WATCH: ‘Red Dead Redemption 2’ story trailer confirms prequel status

A second trailer for the wild west epic “Red Dead Redemption 2” sets the scene for a trek into unruly lands, introducing a new main character and bringing back another from the game’s well received 2010 predecessor.

Rockstar Games is best known for the “Grand Theft Auto” series, with the staggered release of “Grand Theft Auto V” and its accompanying online mode beginning in 2013.

Since then, it’s appeared on two generations of Xbox and PlayStation consoles, with a PC release rounding things off in 2015, and “Grand Theft Auto Online” keeping players engaged with regular updates.

But Rockstar itself has been focusing on its next great excursion, returning to the wild west milieu of antihero action adventure “Red Dead Redemption” with a numbered sequel set for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in the first half of 2018.

Announced October 2016 with a one-minute environmental teaser, we now know a little more about “Red Dead Redemption 2”, thanks to a more character-driven second trailer.

The main character, Arthur Morgan, is introduced, and it becomes evident that he has fallen in with one of the villains in “Red Dead Redemption”, brutal gang leader Dutch van der Linde.

This chapter takes place earlier in Dutch’s life and it appears that Dutch’s Gang is in formation; Arthur, for example, doesn’t feature in “Red Dead Redemption,” which takes place at a later date.

Still present from the first teaser are a selection of impressively rendered landscapes, while some commenters are hoping Rockstar will be able to improve the quality of facial animation during spoken dialogue before launch day arrives.

Precisely when that will be is also subject to speculation. Rockstar currently settled upon release in the second quarter of 2018 (April to May), with the first “RDR” having arriving in May, as did 2011’s “L.A. Noire” and 2012’s “Max Payne 3”. JB

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