Dutch makes the top of the list because there is still so much sadness and confusion in his character. He is irredeemable by Red Dead Redemption , but it forever remains unclear what made him snap in the first place. Was it the pressure of his fading outlaw lifestyle? Was it the head injury he sustained during the first botched Saint Denis bank robbery? Perhaps he was always evil and selfish and no one noticed until his survival instinct negatively affected them. He had to be put down, but everyone involved wished some other alternative was availa

Upon its release, come late October 2018, literally at the stroke of midnight (I had pre-downloaded it weeks in advance), I was instantly pulled into a gritty, serious, and breathtaking open world. I probably didn't stop playing for a full 12 hours. Though I may have easily fallen in love with a game community I had long been anticipating, I can see how others may have grown frustrated with the game's design, tone, and realism. These three concepts all clash in some way throughout the playthrough and, despite record sales, proves why the game has dramatically left the public

Arthur Morgan's arc was unlike anything gaming had ever seen. Maybe a few characters had gone through complex changes over the course of several games in a series, but Arthur's starts and finishes in one epic ti

Micah Bell's horse is named Baylock and is a male Missouri Fox Trotter. Its darker body and light face make the horse look an awful lot like the Dark Horse from the first Red Dead Redemption. The Dark Horse would only spawn in the first game if the player had a low honor level. When putting that into account it seems that the horse picked for Micah Bell was intentional and meant as another piece of foreshadowing teasing the type of person he would reveal himself to be by journey's

Grand Theft Auto V is the quintessential open-world game. In this bonkers commentary of modern America, players take control of Michael De Santa, Franklin Clinton, and Trevor Philips as the three plan out and execute heists all while the equivalent of the FBI breathes down their throats and uses them for their own g

And sure, the fluid combat system is near-perfect and some of the most rewarding in modern gaming. Plus, there are fantastic character designs. Actually, now that we think about it, the Mr. Freeze boss battle— where he actually learns your patterns and adapts to your play style — was just the cherry on top of the c

Peter Blomquist is the voice actor responsible for bringing the vile and despicable Micah Bell to life. In entertainment actors who can make audiences truly hate their characters who were written to intentionally invoke disgust don't get enough cre

Most games maintain a steady stream of information that floods the screen. Little markers delineating new destinations. A compass to coordinate movement with your position on the map. Reminders for the quest that you're undertaking. Indicators of health, stamina, or any other status that might be necessary. Everything is designed to assist the player and ensure that you're not lacking context. Red Dead Redemption 2 throws that out the window. You're going to die. You're going to get lost. That's part of being in the Wild West. Get used to it. And that perilous freedom means so much in an open-world g

Most people trapped in the weird, robot dinosaur ridden land of Horizon Zero Dawn have reverted back to living in small tribes, using primitive technology, and generally being scared of everything. Aloy, however, is someone who's not only unafraid to stand up to a mechanical T-Rex, but also doesn't let things like ancient traditions, or being ostracized from society stop her from meeting new people.

Now, this is kind of an iffy choice, since she can also just go full-on renegade and be a total jerk to everyone. But while she may come across as a bit gruff, Shepard is someone who always seems to make time to help everyone on her crew deal with whatever problem they may have, despite having the entire fate of the universe resting on her shoulders. Even if it involves flying across the galaxy and inserting herself into situations that she really doesn't have anything to do with, she does it anyway because her crew needs her, and that's what good commanders do.

Sometimes open-world games sag under the weight of their content. There is simply too much to do. What's worst is when the same amount of time applied to develop content for the world is not equally applied to create a compelling narrative. That is not the case in Red Dead Redemption 2 . The writing is superb. The characters are fully realized. The emotions are nuanced. The story is believable. Every piece in that puzzle fits nicely, and the result is an elegant tale set in a wild wo

Following up the record-shattering Grand Theft Auto V was no easy task, but Red Dead Redemption 2 surpassed it with relative ease. Take-Two Interactive, Rockstar's parent company, stated that within the first eight days of its release, Red Dead Redemption 2 sold 17 million copies . That may not sound like a lot, but it's much more than what Red Dead Redemption sold in the 8 years of its existence. Intriguingly, not a mere five months after the game's debut, Take-Two Interactive's share prices dropped 20% with investors worried about the game's level of engagement. This highlights the reality plaguing Red Dead Redemption 2 : downplaying satisfaction. Intelligent investors knew that Red Dead Online was never going to be on par with its cash-grabbing cousin, GTA Onli