The day John Marston stopped shooting things
Luke and I jointly beat Red Dead Redemption last night. And... dear LORD. Most epic game ending EVER? I think so. Saw some of it coming, but the whole thing with Jack? D: I am speechless.
I have never been so invested in a video game narrative before. Screw immersion, this was submersion. I am having problems coping with what happened to John, especially after Rockstar went and threw those ominous family missions at me near the end, making me more and more attached to these people, charmed by their little life together, and PISSED OFF at whatever horrible thing was clearly about to happen. It was a cruel and incredible experience. People who scoff at the notion that a video game can be emotionally involving (I'm looking at you, Roger Ebert) are simply out of touch at this point. There are so many examples I can point to, but this might be the most tremendous example of all. Anyone who plays through this game start to finish and isn't affected by the fate of John, Abigail, and Jack (among other things) needs to go find where they misplaced their heart. If it ever beat at all. Just kidding, BUT REALLY GUYS.
All drama aside: the sheer amount of dialogue recorded for this game is mind-boggling, and a big reason why it's so easy to believe in the people and the world. The script is apt, character-focused, and often laugh-out-loud funny - because of course that's the way Rockstar rolls. Their secondary characters are all crackpot in their own way. John and Bonnie are really the only sane people among them.
I loved that the story was about so many things at once: to start with, it's a poignant depiction of the dying West (the game is set in 1911 - we've already got motorcars and early aircraft springing into existence), with people like Marston and the McFarlanes considered relics resisting the oncoming tide of "civilization". It also asks questions about second chances, what makes a person good or bad, what catalyzes change, and just how inescapable the consequences of one's actions are. As much as I hate hate hate the scumbag government agents who ruin EVERYTHING for John and his family, they are right about one thing: after the kind of life he's lived, he can't expect not to pay for it, one way or another. As much as he has changed, as much as he wants to start over and forget the past, it will come back to bite him in the ass. It's unavoidable.
But where the rest of John's former gang members despair at this fact and go crazy because of it, John owns up to it and accepts it. Just because your past is tough to deal with doesn't mean you shouldn't deal with it, and shouldn't try to change who you are. John knows he can't escape what he's done, but he is determined to be a better man and leave behind a different legacy. So that's exactly what he works at doing, with an impressively quiet acceptance, throughout the game.
The twisted morality the gang subscribed to is quite interesting, and telling. As John points out to Javier, it was ultimately an excuse for them to kill people they didn't like and live how they wanted, all while pretending it was in the name of some nobler cause. And when their faux-Robin-Hood antics never changed anything, the lie started becoming harder to ignore, and guys like Dutch couldn't take it. In a way, they did John a favor by leaving him to die. They showed him that all the talk about the gang being "family" was just that - talk. And so John goes and dedicates the rest of his life to creating a real family with Abigail.
The way that John ultimately faces his fate is amazing. When the army soldiers are coming and he pulls his son aside for a hug (after harshly ordering him into the house) - and then after, when he's alone in the barn and sees the line of men waiting for him outside - you can tell he is not bitter about what's happening. He is just determined, as always, to do right by his family, and almost thankful about the opportunity to go out honorably.
Meanwhile, Jack grows up to be the bitter young man John never wanted him to be. GAAAHH. If we get a sequel, I suppose Jack will be our protagonist and man will there be some angst for that kid to work through. (On a very shallow note, he sure is pretty when he grows up.)
Going back to the aforementioned family missions, because they are what keep haunting me: I loved how real they were. John and Abigail are trying so hard to not be dysfunctional and yet their family unit still has so many rough edges showing. It's what makes Edgar Ross's God complex so infuriating - he thinks John is a worthless POS who deserves punishment for his crimes, when really, John is already experiencing punishment enough for his actions: his daughter is dead, his son is traumatized and doesn't trust him, and his wife struggles just as much as he does to believe in this new life they're carving out for themselves. Well, actually, check that. John definitely believes in it. He believes in it so hard it's beautiful. Every time he insists (which is often) to his wife and son that "it's over, that life is done, things are going to be different from now on," I kind of die a bit. I love you John Marston. ♥
I still have lots of exploring to do before 100% completion is mine, which is good because I'm not ready to let go of this game yet. Obviously. Oh, self.
Also, I am sad to report that I have betrayed my loyal friend the Kentucky Saddler. I am a dirty traitor but the American Standardbred is THE BLACK (well, the Western version at least - alas, no Arabians in the Old West) and I am too much of a Walter Farley nerd to pass that up. Heh. What? Horses are my BFFs.
I have never been so invested in a video game narrative before. Screw immersion, this was submersion. I am having problems coping with what happened to John, especially after Rockstar went and threw those ominous family missions at me near the end, making me more and more attached to these people, charmed by their little life together, and PISSED OFF at whatever horrible thing was clearly about to happen. It was a cruel and incredible experience. People who scoff at the notion that a video game can be emotionally involving (I'm looking at you, Roger Ebert) are simply out of touch at this point. There are so many examples I can point to, but this might be the most tremendous example of all. Anyone who plays through this game start to finish and isn't affected by the fate of John, Abigail, and Jack (among other things) needs to go find where they misplaced their heart. If it ever beat at all. Just kidding, BUT REALLY GUYS.
All drama aside: the sheer amount of dialogue recorded for this game is mind-boggling, and a big reason why it's so easy to believe in the people and the world. The script is apt, character-focused, and often laugh-out-loud funny - because of course that's the way Rockstar rolls. Their secondary characters are all crackpot in their own way. John and Bonnie are really the only sane people among them.
I loved that the story was about so many things at once: to start with, it's a poignant depiction of the dying West (the game is set in 1911 - we've already got motorcars and early aircraft springing into existence), with people like Marston and the McFarlanes considered relics resisting the oncoming tide of "civilization". It also asks questions about second chances, what makes a person good or bad, what catalyzes change, and just how inescapable the consequences of one's actions are. As much as I hate hate hate the scumbag government agents who ruin EVERYTHING for John and his family, they are right about one thing: after the kind of life he's lived, he can't expect not to pay for it, one way or another. As much as he has changed, as much as he wants to start over and forget the past, it will come back to bite him in the ass. It's unavoidable.
But where the rest of John's former gang members despair at this fact and go crazy because of it, John owns up to it and accepts it. Just because your past is tough to deal with doesn't mean you shouldn't deal with it, and shouldn't try to change who you are. John knows he can't escape what he's done, but he is determined to be a better man and leave behind a different legacy. So that's exactly what he works at doing, with an impressively quiet acceptance, throughout the game.
The twisted morality the gang subscribed to is quite interesting, and telling. As John points out to Javier, it was ultimately an excuse for them to kill people they didn't like and live how they wanted, all while pretending it was in the name of some nobler cause. And when their faux-Robin-Hood antics never changed anything, the lie started becoming harder to ignore, and guys like Dutch couldn't take it. In a way, they did John a favor by leaving him to die. They showed him that all the talk about the gang being "family" was just that - talk. And so John goes and dedicates the rest of his life to creating a real family with Abigail.
The way that John ultimately faces his fate is amazing. When the army soldiers are coming and he pulls his son aside for a hug (after harshly ordering him into the house) - and then after, when he's alone in the barn and sees the line of men waiting for him outside - you can tell he is not bitter about what's happening. He is just determined, as always, to do right by his family, and almost thankful about the opportunity to go out honorably.
Meanwhile, Jack grows up to be the bitter young man John never wanted him to be. GAAAHH. If we get a sequel, I suppose Jack will be our protagonist and man will there be some angst for that kid to work through. (On a very shallow note, he sure is pretty when he grows up.)
Going back to the aforementioned family missions, because they are what keep haunting me: I loved how real they were. John and Abigail are trying so hard to not be dysfunctional and yet their family unit still has so many rough edges showing. It's what makes Edgar Ross's God complex so infuriating - he thinks John is a worthless POS who deserves punishment for his crimes, when really, John is already experiencing punishment enough for his actions: his daughter is dead, his son is traumatized and doesn't trust him, and his wife struggles just as much as he does to believe in this new life they're carving out for themselves. Well, actually, check that. John definitely believes in it. He believes in it so hard it's beautiful. Every time he insists (which is often) to his wife and son that "it's over, that life is done, things are going to be different from now on," I kind of die a bit. I love you John Marston. ♥
I still have lots of exploring to do before 100% completion is mine, which is good because I'm not ready to let go of this game yet. Obviously. Oh, self.
Also, I am sad to report that I have betrayed my loyal friend the Kentucky Saddler. I am a dirty traitor but the American Standardbred is THE BLACK (well, the Western version at least - alas, no Arabians in the Old West) and I am too much of a Walter Farley nerd to pass that up. Heh. What? Horses are my BFFs.