Grab a comfy saddle — ‘Red Dead Redemption 2’ campaign clocks in at 60 hours

By Steven Petite Published October 21, 2018

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Lengthy stories should come as no surprise to anyone who has played an open world Rockstar Games title, but Red Dead Redemption 2 will set some crazy records. In an interview with Vulture, Rockstar co-founder and head writer Dan Houser said players can expect a 60-hour campaign.

In an era when open world games typically throw everything at the player but the kitchen sink, it’s easy to feel skeptical of long runtimes. According to Houser, “superfluous” content has been removed from the story. Recently, Rockstar shaved five hours from the game by eliminating one of Arthur Morgan’s love interests. On top of that, Rockstar cut entire missions that it felt weren’t up to snuff.

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Judging by some of the eye-popping stats provided in the interview, players will find and experience new things even as they get deep into the Red Dead Redemption 2 story. Rockstar brought in a staggering 1,200 actors for motion capture and voiceover sessions (700 actors have lines). Every person you come across in the game went through motion capture. All told, there are 300,000 unique animations and 500,000 lines of dialogue. Given those figures, it’s no surprise the game’s script clocked in around 2,000 pages, and that only encompasses the main campaign.

In the interview, Rockstar said it’s currently shooting motion capture sections for Red Dead Online ahead of its arrival in beta form in November. Houser also touched on the possibility for a “Red Dead Redemption 3.” Yes, we know RDR 2 hasn’t even arrived yet, but hey, it’s not far off. Houser said a third game would be possible “if this one does well enough and we think we have other interesting things to say.”

It’s been more than eight years since the first Red Dead Redemption and five years since the launch of Rockstar’s last release, Grand Theft Auto V. Basically, what we’re saying here, is that if a third game happens, don’t expect it any time soon.

Thankfully, we won’t have to wait much longer to play a new Rockstar game. Red Dead Redemption 2 launches October 26 on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. For an in-depth look at Red Dead Redemption 2, check out our complete news roundup.

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

Steven is a writer from Northeast Ohio currently based in Louisiana. He writes about video games and books, and consumes…

Gaming

Which character should you pick in Dead Island 2?

Dani lights a cigarette as zombies attack her from behind in Dead Island 2 key art.

After a brief introductory sequence showing how each of the playable characters, referred to as Slayers in Dead Island 2, end up on the doomed evacuation plane at the start of the game, you are forced to pick who you will play as. If you hadn't played the first game -- and considering it came out over 10 years ago we wouldn't blame you if you hadn't -- then you may not know that your choice of character is more than just cosmetic. Each of the six playable Slayers not only starts off with its own stat distribution from the others but with two ability cards as well. In a narrative sense, almost nothing is different depending on who you pick, so this decision all comes down to choosing the right character for how you prefer to play. Don't let the excitement of bashing in some zombie heads rush your decision and first make sure you understand just how important this choice is in Dead Island 2.
Can you change characters in Dead Island 2?

This is the main reason your character choice is so important. In Dead Island 2, once you choose a Slayer, you're locked in for the duration of the game. If you want to try out a different character, you will need to start the game over from scratch, so unless you're okay with undoing all your progress, or want to do a second playthrough, give this decision a good deal of thought so you don't have any regrets.
Every character's stats and skills

Gaming

All Curveball locations in Dead Island 2

A pipebomb with kaboom written on it.

Your bread-and-butter method for dispatching the undead in Dead Island 2 will always be the strongest blunt or bladed melee weapon you have on hand. There's certainly no shortage of shovels, knives, gardening equipment, and even swords to choose from, but you can also mix things up with some throwable items as well -- and we don't just mean throwing your weapon. Curveballs, as the game calls them, are more like skills that can be equipped than weapons since they work on a cooldown timer rather than ammo. Your character can only hold two at once, but there are 13 in total to experiment with. You'll be given one by default, but the rest are up to you to collect. Here's a full list of all the Curveballs in Dead Island 2 and where to find them.
How to get all the Curveballs in Dead Island 2

We'll list off the Curvballs, their locations, and their effects in the order you should naturally come across them while playing Dead Island 2. If you miss one, you can always fast travel back to the area to collect it later. While you can only have two Curveballs equipped at any time, you can swap them out no matter where you are, so feel free to try them all out and change up your loadout depending on your current situation.
Meat Bait
Given as part of the story by Carlos in Emma's house, this lets you throw out a chunk of meat that explodes on impact into a pool of meat(?) that attracts all nearby zombies to it.
Shuriken
On your way to the Halperin Hotel, the Shuriken are lodged into a car door directly in front of you. Using these throws out three Shuriken in a horizontal spread that travels a short distance before falling. They don't do a lot of damage, but can stagger and even remove limbs if you aim them well.
Chem Bomb
This is the second unmissable Curveball and is given to you inside the Halperin Hotel to put out a fire. It is good for more than just fire control, though, since you can use it to make zombies wet and susceptible to electricity.
Caustic-X Bomb
Keep your eye out for "The Rav-Ages of Caustic-X" sidequest if you want to add this to your arsenal. Completing this quest will reward you with a bouncing bomb that deals some damage, but is mainly used for applying the Melting status on zombies and leaving behind damaging acid.
Electric Star
You'll be taken to the Brentwood Water Reclamation Project plant during the "Justifiable Zombicide" mission. While there, make sure to snag the Electric Star sticking out of the safety sign on the fence. If you missed it, you can also purchase it from Rodriguez later on. This Curvball is a straight upgrade over the Shuriken since it functions exactly the same, but is electrified.
Pipe Bomb
While going through the checkpoints between Beverly Hills and Monarch Studios, keep an eye out for an open crate with the Pipe Bomb in it on one of the tables. This is a basic timed explosive, so toss it into a group for maximum damage.
Molotov Cocktail
When you're brought into the Brentwood Sewer during "The Heart of Darkness" mission, the Molotov will be in the office next to the Filtration Access and Servicing room. If it wasn't obvious, this flaming bottle will light any zombie hit with it on fire, plus leave a lingering patch of fire on the ground.
Electric Bomb
This is another Curveball tied to finishing a sidequest, this time the "Jo's Rainy Day Stash" quest. Think of it as a Pipe Bomb, only replace the explosion with a dome of electricity that is great for stunning groups.
Flashbang
You'll need to pony up $2,500 and buy this Curveball from Rodriquez once you've completed the "Cremains of the Day" sidequest. What you get is a weapon that inflicts Traumatized on zombies, meaning they're stunned and available to be counterattacked.
Sticky Bomb
Bring Dougie at the Serling Hotel $1,500 and he'll part ways with the Sticky Bomb. This is just your old Pipe Bomb, but now it will stick to any surface -- or zombie -- it hits.
Bait Bomb
This is another item Dougie will sell you, this time only after you beat "The Search for Truth" main mission. For just $3,500, you can get what is essentially your Meat Bait and Pipe Bomb stuck together. Zombies will all close in on the bomb before it detonates
Nail Bomb
For the final Curveball you need to invest your cash in, you can buy the Nail Bomb from Ezekiel for $1,500. This is a simple explosive, but with the added benefit of inflicting Bleeding on anything it hits.
Military Grenade
Once you complete the "Boz Makes a Bang" sidequest for Hana, which you can only get after beating "The Rav-Ages of Caustic-X" and "Dez and the Mother of Satan" quests, you will be given the final Curveball in Dead Island 2. This high-explosive detonates on impact no matter what, which could be a good or bad thing depending on the situation. It isn't all that much more powerful than any other explosive, but the utility of it not having a timer makes it useful.

Gaming

How to get fuses in Dead Island 2

A group of survivors looking stressed and annoyed.

eThere are going to be tons of things blocking your progress when trying to escape LA in Dead Island 2. Aside from the, you know, hordes of zombies, you will find plenty of gates and doors that need power to open. Most can be worked around by installing a battery or circuit breaker, but some require something else. Fuses aren't required at any point in the main story, but instead are limited keys that hide away some of the game's best loot. If you've been spotting all these gates and garage doors taunting you to open them, but lack the fuses to do so, we'll tell you how you can get your hands on some in Dead Island 2.
Where to get fuses in Dead Island 2

Unlike batteries or circuit breakers, fuses won't be found anywhere on the map while exploring. Instead, the only way to get these electrical devices is to purchase them. Obviously, your local hardware store isn't open for business anymore, so your options are limited to the vendors you come across such as Carlos in Emma's house or Ezekiel on The Pier. No matter who you get them from, you're going to be paying a premium. Each fuse costs $1,500, and the sellers usually only hold a few at a time. Even if they had the stock and you had the cash, your character can only hold three fuses at a time before needing to spend them to get more.