If you’re anything like me and had an unhealthy obsession with trains as a child, you may have been disappointed to find that the locomotives in the original Red Dead Redemption could only be operated by a professional. John Marston had a lot of skills, but train engineering was not one of them.
I loved Red Dead Redemption, don’t get me wrong. For 2010, the game had a wealth of things to do, from playing cards to hogtying people and dragging them around town. However, there were still a couple of immersive elements that the game couldn’t quite pull off at the time. In one of the best missions of the game, you’re tasked with commandeering a locomotive containing army supplies. Chasing the train and stealing it was thrilling, but when I tried doing this to one of the steam engines navigating the tracks of the open world, it didn’t work out so well. I could hold the train up, but that was the end of the line (haha).
Cue the announcement of Red Dead Redemption 2 and the first question that popped into my mind:
Okay im really excited for red dead 2 but can you drive the trains in this one?? https://t.co/py13xM27I0
— Andrew Agress (@Andrew_Agress) May 7, 2018
Well, Kotaku recently went hands-on with the game, and Rockstar revealed a wealth of small-scale mechanics that most players probably wouldn’t have even thought about. Players will soon be able to twirl their guns, get a haircut, and even gain or lose weight if they so choose. However, the most exciting mechanic (for me anyway) is that Red Dead Redemption 2 will let you hijack locomotives. You can even ring the bell. And best of all, you can accelerate and possibly reenact my favorite scene from the Back to the Future movie series. Specifically this one:
No word yet on if you can take the train up to 88 miles per hour (or if you can drive it off a cliff), but we’ll find out on October 26th when Red Dead Redemption 2 releases.
And remember, it’s not a holdup, it’s a science experiment.
