The wait for Red Dead Redemption 2 will be over this October, and Rockstar’s open world cowboy epic is understandably one of the most anticipated games of the year. Promising a massive follow-up to 2010’s Red Dead Redemption, the developer is no doubt looking to at least come close to the same level of gaming phenomenon that it achieved with Grand Theft Auto 5 - a game that remains a top seller to this day and is now the most profitable entertainment product ever.
With that in mind, some may expect that the game’s pre-release trailers might have been met with some major praise, further building up hype for the game ahead of its release. However, Red Dead Redemption 2's trailers may have been met with some fairly strong acclaim, but there's still a vocal group of long-time Red Dead Redemption fans that have not exactly been impressed with what Rockstar has put out for the title thus far. Indeed, it's fair to say that some gamers have been feeling a little disappointed by the pre-release output about the title.
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In short, some fans have been a bit put out by the lack of a pure gameplay-focused trailer so far. The game has been on the receiving end of three trailers so far, and in the eyes of some they still have not seen what Red Dead Redemption 2 can offer from a gameplay perspective. For those wanting to know more about how the title will actually play, it's been a little bit of a frustrating experience.
That's not to say that Rockstar hasn't included some elements of the game in action, though. It's been confirmed that the Red Dead Redemption 2 trailers so far have included gameplay elements within the larger cinematic and story-based focus of the trailers themselves. However, as of yet players have yet to give a serious look at the specifics of how the game will look and feel in action, with instead Rockstar focusing on the plot and themes of the game as a whole.
It's something that those who prefer to know how a game operates rather than how it tells its story are finding a little trying by now. One of the big pulls of Grand Theft Auto 5 was, and still is, its multiplayer elements, yet so far information on the title's online modes is very much thin on the ground. As such, fans have been left instead with rumors that point towards a potential battle royale mode while awaiting some official confirmation from Rockstar.
That's before getting into simple information such as how shooting and movement actually work. Although there have been some descriptions of the game based on early previews, that's a very different thing from seeing it in the flesh, and as such those who base a game purely on the mechanics have been left out by Rockstar's Red Dead Redemption 2 trailers so far. We may have had the teaser of a young John Marston, but a better look at how the game functions was higher on the wish list for some.
Something that those concerned by the lack of pure gameplay focus can take solace in is Rockstar's track record when it comes to pre-release footage, though. Grand Theft Auto 5 had a similar trailer strategy in place, with the developer putting a major emphasis on theatrical, cinematic trailers that gave fans a much greater look at what the game would be about over dev diary videos showcasing how it would play. At the very least, that sets a pretty good precedent for Red Dead Redemption 2 - even if it would be preferable to get an overview of story and gameplay together.