This review contains spoilers
This was my first time visiting RDR and, while I had my share of problems with the game, I definitely understand why this one's so beloved. The world is really impressive and still (mostly) holds up, despite the number of iterations the open world genre has gotten since 2010, and the story does a lot of things right and is a (again, mostly) genuinely well-done deconstruction of Wild West fiction.
With all that said, I think RDR's biggest issue is it's insistence on adhering to arcade-style video game design while also trying to tell a serious story. This game is full of immersion-breaking moments where, one minute, John will be reflecting on his violent past and desire to peacefully settle down and leave his outlaw days behind... and, during the next, he'll be sitting on a minigun mowing down waves of enemies. RDR can't decide if it wants to be a fun romp through the Wild West or a serious story breaking down Wild West romanticism, and the tonal whiplash between these two extremes often left me feeling disoriented and confused. I wish the game had been willing to do away with its traditional mission structure, shooting galleries, and other glaring reminders that I'm playing a video game and fully committed to its storytelling. It felt like Rockstar was worried they couldn't hold their audience's attention without throwing in a shiny action setpiece every half hour.
It's a real shame too, because when RDR's good, it's really good. I think the story has some pacing issues - the New Austin section goes on for a bit too long and, despite serving as necessary worldbuilding, doesn't really move the plot forward much - but the Mexico arc's meditations on power and, of course, the tragedy of the outstanding third act and epilogue are some great storytelling. John is a wonderfully tragic protagonist, and both his ultimate fate and the fact that his son, who he wanted to grow up free of the influences of John's outlaw past, looks like he's going down the exact same path as his father is bleak and serves as a great bookend to the story's message that, for as much as America changes, it refuses to allow its people to change and grow. I do wish that the secondary characters had been given arcs as fleshed out as John's, and some of the side character goofiness (e.g. Seth, West Dickins) created some weird tonal clash, but overall, RDR's story was well-done. I also wish that the game had explored the indigenous side of manifest destiny in more death - the short arc with Nastas was well-done, and it's tough to tell a complete story about the West without analyzing relations between the settlers and indigenous groups - but that's more personal taste than anything.
The world's a bit empty, but looks surprisingly beautiful; I particularly loved Mexico's vistas. I wish there'd been a bit more incentive to explore the world (maybe some of the better guns are hidden in chests, rather than sold in shops? maybe there's more rare animals to hunt?), but I think the open world holds up really well. The presentation in general was really impressive for such an old game, and the music is really great the entire way through.
Gameplay was fine. Nothing to write home about, but the gunplay was functional, and the dead eye system leads to some really cool, satisfying moments. There's a bit of jankiness to John and the horses (e.g. horses often don't come directly to you when called, John moves around a bit stiffly, etc.), but it wasn't ever any worse than a mild annoyance.
Anyway, RDR's a good time overall! It definitely got me more excited and curious to play RDR2 (which, as I understand, tells the story of how Dutch's gang collapsed), especially if the prequel updates some of the jankier, more outdated systems found in the first game.
With all that said, I think RDR's biggest issue is it's insistence on adhering to arcade-style video game design while also trying to tell a serious story. This game is full of immersion-breaking moments where, one minute, John will be reflecting on his violent past and desire to peacefully settle down and leave his outlaw days behind... and, during the next, he'll be sitting on a minigun mowing down waves of enemies. RDR can't decide if it wants to be a fun romp through the Wild West or a serious story breaking down Wild West romanticism, and the tonal whiplash between these two extremes often left me feeling disoriented and confused. I wish the game had been willing to do away with its traditional mission structure, shooting galleries, and other glaring reminders that I'm playing a video game and fully committed to its storytelling. It felt like Rockstar was worried they couldn't hold their audience's attention without throwing in a shiny action setpiece every half hour.
It's a real shame too, because when RDR's good, it's really good. I think the story has some pacing issues - the New Austin section goes on for a bit too long and, despite serving as necessary worldbuilding, doesn't really move the plot forward much - but the Mexico arc's meditations on power and, of course, the tragedy of the outstanding third act and epilogue are some great storytelling. John is a wonderfully tragic protagonist, and both his ultimate fate and the fact that his son, who he wanted to grow up free of the influences of John's outlaw past, looks like he's going down the exact same path as his father is bleak and serves as a great bookend to the story's message that, for as much as America changes, it refuses to allow its people to change and grow. I do wish that the secondary characters had been given arcs as fleshed out as John's, and some of the side character goofiness (e.g. Seth, West Dickins) created some weird tonal clash, but overall, RDR's story was well-done. I also wish that the game had explored the indigenous side of manifest destiny in more death - the short arc with Nastas was well-done, and it's tough to tell a complete story about the West without analyzing relations between the settlers and indigenous groups - but that's more personal taste than anything.
The world's a bit empty, but looks surprisingly beautiful; I particularly loved Mexico's vistas. I wish there'd been a bit more incentive to explore the world (maybe some of the better guns are hidden in chests, rather than sold in shops? maybe there's more rare animals to hunt?), but I think the open world holds up really well. The presentation in general was really impressive for such an old game, and the music is really great the entire way through.
Gameplay was fine. Nothing to write home about, but the gunplay was functional, and the dead eye system leads to some really cool, satisfying moments. There's a bit of jankiness to John and the horses (e.g. horses often don't come directly to you when called, John moves around a bit stiffly, etc.), but it wasn't ever any worse than a mild annoyance.
Anyway, RDR's a good time overall! It definitely got me more excited and curious to play RDR2 (which, as I understand, tells the story of how Dutch's gang collapsed), especially if the prequel updates some of the jankier, more outdated systems found in the first game.