This review contains spoilers
Many consider this game a masterpiece, but I found it just okay. The story is good with an extraordinary third act and an incredible cast of characters to boost. The open world is so well done. Not only does it nail the wild west look, but it feels so alive. You will get a variety of unique interactions with the people in this world which is nice. Not only that but there is a lot to explore. The game is so gorgeous. I love the scenery of the American west and this game just nails it. And the soundtrack for this game is fantastic. In all honesty, it's the best aspect of the game. My praises end here, however.
What bogs this game down is the gameplay. It's very repetitive. You talk to someone to start a mission, you ride your horse -usually with someone and listen to a conversation- then you have to do a shootout and escape. Rinse, wash, repeat. Plus the controls for the gameplay aren't the best. If you aren't having your hand held with auto-aim, then good luck aiming. It's atrocious. And speaking of hand-holding, this game does it a lot. There is one mission where Authur and John place explosives on a bridge and after they're done they have to avoid being smashed by a train. There is a catch though. If you do badly running away from the train then don't worry. The train will slow down if it gets too close to you. It's impossible to fail that part of the mission because the game has to hold your hand. Of course, this is when the game doesn't feel like a movie. A lot of "gameplay" moments just feel like interactive cutscenes, which I'm not a fan of. One of the missions for the epilogue was just a cutscene, but since you had to press buttons that changes everything.
This game has a focus on realism. I'll give the devs credit for taking the time and pouring in the effort to the attention to detail. However, just because it looks or feels real doesn't make it good. A lot of the animations take forever. I think the thing that falls victim to this is the horses. On one hand, I can appreciate the fact that horses aren't unstoppable freaks of nature that can take any fall, with no problem (like most games treat them). However, whistling for them is worthless. Due to the realism, they can't hear you from far away, which means if you're separated from them you're going to have to run back. Also, have fun trying to aim your gun while simultaneously trying to keep your horse going at a steady pace to outrun the law. Rockstar, I don't have enough fingers for this, the button mashing for speed wasn't a good idea.
While I said the story is good, it's not perfect. The beginning of the game is a drag. Plus, the game overstays its welcome. The epilogue is way too long and it made me lower my score for the game just a bit. If the game ended with Authur's death and 2-3 missions with John, I would've been satisfied. But no, you need to complete about 20 missions and they feel like filler.
My overall feelings about the game are complicated. A part of me enjoyed my time with it, exploring the world and interacting with others. The other part just couldn't wait for it to be done. All in all, this game has a good story and a nice open world, but that's not enough to save it from lackluster gameplay.
What bogs this game down is the gameplay. It's very repetitive. You talk to someone to start a mission, you ride your horse -usually with someone and listen to a conversation- then you have to do a shootout and escape. Rinse, wash, repeat. Plus the controls for the gameplay aren't the best. If you aren't having your hand held with auto-aim, then good luck aiming. It's atrocious. And speaking of hand-holding, this game does it a lot. There is one mission where Authur and John place explosives on a bridge and after they're done they have to avoid being smashed by a train. There is a catch though. If you do badly running away from the train then don't worry. The train will slow down if it gets too close to you. It's impossible to fail that part of the mission because the game has to hold your hand. Of course, this is when the game doesn't feel like a movie. A lot of "gameplay" moments just feel like interactive cutscenes, which I'm not a fan of. One of the missions for the epilogue was just a cutscene, but since you had to press buttons that changes everything.
This game has a focus on realism. I'll give the devs credit for taking the time and pouring in the effort to the attention to detail. However, just because it looks or feels real doesn't make it good. A lot of the animations take forever. I think the thing that falls victim to this is the horses. On one hand, I can appreciate the fact that horses aren't unstoppable freaks of nature that can take any fall, with no problem (like most games treat them). However, whistling for them is worthless. Due to the realism, they can't hear you from far away, which means if you're separated from them you're going to have to run back. Also, have fun trying to aim your gun while simultaneously trying to keep your horse going at a steady pace to outrun the law. Rockstar, I don't have enough fingers for this, the button mashing for speed wasn't a good idea.
While I said the story is good, it's not perfect. The beginning of the game is a drag. Plus, the game overstays its welcome. The epilogue is way too long and it made me lower my score for the game just a bit. If the game ended with Authur's death and 2-3 missions with John, I would've been satisfied. But no, you need to complete about 20 missions and they feel like filler.
My overall feelings about the game are complicated. A part of me enjoyed my time with it, exploring the world and interacting with others. The other part just couldn't wait for it to be done. All in all, this game has a good story and a nice open world, but that's not enough to save it from lackluster gameplay.