Despite the incredibly aged and clunky (sometimes frustrating) gameplay, numerous unintuitive mechanics and systems, limited player decision and impact, and the several performance and graphical bugs that still hasn't been fixed for months. This is still one of my all-time favorite games.

There is a lot to like about this game: The immersive atmosphere, the fact that it can run on my office laptop while still looking like a next-gen game, the gripping story, the living breathing world, the little details that takes a good eye to notice and so on. But there's one thing that stood out to me the most. Arthur Morgan.

Even after years since the game came out, I still get goosebumps just thinking of how well written Arthur Morgan is. It strikes me how a character can reach this level of depth and engagement. He is undoubtedly my favorite video game character of all time. Rockstar did such a good job on Arthur that when the trailers came out people wanted to play as John, and when the game came out, all people wanted to do was to play as Arthur. They've truly outdid themselves.

This game wouldn't be as high on my list if it weren't for Arthur Morgan. He is carrying this game with his imposing and striking presence. And the best part about it is that he doesn't even have to try. He's just being himself.

There's also the gang. Instead of making Dutch's gang faceless goons that roam around the camp, they're all their own individual with goals, quirks and charms. They went all out on making them feel like a family that you want to care for and protect. This solidifies the gameplay loop of earning money, donating to the camp, hunting for food, etc. Which also serves as immersion in playing Arthur.