I mean, I still kind of like it, but if RDR2 is my favorite Rockstar game ever, the first one doesn’t even break the top five, and it’s not even close.

First of all, the mission design is mostly disappointingly basic. I feel like around half of them just spawn waves of guys on horses in the middle of nowhere and call it a day. Every major Rockstar open world game past GTA3 has beaten this game in mission variety, easily.

And all of this could be ignored if the writing were great, but it’s kind of not. I feel like this is the least consistent attempt out of all R*'s lineup. Some of the characters (Bonnie MacFarlane, my beloved) are full of life, charismatic, and interesting, while others are embarrassingly devoid of charisma and come off as utter clowns. Thank God for Landon Ricketts and Luisa; if not for them, the entire Mexico portion would be unbearable. This game is very lucky it struck gold with the main character and stuck the landing; otherwise, I bet it would not be remembered half as fondly.

I sound kind of negative, but it’s still worth playing. The good parts of the story are really good, and it is still an important part of the RDR2 saga. Just maybe wait for a hefty discount.

I mean, I still kind of like it, but if RDR2 is my favorite Rockstar game ever, the first one doesn’t even break the top five, and it’s not even close. First of all, the mission design is mostly disappointingly basic. I feel like around half of them just spawn waves of guys on horses in the middle of nowhere and call it a day. Every major Rockstar open world game past GTA3 has beaten this game in mission variety, easily. And all of this could be ignored if the writing were great, but it’s kind of not. I feel like this is the least consistent attempt out of all R*'s lineup. Some of the characters (Bonnie MacFarlane, my beloved) are full of life, charismatic, and interesting, while others are embarrassingly devoid of charisma and come off as utter clowns. Thank God for Landon Ricketts and Luisa; if not for them, the entire Mexico portion would be unbearable. This game is very lucky it struck gold with the main character and stuck the landing; otherwise, I bet it would not be remembered half as fondly. I sound kind of negative, but it’s still worth playing. The good parts of the story are really good, and it is still an important part of the RDR2 saga. Just maybe wait for a hefty discount.