Weekend Confirmed Episode 27

Great show as usual guys... always love listening!

Garnett, your comments about going back to Red Dead got me thinking. I know you are not finished yet, but I would like to ask a question in advance. No spoilers, I promise :) I'd love to know what Jeff and Brian think about my experience as well.

I played the crap out of Red Dead... I got the 100% completion achievement and everything. I was completely engrossed in the characters and story. As you said, it is an incredibly engaging experience.

BUT.... after finishing the game, I spent a week or two playing some Mass Effect 2 DLC and a few other games. I fully intended to go back to Red Dead, but every time I sat down with the intention of playing it, I just couldn't find any motivation. I've spent a lot of time thinking about it, and I've come to realize that Red Dead was a truly unique experience for me: It is the only game I've ever played that entertained and engaged me from start to finish through story alone.

The experience of living as John Marsdon was incredible, but as soon as I reached the end of the story, that was it for me. Looking back at the 50-plus hours I poured into the game, I cannot think of a single moment of truly entertaining GAMEPLAY. Every single task I completed in that game was done to progress the story.... not because it was actually fun for me.

It is a game that impresses the player with the wealth of different things you are "able" to do.... but are any of these things actually fun?

Is hunting and skinning animals actually fun, or do we do it just to earn money/achievements and complete tasks?

Are the many mini-games actually fun, or are they in fact clumsy, tedious, and repetative... only bareable because of the change of pace they represent?

Are the gang hideouts fun and exciting, or simply a matter of spamming the left trigger to cycle the auto lock between targets over and over and over?

The most suprising thing to me is that I have never been the kind of gamer who invests large amounts of time into a game purely for story.... If I am going to dedicate 40 or 50 hours to a game, it is only because I find the gameplay engaging and fun. Yet, for me, Red Dead pulled it off. In some ways, I find this to be the game's single most impressive achievement. At the same time, it makes it difficult for me to consider it as a contender for game of the year, when I have absolutley no desire to play it ever again.

Garnett, I would love to know what you think after you've finished the game, and allowed a little time to pass.