I’ll start right away with the fact that this is the best game to date in my opinion; The Witcher 3 occupied this place for a long time, but RDR was able to surpass it. I (!) like what some people don’t like about it. Meditation, all these long animations, seemingly unnecessary mechanics for cleaning a horse, weapons, and so on. Although I understand that some people may not like it.
It is worth mentioning the “lengthiness” that some people shout about. Of course, I didn't notice her. Yes, in the first 3 chapters there is a rather long, NECESSARY plot, where you simply live the life of a bandit, with all this routine and so on. I was able to penetrate this atmosphere and began to live in this world. And almost no other games gave me this. The story is an excellent length, doesn't drag out, and doesn't need to be rushed.
Plot and protagonist. At the time of my first playthrough, I knew nothing about the first part of RDR, except for the name of the main character. A lot of new characters appeared and not everything became clear right away. But it was thanks to the first chapters that I was able to get to know each of them, communicate in the camp, complete small assignments, and so on. Each character is interesting and written, he has a character and his own story. The main character, Arthur Morgan, is simply wonderful. He has charisma, a good backstory, and feels like a real person. It’s impossible to tell you why the plot is wonderful without spoilers. And only a complete bastard would spoil such a game, although many, due to the long exclusivity of the game for consoles, caught the main spoiler. But believe me, it doesn’t spoil the impression, I caught it myself back in 2018, and it didn’t spoil the impression of the amazing finale, which made me shed a tear, and even now, reviewing the plot tributes on YouTube, I let it go. There is nothing more to say, for me (!) this is the best story among the video games I have played. I loved the main character no less than my beloved Geralt from The Witcher.
I don't have much to say about the gameplay. It's mostly not dynamic, which I like. Slow, cinematic and with very beautiful animations. Everything you need to immerse yourself in the atmosphere of America at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century.
Graphics. It’s not possible to write much here either. One of the most beautiful games today, simply stunning visuals. Combined with beautiful animations and a bunch of small details, sometimes you just forget where you are. Everything looks like a movie.
Online. I haven’t played much of it yet, and most likely I won’t play it. Similar to GTA Online, but fortunately it is not such a disgusting garbage dump yet. There is definitely less content. There are no flying horses with machine guns yet, fortunately. Playing with friends, walking around the chic world together will do. This is probably the most valuable thing in RD Online.
I would like to add that the hunting in the game is amazing, the animal world is huge and naturally detailed, like 99% of the content in this game. Random events are often rewarded with small but pleasant consequences. On the second playthrough, being on the second chapter, I already found a lot of new things for myself. Even though I was taking my time playing through the game for the first time, I missed a huge bunch of interesting things.
To summarize, I will repeat. I love this game, and I think I will play it more than once. And I advise everyone to appreciate this amazing story. Knowing how great RDR2 was before, I would definitely buy a console for it.