Red Dead Online Beta Impressions, 'Make It Count' Mode Review and Esports Appeal

Red Dead Online was inevitable after the success of Grand Theft Auto Online. 

Not only did Rockstar have the gargantuan task of following up on the years and years worth of playtime and always-expanding universe of GTAO, the online portion of Red Dead Redemption 2 had to follow up on one of the greatest games of all time.  

Promising a Westworld-esque playground with endless activities and things to do, RDO launched in beta form with the impossible task of matching more in the way of expectations than almost any release across all media. 

While it is far from perfect, Red Dead Online hits a bull's-eye more often than it misses. 

Online Impressions 

Don't expect an enthralling story here befit of propping up video games as an art alongside movies and the rest. 

RDO starts innocently enough with a cookie-cutter story baked around being a prisoner, escaping and all that comes with it. The character creation aspect is reminiscent of GTAO and rather solid, though it requires some serious time investment to craft a normal, non-ugly character. 

That character does feature a few of the mode's more disappointing aspects. He or she can't talk, which NPCs in the world feel the need to point out a few times as if it isn't awkward enough already. And Arthur Morgan's verbal gun-slinging ways are out the window in RDO—not only is the character mute, the prompts to interact with NPCs in the world (greet, antagonize, etc.) are absent. 

Those complaints stick out worse than a character's yellow teeth upon loading up the world, especially if coming right from the dialogue-rich single player. But otherwise, RDO is an open-ended blast, boasting a fully featured map accessible to the player right away. 

For the most part, the player gets turned loose in the exact same instance as the single-player romp. Story missions, strangers and multiplayer sessions are available via bubbles on the map like they were in GTAO, or players can choose from the same options via a Netflix-style browser via the start menu. 

Free roam is going to be where players likely spend most of their time. As always in a game like this, the behavior of other players can have a big impact on enjoyment. Those who want to be left alone by a player who is harassing them can thankfully engage a smart system called a Parley, which puts a targeted player in a timeout of sorts when it comes to damaging the player. And while it is disappointing there isn't a passive mode (yet?), players can at least engage a passive mode at their camps by raising the white flag. 

Other random players notwithstanding, some of the best details about the fully featured game are here. Hunting is fun and lucrative. Kicking it with a party member or even a stranger at the bar is a good time. Goofing off in any number of ways, such as robbing a train, makes for a memorable moment. Small quality-of-life changes are a welcome bonus, like having a catalog with the player at all times instead of needing to go to stores. 

Rockstar will have to find a way to balance the various sorts of players in time. Those who like the methodical, simulation approach to living in the old west can find it here in spades but won't want to deal with the players looking for PvP action in free roam. A passive mode would help more than it would hurt. 

Speaking of competitive multiplayer, it can be a bit of a mess, at least for someone who prefers more skill-based affairs. Arthur's story was incredible in many ways, and one of those was the weighty movement speed and interaction with the environment. 

Not so in multiplayer. These same systems and mechanics are in multiplayer, which hinders, not helps things. Getting stuck on the environment or not changing directions quickly enough doesn't add realism to the combat, it merely feels clunky. And while the aiming worked well in singleplayer, it's often a case of who sees who first and clicks auto-aim-lock-on first and wins fights. 

But to be fair, this sort of gameplay will appeal to some more than others. A huge array of weapons awaits players. Even in team-based modes team play isn't exactly a natural result of the maps or spawns, but if chaos is what a player seeks, it's all here. Longtime GTAO players will be happy to hear load times have been significantly chopped down, too. 

Looping back to free roam, one topic is bound to dominate the conversation for months to come, regardless of when the game leaves the beta stage. 

The economy.

Polarizing might be the best word to describe what is in place as of this writing. On one hand, the prices for some items seem super inflated. On the other, comparing them to real-world prices doesn't make a ton of sense, nor should everyone have enough cash handy upon the launch of a beta to afford endgame items—these are brand-new characters starting from scratch, after all. 

Which isn't to say the economy is perfect. Rockstar invited some raises of the eyebrow by including two sets of currency in RDO, one being traditional money, the other gold bars. They aren't right now, but those gold bars will be purchasable with real-world money down the road. 

This has opened up the mode to a close inspection. On one hand, gold bars (or real money) being required to change the color of a flag in camp isn't the end of the world. But it's quite expensive to do so. Also, Rockstar didn't do itself any favors by featuring an opening cutscene showing a couple of guys making $50 each for standing around. Fast forward to gameplay itself, players aren't making anything close to that. 

But like GTAO, a persistent, year-after-year experience like this requires grinding to keep players coming back. There is plenty of money available in activities like hunting. But like Vehicle Cargo missions in GTAO, this can always go south because of other players. Items like food and horse upkeep do seem a bit expensive, especially for realism-seeking mechanics brought over from singleplayer, but players can skirt these costs by keeping a watchful eye out for the many bountiful plants and animals while traveling or looting locations. 

A few missing features do paint the economy in a bad light, though. For one, there is no saddling and keeping a wild horse. A bummer given how thrilling it was in the singleplayer and as players can probably imagine, affording one of those high-end bad boys is a steep price. 

There also is no poker or other games with other players in places like bars, which seems like a huge omission. Hanging out and making steady in-game money at a cards table was an expected part of the experience and one that almost feels destined to be put in later. 

For now, we don't have any idea what gold bars will translate to in real-world money, nor do we know the tweaks Rockstar will make upon hearing feedback. Though it takes a major trust fall, keep in mind certain economy tuning could be to simply keep some things unobtainable during the beta.

This was never going to be a perfect release upon launch of a beta. An ambitious project like this was always going to have some rather odd housekeeping options needing fine-tuning. Level-locking fishing, for example, is...strange. 

But overall, early adopters of the mode should feel good about plunging into the persistent wild west. 

'Make It Count' Mode

It was hard to know if Rockstar would dive headfirst into the Battle Royale phase making the rounds via games like PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds and Fortnite, but if they did, it figured to be both simplistic and unique.

Make It Count checks both boxes. 

There isn't a skydive into the map or building mechanics here. Players in counts of 16 or 32 spawn in with a bow or knife and strive to be the last one standing. Simple as that. 

And simple is better, in a way. Make It Count feels more about survival than other Battle Royale games do. The maps are packed with cover and foliage to slinker through while stalking prey or merely trying to hide. Weapons involved encourage a stealthy approach too, with players either having a limited number of arrows for their bows or throwing knives. 

Which isn't to say this is a camp-fest. The traditional shrinking map staple of the genre is here and present, and sticking in one place too long will result in a warning from the game before it exposes the player's location to the entire field. 

Make It Count offers some amazing tweaks to the genre's experience, too. The tensest moments from the singleplayer campaign's soundtrack are present at all times, which makes the mode even more thrilling. And a slight vibration of the controller when nearing another player pushes things a bit further. 

The only negative? It is disappointing that the only apparent surefire way to play the mode is by queuing up in the Showdown Series or Showdown Series Large playlists and hoping its the mode the game spits out. The other modes aren't bad by any means, but more of the expected. 

This offers a direct path into the next point—don't count on an esport or massive Twitch following developing. Rockstar could remedy this in a hurry by giving Make It Count a dedicated playlist, but it would do so at the risk of players flocking to it and killing off other modes quicker than a Thanos snap. 

It's hard to tell if Make It Count would make for a good viewing experience either. Some of the innovations like controller vibrations aren't something viewers would get to experience and there is a lot of plodding and hiding. First-person mode isn't required, either. A niche audience might pop up for a long time, but the game's shooting and FPS mechanics follow the usual Rockstar arc of falling behind its other systems in priority and quality. 

But hey, nobody saw Fortnite blowing up either. One playlist and a few of the refreshing features could be all it takes. Make It Count is a brilliant experience, when a player can come across it, and also perhaps serves as a hint at where the future of the genre is going, with little innovations within other games popping up here and there and finding dedicated communities. 

Conclusion 

Rockstar Games

RDO was never going to match, if not exceed, the near-impossible expectations bestowed upon it as its singleplayer counterpart did. The hype train went off the rails, and what each player looks for in such a mode is too different to please all in one swoop. 

But that's the beauty of it. As of now, RDO is a solid Wild West simulator. Putting aside the so-called grind and real-world implications, immersing oneself in the dire, desperate times and fighting to survive is brilliant.

Want to be an outlaw who terrorizes others and outruns the law? Or how about a big-game hunter? Maybe a multiplayer superstar? Or simply enjoy the painstakingly handcrafted world, but with friends? Or all of those things, not to mention the inevitable heists releases, with friends? 

At its core, RDO is a rock-solid foundation for what is sure to be a long-term multiplayer universe just likes its modern-day cousin. Players won't be able to predict how certain concerns are addressed, but right now it is clear Rockstar has another enthralling multiplayer, persistent experience on its hands.