TL/DR Version: The game is awesome, and if you are unsure whether you should play it or not, definitely try it; it might be the best game you have ever played. Just bear in mind that it is not a fast-paced game; if you want to see action 80% of the time, it is definitely not for you. Oh, and don't touch Online; the cheaters killed this game.

Now I want to start with the fact that my gaming experience with Rockstar games started almost 17 years ago. I have been a fan of Rockstar Games and have played all their biggest hits and then some. I 100%ed all 3D GTA, including LCS and VCS, Manhunt 1 and 2, Max Payne 3 (1 and 2 too, but I'm not sure whether to include them because it's not a Rockstar development), Bully, L.A. Noire, Red Dead Revolver, and Red Dead Redemption 1+Unread Nightmare, and with that, I want to tell you that for me, RDR 2 loses to the majority of that games list in terms of fun. Red Dead Redemption 2 is just not fun for me. I 100%ed it for more than 500(!) hours. I mean, come on, I can beat almost all the other games at that time. The game is just too big. I'm not sure whether I'm going to replay this game ever again.

Still, it was a great time, and the open world might be the best that Rockstar ever did. The story is awesome, but the best thing in this game for me was the optional, random, or side interactions. And that was probably 40% of my playthrough.

Another 20% is horseback riding. No, really, if you are into horseback riding, it is the game for you. And don't get me wrong, you ride the horse almost all the time. What I mean is that 20% is horseback riding only. Not riding on a mission and listening to some dialogue, or riding from the law or some bandits that chase you. Simply ride the horse from point A to point B, with nothing else happening. Frankly, not that fun.

Another 30% is the animal hunt. A big chunk of my playthrough was hunting. I dunno, I'm not against the hunt, but in this game, there's too much of it, and ♥♥♥♥, it is tedious. And for the wrong reasons. The most tedious thing about hunting is making some animals appear. Not kill it. Not track it. Not capturing it (and the game lacks that mechanic anyway). To make some ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ animals appear. Seriously? Is that fun? I mean, for anyone? Saving and loading, or sleeping, or riding away and coming back—is it fun? I dunno.

The saddest thing for me is that the last 10% were firefights. Why sad? Because it is the most interesting thing for me in Rockstar games and in games in general. But hey, they ♥♥♥♥♥♥ up the mechanic anyway, so I guess it is somehow a good thing? Why did they ♥♥♥♥♥♥ it up? Without a dead eye, it is the most pathetic shooting mechanic in any Rockstar game. Even San Andreas was better, and I don't like shooting mechanics there. Like. What. The. ♥♥♥♥. Why do I have to press the SHOT button twice when shooting with almost every gun in the game? First to shoot, and second to reload (or whatever he is doing, he clunks the breechblock or whatever the ♥♥♥♥ it is called). Whose idea was that? Not to mention a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ recoil, and with every shot I make, the crosshair is getting as big as a horse ass. Oh, and not to forget that every time an enemy hits you, what happens? Right. The screen shakes. ♥♥♥♥ THAT ♥♥♥♥. I tried to play a mission without a dead eye, just for the hell of it. I think the mission required something like 60–70% accuracy, but I failed miserably. I think 60% of my shot was anywhere from my enemies heads. I said, ♥♥♥♥ it, and I never tried to shoot without a dead eye anymore. Thank ♥♥♥♥ that you have access to items that refill deadeye 99% of the time. I think that I could not use said items, maybe five times during my 500+ hours. thats fair. And yeah, skill issue whatever, I don't care.

And the last 3 things that I don't like in this game, starting from the worst:
1) NEW AUSTIN SNIPER. ♥♥♥♥ YOU. It is the most atrocious thing that Rockstar ever did. It is so cheap that I don't want to give any more ♥♥♥♥♥ about it. It is un♥♥♥♥worthy.
2) Eating. Like, come on, it is not a survival or zombie game; why is that mechanic even in the game?
3) Falling from a horse—it happened to me so many times and burned my ass so many times that I seriously lost count. RDR1 was so much better in that regard.

I understand that no one from Rockstar is ever going to see this message, but I want to say that even after all the wrongs you did, you are still unmatched in the gamedev industry, and I wish that GTA VI will be better than GTA V and RDR2, but I highly doubt it. The most fun Rockstar games for me were GTA IV (with TLAD and TBOGT), SA, VC, VCS, III, LCS, RDR1, and Bully. I want your next game to be similar to these, but sadly, I understand that it is probably not going to happen.