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Rockstar's acclaimed open-world epic Red Dead Redemption 2 creates a world to really lose yourself in. A world that feels grounded, realistic and unexpected. A world where you can discover all sorts of adventure, wonder and, well, really weird stuff.
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Red Dead Redemption 2 is a story factory that players will have players swapping and sharing anecdotes for years to come - that robbery you just pulled off; the bear attack you barely survived; that time you found out just how far you had to fall to kill your horse (sorry Mr Clops). These are our stories so far - tales of fishing, horses and 'wait, what?!' moments we've collected from our time in the old west so far.
These are our stories. Now tell us yours. Please share your favorite memories in the comments section below, or get in touch via Twitter with the hashtag #reddeadstories. Better yet, share a video clip or a photo of your wildest finds and greatest moments. Naturally, there are mild spoilers below, but nothing that will ruin the core plot or major surprises.
"Horatio the horse exhibited the most natural, instantly believable piece of animal behaviour I’ve ever seen in a video game"
My favourite moment in Rockstar’s wonderful Old West sandbox involves a horse. Not just any horse. The BEST horse. I named him Horatio. He’s all sorts of rad. I stumbled upon Horatio quite by accident. I was wandering through the verdant valleys of Grizzlies West when I spotted my soon-to-be steed. What separated this pony pal from every other horse I passed but ignored? He exhibited the most natural, instantly believable piece of animal behaviour I’ve ever seen in a video game.
The noble beast wasn’t chewing on grass or gently galloping about. Instead, he was rolling around in puddles; his legs kicking at the air like some delighted toddler, completely unaware that my Morgan was watching him through the scope of his Springfield Rifle. It was at that moment I completely fell in love with a fictional horse. So much so, I now care more for Horatio than any single game character since the original Redemption’s John Marston. One of Rockstar’s big goals with its Wild West prequel was to make you emotionally invest in its horses. Suffice to say, mission very much accomplished. Dave Meikleham
"What was even less expected, is that he was lying next to a pig. A pig in a wedding dress"
***Mild spoilers for an incidental random find / easter egg ahead***
I'd just finished a debtors mission and took a random shortcut across a farmer's field. No sooner had my horse lept over the fence, than three farm hands jumped out and started blasting away. Blimey, that's a bit punchy, I thought (having made no attempt to antagonise them), before responding by shooting them all in the face. After retreating to a convenient bush while the Wanted bar faded, I returned to the farm since… well, I might as well rob them now that they'd decided to run their own bloodbath. What happened next, however, was less expected…
One of the more distant barns was conspicuously lit by candlelight. I cantered up, and hitched up my horse. Wading into the barn, I was suddenly confronted by the sight of two bare bottom cheeks - and a farmer lying dead with his pants around his ankles. What was even less expected, is that he was lying next to a pig. A pig in a wedding dress. And before you linger too long on where that tale began… yes, you can steal their golden wedding ring.
"I look to my left to spot ten (yes, ten) bounty hunters wooping and yeehawing on horseback toward me"
There I was, enjoying a peaceful afternoon fishing for bluegill on the banks of the Dakota River, in the hopes of treating everyone back at camp to a hearty meal of fish stew. Suddenly, the music seamlessly changes from pleasant and wistful to ominous and threatening, as a red hue begins to encroach across my minimap. I look to my left to spot ten (yes, ten) bounty hunters wooping and yeehawing on horseback, racing towards my direction alongside their baskerville hounds. Shit. I knew the price on my head was large in this state, but not that large.
I hastily dismantled my fishing rod and began legging it, but my horse Daxter had already fled the scene, forcing me to follow on foot. The hounds were the first to catch up with me, gnawing at my legs before Arthur kicked them off in desperation (sorry, dog lovers). Panicking, I hip fired wildly at the oncoming hunters, landing a few shots on one of the horses to send both rider and mount hurtling towards me in a snowball of flailing limbs. Then, like dominoes, every man, horse, and dog begins falling over one another, with me at the bottom of the unholy scrum. I died, of course, and lost my haul of fish, but it was a price worth paying for such an unforgettable Red Dead memory. Alex Avard
"A tragic tale of a shooting accident and a father driven almost mad by the loss of his dear son"
Despite treating the biggest game of the year like a hunting and fishing simulator, I've stumbled across some weird things on the backroads of Red Dead Redemption 2. The corpses of long departed cult members, a homicidal, incestuous brother and sister, but the most recent was the boy in a basement. A tragic tale of a shooting accident and a father driven almost mad by the loss of his dear son. Unfortunately old pa had chosen to deal with his grief by kidnapping a grown man, forcing him into a sailor suit and keeping him chained up in the basement. I let Sailor Son go of course, but as the bereaved father wailed on the floor of the makeshift jail, I didn't feel good about it. See, this is why I mainly concern myself with catching trout and hunting coyotes. Rachel Weber
"After a few horrendous maulings I eventually downed the beast and took its skin which, I was told, could be made into an awesome new hat"
Hosea had taken me hunting for a bear, which ended with him running off back to camp but, like the heroic cowpoke I am, I stayed to finished the job. After a few horrendous maulings I eventually downed the beast and took its skin which, I was told, could be made into an awesome new hat. However on the way back to camp I came across a lady who’s horse had collapsed. She seemed nice enough so I offered to take her back home, except she wouldn’t get on my horse. Turns out the massive bear pelt I had stored on my steed was in her seat. Now I’m nice but I’m not giving up the potential of a new hat just so she can get home. The compromise was to take the pelt off back of the horse and carry it while little miss to-good-to-sit-on-a-horse-with-a-bear-pelt rode side saddle. It was at this point she had the audacity to say “is something the matter”.
Regardless I kept going. This caused her to get so mad that she got off the horse and announced she’d walk the rest of the way. Not wanting her to get hurt (or die) I followed her to make sure she got home and then I realised she was going in the wrong direction. Despite my efforts to correct her path off she went, so I left her to it. I had a bear hat to claim after all. I eventually got my new hat and, despite it basically being the bears hollowed out head, I popped it on my noggin to show off to the world. Everyone else is going to f*cking love it, I've killed an actual bear! The first person I see says “are you wearing that out of choice?” The next, “you look real, real strange”. Everyone hates my hat and, actually, so do I. James Jarvis
"I can almost see my heart pounding in my chest as I watch the tree fall in slow motion"
In the process of getting some video capture for a swathe of Red Dead Redemption 2 guides, I was exploring Rockstar's epic without headphones on, and therefore totally ignorant of what anyone was saying. So, I was trotting along on my horse, Mildred, as you are wont to do in the Wild, Wild West, and I came across a lumberyard littered with people to speak to for a Chance Encounter. I hop off, park up Mildred near some trees, and head over to speak to one of the men working at the yard. What I don't realise though, is said chap is yelling "timber" as I stroll merrily towards him. I can almost see my heart pounding in my chest as I watch the tree fall in slow motion. The falling, absolutely massive, tree misses Mildred by millimetres. I turn back to the chopper, and attempt to speak to him - I might as well get that Chance Encounter after that near miss - only to find that neither he, nor any of his colleagues would speak to me. I've got my bandana on, looking clearly like the guy that's about to rob them, and I only realise that about six lumberjacks in. By that point they've grown suspicious of me, and accused me of trespassing. Queue the lumberyard dogs I'd been happily patting minutes earlier hunting me down, and a gang of checked-shirt wearing men turning their shotguns on me. Thankfully the very much alive Mildred was there to carry me to safety, but I'd still missed out on any meaningful interaction after all that drama. Sam Loveridge
Wondering where the Red Dead Redemption 2 fast travel system is? So, sit down...
