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Red Dead Redemption 2 Hands-On Gameplay: The Bizarre Open-World Strangers

Having spent five hours with Red Dead Redemption 2, we chat about our experiences with the random strangers we encountered in this open-world western.

As Red Dead Redemption 2's release date draws ever closer, we continue to learn more about Rockstar's new open-world western. We're now getting to discuss our time with the opening few hours of the game, including some of our favorite encounters with random strangers who inhabit the world.

In the video above, we recount some specific examples of the random open-world happenings that we got to see during our hands-on time. As we've detailed elsewhere, witnesses to your crimes can report you. You're free to chase these people down and kill them or attempt to intimidate them, but even if they insist they'll keep their mouth shut, it doesn't mean they necessarily will. As our Mike Mahardy notes, these types of moments make what could be minor, inconsequential events feel like something far more notable.

During another sequence, which again felt like a spontaneous event more than a specific moment crafted by Rockstar, we were challenged by a man to a shooting contest. When we lost, he expected us to pay up, but this doesn't happen automatically. When we unwittingly walked away, he assumed we were trying to cheat him, causing him to draw his gun. (It didn't turn out well for him.)

You can hear about more of these examples in the video above. For a broader look at the game, we've detailed all of Red Dead Redemption 2's new mechanics, as well as the things that have surprised us.