I don't think you're ever going to like this game. Maybe its just not for you?

The missions on the first ranch are something akin to a turorial though and the pace does pick up as well as the story. I loved the game, beginning till end.

i would suggest for anyone that likes Western to try the Call of Juarez games, 1 and 2. According to me, both superior to this game, in terms of story and in terms of gameplay.

dont do the bonnie macfarlen missions. also enjoy the game to side missions and hunt.

Stopped reading there. :(

I really can't read your sad story if you rip on RDR and MGS4

Both are pure awesome

Ah yes, it was you who recommended The Saboteur. Thanks for that; I enjoyed the time I had with it. Combat took a while to get used to, but I found it enjoyable once I got the hang of it. I also enjoyed the art-style/graphics, especially when it was in black and white. It was nice.

And yes, go get NieR. It's a great game; though, some of the side-quests are lame.

When in doubt, play Vanquish. It puts hair on your chest.

RIGHT ON YOUR CHEST.

Excellent post. I haven't played Gun, but I agree with the stuff you said about RDR. The world is huge, but it's so dull. Most of the towns are the same; there's nothing interesting to explore. Nothing really exciting happens while you're en route. I felt the same way about the repeater. It's the only weapon I used. Sometimes, John would equip the revolver, but I would quickly equipped the repeater because (1) it holds more ammo and (2) reloading was faster (or it may have been my mind).

As for the hunting, I never got interested in it because of the animals. I've encountered birds, rabbits, deers, etc, but those are harmless and uninteresting. Yeah, the occasional wolves might've popped out, but still, I would have liked more exciting animals. I heard bears are there, but I haven't encountered them. Anyways, it sounds like Gun did it right in this department.

Lastly, I agree with the storytelling bit. It seems like the developers placed your destination as far as they could, so you could listen to your partner's lifestory. Basically, you're going to be riding your horse for 5-10 minutes listening to some guy while you just hold X and try not be bored. It got old pretty fast. I found it hilarious where they had you sit shogun for one of the missions.

But don't you have to Bonnie's missions in order to advance?

@Wagram, oh Lord, I could go on for hours on MGS4's story. I don't understand people's fascination over MGS4's story, but I suppose we'll save it for another thread >:)

@khutra, I had Vanquish on the top of my Gamefly list, but they sent Saboteur and RDR instead. Vanquish's availability was low, and still is in fact. I hope the availability goes up; Mikami hasn't disappointed me.

For those who enjoyed RDR, did you enjoy gathering cows?

simply....it doesnt get better...  i just completed the entire story yesterday.   its got a couple interesting points throughout...but you wouldnt be missing anything if you stopped playing. (herding only happens during the beginning and the end though.  its not a ranch hand simulator throughout the entire thing :)  you also have boring gunfights and a really boring civil war in mexico where they talk a lot of mexican which caused me to skip a lot of cutscenes )

and i also thought saboteur was nice!  have you seen my review of it? (link in signature)