With the story building slowly and you getting to know your fellow gang members, you start to feel like you are part of a family. I felt like exploring with these members and doing every optional side quest available to maximize my experience. Without these side quest you miss an opportunity to bond with these members, which is one of the most unique feelings in a game. To feel like you are part of the gang and grow attached to the characters, is something every game should strive for.
As chapter 1 ends and you start to understand the sticky situation Dutch's gang is currently in, you are able to explore one of the most beautiful open worlds that has ever been created for a video game.
This environment made me feel like I was in the middle of America. The trees, the mountains, the sky, even the rivers and creeks made it feel like America. Nothing seems out of place. Trees are symmetrically placed for how they would appear in the real world, rocks are placed in the correct place, and bushes and paths just seem right. All of this makes you happy that you only have a horse to travel with, because even 50 hours in, I am still see something new and breathtaking.
I was expecting a lot from this game ever since it was announced a few years ago. After playing the first Red Dead Redemption game and GTA V, I knew that Rockstar would come out punching. The ability to fit in 50,000 lines of dialogue and seeing that choice affects your play made me excited to play this game. After exploring the world and understanding the mechanics involved to stay healthy and making sure you are prepared for all events that can transpire, I am left in awe about how much this game is going to change the future.
While the game is great, and I am still a few hours from finishing it, I still have a feeling that this game wasn't as "revolutionary" as I thought it would be. Yes, choice is important, but it doesn't change the game completely. You are still forced in one direction, as this game is story based. There are a few choices that you can make during missions, such as sparing someones life, but I haven't really seen those choices affect the game the way I thought it would.
Even with this slight criticism on the game, I feel that this is easily the best game of 2018. It pushes the boundaries of open world games the same way Breath of the Wild did last year. Both games have their strengths and weaknesses, but it will be interesting to see how developers learn from both games to create the next great masterpiece in open world games.
