All the customization they had in the game really immersed you as actually being Arthur. Down to even your horse, was glad they added that ending scene for your horse as sad as it was.
@@arktis2653 thank you! I know it’s shitty to nitpick, especially in response to this masterpiece, but the first time I was playing through it I was like…?
@@rileygray1556 Not just that, I think after the 1.1 patch they even put John's "skin" over his Arthur's polygon model. for the epilogue. Rather than address any clipping issues with the clothing in the game, they just swapped the bodies. Really bugs me as it makes John look different.
I went back because I thought he'd get the money for John and his family, plus consequentially holding off Micah and Dutch from following John and letting him escape, It was a win situation, I realized arthurs motives were different than what I thought when he said "it's MY money" in the middle of the fight with micah and I had to reload right then and there
I think the best cutscene is the interaction with sister Calderon, it a level of humility from Arthur we’ve never seen before. Seeing him holding back tears while he says he’s afraid of leaving his family behind without helping them and ensuring they’re safe is just… something else.
I really wish I could wipe my memory and experience this story for the 1st time again. There are not many perfect games out there but RDR2 is one of them.
I wrote almost the same exact comment on another video about Arthur that I watched. There are certain books, games, and movies that I would love to take an amnesia pill for.
I completely understand the sentiment. I played the game, initially, several years ago. I couldn't bring myself to get Arthur to that cliff edge again for years. Then COVID and lots of time inside, and I ran it all. It was unbelievably sad the second time, but worthwhile to understand the cloud of Doom that hung over him, and how he let that play out.
I wouldn't say all of the gameplay mechanics are perfect, but in many ways it's the most impressive game I've ever played. The story, visuals, detail and immersion are unparalleled.
@@ViciousTNTnot the OP, but on the same level as RDR2, I would have to place The Witcher 3, GTA IV, and maybe Fallout New Vegas. Those three games are beautifully rendered for the times they came out, incredibly immersive, and chock full of interesting narratives with lots of nuance and meaning. There are better games out their, gameplay wise. The OG modern warfare comes to mind, and some third person rpg’s, but as far as interactive narratives, nothing is as good as RDR2. You could easily sink 200 hours into that game before ever reaching the epilogue, and it would never feel like you were avoiding the main goal, unlike games like Fallout 4. Chapters 1-3 are best experienced as a slow crawl, spending most of your time roleplaying as Arthur, attempting to stock camp and make some money. Wandering around for too long in the later chapters feels unrealistic, but chapter 2, you hardly need to be at camp.
Man that "I'm afraid" line hits me EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. Its something to watch a man we know as good put on this hard exterior to open up like that just for a moment. I cant praise this game enough.
One of my fav storylines in this game is when Arthur helps the widow Charlotte hunt after her husband passed away. You see her go from defenseless to a strong self sustaining woman. Even after you go back as John you see the impact Arthur had on people’s lives. That to me, is amazing story crafting.
Its been almost 2 months since my first play through of RDR2 and I still cannot get over what I witnessed. Arthur Morgan will go down as my absolute favourite videogame protagonist. I still refuse to believe that the van der linde gang are not real people, Rockstar has completely broken me
Arthur is literally the bad man with a heart of gold. I tried playing Arthur as a pure bad man on my 2nd play through but just couldn't bring myself to do it. Your analysis was excellent.
i really gotta force myself to be the bad guy. every time i replay the story, i try to play the first half of the game as low honor as possible and focus on Arthur being a ruthless criminal and no empathy to spare towards anyone. every now and then i give a dollar to a homeless guy but usually im cold and greedy. it's hard to play that way, but i feel that it adds to the story better and once Arthur gets his TB diagnosis i shift my play style to be kind and helpful, trying my hardest to repair Arthur's honor as best as i can before the end
On my first play through I started bad and towards the end when I started getting all the character choices I was consistently choosing high honor because the story was changing how I wanted to play as Arthur and I was so heartbroken at the end when I started the last mission unknowingly with my honor almost dead in the center. Micah shot me, I cried, and started a new game, played it through on high honor and when I eventually started a third I decided I was going full bad guy. I’ve since completed 2 separate high honor play throughs before completely this one low honor one because I can’t bring myself to be that bad guy in the story missions
Tried to play low honor, too. Couldn't do it. Picked on Jack just once and Arthur was brutal enough that I was just like, "Nope." Had a rough childhood, so I empathize with Jack given I had a strong, gutsy mother who also happened to be the biggest whore around. Couldn't do it.
I loved so much how aurthurs face started to become more and more sickly as his illness became more and more servere, during my play through for the first part of the game I always would regularly shave at camp or at the barber, but I noticed once he was diagnosed, I started to grow his beard out bc his face was so sickly I couldn’t bare to look at it clean shaven. I played it off as aurthur being insecure about his condition and trying his best to hide it so people wouldn’t worry about him, and the fact that I could do that and it make perfect sense character wise is a small thing but shows just how well written this story was and the quality of the game overall
@@mrreppy545 well the initial thought was just how jarred I was when I first saw his face shaven clean when he got diagnosed bc I was growing a beard out anyways before then so by the time I looked at the option in the barbershop it looked so jarring I felt I had to keep the beard on. I reverse engineered the head cannon but the fact that it still would make sense just enhanced the role playing aspect of the game. I did a high honor playthorough that time so maybe when I do the low honor I’ll keep it shaved, almost like Arthur being defiant even in the wake of his illness
Yep bit weird as you are hiding it from npc’s but okay 👍 also you said you were shaving it all the time but then the next message said you was growing a beard? So which is it then???
@@RaphaelAmbrosiusCosteauTo say God of War is comparable to the story of RDR2 is so… wrong to me. The story in RDR2 delivers so much much more, the story is more “human” (and yes I realise the ignorance in comparing an outlaw to an actual god). I played GoW. I played RDR2. The latter always beats the former. The fact that GoW got the GotY award is an absolute theft, and the two aren’t even comparable.
@@kalvinkearney4169 It’s all just a matter of opinion, I’ve also played both. To me, God of War and RDR2 are about the same in terms of how much I enjoyed the story. If we’re talking about gameplay too though, then I think God of War wins simply because RDR2 has so much fluff
He's basically an experiment in giving morality to a violent player character. Arthur's a killer because we need him to be so the game can be fun. We're Dutch. So Rockstar said, what if a fundamentally decent guy had to answer for the sins of gaming preferences? Even before Arthur learns he's sick, the music in gang missions has been getting gradually more haunting and sorrowful. It's like hell is nipping at his heels. To me Arthur's character is perfect because it reconciles the ludonarrative paradox by serving as a commentary on it. He's video game Jesus.
Arthur is a bad man with a heart of gold. Yeah he's done fucked up shit but he does it because that's what it's taken to survive. He's a defender of those he loves.
rockstar is obsessed with understanding the morality of ‘evil’ men (rdr, gta, max payne), they also love highlighting the divide between the player’s interaction with the game and the character’s actual desires. rdr2 is so great bc rockstar took everything they learned from their previous games, both gameplay and storywise, and improved it. its their magnus opus and probably the last ‘rockstar’ game we’ll ever get. my hopes arent exactly high for gtavi since everyone who worked on the originals has left…
I find it incredible how lots of people were upset that we would not play as John initially, and nowadays Arthur is universally considered the best protagonist of all time.
other way around for me, i wanted a character completely unrelated from the previous game. Like John Marston was to Red Harlow. because i knew that story and found Marston more badass when he was more a mystery. redemption 2 had the Boba Fett effect for me (the more i learned the lamer he gets)
@@MrFjordbakI mean John was still a mystery but just in certain ways. There wasn’t really much seen about his personal life prior to the Blackwater Massacre and we could hear and go through some stories with him and his family but it’s not entirely explained and shown in full detail similar to Arthur. I do understand where you’re coming from though.
fun fact the only people that stop for lenny when he dies is Charles who stops to see what exactly happened to him for a moment and Javier who looks for a moment as well while Javier chose to go with dutch he did so in a more confusion and was passive to both sides of the gang
In the stand off the actor who voiced and mocapped for Javier (Gabriel Sloyer) made the request that Javier point his gun in the air instead of at Arthur because he believed his character wouldn’t ever do that. It’s truly an amazing touch that shows how much the actors cared about the story as well
Never has a video game protagonist touched me the way Arthur Morgan did. I've just completed my 8th playthrough of RDR2 and I cry every single damn time. Rockstar make great games, but RDR2 is a masterpiece. I'm quite sure I'll never connect to any other game on this level again, and I'm okay with that. Also, fantastic video. You've earned a sub. Keep up the good work ❤
It sounds a bit cringey, but RDR2 changed my outlook on life. Making me appreciate loyal friends and family even more and giving me the realisation that no matter good or bad: You can always change into a better version of you.
@michaelsnow3536 poor guy, all his faves are gonna soon be ruined for him. Although I remember on my first playthrough I thought Dutch was cool until I noticed he left arthur behind on the ship after the bank robbery
I'm on my second high honor playthrough. Good through and though. In my story Dutch seems like a brilliant conman. He is an actor and Hosea was the mind. When Hosea dies Dutch is let lose and his ideas bring a quick end to the gang. I noticed how the narrative up to that point takes it's time very much. Up until that point the tension was ever more noticable. But slow. And after good ol' Hosea bites it, there's just nothing. No more plans. When Arthur tries to warn Dutch in the swamps, he said to Arthur "You sound like Hosea." Finally admitting that Arthur was always smarter than Dutch. Many from the gang thought Arthur dumb. But Hosea? He always remarked that Arthur is smarter than he thinks he is. And if you play high honor and do all the side stuff, you can notice Arthur being a really fast learner, a good teacher and a really honorable man for an outlaw. He is open to learn about the world and very eager to. And he doesn't like politics. 😁
I loved the irony of Arthur’s tuberculosis. He was the loyal enforcer of the gang who did what was necessary, though he partially blinded himself to what he really was, who Dutch was, and what they had become. He did his duty with unsavory debt collection, but when you read his journal entries, you see how it shames him. Instead of listening to that shame, he more or less suppressed it for the good of the gang. And it was an unsavory act of debt collection that doomed him. But in a way it saved him too. It forced him to wrestle with his own mortality in a quiet, slow way. Forced him to really reflect on what the gang actually is verses the romanticized ideal Dutch had presented. It forced him to see Dutch for who he was, and most importantly himself. The honor and ideals of the gang were for nothing, so at the end, Arthur has a last chance to do what little good with what little time he has. Which he primarily uses to give John the life Arthur should’ve taken with Mary all those years ago. I just love the poetry of it all. By ignoring his conscience, Arthur dooms himself. But that very doom forces him to wrestle with his conscience and makes him a better man in the end-a man who saves another man by pushing him towards the life Arthur should’ve chosen for himself a long long time ago.
What I’ve come to notice is that this game makes “chores” meaningful, where other games do not. Every game has the “go here get this” or “go here and shoot these guys” aspect but every time you do one of those “chores” in rdr2 it feels meaningful because of the cutscene or story linked to that mission. If every game did as good of a job as rdr does at making the player fully invested in the task he has set out to do We’d never have bad games.
I am that guy that just completed the game in 2023, and having now done so, I almost regret playing it because of the hole I now feel in my heart....this game transcends everything, as does Arthur
RDR2 is one of the last games I remember actually pre-ordering and actually staying up for the midnight release. I've never had a world pull me in and make me care about the story and the characters within it, Red Dead two was the game that made me a story mode gamer
When I first started playing this game Morgan was just another character in a game. As the game progressed he became a living person. So different from any other game or character.
Just when i think I've run out of new character analysis videos on my favorite game protagonist, you show up in my recommended with this beautiful piece. Thank you! This game has had the kind of impact on me that only a select few works of art have, so i love seeing/hearing other folks' thoughts on, and experiences of it. Thank you for sharing this with the world. I look forward to checking out your channel, and seeing what other work you've shared with us.
This game lowkey spoiled me, it is too good and I always see myself comparing other games to it. I know it is not fair though, but still😅 I only noticed now that Lenny told micah that when he dies there'll be a party, and that's what happens. John and Abigail's wedding is right after John returns from the mountains.
Yep. It really did ruin games for me for quite a while. I finally got over that hump but deep down I know, no other game can compare. I am looking forward to GTA6 big time. Hoping it’ll bring some of that awe back.
One thing people don't seem to talk about much is how perfect the epilogue is working on a farm as John and building a home but still not being able to leave the gang life behind and hunting down micah is perfection
So I started playing this game a month or so ago. And let me add I’m 48 and have been gaming since 10 years old. This was easily the greatest story game I’ve ever played. Your video did an amazing job at explaining Arthur great work
My heart literally sank when Arthur was having that conversation with the nun saying he was scared. It literally hit me the feels, most legendary character in video game indeed!!
When arthur died and if you followed the good route, Arthur dies on top of a mountain while Dutch being the lowly scumbag that he is, died at the bottom of one. Remembering that was truly poetic.
This is the only video game to have ever made me cry. I played through the first time on my own. Later my wife and I played through together, and to avoid spoilers I showed as little emotion as possible as things happened, but damn replaying the game, when Arthur tells sister “I’m scared”, that’s hard to contain
To me Red Dead Redemption II answered my questions to why most TV shows and films have been crap in recent times before it. A well written, well brought up storytelling and well character driven video game can really show what films and tv series lack in having.
Finished my first playthrough of the game. Didn't expect it to make me feel things. I actually stopped committing crimes and fucking around right after his diagnosis and did more good things before he died.
Arthur Morgan will always be the greatest protagonist in gaming, just a magnificently written and voiced character. The scene with the nun on the train station will always be remembered, all Arthur has gone through, then admitting he's scared of dying just hits different.
This was the most well constructed game in just about every aspect I ever played in my life. The word masterpiece gets used so often, but this game truly is a piece of art.
Arthur Morgan’s character, his duel nature is apparent in his name. Arthur reminds us of heroes like King Arthur. Morgan, brings to mind ruthless villains like Henry Morgan.
To this day still the best game I’ve ever played. A lot of great games have been released since then but none have made me as emotional or invested as rdr2. ❤
I’m on my 2nd play through First time I went mission to mission, no side quests, low honor This time I’m taking my time, exploring everything, high honor Love this game so much. Arthur is the greatest video game character I’ve ever experienced
In the beginning I really wanted to play as John. In the end I really wanted didn’t want to leave Arthur. That’s how you know a character is so well written.
i just got and played rdr2. Aurther Morgan Is an absolute unit. It actually hurt watching him get sick, wither and then finally die. He was truly a decent person in his end and it sucked watching him go. If there was a good video game character role model, this character definitely fits.
Lockdown started, my marriage took its last breath, I started playing this game, it helped me have a deeper understanding of repentance and redemption. I got c0vid a few days after he was diagnosed with tb. The jab wasn't around yet. I missed my son, I was sick and alone. Weirdly enough, or not, this whole experience led me back to being a christian. I will never forget those days. I saw myself A LOT in him and I feel like I bonded with the character. Uncanny.
Red dead redemption 2 is my favorite game of all time, I play through it atleast once a year, I have 100% the game 3 times, I’ve basically explored every last bit of the game and it still feels magical everytime I boot it up
Never played RDR 1 wasn't a fan of the outlaw thing at the time. But the first time i played RDR2 i couldn't believe how amazing this game is. Still in my rotation mainly to hunt. My favorite game of all time.
I will not argue that Arthur Morgan touched my soul. His story was a phenomenal redemption arc, masterfully told. But, it also gives even more power to Red Dead Redemption 1's endings. After thinking he was fully able to move on, John is forced back into that lifestyle to hunt the old gang. The gang you were family with. The gang you sung songs together around a fire, during a thunderstorm with. The first Redemption game was already a masterpiece and a powerhouse in story. The second game tied everything together in a way that makes them two of the most profound video games in history. Once you hit the final act of the first Redemption game, you'll understand fundamentally that these people were born to a vicious cycle that none could break, no matter how much they tried. It can also be the book that Jack Marston wrote that sits in the bookshelves of Michael and Franklin's houses in GTA V. Is the RDR story really about Jack Marston? Did Arthur, John, or Jack ever get real redemption?
I remember the first time I played this. I'd been a fan since the first game, and I was first upset that I was going to have to play this new character because I was expecting John. But Arthur's witty, charismatic attitude and charm slowly made me fall in love with his character. When you get sick in the streets of St. Denis, I was literally yelling at my screen because I couldnt figure out what the hell his problem was, why he was stumbling. I thought he'd been poisoned or something, then you get the doctors cut screen. I found myself going through all 5 stages of grief, and had to do it again when the sunset on Arthur in the final scene. It wasn’t until the game opened back up as John that I realized what had happened. I never wanted to play John again. Rockstar and Roger Clark did a truly amazing jobs with his development. He is and will always be my favorites character of all time.
Spot on. It's absolutely phenomenal work they put in, considering that most fans wanted John. They were able to not necessarily win all of them over, but at least get them to a point where they were satisfied with having Arthur instead.
I remember the first time playing rdr2 i was blown away by the story and characters, it made sure that you care enough to learn about their backstories and what they do not just as a gang but as a family, arthur is one of the best protagonist I've ever played as in a game, yes he's an outlaw but deep down his family/gang look up to him the most, i cried my eyeballs out at the ending when he died because he grew on me.
I think the quote that sums up Arthur perfectly is the one from Reverend Swanson after he sobers up, "You lived your life like a man Arthur...and you turned into a good man."
This is by far my favorite video i have ever seen on this game. The way you talked about the story and used moments from the game were perfect, i cant even describe it but you made me want to replay it again immediately, as some of the emotion of the story beats for me could be undercut by my own gameplay or moods during play sessions. Its like my underlying understanding and emotional attachment i have had to this game for 5 years now was spelled out in a way i could never put into words. great video man!
I knew how the ending was gonna go thanks to some gaming montage videos but even so, i absolutely bawled my eyes out Its so rare for fiction in general to hit me like that. Losing Arthur was like losing a close friend, as cringe as that sounds. I had to take a few days away from the game; it was that emotionally draining for me. Never happened before either. This game's story was a genuine experience. I just wish i could relive it for the first time one more time
Putting aside the fact that Arthur Morgan is the greatest protagonist in gaming history, the story of both Red dead redemptions is utterly amazing. It is worthy of a film.
Ian going through some medical issues . And this games has helped me more than anything . I have a been a bad person a lot of my life .. and Arthur Morgan makes me feel like I got some redemption left in me . Idk .. this definitely the best games I have ever played . It’s not even debatable
9:15 i love how in this moment Micah punches bill instead of Lenny, because he knows that even though Lenny made the joke, and everyone laughed at him. if he hit anyone else they'd all gang up on him and beat his ass
I can't tell you how much I love this game and all the feelings it makes me feel while experiencing its story, no matter how many times. Congratulations for your good work on the video
This is the only game that drew me in that much. Every time I start it I get drawn in and can't stop. Even Kairen's death still hits me every time. After my first playthrough I never changed Arthurs hat knowing he gives it to John.
I played RDR2 when I first came out, at the end of the storyline, I cried like a baby! The impact of the death of Arthur Morgan was so hard that I couldn't play as John, I turned off the game and never finished. I now picked up the game again and I'm playing as John.... A whole new game all over.
I remember absolutely bawling when I finished Red Dead Redemption. But for this one somehow I didn't cry as hard, but thats probably I didn't do everything I could in RDR2. But im fixing that now that I have it on PC
Arthur becomes part of you. You enter his world. You wake up in his tent in the morning. You grab something to eat from your satchel. You go check on your horse and make sure it is fed. You glance at the sun coming up over some distant mountain and you take a moment to look out over the sprawling valleys and the glittering lake in the distance. And then you ready yourself for whatever the day brings. Whether it is hunting for food for your camp mates, hunting down an exotic beast, or setting out on a mission. You live Arthur and you become him . That is why it is so wrenching when Arthur dies. You lose a part of yourself in Arthur's world
See I think Arthur is the most beautifully written character of all time In gaming. But when it comes to the best I can’t decide between Arthur and John But I feel I have a satisfying answer. John marston is the anti hero of yesterday, strong silent type. He’s as straight as an arrow when it comes to honesty, what you see is what you get. He’s the biggest badass in gaming for sure. And he definitely represents the old fashioned, stereotypical gunslinger. In the best possible way. Arthur on the other hand is the new age of anti hero. So many layers. What you see isn’t what you get with Arthur. The more time we spend with him the more the layers begin to peal. He shows weakness at times, admitting he’s afraid, something John wouldn’t do. But that what Arthur admits to shows strength in another way. Arthur poses as the strong silent type but he isn’t. He’s more sensitive than that. Either way. The redemption series has the best characters in its saga. In two games they have more interesting characters than 90% of other games.
I look at it like this: Arthur is the person that Dutch wants to be, a good criminal, while Micah is what he is going to turn into, the outlaw deromanticized.
@@ViciousTNT I think its because Dutch wants to be this “Good man”. Its clear Dutch could have the power to redeem himself, but whether it be the decay of the outlaw’s world, the influence that Micah brings, or the death of those he loves dear, he is pulled more into a more “true” perspective of an outlaw. I believe Dutch almost became nihilistic as more members died or left, as seen in the prologue when he said “Stay strong, stay with me.” And by the end, he isn’t willing to keep John with him, and no longer sees him as a good friend, but rather as a liability, as more people defy him. He wants to see himself as someone that someone can stick by, like Arthur, but perhaps Micah may be causing him to go blind to what he SHOULD do to achieve that (By being a good person, and compromising whatever you have to achieve it.) When Arthur dies though, its clear he has changed. The death of Hosea made him lose his morals, and the death of Grimshaw something to live for, and arthur’s demise made him lose his sanity, but perhaps at that mountain peak, Micah’s death made him see the true perspective, although at the point he is at, maybe he doesn’t think he could redeem himself. The stare he gives John says it all, he basically says “Don’t forgive me, and dont apologize.”
I played the first Red Dead Redemption for years and Marston felt so good to play as. After I got to (Arthur's) end of Red Dead Redemption 2, I didn't want to be Marston. I couldn't relate to him like Arthur. Somehow they made one of the best video game protagonists a less desirable choice when compared to their new one.
Oh wow I just made this connection because i finished the game a few days ago. Mary Lou tells Arthur “run away and don’t look back” and in chapter 6 that’s the same thing Arthur tells John. Almost like he’s projecting because he regrets not running away then and there
Absolutely perfectly and beautifully put...on my 2nd playthrough right now and still loving it as much as the 1st time...can see me doin several more playthroughs...it just never gets old...
I recently started playing RDR2 a couple of weeks ago and I am honestly embarrassed to say how many hours i’ve played already. This is truly one of the best games I have ever played, from the characters to the immersive open map, it’s a masterpiece. Sad that they neglected the online version so much in order to focus and profit off of GTA online. With that being said, I am so excited to see what they are going to do with GTA 6 considering how detailed RDR2 was and that came out almost 6 years ago now.
I think in most games or even movies where the main character is an anti-hero, they turn into a fairy tale where they can magically change who they are or who they were, and live happily ever after, or die regarded as a hero. Arthur was the most realistic anti-hero story ever told that I can think of. Only a few had their minds changed as Arthur changed, and almost nobody had any moment of clarity as Arthur did. He was alone, and any good deeds he performed after his moment of clarity were also his own to be taken to his grave. While John, Abigail, Sadie, and Charles all respected Arthur and recognized some of the good he did, none of them did so in a way that was fitting. Charles was maybe the closest, by burying Arthur. John continues to fall into old habits, and Abigail continues to allow it despite her protests and even leaving for a short time. Like I said, it is closest to the real way redemption works. Arthur knew he couldn't change what he he was and had been. He never sought forgiveness because it was realistically unattainable. His guilt ate at him almost as much as the tuberculosis to the point where he couldn't even forgive himself, as demontstrated with the conversation with the Sister. In the end, the only people who thought he was a good man were the people who either only knew him once he became a good man, or the people who knew he was as good as he could have been despite his past. In other words, he was good compared to Micah or Dutch, which is about as good as he could have been in real life and not some fairy tale where he magically goes from anti-hero to beloved savior. As removed witnesses we might hold him in such regard, but people he affected within the story kept a realistic perspective. He died alone, at peace, amongst his enemies.
New video on Dutch Van Der Linde out now: ruclips.net/video/0tkBQX1NbII/видео.html
Batman is better.
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All the customization they had in the game really immersed you as actually being Arthur. Down to even your horse, was glad they added that ending scene for your horse as sad as it was.
Yeah but was I the only one that was bugged when John Marston’s hair was suddenly just Arthur’s but black? Lol
@@rileygray1556I had a pc mod that changed that cause it annoyed me 💀
@@arktis2653 thank you! I know it’s shitty to nitpick, especially in response to this masterpiece, but the first time I was playing through it I was like…?
@@rileygray1556 Not just that, I think after the 1.1 patch they even put John's "skin" over his Arthur's polygon model. for the epilogue. Rather than address any clipping issues with the clothing in the game, they just swapped the bodies. Really bugs me as it makes John look different.
If there’s a patch I’ll fix it but it took me out of it
Screw star signs, the easiest way to tell cold hearted psychos is the people who went back for the money instead of accompanying John
do it on good honor on a different playthrough and you get to hurt micah more
Preach!
I went back because I thought he'd get the money for John and his family, plus consequentially holding off Micah and Dutch from following John and letting him escape, It was a win situation, I realized arthurs motives were different than what I thought when he said "it's MY money" in the middle of the fight with micah and I had to reload right then and there
You don't get the option to go back for the money if your honor is high enough anyways.
@@lilmario0 My honor was on max and I still got the option
I think the best cutscene is the interaction with sister Calderon, it a level of humility from Arthur we’ve never seen before. Seeing him holding back tears while he says he’s afraid of leaving his family behind without helping them and ensuring they’re safe is just… something else.
I really wish I could wipe my memory and experience this story for the 1st time again. There are not many perfect games out there but RDR2 is one of them.
True. Are the specific ones you would place on the same level as RDR 2?
I wrote almost the same exact comment on another video about Arthur that I watched. There are certain books, games, and movies that I would love to take an amnesia pill for.
I completely understand the sentiment. I played the game, initially, several years ago. I couldn't bring myself to get Arthur to that cliff edge again for years. Then COVID and lots of time inside, and I ran it all. It was unbelievably sad the second time, but worthwhile to understand the cloud of Doom that hung over him, and how he let that play out.
I wouldn't say all of the gameplay mechanics are perfect, but in many ways it's the most impressive game I've ever played. The story, visuals, detail and immersion are unparalleled.
@@ViciousTNTnot the OP, but on the same level as RDR2, I would have to place The Witcher 3, GTA IV, and maybe Fallout New Vegas. Those three games are beautifully rendered for the times they came out, incredibly immersive, and chock full of interesting narratives with lots of nuance and meaning. There are better games out their, gameplay wise. The OG modern warfare comes to mind, and some third person rpg’s, but as far as interactive narratives, nothing is as good as RDR2. You could easily sink 200 hours into that game before ever reaching the epilogue, and it would never feel like you were avoiding the main goal, unlike games like Fallout 4. Chapters 1-3 are best experienced as a slow crawl, spending most of your time roleplaying as Arthur, attempting to stock camp and make some money. Wandering around for too long in the later chapters feels unrealistic, but chapter 2, you hardly need to be at camp.
Man that "I'm afraid" line hits me EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. Its something to watch a man we know as good put on this hard exterior to open up like that just for a moment. I cant praise this game enough.
Meanwhile you've heard the line twice at most. Grab a tissue.
@@12345YeahIdiot.
One of my fav storylines in this game is when Arthur helps the widow Charlotte hunt after her husband passed away. You see her go from defenseless to a strong self sustaining woman. Even after you go back as John you see the impact Arthur had on people’s lives. That to me, is amazing story crafting.
It's so gratifying to see her not just survive, but thrive in the world. And it's all thanks to Arthur sharing some kindness with her
And if you don't help her, unfortunately, you can find her corpse as John. So Arthur really did save her
In my game I visited the ladies house again as John and she was dead with a half bottle of healing tonic on her
@@FieldBoy111same I was devastated I seen the X on the map in the house and knew it had all gone terribly wrong
If i remember, she have a stalker.
Its been almost 2 months since my first play through of RDR2 and I still cannot get over what I witnessed. Arthur Morgan will go down as my absolute favourite videogame protagonist. I still refuse to believe that the van der linde gang are not real people, Rockstar has completely broken me
I wish I could play it for the 1st time again. I'm on like the 7th or 8th playthrough, its still fun to play through every few months or so.
The feeling is mutual brother. It will be a VERY very long time until we get a game of this quality ever again
I finished mine last month
Arthur is literally the bad man with a heart of gold. I tried playing Arthur as a pure bad man on my 2nd play through but just couldn't bring myself to do it. Your analysis was excellent.
Thank you 😊 I had the same problem, I couldn't do him dirty like that
i really gotta force myself to be the bad guy. every time i replay the story, i try to play the first half of the game as low honor as possible and focus on Arthur being a ruthless criminal and no empathy to spare towards anyone. every now and then i give a dollar to a homeless guy but usually im cold and greedy.
it's hard to play that way, but i feel that it adds to the story better and once Arthur gets his TB diagnosis i shift my play style to be kind and helpful, trying my hardest to repair Arthur's honor as best as i can before the end
On my first play through I started bad and towards the end when I started getting all the character choices I was consistently choosing high honor because the story was changing how I wanted to play as Arthur and I was so heartbroken at the end when I started the last mission unknowingly with my honor almost dead in the center. Micah shot me, I cried, and started a new game, played it through on high honor and when I eventually started a third I decided I was going full bad guy. I’ve since completed 2 separate high honor play throughs before completely this one low honor one because I can’t bring myself to be that bad guy in the story missions
Tried to play low honor, too. Couldn't do it. Picked on Jack just once and Arthur was brutal enough that I was just like, "Nope." Had a rough childhood, so I empathize with Jack given I had a strong, gutsy mother who also happened to be the biggest whore around. Couldn't do it.
@@robertphillips213you could just avoid Jack. I antagonize everyone else except him lol.
Arthur feels so human and he's so enjoyable as a character and I love how many layers he has.
Arthur Morgan is without a doubt the most well thought out character in a game that I've ever seen. He's so... human like. Like a real person.
I loved so much how aurthurs face started to become more and more sickly as his illness became more and more servere, during my play through for the first part of the game I always would regularly shave at camp or at the barber, but I noticed once he was diagnosed, I started to grow his beard out bc his face was so sickly I couldn’t bare to look at it clean shaven. I played it off as aurthur being insecure about his condition and trying his best to hide it so people wouldn’t worry about him, and the fact that I could do that and it make perfect sense character wise is a small thing but shows just how well written this story was and the quality of the game overall
That’s actually an interesting way to think about things knowing Arthur’s behavior in general
@@mrreppy545 well the initial thought was just how jarred I was when I first saw his face shaven clean when he got diagnosed bc I was growing a beard out anyways before then so by the time I looked at the option in the barbershop it looked so jarring I felt I had to keep the beard on. I reverse engineered the head cannon but the fact that it still would make sense just enhanced the role playing aspect of the game. I did a high honor playthorough that time so maybe when I do the low honor I’ll keep it shaved, almost like Arthur being defiant even in the wake of his illness
Yep bit weird as you are hiding it from npc’s but okay 👍 also you said you were shaving it all the time but then the next message said you was growing a beard? So which is it then???
@@topbloke1683 you sound like you’d be great at parties lol
Excellent way of thinking my man you got quite the brain there
If rockstar knows one thing it's story telling. Arthur Morgan felt so real and alive that I don't think anyone can do it as well as them.
I feel like the only games that came even remotely close are God of War 2018 and the Last of Us
@@RaphaelAmbrosiusCosteau And let's be real, it wasn't even close. Man, what a game and what a character.
@@RaphaelAmbrosiusCosteauTo say God of War is comparable to the story of RDR2 is so… wrong to me.
The story in RDR2 delivers so much much more, the story is more “human” (and yes I realise the ignorance in comparing an outlaw to an actual god).
I played GoW. I played RDR2. The latter always beats the former.
The fact that GoW got the GotY award is an absolute theft, and the two aren’t even comparable.
Kratos was a good, solid protagonist, his storyline was solid. But it shies in comparison to RDR2.
@@kalvinkearney4169 It’s all just a matter of opinion, I’ve also played both. To me, God of War and RDR2 are about the same in terms of how much I enjoyed the story. If we’re talking about gameplay too though, then I think God of War wins simply because RDR2 has so much fluff
He's basically an experiment in giving morality to a violent player character. Arthur's a killer because we need him to be so the game can be fun. We're Dutch. So Rockstar said, what if a fundamentally decent guy had to answer for the sins of gaming preferences? Even before Arthur learns he's sick, the music in gang missions has been getting gradually more haunting and sorrowful. It's like hell is nipping at his heels.
To me Arthur's character is perfect because it reconciles the ludonarrative paradox by serving as a commentary on it. He's video game Jesus.
Arthur is a bad man with a heart of gold. Yeah he's done fucked up shit but he does it because that's what it's taken to survive. He's a defender of those he loves.
rockstar is obsessed with understanding the morality of ‘evil’ men (rdr, gta, max payne), they also love highlighting the divide between the player’s interaction with the game and the character’s actual desires. rdr2 is so great bc rockstar took everything they learned from their previous games, both gameplay and storywise, and improved it. its their magnus opus and probably the last ‘rockstar’ game we’ll ever get. my hopes arent exactly high for gtavi since everyone who worked on the originals has left…
Why tf is playing something violant FUN
@@backwards_in_time8430"everyone"
60+% of GTA SA or earlier era staff:
I find it incredible how lots of people were upset that we would not play as John initially, and nowadays Arthur is universally considered the best protagonist of all time.
other way around for me, i wanted a character completely unrelated from the previous game. Like John Marston was to Red Harlow. because i knew that story and found Marston more badass when he was more a mystery. redemption 2 had the Boba Fett effect for me (the more i learned the lamer he gets)
The ones who didn’t like it at first cried the hardest at the end
@@MrFjordbakI mean John was still a mystery but just in certain ways. There wasn’t really much seen about his personal life prior to the Blackwater Massacre and we could hear and go through some stories with him and his family but it’s not entirely explained and shown in full detail similar to Arthur. I do understand where you’re coming from though.
John was better
@@12345Yeah Na
fun fact the only people that stop for lenny when he dies is Charles who stops to see what exactly happened to him for a moment and Javier who looks for a moment as well while Javier chose to go with dutch he did so in a more confusion and was passive to both sides of the gang
In the stand off the actor who voiced and mocapped for Javier (Gabriel Sloyer) made the request that Javier point his gun in the air instead of at Arthur because he believed his character wouldn’t ever do that. It’s truly an amazing touch that shows how much the actors cared about the story as well
@@WizKhalibayeah but he literally tricked John and tried to get John killed by goons in the first red dead
@@therookie5714yes but you gotta take that with a grain of salt because i’m sure at that time they didn’t have the full picture painted
Never has a video game protagonist touched me the way Arthur Morgan did. I've just completed my 8th playthrough of RDR2 and I cry every single damn time. Rockstar make great games, but RDR2 is a masterpiece. I'm quite sure I'll never connect to any other game on this level again, and I'm okay with that. Also, fantastic video. You've earned a sub. Keep up the good work ❤
It sounds a bit cringey, but RDR2 changed my outlook on life. Making me appreciate loyal friends and family even more and giving me the realisation that no matter good or bad: You can always change into a better version of you.
Not cringry at all :)
nah it’s very understandable, arthur morgan lowkey inspired me to make better choices and to do the right thing every chance you get
Not cringe at all
I recently introduced my 66 year old father to RDR2 and he absolutely loves it. I play it and he avidly watches. He's a big fan of Dutch so far.
That's awesome. I'm glad to hear he's enjoying it 😊
I'm worried that he's going To pass out from sadness at the High Honour finale
Let us know his final thoughts whenever you can ♡
@@roonkolos Thank you! I certainly will. We're currently in the Rhodes arc and he's finding Sean to be a really funny dude.
@michaelsnow3536 poor guy, all his faves are gonna soon be ruined for him. Although I remember on my first playthrough I thought Dutch was cool until I noticed he left arthur behind on the ship after the bank robbery
Arthur Morgan has not and will never die,his real fans wont let him.
I'm on my second high honor playthrough. Good through and though. In my story Dutch seems like a brilliant conman. He is an actor and Hosea was the mind. When Hosea dies Dutch is let lose and his ideas bring a quick end to the gang. I noticed how the narrative up to that point takes it's time very much. Up until that point the tension was ever more noticable. But slow. And after good ol' Hosea bites it, there's just nothing. No more plans. When Arthur tries to warn Dutch in the swamps, he said to Arthur "You sound like Hosea." Finally admitting that Arthur was always smarter than Dutch. Many from the gang thought Arthur dumb. But Hosea? He always remarked that Arthur is smarter than he thinks he is. And if you play high honor and do all the side stuff, you can notice Arthur being a really fast learner, a good teacher and a really honorable man for an outlaw. He is open to learn about the world and very eager to. And he doesn't like politics. 😁
"He is an anti-hero we root for, because we understand his motivations and context" that is THE best way to describe Arthur as a character💪
I loved the irony of Arthur’s tuberculosis. He was the loyal enforcer of the gang who did what was necessary, though he partially blinded himself to what he really was, who Dutch was, and what they had become. He did his duty with unsavory debt collection, but when you read his journal entries, you see how it shames him.
Instead of listening to that shame, he more or less suppressed it for the good of the gang. And it was an unsavory act of debt collection that doomed him.
But in a way it saved him too. It forced him to wrestle with his own mortality in a quiet, slow way. Forced him to really reflect on what the gang actually is verses the romanticized ideal Dutch had presented. It forced him to see Dutch for who he was, and most importantly himself.
The honor and ideals of the gang were for nothing, so at the end, Arthur has a last chance to do what little good with what little time he has. Which he primarily uses to give John the life Arthur should’ve taken with Mary all those years ago.
I just love the poetry of it all. By ignoring his conscience, Arthur dooms himself. But that very doom forces him to wrestle with his conscience and makes him a better man in the end-a man who saves another man by pushing him towards the life Arthur should’ve chosen for himself a long long time ago.
A incredibly well put together video, down to sound design and timing. I need more
Thank you, that's very sweet ❤️
What I’ve come to notice is that this game makes “chores” meaningful, where other games do not. Every game has the “go here get this” or “go here and shoot these guys” aspect but every time you do one of those “chores” in rdr2 it feels meaningful because of the cutscene or story linked to that mission. If every game did as good of a job as rdr does at making the player fully invested in the task he has set out to do We’d never have bad games.
I am that guy that just completed the game in 2023, and having now done so, I almost regret playing it because of the hole I now feel in my heart....this game transcends everything, as does Arthur
Have a hole in your heart for the games people don’t play anymore, this is not underrated in any capacity
RDR2 is one of the last games I remember actually pre-ordering and actually staying up for the midnight release. I've never had a world pull me in and make me care about the story and the characters within it, Red Dead two was the game that made me a story mode gamer
If a game can sweep you off your feet, this is it
When I first started playing this game Morgan was just another character in a game. As the game progressed he became a living person. So different from any other game or character.
Just when i think I've run out of new character analysis videos on my favorite game protagonist, you show up in my recommended with this beautiful piece. Thank you! This game has had the kind of impact on me that only a select few works of art have, so i love seeing/hearing other folks' thoughts on, and experiences of it. Thank you for sharing this with the world. I look forward to checking out your channel, and seeing what other work you've shared with us.
Thank you, I'm glad you liked it 😊
This game lowkey spoiled me, it is too good and I always see myself comparing other games to it. I know it is not fair though, but still😅
I only noticed now that Lenny told micah that when he dies there'll be a party, and that's what happens. John and Abigail's wedding is right after John returns from the mountains.
Yep. It really did ruin games for me for quite a while. I finally got over that hump but deep down I know, no other game can compare. I am looking forward to GTA6 big time. Hoping it’ll bring some of that awe back.
Same here. This game ruined all other games for me.
One thing people don't seem to talk about much is how perfect the epilogue is working on a farm as John and building a home but still not being able to leave the gang life behind and hunting down micah is perfection
So I started playing this game a month or so ago. And let me add I’m 48 and have been gaming since 10 years old. This was easily the greatest story game I’ve ever played. Your video did an amazing job at explaining Arthur great work
Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed the video ♥️
My heart literally sank when Arthur was having that conversation with the nun saying he was scared. It literally hit me the feels, most legendary character in video game indeed!!
It doesn't matter how many times I have seen that scene, I get chills every time
Let’s be real here… he is top 5 protagonist in anything, what a story, what a charcter. Perfection
Agree. One of the best characters in media period
When arthur died and if you followed the good route, Arthur dies on top of a mountain while Dutch being the lowly scumbag that he is, died at the bottom of one. Remembering that was truly poetic.
And Dutch’s body was desecrated and handed to the feds. While Arthur was buried with respect by a friend, exactly where he wished to be buried
This is the only video game to have ever made me cry. I played through the first time on my own. Later my wife and I played through together, and to avoid spoilers I showed as little emotion as possible as things happened, but damn replaying the game, when Arthur tells sister “I’m scared”, that’s hard to contain
To me Red Dead Redemption II answered my questions to why most TV shows and films have been crap in recent times before it. A well written, well brought up storytelling and well character driven video game can really show what films and tv series lack in having.
I believe games are one of the last pillars where writers and creatives can still go balls to the wall.
Hello from the future. They've made an absolutely fantastic fallout television series
Finished my first playthrough of the game. Didn't expect it to make me feel things. I actually stopped committing crimes and fucking around right after his diagnosis and did more good things before he died.
Arthur Morgan will always be the greatest protagonist in gaming, just a magnificently written and voiced character. The scene with the nun on the train station will always be remembered, all Arthur has gone through, then admitting he's scared of dying just hits different.
I get chills every time I rewatch that scene.
This was the most well constructed game in just about every aspect I ever played in my life. The word masterpiece gets used so often, but this game truly is a piece of art.
Arthur Morgan’s character, his duel nature is apparent in his name. Arthur reminds us of heroes like King Arthur. Morgan, brings to mind ruthless villains like Henry Morgan.
To this day still the best game I’ve ever played. A lot of great games have been released since then but none have made me as emotional or invested as rdr2. ❤
Arthur is the character we miss...Man that line you said, it just hits every time I play the game after the epilogue I do miss him.
I’m not sure we will ever be able to surpass the quality of this game.
I’m on my 2nd play through
First time I went mission to mission, no side quests, low honor
This time I’m taking my time, exploring everything, high honor
Love this game so much. Arthur is the greatest video game character I’ve ever experienced
In the beginning I really wanted to play as John. In the end I really wanted didn’t want to leave Arthur. That’s how you know a character is so well written.
i just got and played rdr2.
Aurther Morgan Is an absolute unit.
It actually hurt watching him get sick, wither and then finally die. He was truly a decent person in his end and it sucked watching him go.
If there was a good video game character role model, this character definitely fits.
Lockdown started, my marriage took its last breath, I started playing this game, it helped me have a deeper understanding of repentance and redemption. I got c0vid a few days after he was diagnosed with tb. The jab wasn't around yet. I missed my son, I was sick and alone. Weirdly enough, or not, this whole experience led me back to being a christian. I will never forget those days. I saw myself A LOT in him and I feel like I bonded with the character. Uncanny.
The jab is gonna be far worse then covid
@@waynegrover1333not in the world where rational people live ....
Red dead redemption 2 is my favorite game of all time, I play through it atleast once a year, I have 100% the game 3 times, I’ve basically explored every last bit of the game and it still feels magical everytime I boot it up
Never played RDR 1 wasn't a fan of the outlaw thing at the time. But the first time i played RDR2 i couldn't believe how amazing this game is. Still in my rotation mainly to hunt. My favorite game of all time.
I will not argue that Arthur Morgan touched my soul. His story was a phenomenal redemption arc, masterfully told.
But, it also gives even more power to Red Dead Redemption 1's endings.
After thinking he was fully able to move on, John is forced back into that lifestyle to hunt the old gang. The gang you were family with. The gang you sung songs together around a fire, during a thunderstorm with.
The first Redemption game was already a masterpiece and a powerhouse in story. The second game tied everything together in a way that makes them two of the most profound video games in history.
Once you hit the final act of the first Redemption game, you'll understand fundamentally that these people were born to a vicious cycle that none could break, no matter how much they tried.
It can also be the book that Jack Marston wrote that sits in the bookshelves of Michael and Franklin's houses in GTA V.
Is the RDR story really about Jack Marston? Did Arthur, John, or Jack ever get real redemption?
I remember the first time I played this. I'd been a fan since the first game, and I was first upset that I was going to have to play this new character because I was expecting John. But Arthur's witty, charismatic attitude and charm slowly made me fall in love with his character. When you get sick in the streets of St. Denis, I was literally yelling at my screen because I couldnt figure out what the hell his problem was, why he was stumbling. I thought he'd been poisoned or something, then you get the doctors cut screen. I found myself going through all 5 stages of grief, and had to do it again when the sunset on Arthur in the final scene. It wasn’t until the game opened back up as John that I realized what had happened. I never wanted to play John again. Rockstar and Roger Clark did a truly amazing jobs with his development. He is and will always be my favorites character of all time.
Spot on. It's absolutely phenomenal work they put in, considering that most fans wanted John. They were able to not necessarily win all of them over, but at least get them to a point where they were satisfied with having Arthur instead.
i still cry everytime i think of Arthur and everything he's done for everyone
Both of these stories have stayed with me for years. Still does
I remember the first time playing rdr2 i was blown away by the story and characters, it made sure that you care enough to learn about their backstories and what they do not just as a gang but as a family, arthur is one of the best protagonist I've ever played as in a game, yes he's an outlaw but deep down his family/gang look up to him the most, i cried my eyeballs out at the ending when he died because he grew on me.
Arthur’s story and Roger’s performance will live in me forever
Same
I think the quote that sums up Arthur perfectly is the one from Reverend Swanson after he sobers up, "You lived your life like a man Arthur...and you turned into a good man."
I will forever respect Rockstar for giving humanity the Red Dead games. True art.
Preach! 🙌
This is by far my favorite video i have ever seen on this game. The way you talked about the story and used moments from the game were perfect, i cant even describe it but you made me want to replay it again immediately, as some of the emotion of the story beats for me could be undercut by my own gameplay or moods during play sessions. Its like my underlying understanding and emotional attachment i have had to this game for 5 years now was spelled out in a way i could never put into words. great video man!
I knew how the ending was gonna go thanks to some gaming montage videos but even so, i absolutely bawled my eyes out
Its so rare for fiction in general to hit me like that. Losing Arthur was like losing a close friend, as cringe as that sounds. I had to take a few days away from the game; it was that emotionally draining for me. Never happened before either.
This game's story was a genuine experience. I just wish i could relive it for the first time one more time
The same thing happened to me 😭😭😭
I don’t think any other game can compare to the impact Arthur had on every player he was just so beloved and his story is so important
Putting aside the fact that Arthur Morgan is the greatest protagonist in gaming history, the story of both Red dead redemptions is utterly amazing. It is worthy of a film.
Before I got my hands on RDR2 I already watched gameplay on youtube, but when I reached the ending of Arthur, I cried all the same.
Ian going through some medical issues . And this games has helped me more than anything . I have a been a bad person a lot of my life .. and Arthur Morgan makes me feel like I got some redemption left in me . Idk .. this definitely the best games I have ever played . It’s not even debatable
I really seldomly feel anything when I consume Media but the end of RDR2 was a gut punch
9:15 i love how in this moment Micah punches bill instead of Lenny, because he knows that even though Lenny made the joke, and everyone laughed at him. if he hit anyone else they'd all gang up on him and beat his ass
I'm seeing all these small youtube channels uploading Arthur Morgan content...need more.
I can't tell you how much I love this game and all the feelings it makes me feel while experiencing its story, no matter how many times. Congratulations for your good work on the video
I’d do anything to make it so that we play as Arthur the entire game. John was great and we all love him but Arthur was so much more.
Nier Automata, Nier replicant and Red dead redemption 2 will always be one of my all time favorite games.
This is the only game that drew me in that much. Every time I start it I get drawn in and can't stop. Even Kairen's death still hits me every time. After my first playthrough I never changed Arthurs hat knowing he gives it to John.
I played RDR2 when I first came out, at the end of the storyline, I cried like a baby! The impact of the death of Arthur Morgan was so hard that I couldn't play as John, I turned off the game and never finished. I now picked up the game again and I'm playing as John.... A whole new game all over.
One of the best videos I’ve ever watched, underrated af, you’ve earned a new sub mate
Thank you, that's very kind of you to say 😊
I remember absolutely bawling when I finished Red Dead Redemption. But for this one somehow I didn't cry as hard, but thats probably I didn't do everything I could in RDR2. But im fixing that now that I have it on PC
Enjoy the second playthrough :)
This video was so well done. Please do more. God damn I miss Arthur. I think it’s time for another play through.
Arthur becomes part of you. You enter his world. You wake up in his tent in the morning. You grab something to eat from your satchel. You go check on your horse and make sure it is fed.
You glance at the sun coming up over some distant mountain and you take a moment to look out over the sprawling valleys and the glittering lake in the distance.
And then you ready yourself for whatever the day brings.
Whether it is hunting for food for your camp mates, hunting down an exotic beast, or setting out on a mission.
You live Arthur and you become him .
That is why it is so wrenching when Arthur dies.
You lose a part of yourself in Arthur's world
This game really made a huge impact on me. I love it so much.
Same, brother
See I think Arthur is the most beautifully written character of all time In gaming.
But when it comes to the best I can’t decide between Arthur and John
But I feel I have a satisfying answer.
John marston is the anti hero of yesterday, strong silent type. He’s as straight as an arrow when it comes to honesty, what you see is what you get. He’s the biggest badass in gaming for sure. And he definitely represents the old fashioned, stereotypical gunslinger. In the best possible way.
Arthur on the other hand is the new age of anti hero. So many layers. What you see isn’t what you get with Arthur. The more time we spend with him the more the layers begin to peal.
He shows weakness at times, admitting he’s afraid, something John wouldn’t do. But that what Arthur admits to shows strength in another way. Arthur poses as the strong silent type but he isn’t. He’s more sensitive than that.
Either way. The redemption series has the best characters in its saga. In two games they have more interesting characters than 90% of other games.
Well put ❤️
@@ViciousTNT thank you matey.
Great video btw
Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it 😊
During the last 10 minutes of the video, I shed tears, thanks to you. The video is perfect.
I look at it like this:
Arthur is the person that Dutch wants to be, a good criminal, while Micah is what he is going to turn into, the outlaw deromanticized.
That's an interesting perspective. What makes you think Dutch wants to be like Arthur?
@@ViciousTNT I think its because Dutch wants to be this “Good man”.
Its clear Dutch could have the power to redeem himself, but whether it be the decay of the outlaw’s world, the influence that Micah brings, or the death of those he loves dear, he is pulled more into a more “true” perspective of an outlaw.
I believe Dutch almost became nihilistic as more members died or left, as seen in the prologue when he said “Stay strong, stay with me.”
And by the end, he isn’t willing to keep John with him, and no longer sees him as a good friend, but rather as a liability, as more people defy him.
He wants to see himself as someone that someone can stick by, like Arthur, but perhaps Micah may be causing him to go blind to what he SHOULD do to achieve that (By being a good person, and compromising whatever you have to achieve it.)
When Arthur dies though, its clear he has changed. The death of Hosea made him lose his morals, and the death of Grimshaw something to live for, and arthur’s demise made him lose his sanity, but perhaps at that mountain peak, Micah’s death made him see the true perspective, although at the point he is at, maybe he doesn’t think he could redeem himself. The stare he gives John says it all, he basically says “Don’t forgive me, and dont apologize.”
I played the first Red Dead Redemption for years and Marston felt so good to play as. After I got to (Arthur's) end of Red Dead Redemption 2, I didn't want to be Marston. I couldn't relate to him like Arthur. Somehow they made one of the best video game protagonists a less desirable choice when compared to their new one.
this deserves way more attention. amazing video!! thank you for reminding me of this wonderful game and protagonist
Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it ❤️
Playing games since 94, The Witcher 3 became my favorite game ever, but Arthur is in another league…what an amazing character! He changed my life!
Witcher 3 is goated as well. I've been thinking about what angle to take for a video on it
@@ViciousTNT I will watch it, for sure!
🙌
Oh wow I just made this connection because i finished the game a few days ago. Mary Lou tells Arthur “run away and don’t look back” and in chapter 6 that’s the same thing Arthur tells John. Almost like he’s projecting because he regrets not running away then and there
This is one of the few games i always suggest no matter a persons preferred genre. Its as beautiful as it is brutal and i mean that in the best ways.
Well said ❤️
I really wish that LENNY didn’t die
LENNEEEYYYYY
He truly was the Legend of the East..he never died..he lived with us as the greatest
100%
Absolutely perfectly and beautifully put...on my 2nd playthrough right now and still loving it as much as the 1st time...can see me doin several more playthroughs...it just never gets old...
13:58 Even Kieran is ready.
I recently started playing RDR2 a couple of weeks ago and I am honestly embarrassed to say how many hours i’ve played already. This is truly one of the best games I have ever played, from the characters to the immersive open map, it’s a masterpiece. Sad that they neglected the online version so much in order to focus and profit off of GTA online. With that being said, I am so excited to see what they are going to do with GTA 6 considering how detailed RDR2 was and that came out almost 6 years ago now.
Fingers crossed they deliver on the story in GTA 6
Gad DAMN Roger’s line delivery when Arthur and Mary say goodbye is SO GOOD
I missed a handful of the “stranger” side quests and whatnot. I need to go back and play it through again.
Haha, that's the right perspective 😄
Your videos are downright masterful! Your editing paired with your incredible writing is unbelievable! you earned yourself a sub
Thank you for the kind words 🙏 😊
There has never been a video game protagonist that has felt so human like Arthur Morgan
Arthur is real, I've never played a game where a character was more real. rdr2 has hit a pinacol of human emotions.
Play rdr1
I think in most games or even movies where the main character is an anti-hero, they turn into a fairy tale where they can magically change who they are or who they were, and live happily ever after, or die regarded as a hero.
Arthur was the most realistic anti-hero story ever told that I can think of. Only a few had their minds changed as Arthur changed, and almost nobody had any moment of clarity as Arthur did. He was alone, and any good deeds he performed after his moment of clarity were also his own to be taken to his grave.
While John, Abigail, Sadie, and Charles all respected Arthur and recognized some of the good he did, none of them did so in a way that was fitting. Charles was maybe the closest, by burying Arthur. John continues to fall into old habits, and Abigail continues to allow it despite her protests and even leaving for a short time.
Like I said, it is closest to the real way redemption works. Arthur knew he couldn't change what he he was and had been. He never sought forgiveness because it was realistically unattainable. His guilt ate at him almost as much as the tuberculosis to the point where he couldn't even forgive himself, as demontstrated with the conversation with the Sister.
In the end, the only people who thought he was a good man were the people who either only knew him once he became a good man, or the people who knew he was as good as he could have been despite his past.
In other words, he was good compared to Micah or Dutch, which is about as good as he could have been in real life and not some fairy tale where he magically goes from anti-hero to beloved savior. As removed witnesses we might hold him in such regard, but people he affected within the story kept a realistic perspective. He died alone, at peace, amongst his enemies.
I wish I could forgot this game and play from the start again
Saying goodbye to your horse hits different.
My favorite character and my favorite game of all time. I still play the online mode to this day, well done with this video 👍
It's a great pick for all time favorite game. And thank you 😊
Even your decisions to give money just seem what Arthur would do you can't help but do the right thing