Red Dead Redemption II required a lot of patience (but it was all worth it)

I didn't expect Red Dead II to serve me immediate gunslinging action or to satisfy me upon startup. It took hours and hours for the game to really pick up for me and unfold into one of my most notable video game experiences, not just in its gameplay but in its story and character development.

The beginning serves to provide some background for the life our characters left behind as well as introduce some of the gameplay mechanics that the player can expand upon out in the open world.

You remain confined to the story's introduction for about a two hours or so and even after that, it still takes some time for the game to fully open itself up to you.

The game's story is very easy to get engaged with but after a few hours, the missions began to seem a little same-y to me.

Going level-to-level, you begin to see a trend in the missions-

1. You ride to your destination on horseback
2. Do what the game tells you (fetch this, sneak through here, rob this bank, etc)
3. Eventually watch something go wrong and erupt in a massive shootout
4. And in the end, get a lot of money

That's pretty much how I would summarize the first three chapters and it's not until Chapter Four where the story starts to take an interesting turn. Missions still end with something going wrong and erupting in a massive shootout, but the actual stakes of the plot start to increase and the characters start to really grow into their roles.

I think I neglected the stranger missions and a lot of the side exploration in this game in order to get through the story and I think that's my biggest regret of my playthrough. But at the same time, I never felt any inclination to see the world on my own.

This game's map is huge. REALLY huge.

But I think just having a big map isn't enough to encourage me to see what's out there. Now of course, there are side missions you can do for other people and strangers to encounter on the road. But the side missions- in fact ALL missions don't really do much else than give you money or raise your honor (good/bad meter). You have the option of robbing certain homesteads and collecting bounties but all that really does is give you a little bit of money when you can net a few thousand just from following the main story.

Of course, indulging in the game's side missions benefits the player by deepening the character of Arthur Morgan and having him help out (or spite) other people in the world.

Arthur Morgan is without a doubt one of my new favorite video game protagonists and I think most people can agree, those who have played and finished the game. You take control of this hardened, unsentimental outlaw who doesn't categorize himself as a "good man". Throughout the game, you can choose to do good deeds for people or leave them in the dust and kill them in cold blood.

I went through the game maintaining Arthur's honor as high as I could, but after a certain story point, I stopped feeling the urge to say hello to strangers passing by and sparing innocent souls. But close to the end, after sitting through a few cutscenes with Arthur's fellow gang members, I felt the urge to "redeem" myself and fulfill Arthur's title as a supposed "good man". And you have no idea how much it pains me that I cannot go into detail about the scenes in this game...

This game took it's sweet ass time and in the end it was worth it.

I found myself getting a little too attached to Arthur Morgan by the end of the story. I'm having this complex where I want nothing more than to play as Arthur Morgan but don't want to relive Arthur's journey after seeing how the final moments play out.

Red Dead Redemption III? Possibly?

Perhaps in 2026.

Thank you Rockstar for giving me one of the most fascinating and complicated video game protagonists I've ever taken control of.