I just watched this this morning, lol. I wanted to remind myself how exactly this argument applied to Redemption 2—it’s the same argument I would make against Grand Theft Auto V and Redemption 1, but imo those games are different enough that the same criticism doesn’t map onto RDR2 in precisely the same way. The video makes the case that RDR2 suffers from dividing its priorities between open world design (or immersive sim design) and “Naughty Dog–style” linear action game design. There might be something to that but I don’t particularly like Breath of the Wild or Uncharted and I do like RDR2 for all that it is as a video game (not just as a photography sandbox); in my opinion RDR2 succeeds in becoming its own game.
The honor system is goofy and doesn’t work right; when I compared it to Death Stranding upthread I meant to say, besides similarity in movement, that in both Death Stranding and RDR2 I ignore a lot of the numbers, gauges, UI, and so on, and in my experience it’s to each game’s benefit. Death Stranding has a lot of numbers going up, item degredation, weapons/tools, etc. etc., but it’s all more or less noise and one need not pay attention to them to enjoy the game (perhaps not as flawed as RDR2’s systems, should you choose to engage with them). RDR2 has honor and bounties and camp wellness metrics, but as is pointed out in that video basically none of that stuff matters. In any case it’s fair to be annoyed that all these flashing indicators and numbers and instructions do not ultimately serve the game.
If RDR2 were like Hitman or New Vegas it would certainly be fun, and one might argue essential. To that point, it’s a shame the norms of expensive game design and games publishing mean games which are this size and look and sound this way are made to be played so single-mindedly, setting strict limits on the imagination of designers and players. On the other hand, that the player is confined to being one kind of way speaks to the character of Arthur, a guy whose main problem in life is being unable to figure out how to be any way but the way he is. Brushing up against the ultimate lack of choice and freedom everywhere feels pointed more than contrived, I think