Did RDR1 feel darker compared to RDR2?

[Skrylaxx]

I played through RDR1 again last year and having played RDR2 again and finishing it up a month or so ago, I feel like the first one was way darker and more horrific. It felt more raw and just in your face compared to the second one. Maybe that is just me though idk.

[Gh0stRyder]

Just for the stranger missions alone, RDR1 takes the cake. I mean those were DARK. And the ending of the game honestly broke my heart. Not in a bad way, it was just very emotional for me. I didn't get the same connection with RDR2's story. It was good don't get me wrong but man I felt like John Marston was a friend of mine. 

[elmZ]

On 6/21/2025 at 11:46 AM, Gh0stRyder said:

Just for the stranger missions alone, RDR1 takes the cake. I mean those were DARK. And the ending of the game honestly broke my heart. Not in a bad way, it was just very emotional for me. I didn't get the same connection with RDR2's story. It was good don't get me wrong but man I felt like John Marston was a friend of mine. 

This for me as well. Those missions were insane. Like I was shocked how dark the game got coming off of GTA 4. I was not prepared for it lol

I still find RDR1 to be the better of the two in terms of story, characters, and just raw emotion. 

[CrabApples]

Yeah it was a different vibe. Like when you compare the serious aspects of GTA 4 to GTA 5. I think they wanted to pull away from some of the darker stuff to make the game more appealing to more people. 

[Gh0stRyder]

On 6/22/2025 at 2:20 PM, elmZ said:

I still find RDR1 to be the better of the two in terms of story, characters, and just raw emotion. 

Oh for sure. Like I would rate RDR 2 at a 7/10 but RDR 1 is a 9/10. Both are great games but the first one stood out big time for me and I still find everything about it other than the graphics to be better.

[elmZ]

On 7/5/2025 at 12:07 PM, Gh0stRyder said:

Oh for sure. Like I would rate RDR 2 at a 7/10 but RDR 1 is a 9/10. Both are great games but the first one stood out big time for me and I still find everything about it other than the graphics to be better.

For real though, if we had RDR 1 release with the same graphics as RDR 2, it would be a rare 10/10 game for me. I know the online for it wasn't great (not everyone remembers that lol) but it had so much going for it. Even the DLC was amazing.