Red Dead Redemption 3 needs to be more exciting than its predecessors, and there's one impractical yet undeniably awesome addition that could help. A lot of the Red Dead games' appeal comes from the excitement of being an outlaw in the old west, and the battles that come with it. RDR3 would do well to make gunfights even more exciting.
Red Dead Redemption 2 put an impressive amount of detail into its combat. In addition to a wide array of weapons to choose from, the mechanics themselves were highly immersive. Enemies reacted differently to getting shot in different places, and the player could even shoot their guns right out of their hands. The guns were so detailed that they would also expel shells after firing. While the game as a whole is incredibly polished, RDR2's incredibly realistic gunplay is one of the most intricate combat systems one can find in an action game.
RDR3's Dual-Wielding Gunfights Could Take Inspiration From True Grit
One of the best ways to improve combat for RDR3 would be to ironically take it in a less grounded direction. RDR2 had a dual-wielding mechanic where the player could equip two one-handed weapons at once, alternating fire between the two. One possible this would be to combine a handgun with a long gun. In a memorable scene from True Grit (1969), John Wayne's Rooster Cogburn heads into battle with a revolver in one hand and a repeater in the other, shooting skillfully despite the impracticality of the action. The perfect Red Dead Redemption 3 protagonist should be skilled enough to reenact such a feat, and it would be great to capture that sort of moment in-game.
Red Dead Redemption 3 Could Sacrifice Some Realism For Extra Fun
If Red Dead Redemption 3 did feature the ability to dual-wield long and short guns, that would require some balancing. Since the weight of the weapons would be lopsided, that could give players more difficulty with aiming and keeping their grip steady. Likewise, with at least one hand fumbling with a large gun, players could also see a penalty to their reloading speed. While a long gun and handgun combined would offer impressive stopping power, a loss of accuracy and finesse seems like a fair trade in return. The penalty can't be so large as to render the tactic useless, though. For RDR3 to be better than RDR2, the mechanics should be balanced for a combination of challenge and fun.
Even with downsides, a lot of players would leap at the chance to wield rifles and handguns together, simply because the idea is awesome. The Red Dead series is all about being the most skilled, dangerous cowboy possible, and dual-wielding with two-handed guns gets that idea across better than almost anything. This could even be improved if Rockstar included animations such as Rooster Cogburn's rifle twirl or the T-800's one-handed shotgun pump. While such theatrical flourishes may be a step away from the series' realistic combat, it would make encounters more fun and cinematic. Red Dead Redemption 3 looks almost certain, and players can hope that it elevates the series further by amplifying the action scenes.
Granting players the ability to dual-wield with two-handed guns in Red Dead Redemption 3 would show a dedication to making the game a more dramatic and exciting experience than its predecessors. After Red Dead Redemption 2 had an epic and cinematic story, it could be a good move to embody classic Westerns. An dual wielding could make Red Dead Redemption 3 Rockstar's most exciting game.
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