Red Dead Anticipation

It's been 8 years since the initial release of Red Dead Redemption and 12 since Red Dead Revolver, the game that started it all. Rockstar's flagship western franchise has been pushing the boundaries of what is feasible in interactive entertainment, and fans of this series - ourselves included - have been foaming at the mouth in anticipation for the next installment. Now the game is less than a week away and all we can do is think of heading back to Texas and Mexico and getting into all sorts of wild west hijinks.

Red Ded Redemption 2's promo material has shown us everything we need to know about this gorgeously detailed world, and now all we have to do for the next week is sit here and daydream. And Daydream we did.

Here are the 7 things we're rootin' to do in Red Dead Redemption 2...

Huntin' Gators

One of the highlights from the trailers was that incredibly moonlit shot of an alligator snarling at the protagonist, almost camouflaged by the mud.

Anyone who has played the first game knows that hunting is a huge part of what makes the world feel alive. So our imaginations ran wild at the sight of the alligator. A majority of us have already started planning out what we're going to make out of the pelts. A full gator-skin gunslinger outfit would give Arthur Morgan some much-needed wild west swagger.

Hogtie Someone & Put Them On The Train Tracks

The classic achievement from RDR1 has to return! As a subtle homage to the golden age of cinema, this achievement was one of the most creative in the huge list from RDR. The classic tense scene of the damsel in distress left on the tracks by the villain recreated in a video game brought pure joy to our faces the first time around, and we're hoping that they choose to include it again this time. Maybe even turn it up a notch.

Grow The Beard That We (some of us) Have Always Dreamed Of

A new addition to RDR2 is hygiene. Players will have to bathe and shave if they want to be treated well, and if you don't NPCs will tell you to go take a bath. For those of us who aren't gifted with the ability to grow good facial hair, we're excited to live vicariously through Arthur Morgan's facial hair growing abilities.

How long can it grow? Can we go to straight up Gandalf levels of beard mastery? We'll have to wait to find out.

Pet All The Dogs

There's no better therapy than telling a dog they're a good boi. Rockstar evidently knows this because they built a whole mechanic out of it. Dogs in every town will be friendly towards you once you pet them. Man, they really did think of everything didn't they?

Play Through The Story

I mean, c'mon! How could we not be rootin' to do the main quest line of the friggin' game? We're so anxious to see what Dutch's gang was up to before the events of the first game and see how its events tie directly in to RDR1's story.

Customize Our Guns

Rockstar is aiming to do gun customization a little bit differently in this game. While also honoring the ornate craftsmanship of the time period. In addition to stat-based weapon customization, you'll be able to add intricate etched designs to the outside of your weapons as well. We can't wait to see how awesome our guns will look.

Tussle With Some Bar Patrons

Another flagship feature of RDR2 is the ability to interact with the world around you in seemingly endless ways. Does this mean we'll start being bothered by the village idiot when we stop at the saloon for a glass of whiskey? Well, we don't know for sure, but it doesn't seem right to have a western game without the possibility of the classic saloon brawl happening in real time.