Benjamin Byron Davis, the actor that gave voice and life to Dutch van der Linde in Red Dead Redemption 2, has a mother who has taken the odd journey of playing through the story of her son being the leader of an outlaw gang of cowboys. In Jessica Hoffman Davis‘ essay, posted on Reddit by her son, she reflects on the experience.
“But beyond the imaginary part of it all; it was so real. As if I was living in another time when folks travelled over roads that were narrow paths that led over wooden bridges and through rushing streams.“
Jessica Hoffman Davis is 75, the author of six books, holds a Doctorate in Human Development and Psychology, and loves her son.
Rockstar is offering a $10,000 bounty to anyone that can prove they were banned from Red Dead Redemption 2’s online mode in error. The catch is that you have to prove to Rockstar that the ban came as a result of a “false positive” and you were innocent of whatever charge caused your ban. Go here to register for the studio’s bounty program, and get to it. Just don’t cry if your ban sticks and you get nothing.
A warning for cowpokes looking for an easy payday: Rockstar has been offering a similar bounty for years in Grand Theft Auto Online, and they haven’t paid out yet. Plenty of other hacks have been reported, and the participants have gotten relatively small ($100 to $1,000) rewards for helping out, but the ban jackpot remains safe.
Rockstar has graduated Red Dead Online, the multiplayer portion of Red Dead Redemption 2, out of beta status. The “full” launch includes poker, more cooperative story missions, free roam activities, and cosmetic bits and bobs to buy for your online desperado.
The developers say that they’ve built a solid foundation for Red Dead Online, on which they plan to build content for years to come. Starting this summer, Rockstar plans to add player roles to the online mode that will offer virtual cowpokes the chance to specialize in bounty hunting, trading, or collecting artifacts.
Take Two CEO Strauss Zelnick told investors during a quarterly earnings call that Red Dead Online is already outpacing Grand Theft Auto V’s GTA Online performance during its initial run.
Take-Two is suing Pinkerton Consulting & Investigations. The company, founded as the Pinkerton National Detective Agency in 1850, filed a cease-and-desist letter against the makers of Red Dead Redemption 2 in December for the use of their name in association with the characters Andrew Milton and Edgar Ross. Take-Two is now suing to have the use of the Pinkerton Detective Agency in their game declared fair use, arguing that the investigative firm’s name is part of the historical setting.
The Pinkerton complaint accuses Red Dead Redemption 2 of capitalizing on the “goodwill” associated with the storied security agency’s trademark, and creates the false impression that the game was made with their approval or assistance. Pinkerton demands ongoing royalties from sales of the game, or a one-time payment based on projected sales.
Take-Two asserts that the use of the Pinkerton name in their fictional setting is covered under the First Amendment. They also point out in their lawsuit that there is a long history of popular fiction using the Pinkerton Detective Agency’s name including BioShock, Deadwood, and The Long Riders.
Clothing makes the man, as they say. You want to feel like a cowpoke? You had better dress for the part. You could buy a wide-brimmed Stetson, some Levis, a bandanna, shirt, and a pair of boots for a reasonable sum, but how do you let everyone know that you specifically want to be part of the Van der Linde Gang? Put on some official Barking Irons Red Dead Redemption 2 clothing, and no one will doubt your pretend desperado bona fides. That Gunslinger Jacket (Field Tan) is only $250 and comes with “A. Morgan” printed on the collar, just like an honest-to-gosh rough rider. Barking Irons started in 2003 in New York City, so you know they know cowboys. New York City!
Red Dead Redemption 2 launches in a little under a month on consoles, and you’re probably going to want to make some room on your hard drives. Rockstar’s western epic may require over 100 gigabytes of space on Xbox One and PlayStation 4. The news comes from a Target listing for a PlayStation 4 Pro bundle, via Rockstar Intel, that notes the whopping 105GB of space needed for the game. The box text also claims that Red Dead Online (the 1800’s version of GTA Online) will support up to 32 players at the same time, an increase of two cowboys from GTA Online’s 30-player max. Giddy-up!
There’s still no word of a PC version, so those hard drives are safe for now.
Preorders are now officially open for Red Dead Redemption 2. Among the dizzying array of virtual bits and bobs and physical gewgaws available, is the War Horse, the infamously powerful equine from the first game. Like the current offer, the War Horse was a preorder incentive. It was also hands-down the absolute best horse in Red Dead Redemption. It had three times the health of any normal horse available to the player, and it tied the next best horses for speed and stamina. In fact, it was the only horse that had enough health to withstand a mountain lion attack. Beyond satisfying the completionist urge, there was no reason to own any other horse in the game. We don’t know how horse stats will work in Red Dead Redemption 2, or where the War Horse will sit in the rankings, but giddayup for the only horse that comes close to Roach.
You can find a gun in Grand Theft Auto V’s GTA Online mode right now that can be unlocked for use in Red Dead Redemption 2. The golden Double-Action Revolver is up for grabs somewhere in the countryside of Los Santos. Players interested in the bounty need only answer the new message on the in-game smartphone and begin a multi-part scavenger hunt. Once you have the revolver, if you want to see it in Red Dead Redemption 2 on Xbox One or PlayStation 4, you need to complete the headshot challenge. After all that, you’ll have your gun in the upcoming game, assuming the game releases while you’re still alive.
Gamers have racked up over 100 million hours of gameplay in backwards compatible Xbox 360 games. This, according to Microsoft, is to date since the feature rolled out in November of 2015. With the New Xbox One Experience update owners of the Xbox One can play selected Xbox 360 games they already own on the newer console either digitally or by using their old discs. Popular titles like Fallout 3, Gears of War, and Call of Duty: Black Ops have been snatched up by players eager to relive the heady days of the last console generation as soon as they were added to the service.
The full list of backwards compatible games has grown steadily, but significant entries like Crackdown and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion remain absent. While gamers clamor for these missing games, Microsoft and the publishers have chosen to stay quiet, saving their announcements for maximum value. The latest being no exception. At long last, Rockstar’s cowboy magnum opus, Red Dead Redemption is coming to backwards compatibility.
Starting on Friday, every Red Dead Redemption Xbox 360 owner will be able to play the game directly on their Xbox One, regardless of which version of the game they own (Red Dead Redemption, Undead Nightmare and Red Dead Redemption: Game of the Year Edition). And for those who have yet to experience it, the game will be available to purchase on Friday from the Games Store on Xbox One.
Red Dead Redemption currently has a reduced price in Microsoft’s Ultimate Game Sale.
