJ48wvE pic.twitter.com/lffZvn42pR— Rockstar Games (@RockstarGames) October 18, 2016
Now that we’ve gotten more details on it and confirmation of both the name and a trailer date, the hype train can truly get rolling. Following the two teasers below, it’s time to deconstruct what this upcoming game is really about.
— Rockstar Games (@RockstarGames) October 16, 2016
— Rockstar Games (@RockstarGames) October 17, 2016
Per Rockstar, Red Dead Redemption 2 is set in the Red Dead universe, though no official clarification if it involves the Marston family members who were at the center of Red Dead Redemption. Also, the game will have a major online component, which has been a huge moneymaker for Rockstar’s previous release, Grand Theft Auto V. Hopefully Red Dead Redemption 2 won’t suffer from a similar delay that GTAV did. As for the story, we’ll know more when the trailer goes live Thursday morning, 8AM Pacific Time.
Original Story follows…
Rockstar’s Red Dead Revolver is now officially available on PlayStation 4 as a PlayStation Store download. The game costs $14.99 in North America. As is the case with many PS4 re-releases, Rockstar has up-rendered the visuals to 1080p. The game also supports PS4 features such as Trophies, Remote Play, and Shareplay. The PS2 original’s official release by no means guarantees a Red Dead Redemption remaster or Red Dead Redemption 2, but it certainly is a good sign for fans of the western open-world games. See below for some reasons why.
As PlayStationLifestyle.net reported earlier this week, and @Wario64 first pointed out in a tweet, PS2 game Red Dead Revolver unexpectedly appeared on the Australian PlayStation Store this week. Even though Sony took that listing down, there’s now little doubt that the predecessor to Red Dead Redemption is on its way to PlayStation 4 systems as a PlayStation Network title. In fact, this fuels speculation that a Red Dead Redemption remaster is in the works and could be coming to current-gen consoles very soon.
Red Dead Revolver up on AU PSN as PS2 on PS4 game https://t.co/ydhhS0E8dS pic.twitter.com/CmjGJrHzHC
— Wario64 (@Wario64) September 12, 2016
Before Sony removed the listing, Red Dead Revolver cost $22.95 Australian, which should translate to $14.99 here in the States. The store listing contained details on many features typical of PS2 games coming to PS4, such as 1080p upscaling, Trophy support, and Remote Play.
What Is Red Dead Revolver?
Rockstar originally released Red Dead Revolver May 2004 for the PS2 and Xbox. Rockstar previously re-released the game as a PlayStation 3 PSN title in December 2012. Red Dead Revolver received generally favorable reviews at its launch and is currently sitting at a 73 on Metacritic.
The original game follows the exploits of bounty hunter Red Harlow on his quest to seek revenge for the death of his parents. While the gameplay and story of Red Dead Revolver are fun — if not revolutionary — people best remember the game for establishing the style and template for its more celebrated sequel, Red Dead Redemption. That game takes a page from Spaghetti Westerns of the 1960s, complete with outrageous characters, heaps of violence, and a memorable soundtrack that blends classical Country Western instruments like the harmonica with blazing electric guitars.
Is a Red Dead Redemption Remaster Coming Soon?
Even though Sony has since removed the Red Dead Revolver listing from the Australian PlayStation Store, it still appears the game is coming to PS4 soon. This begs the question: Why now? This is where we have nothing to go on but pure speculation, so strap in.
This may be a sign that Rockstar wants to excite consumers about a Red Dead Redemption re-release on current-gen systems. The process of porting over a PSN game previously available on PS3 to PS4 may be simpler than the full remaster of Red Dead Redemption. This is a chance to get something out the door while they work on the full RDR remaster. What better way to build up buzz about an upcoming game than giving people a chance to play its prequel and dropping it on them unannounced? Better still, what if this is the first in a series of releases leading up to an official announcement of a Red Dead Redemption sequel?
Then again, this could just be a quick cash grab and a way to make money off an existing game on yet another platform. We sure hope not, as a PlayStation 4 and Xbox One (not to mention PC) remaster of Red Dead Redemption are long overdue.