Virtual Sight-seeing
One of the things I love most about 'Red Dead Redemption' is how enjoyable it is just to take part in the game's natural ecosystem. Just going about your daily life as a cowboy in the game is often rewarding in and of itself, simply because of the level of immersion possible.
I think the main reason, though, is the environments. Sometimes I will boot up RDR just to ride around and look at some of the scenery, because it is so gorgeous, especially places like Escalera. Most sand box games make the arduous task of travelling to missions fun by having the method of travel be fun (Gliding in Arkham City, web swinging in Spider-man games, parkour in Prototype and Crackdown), but in RDR it's the environment around you and what can happen along the way that makes it fun. You might start off on the way to a mission, but get side-tracked helping a man save his wife or stopping to grab some herbs.
This is basically why I think RDR is the greatest sandbox game ever, the sheer volume of stuff to do is incredible and it's all incorporated so well that it really feels like a living, breathing world that you can take part in. On top of that, the main story is fantastic, with a diverse cast of characters along with a protagonist who is basically whatever you make him, with no penalty or bonus for being good or bad (besides bounties, though pardon letters can clear those in the blink of an eye), making RDR also perhaps one of the best role-playing games in the truest sense of the phrase.
I think the main reason, though, is the environments. Sometimes I will boot up RDR just to ride around and look at some of the scenery, because it is so gorgeous, especially places like Escalera. Most sand box games make the arduous task of travelling to missions fun by having the method of travel be fun (Gliding in Arkham City, web swinging in Spider-man games, parkour in Prototype and Crackdown), but in RDR it's the environment around you and what can happen along the way that makes it fun. You might start off on the way to a mission, but get side-tracked helping a man save his wife or stopping to grab some herbs.
This is basically why I think RDR is the greatest sandbox game ever, the sheer volume of stuff to do is incredible and it's all incorporated so well that it really feels like a living, breathing world that you can take part in. On top of that, the main story is fantastic, with a diverse cast of characters along with a protagonist who is basically whatever you make him, with no penalty or bonus for being good or bad (besides bounties, though pardon letters can clear those in the blink of an eye), making RDR also perhaps one of the best role-playing games in the truest sense of the phrase.