i waited 8 years for this game. i remember going to the midnight release at gamestop to pick it up and practically crying with excitement the whole way home. just knowing i had school the next day and couldn't play it immediately was enough to bring a tear to my eye. but that day of school was the fastest of my life, or maybe the slowest. it was keeping me from peak afterall. but when that school day ended, i had nothing but time with my new baby. i ran home, ignoring my friends on the way and sat in my chair so fast that i spun in circles. i hadnt even had time to wind down from class before i had the title menu up. by the time the words "By 1899, the age of the outlaws and gunslingers was at an end" i already had tears in my eyes. the game i experienced during that time was perhaps the greatest i had ever played. it was certainly the happiest i had ever been to play a video game before. once everything sank in, i had come to the conclusion that this game has the greatest story, and cast of characters ever made. unfortunately my opinion has changed a bit for the gameplay and overall replayablitiy of the game. sadly i don't know if i will ever be able to play it again. Replaying RDR2 is so difficult because of how long everything is to do, and how linear it all is in the level design, and how open it all is in the open world. it doesn't know what it wants to be. none of these problems will be reflected in the rating i give it however as my first experience was simply one of the greatest times ive ever had in my life, also i believe the story and characters carry the game so far that it would shame all of humanity if i gave it less than a 5/5. Play both of these games for the first time and forget about your problems for a while. you'll thank me later, and you'll thank Rockstar too for allowing you to play such art.