>While I do feel a bit bad at doing this, there isn't much to talk about today in gaming. As such, I am going to post one of my favorite pieces of writing I did from the last one of these blogs. I won't resort to this too often but don't be surprised to see more articles from my past.
Today, I finished Red Dead Redemption. Yeah, I know I'm behind the rest of the world, but I have a hard time finishing Rockstar games anymore. Too much running back and forth, picking up missions, starting over if you fail. I digress, since I'm not here to talk about my issues with Rockstar games. Instead, I'd like to give my views on the ending, the thing that drove me to actually finish the game. WARNING: I will be discussing the ending in detail here. It's been long enough. Don't read if you don't want to be spoiled.
At the end of 2010, Giantbomb.com did its annual Game of the Year awards, with several podcasts devoted to the discussion and choosing of the winners. During the Best Ending segment, Brad Shoemaker (and Ryan Davis to a degree) could not stop talking about the ending, saying it was one of the best gaming endings of the last decade. These people are some I have come to trust when it comes to video games, so I knew I would eventually have to power through to the ending.
In the game, you play John Marston, a man with a past he isn't too proud of. He'd like nothing more than to just forget his past and move on with his life. Unfortunately for him, our pasts have a way of catching up with us and his does just that. He is tasked with catching the members of the gang he used to run with and bringing them to justice. Over the course of the game, you chase down all three of them and kill them all. Finally, John is free from his duties and gets to return home to his family. All he wants is to live right and bring up his son to be a better man than he. In one of the cutscenes, he even says that his boy can be anything, except a gunslinger like him.
Sadly, the people that forced him to kill his former friends come back for him, whether because they truly felt he was still a threat or just because a promotion was in it for them if they did. Your main character, the one you've played for at least 25 hours or so, dies right in front of your eyes, albeit in a partial blaze of glory. You are given about 20 men to shoot without enough time to do so, failing at your task no matter how many times you try. It is John's fate to die and die he does.
Surprisingly, the game doesn't quite end there. After a few cutscenes, you take control of John's son Jack about 3 years after his death or so. No other story missions are given to you, no letters on the map to go out and chase. Instead, you can find a Stranger mission, basically a side quest, that allows you to go after John's killer. The game doesn't force you to do this, instead hiding the mission away. While the game isn't truly done (as in credits rolling) until you finish this side mission, it is the player's choice to do it.
If the player undertakes this mission, you duel Agent Ross. When the final shots ring out and Ross drops to the ground, you see Jack just look down at the pistol he is holding, almost confused at his actions. Why had he taken this act of revenge? Doesn't that ruin everything his father fought for, the future he brutally died to protect? He walks away and the credits roll (plus, the most awesome late title card ever!) Even more, the achievement that pops up for finishing the game is titled "Nature or Nurture?" perfectly capping the story and making the gamer think about the journey he or she just undertook.
All in all, I don't think it quite lived up to the hype (nothing ever does though) but I can safely agree that it was one of the best video game endings I have ever seen. Few games can capture such a poignant message, truly making us think about the actions we performed in the game instead of just being rewarded with a "You saved the Earth!" message. Leave it to Rockstar to spin a yarn of such amazing quality that you can't help but be blown away, finishing the game only to set the controller down, sit back, and go "Wow."
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