Red Dead Redemption 2 gets rave reviews in China… from gamers who’ve never played it

So-called “cloud gamers” flood forums with opinions about Rockstar’s blockbuster game

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Red Dead Redemption 2 gets rave reviews in China… from gamers who’ve never played it

Published: 9:12pm, 30 Oct 2018Updated: 8:43am, 20 Sep 2019

This article originally appeared on ABACUS

Around the globe, Red Dead Redemption 2 is taking the gaming world by storm. Just look at the girlfriend-ditching memes online and the spike in sick leave taken by people this past weekend.

It’s no exception in China, where the Rockstar blockbuster is rated 9.3 out of 10 on Bilibili, with hundreds of gamers writing lengthy comments in praise of the game… except for one tiny difference: Most Chinese gamers haven’t even played the game.

Bilibili, China’s biggest anime site, covers the screen in user comments

Here’s why. For one, the console game is not even officially available in the country. And even if it wants to reach the Chinese market, it’s unlikely to get past China’s censors, considering the amount of violence and nudity in the game.

So how did so many Chinese gamers manage to “review” the game?

The simple answer: They gave their verdict by watching other people stream it online.

One comment says, “First things first, I haven’t played the game. But I have paid close attention to the Red Dead series for a long time, long enough to be considered among the earliest fans. After the game was unlocked last night, I watched every stream made on the game on the streaming site Douyu.”

“The shooting experience of this game beats all the other shooters in the West. Its storytelling also trumps all the Japanese RPGs… This is indisputably the best game of the century,” it adds.