Fear not, PC Gamers, as your newest playground for modding has come to PC. Red Dead Redemption 2 came to PC with a smattering of smaller issues that have already been addressed, and continue to be addressed, by the developers Rockstar. As players step into the trusty boots of our troubled protagonist Arthur Morgan, only one question could possibly come to mind: Can I play as The Joker?
Now you can, along with many other radical improvements to be found in Nexus Mods already, with the game not even 24 hours old on the platform. PC gaming has always boasted modding as a huge platform convenience, the ability to change games to better suit what you want, with a simple patch here and there. The mods that are already on Nexus Mods are staggering, and working surprisingly well.
You can actually play as the Joker, yes; granted it’s only face paint, but there’s something to be said for gallivanting about New Haven looking like the worst nightmare for those that suffer from coulrophobia.
Some mods are simply savegames, allowing those that have previously walked the trail of Arthur Morgan on a console to skip a large amount of the mechanics and world introductions. Others replace the music found in Red Dead Redemption 2 to music found in the first Red Dead Redemption. Trainers abound to give yourself whatever you would like, or even to turn into an eagle and explore the lands from the relative safety of the skies.
Users can also find gorgeous reshades that limit the occasionally boisterous fantasy palette for something a little darker and more in line with realism.
The sudden wild west of modding the wild west brings about some questions, however. Rockstar’s publisher, Take-Two Interactive, notoriously attempted to shut down mods of Grand Theft Auto 5 for fear of losing online traffic and sales. After a pretty brutal online slapdown from fans and critics alike, they rescinded that position. Where will Rockstar, or Take-Two Interactive, draw the line on current mods?
Arguably, with the world mostly present from the original Red Dead Redemption, it’s not a far reach to presume that modders will eventually take to finally bringing about John Marston’s adventure to PC owners in new and improved style. I imagine Rockstar’s legal department is already spinning up to ready themselves against those that would infringe on their IP.
As we saw with Bethesda’s Skyrim, the sky is not even the beginning of the limit for modders altering the game engine to suit themselves, and their imagination. The question is how much can we change before legal battles begin?