Red Dead Redemption 2 and the love song of J. Arthur Morgan

...before John Marston, there was Arthur Morgan.


This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.quartertothree.com/fp/2018/10/25/red-dead-redemption-2-and-the-love-song-of-j-arthur-morgan/

Whoa. And you told me not to play it! And it’s like T.S. Eliot.

Well, more accurately, I said you wouldn’t have the patience for it. I stand by that assessment. :)

-Tom

Listen, there is a hell of a good universe next door – lets go.

Only read the verdict because I want to enjoy RDR2 totally unspoiled (will read the review after I finish it for sure) but it warms my heart that Tom liked it and the verdict is spot-on with what I hoped for.

This sounds like a truly grown-up game for grown-ups. I can’t wait until this hits PC. It sounds so right.

All the stars! Man this game really seems to be something special. If it comes to PC there will be a double dip into my wallet for it again.

Beautifully written and inspiring review! I’ve just started the game and am getting flashbacks to the deadly McCabe and Mrs. Miller blizzard sequences. There’s an awkwardness, slowness and silence about the “action” that really brings me back to that film. I’m considering putting on some Leonard Cohen softly in the background as I play.

I’m excited to explore the transcendent qualities that you focus on so eloquently. I hope I don’t spend too much time dumbstruck, like a patient etherized upon a table, so my hands can continue to nudge the experience forward.

Note: I don’t think you need to apologize to T.S. Eliot since you quote him directly.

Dammit, Rockstar! Make one bad game, so I can skip it!

You could wait for the PC release. ;)

I did change one of the lines to make it work better for Arthur.

-Tom

Hang on - you’re doing personalised reviews for individuals now? Will I like it??

Well, it’s pretty easy for Bruce Geryk. Just tell him the game isn’t for him. 99% of the time, you’ll be correct.

-Tom

Apologies for not reading closely enough.

Tom I wonder if you see any parallels with Far Cry 2 in the overall experience of this game.

This is the kind of review I come to QT3 to read. Thanks Tom.

Seconded. @tomchick knocked it out of the park. Just like in the bad old days. Too bad the game is for console peasants only. Guess Kassandra and I aint done quite yet.

So in order to maximize my RDR2 appreciation, I’m going to need to play RDR1? Hm… that’ll be quite the undertaking.

Correction:
“a tough time for great open-world game[s]”

If I’m reading howlongtobeat.com correctly, it seems like the original RDR is a fraction of the length of RDR2, so maybe you can just consider it a prologue and play it anyway :-P

@tomchick that was a superb review of RDR2. It captures, IMO, what keeps RDR2 on my mind while I’m at work, at a business dinner , watching TV with my wife and wishing I was playing - participating - in the RDR2 world. Not really a mention of the game mechanics, other than they work and support the story.

It’s hard to believe the same people that released GTA IV also released this game (are they a different writing team?) The first, again IMO, feels like it was written by a bunch of nerds with the mentality of kids who were shunned by the popular kids and girls in high school and now have a ton of money and resources. RDR2 feels like it was written by mature people who have experience a lot of life.