I really liked GTA 5, one of my favorite games. I never got in to GTA over the years despite trying several of the titles. But when R* added first person mode to GTA 5 I tried it and ended up loving it. However, I didn't like the characters aside from Franklin. Michael was a serious idiot, despite the fact he is supposed to be a master thief. And Trevor is surely the most objectionable and repugnant character I've played in a video game. I mean, he is messed up. Franklin I liked, and of course he was the character R* seemed to pay the least attention to. But he had his head on straight unlike the other two. I thought the single player experience in that game was great even though I didn't like the characters, and not surprisingly I got most in to it during free roam when I became the character and wasn't reminded I was playing one of the mains.

I can't think of anything I've seen so far in RDR 2 that I would say is over the top. Neither characters or situations or outcomes. No analog for chasing your own boat down the freeway, The games share some design and structure and that's obvious, but there's no GTA vibe in this one. And honestly I really liked that sort of stuff in GTA. It was fun, and it fit, However, players shouldn't worry that this is just GTA in the old west.

Arthur's maybe a bad guy, he's surely done some bad things in his past. But when you read the journal, and learn more about him it's clear he's conflicted. You get the feeling his lot's been cast and he's making the best of it. The old west is a violent and dangerous place, and to make it he has to play by those rules. So you'll do a lot of shooting, robbing, fighting and stealing. It's what outlaws do I reckon. I sort of play it like I'm a decent man in a bad situation, and you gotta do what you gotta do to survive. Outlaw's what I do, not who I am, or something like that. Sometimes you do something to anger a peaceful NPC. Maybe you stare at him too long, or bump him a couple of times to get him in a shootin' mood. And he starts popping off rounds. In most games I'd just return fire, drop him and carry on. But in RDR 2 I jump on my horse and escape if I can, and don't shoot back. Not sure why really, maybe just to keep my honor rating up. At times though it feels more like that man doesn't deserve to die today.


No, now go away or I shall taunt you a second time!