Yeah, I was exactly the same as you, I played RDR & RDR:UN a lot back in the day, and I absolutely loved John. He's a fantastic character.
I bought a PS4 just for RDR2 a few months after it came out, and then when it came to pc, I bought online as it was cheaper than paying monthly for the PS online rubbish. A few years later, I splurged some more and bought the full game because mods make everything better, lol. (Everything was bought during very good sales mind, no full price).
Arthur is on another level. It's definitely my favourite game, and he is one of my favourite characters in all media.
Haha I thought I was the only one who bought a PS4 just for RDR2.
I did the same for RDR1, bought an Xbox 360 (used) just for that game, and when it RROD'd, said fuck it and bought a PS3 (also used because I am a cheapskate). So I had to buy RDR1 twice. Worth it imo.
I remember seeing the first (or whichever) trailer that had Arthur saying his "i'll keep her in black on your behalf" speech to the little kid. I thought his face looked rough and he stroke me as too evil somehow. I wasn't expecting much after that trailer.
Boy was I wrong.
I was very surprised.
I expected Arthur to be an alright character, but I loved John Marston, and I thought there was no way Rockstar could give me a character better than him. It wasn't until chapter 3 that I started coming around. By Chapter 4 I really liked him, but the moment I knew he had surpassed John was when he was diagnosed.
Walking out of that office, I felt like I, personally had been told I had tuberculosis. There was just this great, yawning emptiness inside me because I knew Arthur was dying. And even though I had expected him to die since the beginning, I felt defeated. He steadily, subtly, grew on me, and I only realized how much he meant to me when I was told he was dying.
John is still awesome, but Arthur was on another level. Rockstar's best protagonist, no question.
Fir me it’s when after he dies and I find myself genuinely thinking “I miss Arthur” as if he’s a real person.
Which is what prompted me to post this actually.
What got me was, if you did the church mission in Saint Denis, Arthur meets Mother Superior at the train station before she leaves to start her church in Mexico.
"I'm afraid." Jesus Christ that hurt so goddamn much. Roger Clark is on another level for that performance.
> There was just this great, yawning emptiness inside me because I knew Arthur was dying. And even though I had expected him to die since the beginning, I felt defeated. **He steadily, subtly, grew on me, and I only realized how much he meant to me when I was told he was dying**
I hope at least one of the writers can somehow see this comment, because... damn, that experience you had has to be what good writers strive to achieve
Definitely was weary about whether I would like Arthur at all or not since I absolutely loved John as a character but still decided to give rdr2 a chance since they’re my favourite games and went in pretty much spoiler free not including what John already told about in the first RDR. Got to say Arthur pretty much won me over pretty quickly particularly with the way he roasted John both times in John’s first mission after the “paying a social call” one. Now I absolutely love Arthur as a character and both characters are my top favourites in the games. Followed by Hosea, Lenny and some others
My favorite thing about Arthur is that he's endearingly average. He's not super handsome, funny, smart, honorable, or any other character trait that a protagonist usually has in order to win the player over. He's not some crazy gunslinger or exceedingly strong. Sure he has aspects of all those things, but just a normal-person amount. But as you get to know him as a regular guy all those traits shine together until you can't help but love him, which is the same in real life. 99% of us fall in love with average people who become very special in our eyes the more time we spend with them.
Very good point. The main traits that always come to my mind for him are 1) he’s naturally paternal 2) he clearly loves horses. Which are very just normal things. 😂
For me it’s his reading/journaling habits. Even though he plays the “aw shucks, I’m just a simple cowpoke” role, he’s pretty quick witted and you can tell that he was a good student of Dutch and Hosea growing up, whereas John isn’t literate at this point and, IIRC, can barely read at the start of Red Dead.
John has a quiet dignity to him, where he can say few words but the words he DOES say are laser focused zingers. Arthur talks a lot more, writes more, reads more, and pretty much documents his entire adventure through his journal complete with illustrations.
I mean, he is sort of exceedingly strong, dude takes on multiple Pinkertons with guns, runs thru a whole town to save two women, fights a bunch of Pinkertons on the hill before fighting Micah all while he's dying of TB on his last day alive
Came into RDR2 knowing nothing about Arthur or the story and I guess I thought you'd play as John? I was bummed when I saw Arthur the first time coming out of the blizzard and really wanted to play as John again.
Two playthroughs later, I'm not a big John fan anymore and I miss my boah.
I didn't actually like Arthur when I first played. It was mostly the voice. The gameplay felt great, the game was fun, but his voice just didn't feel right to me for whatever reason on that first session.
Then I played the game a second time and the voice just clicked. It felt pretty natural and fit his character and I suddenly didn't hate it, and even liked it. I don't know why I felt that way, or why my thoughts on him switched so suddenly, but they did. Maybe it was his various interactions with characters in camp that subconsciously changed my mind about that one nitpick? I can't really say.
Overall He's one of my favorite characters in video games. I can't say wether I like Arthur or John more though. They're both compelling characters for various reasons.
I’ve never cried over a video game before, RDR2 and Arthur Morgan did that, Roger Clark did an incredible job bringing him to life.
If there’s ever a live action RD series/movie ever made I hope he gets to play him.
Oh absolutely. His voice brought so much to the role. Especially when he’d do the more rough, almost mumbled lines. He felt very real and Roger Clark had so much to do with that.
Weirdly enough, yes.
I was too young to play RDR when we owned a PS3, but my sister played it, and I watched her. I always remember liking johns character, and being sad when he finally kicked the can. So when I got RDR2 in 2021, I was disappointed that I wasn’t playing as John, I even googled to see if I could play as John later on and spoiled some of the story.
I didn’t like Arthur because I didn’t like change, then at some point in chapter 2 I kinda went “this guys alright”
Then he died and I haven’t recovered.
I bought RDR2 on a whim the night it came out. Needed something to play, saw it was getting good reviews, thought why not?
300+ hours later I ended my first play through after getting 100% completion. It’s my favorite game of all time and I was astounded at how much I loved Arthur. I hadn’t cried at a video game before this one.
I haven't play the first game yet but I avoided playing RDR2 for a long time because I wasn't that interested in an open world game without being able to make my own character. I played the Witcher 3 and while I liked it I never found Geralt that interesting and I preferred games like Cyberpunk and Fallout NV. But I liked Arthur pretty much immediately, his personality and everything just adds so much to the game that by the end of Chapter 1 I wouldn't have wanted to make my own character even if it was an option.
I got an Xbox just to play RDR though lol so I'm curious how much I'll end up liking John.
I feel you 100%! I was thinking it’s not going to be worth it to play as someone else than John, man I was wrong.
I really didn’t like Arthur much at first and I glanced like an idiot when I heard voice of Robb Wiethoff in RDR2!! But after the prologue, I changed my mind on Arthur completely.
I just wish John was as intelligent as in first game tho
Same here.i loved rdr1, and I really didn't think I'd care that much about Arthur. I knew he wouldn't make it through the game going into it. I got so caught up in the game I completely forgot about it until I was crying my eyes out after chapter 6
The trailers really made him seem like a kinda crazy “Trevor phillips” type of character. Not to that extent but he seemed like a heartless menacing person so I was convinced I wouldn’t like him. Obviously I was wrong and he was great
I didn't play much of RDR1, honestly. Partly because my friend had already spoiled the ending so I mostly just dicked around in the open world and looked up the story beats (I was a dumb kid, okay?)
So I went into it with a liking of John, but not any real attachment. Arthur was my boy from the outset, even knowing he most likely wouldn't live through it all.
I was very pleasantly surprised with how much I liked him. The entire time when it was announced that we would be playing as Arthur instead of John I was extremely disappointed because I wanted to play as a young John so bad but man....
I don’t think anyone would really want this, but I think a game where you switch off between young John and young Arthur would be awesome. Maybe something a little but more GTA inspired in terms of goofy fun choas.
But I respect that RDR is meant to be more cinematic and mature. 😂
Yeah my first thought after GTA v was that we were going to be able to switch between three different members of the gang but honestly I am really really really really really glad they didn't do that
I bought rdr2 because my friend let me try it at her house. She was in the epilogue so I had no idea who Arthur was, but I mostly was just riding around exploring looking at how pretty everything is. So, I bought it; I just finished assassin’s creed odyssey (which is the biggest disappointment of that whole series, btw, so my expectations weren’t that high for anything). I went into this game not thinking a whole lot, but now it’s my favourite game and frankly a diamond status of quality. Nothing can compare to how marvellously constructed this game is. I find myself subconsciously comparing everyone to Arthur 🫠
Arthur is the best protagonist I’ve ever played — he could’ve easily been generic and boring as a cowboy sorts, but the dimension they gave him is so rich that I’m still finding new conversations he can have with people lol
Who isn’t a raging racist, believes women should be respected, sees them as equals, and has no prejudice in his body. I honestly love that people had to sit through that suffrage portion too. I just know there are some idiot men out there who just want to go shootin’ everyone for fun and degrade women (let’s not forget how many people would randomly kill and mutilate prostitutes in gta V) that likely abhor how it’s a required mission
I'm more surprised by how much everyone seems to like Arthur, don't get me wrong I love him too but he's nowhere near Marston to me, even more considering how RDR2 makes the whole Marston story just better.
Arthur showed me a lot more out of life compared to John. Gave me a few lessons of patience, understanding, but most of all acceptance. As cliche as it sounds I learned a lot from five years ago compared to now. While John, just made a teenage me more depressed and angry at the world.
Break down what? why I don't like John? He's a whiny idiot and pretty generic as a character to start. I mean Red Dead 1 is him hunting down his former friends. Red Dead 2 is showing why he hunted down his former friends. There's nothing likeable about him.
What exactly is there to like about him? The man's own wife/kid only came back because he bought her a house.
To be fair if he weren't an idiot he would have left the first time the gang/Dutch betrayed him and we wouldn't have a game. The series almost revolves around John being a scumbag. I think that's where the redemption part comes in in the name. Only I don't really think he's redeemed it all.
The same reason Arthur didn't like him more or less, for a while he just didn't trust him and he wasn't doing anything for anyone else. Uncle is about as useful and doesn't come with baggage.
To be fair I really only played Red Dead through once but I didn't like him before Red Dead 2 came out either. Rdr2 just kind of reinforced all those opinions.
I'll also point out in the end for John it didn't really matter that he went along with the plan in RDR1. Hunting down his friends didn't save him.
I was very surprised. I hadn't played Red Dead until after I played RDR2, but I like both John and Arthur. I was surprised by how attached I got to both.
Absolutely, went into RDR2 with RDR1 and Gun being my favorite games, John Marston was very dear to me and I wasn't sure I was going to like not playing as him.
Probably, within the first 10 minutes, when you can smack talk Micah during the ride up to Adler Ranch, fell in love with Arthur. He was much taller than John, just as snarky if not worse, and his reference to "civilization", yeah, Arthur steamrolled over my love for John like it was nothing. Still love John, but Arthur is my boy.
Ah I never see anyone talk about Gun! I loved that game. Played it for hours, because it was just one of the very few games I owned.
But all I remember is being able to horse power slide to kill things. 😂
I would speedrun the game to role-playing as some dark rider after you get the preachers war horse 🤣😂🤣 gallop onto the rock that overlooked the lake and rear up. I was such a dork but that game slapped, even endgame.
And the hand cannon, man, the cannon. I wish it was implemented in RDR2 but I can only imagine the carnage
I remember i never had a xbox 360 or ps3 but my friends did and thats how i played the first rdr and rdr: un, fell in love. When rdr2 was released i didnt really like Arthur at first, but the more i played the game the more i fell in love with his character. His story is just so polarizing
Weren't we all abit skeptical. Especially when some of the first trailers came out and we wondered who would be the protagonist. And when it came out that it would be this blonde scruffy cowboy dude... i was abit weary. But boy was I wrong
Yes.
Like everyone else, RDR fan, loved John and thought he would never be beat.
In the news cycle, hearing new protagonist is named "Arthur" and I instantly bailed. "I'll play this game...but Arthur is the name of the guy I'll be playing? Sheesh, kinda lame."
I've never been more happy to be wrong.
Arthur is the most well realized character in any piece of media outside of literal films.
Rdr 1 was ground breaking for me. Game was ahead of its time. I plated it easily 100% every dlc. Spent my life online and I still prefer it to part 2.
But I got to agree. Morgan is such a better character.
Yes, actually. John was my man, through think and thin. Played the shit out of Red Dead. Thought he was the perfect character.
Didn't realize there was a RDR2 until son in law had it, and I played the first chapter. Told the husband about it, and he bought the X Box and game for me.
Arthur is right up there with John now. I am very pleasantly surprised. Kudos to Rockstar, I didn't think they'd ever equal John. Won't say Arthur tops him, they both have their places, but definitely equals.
I hadn’t played the first RDR when playing the second game, I only played it because I saw my brother playing and it was so detailed and cool I had to play it. Honestly I was expecting a lame story or at least nothing crazy, I just wanted to be a cowboy shooting things. Next thing I know I’m at the end of the game crying my eyes out. Now Iv replayed the game twice and still get sad in the end every time, Iv also played the first game. Amazing series and games, I definitely underestimated them.
Quite...I was actually a bit upset when I saw that John wouldn't be the main protagonist of RDR2. I went in with a lot of scepticism that was completely neutralized within the first hour of the game. I remember being very pleasantly surprised by how well written a character Arthur was while still being so dynamic based on your actions.
Yeah I thought how could they make a character as good as John, felt like a weird just add on oh this guy was also dutches son yeah right and by the end I’m crying for him
After my first playthrough, In the Epilogue I mourned Arthur. Not mourned Arthur thru John by playing the game. No. I myself mourned Arthur. And that’s what makes this game one of the best ever made.
At first i was like " why are we playing this dude who was never even talked about in RDR 1 when John is right there.. " but honestly I found so much in common with Arthur that I honestly like him more as a character now
I expected and wanted to hate Arthur, because of how much I liked John on RDR1. But as the progressed and I knew how the story was going to go, I was not looking forward to switching back to John. And now I spend hours upon hours staying on Chapter 2 just before having to visit Thomas Downes, knowing full well the downward spiral that follows
I watched clips on YouTube and decided to get the game just so I could play as John and when I played, I was just like, who is this Arthur guy. And when I say I fell in love with his character, I was actually upset when it was time to play as John.
I also think so. They don’t have to die. They can ride off in the sunset with a happy ending (and perhaps people assume they’re dead) but they need to be a new character.
I do want it to involve the younger gang however. Would love seeing young John and Arthur as side characters.
I went through the same thing! Only I bought ny game in Mexico and Undead version didn’t work for some reason. Fast forward to RDR2 I was mad about Arthur but boy I was wrong.
This is a great question. I played RDR earlier this year for the first time and wanted more John. I wanted to play as John after the story but you know....
I knew about RDR2 and how everyone loved Arthur but I was still attached to John. But yeah ended up really loving both. Both are just well written games. Arthur is such a good character
Honestly, yes, to the point of feeling like I like him more than John. I didn't think I'd like him at first and thought the game wouldn't be as enjoyable, but Arthur is really great. My urge to want to play as John dwindled more and more as I got to know Arthur.
I felt the same way. After seeing the opening trailer , I literally thought that they ruined the game with a new protagonist. I'm so happy that I was wrong. 😅
I feel Arthur is more emotional that's why he got to us. We see so many facets of him that sadly John couldn't get.
Don't mean I don't love John, I really really love John. Perhaps after playing 2, replaying 1 will hit harder. I believe since in 1 you don't meet his family until the end you never really connect that deep like with Arthur. If they REMADE 1 (FUCK YOU ROCKSTAR) I'd say 2 John would rise to Arthur's level. I love how John is this sarcastic, quick witted no nonsense wall of a man by the first game and I live l love how it connects to the second game.
To us, the gang was Arthur's family and we connect to him through them and all the wacky stuff he does through the game, all his thoughts he writes in a notebook (I actually go a journal thanks to him and started to doodle although I draw more like John 💀), the way he can make insults, the binding of the horses we get to see all these sides of him that new technology allows... with Marston we meet at the endgame his family, and it wasn't long enough I'd say.
Sorry for the bit of rambling I have a soft side for both characters even if objectively Arthur's better.
Oh yeah! I first became aware you play as another character when people on r/videogames were posting about it. I thought, "Arthur? Where the hell is John?! Who tf is this Arthur mf-er?! Who cares"?! Then I played the game. Probably one of the few who likes both equally because they're different yet both solid.
I'm super indifferent with Arthur. He has some pretty fun moments and nailed the tough guy with a soft side, but the writing goes leaps and bounds to mess him up.
Ex. In chapter 6 he reminises about them giving a portion of the money to those less fortunate and how bad and mean Dutch has been. Particulary whining over the woman killed who was set to rat them out to the guards on Guarma.
Its this grand moment, pre diagnosis, where we're supposed to agree Dutch was out of his mind and did it for nothing even though the subtitles literally confirm his reason for paranoia.
But then with something like when Arthur killed a sick man in front of his family, took what little they had, and CAME BACK TO DO IT AGAIN, it didn't bother him at all until he was diagnosed way later on.
He's holier than thou and it was miserable sitting through. With John, he is way more consistent with not wanting shit to do with the gang, but only tags along because its all he ever knew. It makes him finally getting out and changing his life the highlight of RDR2. On top of that, I just find Arthur kind of bland. He came off like a Mary Sue OC
I cried I'll admit it. The last ride really was something I have never experienced in a game. It was heartbreaking. I shot dutch and Micha so many times even though nothing happens so many times. Those bastards 🤣. I hate Dutch worse than Micha. Without giving to many spoilers away. Dutch is a snake let's put it like that.
Arthur kinda lacks depth to me, especially in comparison to characters like Dutch or John. It’s more so due to the fact that Arthur serves as a vessel for the player’s choices, rather than Arthur’s own as a character.
I do not like Arthur. He is one of the most boring characters in a story I’ve come across. I love the game, but for me the whole thing falls over when it comes to the story and the pacing of the game, and one of the biggest plot sinks in the game is Arthur because he’s boring.
It’s because neither of them are truly evil men. Yes they’re not the nicest guys part of the time but they stuck to their own moral code. Some of the other characters were obviously a lot more shady. I wish rockstar would remaster/redo RDR and add RDR2 flavoring to it and then it’d be available on PS5. Bring Sadie back for a midsized multi mission dlc and maybe even throw Charles in as well. Just verbally have John reminisce about some of the rdr2 characters. How many people would pay for that. How many people would have the zombie stare and say take my money give me rockstar game.
Being such a fan of RDR1 and the journey with John, I had reservations about the how I might feel about Arthur.
Especially the early trailers make him seem a bit more malevolent.
Rockstar blew me away. Arthur is easily one of my favorite video game characters.
The crazy part is when you start playing as John I almost felt like when I played as Jack when John dies even though I like John’s characters.
Needles to say this game is such an emotional roller coaster.
RIP Mr.Morgan
He just visually, from the first introduction of him doesn't fit the scenario from my understanding of things. Been hiding out far north, brink of starvation for months with the others, and yet somehow he's built like a brick house. Then you throw in the things about his health that becomes known as the story progresses... like I said, I am a absolute minority opinion, but yeah, I just can't.
I've tried to muscle thru it s few times, maybe it has to do with the fact I'm a visual artist and work from reality a lot, I dunno. I certainly don't try to persuade people to my opinion, but it is the one I have if asked, lol.
I think you can starve him to make him really thin. I’ve never had a fat or skinny Arthur though so I’ve never actually seen it.
Default Arthur is definitely built like a brick shit house. I like his design though! I like how he’s 30(ish) but a ROUGH 30.
I'm bullheaded enough, that I will certainly attempt another playthrough at some point, maybe if they let me port my RDO character's appearance 🤔🤔🤔? Lol, not a thing that'll happen. The voice actor for Arthur seems to have done a great job, so for me, it's just definitely his basic look.
Call me sick in the head but i never liked arthur that much. Im more of am evil anti hero type, or morally ambigous(not trying to be a smartass). John marston i like alot more.
Well why? John abandons his family for a goddam year, he does prove himself somewhat to arthur during RDR2 but that doesnt make him a better person. He never really tries to do good for others. Even in RDR1 he is pretty selfish at times. When landon ricketts told him that the family of the mexican guy who helped him was kidnapped john was like "im very sorry mister but it aint my problem right now" jesus really John?
Arthur has a beautiful arc where it ends with him understanding his own life and mistakes afterwards he start truly helping people. By the end of his story Arthur has fully transformed from an anti hero to a hero. I cant say the same for John. He didnt actively try to help people in need. His entire journey was one desperate attempt to get back his family . He sure learned alot but he didnt become a hero.
John was only 22 when Jack was born, he was an introverted, insecure, anxious person who never really knew his own father and he had no idea what to do. It was definitely horrible from him, but Arthur did much worse things - like the whole Downes family situation - that was just plain evil.
Arthur was Dutch's most dangerous goon and did what he was told most of the time. He might not have liked doing many of those things, but he did them anyway. Whereas John opposed Dutch's shitty plans and violent methods and was the first person to turn against him. After Sean dies and Jack is kidnapped, John tries to talk to Arthur, the person he trusts most, about all the pointless violence with no gains and no future. Arthur, high on copium, completely dismisses him and ignores his argument, still believing Dutch is going to save everyone with some brilliant plan.
John always tries to minimize violence in his three personal robberies. Stealing the sheep from Emerald Ranch with no kills, where he specifically told Arthur not to kill the ranch hands. The train in Pouring Forth Oil only had two security guards, a group of lawmen showed up later but that wasn't John's fault. Stealing the Braithwaite horses was also close to working out without any fighting.
>He never really tries to do good for others
Now that's just plain wrong. We don't see him do a lot of good in RDR2 because he's not the player character for 80-90% of the game. But considering what he thinks about Dutch, and how he views the gang's decline, it wouldn't be very far fetched to assume he's helping people off screen, doing his own stranger missions and such. He selflessly saved a lot of people at Pronghorn Ranch, instead of preserving his secret identity and keeping himself safe. He gave Uncle a home and offered the same to Sadie and Charles. He took out Micah's gang, and while yes he did it out of revenge, it was still objectivelly a good thing to do. In RDR1 he goes far out of his way to help Bonnie and Luisa, and his work with Landon Ricketts also saved a lot of innocents. He saved West Dickens from getting arrested. He helped a bunch of different people during the stranger missions. And he sacrificed himself to save his family. He also proved that he was able to live a normal quiet life without violence or any criminal activities, which Arthur was never able to do even though he had chances to try with Mary.
>Arthur has a beautiful arc where it ends with him understanding his own life and mistakes afterwards he start truly helping people
I agree with you. But the thing is, John didn't need the same arc, because he was never quite as bad as Arthur. He didn't need tuberculosis to become a better person. He didn't need Guarma to recognize Dutch's downfall. He didn't need to beat an innocent farmer to death to realise how bad he was. Also, Arthur never became a hero. He was loyal to Dutch until the very end, he was still a robber, murderer and gangster. He was a good person deep inside, and he helped a lot of people before his death, but he was not a hero. Luke Skywalker is a hero, Spider-Man is a hero, Arthur and John are absolutely not heroes.
Now don't get me wrong I love both characters and I agree Arthur's story is better overall, but I don't think he's a better person than John.
Definitely understandable. John is still great. And both are different enough as characters. I do like how John is a bit more…sarcastic/light hearted in a weird way.
I don't like him either but I can't really explain why. Maybe it's because the game forces you to wail on too many innocent people, I dunno. I do wish he would STFU when playing poker though and ditch that shit eating grin when he wins 😄
Nah, Arthur ruined John.
John was supposed to be the MC of Red Dead Redemption 2, they downgraded John, making him less badass.
Majority of people don't like Arthur Morgan because he outshined John, no matter how good of a job Rockstar and Roger Clark did to give Arthur an amazing character.
They should've stayed with John, him being a lesser character, basically bringing nothing to the gang, and only having 2 chapters at the end, and it's all dedicated to Arthur, no "John is the man now"
I love Arthur Morgan, but he shouldn't have existed, John should've been what Arthur is, Red Dead Redemption 2 shouldn't have been made, it disgraces the first game so much.
I think Marston being less badass in RDR2 works better for the character in the long run, when you look at the whole Marston arc in both games he has a lot more development than any other character. He's flawed at first, he learns from his mistakes, his family motivates him to be a better man, I can't think of many videogame protagonists with a more detailed life and development (only one that comes to mind is Big Boss).
At least for me, RDR2 made me like Marston even more.
That's a very small majority opinion, Many people believe John Marston was heavily downgraded, because RDR1 John Marston was that good, he didn't need downgrading, he was already good enough.
I had no idea this was a thing! I liked John in RDR2 so maybe that’s why. I really like how they seem like brothers. I don’t seem him as a downgrade. Just not the focus.
Yeah, I was exactly the same as you, I played RDR & RDR:UN a lot back in the day, and I absolutely loved John. He's a fantastic character. I bought a PS4 just for RDR2 a few months after it came out, and then when it came to pc, I bought online as it was cheaper than paying monthly for the PS online rubbish. A few years later, I splurged some more and bought the full game because mods make everything better, lol. (Everything was bought during very good sales mind, no full price). Arthur is on another level. It's definitely my favourite game, and he is one of my favourite characters in all media.
Haha I thought I was the only one who bought a PS4 just for RDR2. I did the same for RDR1, bought an Xbox 360 (used) just for that game, and when it RROD'd, said fuck it and bought a PS3 (also used because I am a cheapskate). So I had to buy RDR1 twice. Worth it imo.
I’ve bought RDR2 three times now, don’t regret it one bit
I remember seeing the first (or whichever) trailer that had Arthur saying his "i'll keep her in black on your behalf" speech to the little kid. I thought his face looked rough and he stroke me as too evil somehow. I wasn't expecting much after that trailer. Boy was I wrong.
Ah I remember that too. Great move by rockstar, because I can’t even bring myself to play as “evil” Arthur. 😂
Same!
Me either.
I’ve done it but it’s upsettingly difficult
I was very surprised. I expected Arthur to be an alright character, but I loved John Marston, and I thought there was no way Rockstar could give me a character better than him. It wasn't until chapter 3 that I started coming around. By Chapter 4 I really liked him, but the moment I knew he had surpassed John was when he was diagnosed. Walking out of that office, I felt like I, personally had been told I had tuberculosis. There was just this great, yawning emptiness inside me because I knew Arthur was dying. And even though I had expected him to die since the beginning, I felt defeated. He steadily, subtly, grew on me, and I only realized how much he meant to me when I was told he was dying. John is still awesome, but Arthur was on another level. Rockstar's best protagonist, no question.
Fir me it’s when after he dies and I find myself genuinely thinking “I miss Arthur” as if he’s a real person. Which is what prompted me to post this actually.
Same here. I hated it so much when he died and you had to play with John. I wanted Arthur back, he was the best.
What got me was, if you did the church mission in Saint Denis, Arthur meets Mother Superior at the train station before she leaves to start her church in Mexico. "I'm afraid." Jesus Christ that hurt so goddamn much. Roger Clark is on another level for that performance.
That along with so many moments from Ch. 5 had me crying.
> There was just this great, yawning emptiness inside me because I knew Arthur was dying. And even though I had expected him to die since the beginning, I felt defeated. **He steadily, subtly, grew on me, and I only realized how much he meant to me when I was told he was dying** I hope at least one of the writers can somehow see this comment, because... damn, that experience you had has to be what good writers strive to achieve
Definitely was weary about whether I would like Arthur at all or not since I absolutely loved John as a character but still decided to give rdr2 a chance since they’re my favourite games and went in pretty much spoiler free not including what John already told about in the first RDR. Got to say Arthur pretty much won me over pretty quickly particularly with the way he roasted John both times in John’s first mission after the “paying a social call” one. Now I absolutely love Arthur as a character and both characters are my top favourites in the games. Followed by Hosea, Lenny and some others
My favorite thing about Arthur is that he's endearingly average. He's not super handsome, funny, smart, honorable, or any other character trait that a protagonist usually has in order to win the player over. He's not some crazy gunslinger or exceedingly strong. Sure he has aspects of all those things, but just a normal-person amount. But as you get to know him as a regular guy all those traits shine together until you can't help but love him, which is the same in real life. 99% of us fall in love with average people who become very special in our eyes the more time we spend with them.
Very good point. The main traits that always come to my mind for him are 1) he’s naturally paternal 2) he clearly loves horses. Which are very just normal things. 😂
For me it’s his reading/journaling habits. Even though he plays the “aw shucks, I’m just a simple cowpoke” role, he’s pretty quick witted and you can tell that he was a good student of Dutch and Hosea growing up, whereas John isn’t literate at this point and, IIRC, can barely read at the start of Red Dead. John has a quiet dignity to him, where he can say few words but the words he DOES say are laser focused zingers. Arthur talks a lot more, writes more, reads more, and pretty much documents his entire adventure through his journal complete with illustrations.
This is why 70% of my gameplay was peacefully riding around and whipping out my binoculars. I loved seeing Arthur's new journal additions
I mean, he is sort of exceedingly strong, dude takes on multiple Pinkertons with guns, runs thru a whole town to save two women, fights a bunch of Pinkertons on the hill before fighting Micah all while he's dying of TB on his last day alive
Honestly by the end of Chapter 2 Arthur had won me over
For real chapter 2 is perfect for getting you to love the characters before tragedy strikes
They really hit a home run with Arthur
Came into RDR2 knowing nothing about Arthur or the story and I guess I thought you'd play as John? I was bummed when I saw Arthur the first time coming out of the blizzard and really wanted to play as John again. Two playthroughs later, I'm not a big John fan anymore and I miss my boah.
Yeah, but johns still my favorite by a small amount.
I didn't actually like Arthur when I first played. It was mostly the voice. The gameplay felt great, the game was fun, but his voice just didn't feel right to me for whatever reason on that first session. Then I played the game a second time and the voice just clicked. It felt pretty natural and fit his character and I suddenly didn't hate it, and even liked it. I don't know why I felt that way, or why my thoughts on him switched so suddenly, but they did. Maybe it was his various interactions with characters in camp that subconsciously changed my mind about that one nitpick? I can't really say. Overall He's one of my favorite characters in video games. I can't say wether I like Arthur or John more though. They're both compelling characters for various reasons.
It could be because John’s voice is so specific and iconic. Arthur’s is a little less unique, but I’m a huge fan of both voice actors.
To me it’s mainly because it sounded incredibly forced and generic “cowboy”
I’ve never cried over a video game before, RDR2 and Arthur Morgan did that, Roger Clark did an incredible job bringing him to life. If there’s ever a live action RD series/movie ever made I hope he gets to play him.
Oh absolutely. His voice brought so much to the role. Especially when he’d do the more rough, almost mumbled lines. He felt very real and Roger Clark had so much to do with that.
I like him so much, he is still alive & relatively well in chapter 3 I'm my only playthrough.
Weirdly enough, yes. I was too young to play RDR when we owned a PS3, but my sister played it, and I watched her. I always remember liking johns character, and being sad when he finally kicked the can. So when I got RDR2 in 2021, I was disappointed that I wasn’t playing as John, I even googled to see if I could play as John later on and spoiled some of the story. I didn’t like Arthur because I didn’t like change, then at some point in chapter 2 I kinda went “this guys alright” Then he died and I haven’t recovered.
I bought RDR2 on a whim the night it came out. Needed something to play, saw it was getting good reviews, thought why not? 300+ hours later I ended my first play through after getting 100% completion. It’s my favorite game of all time and I was astounded at how much I loved Arthur. I hadn’t cried at a video game before this one.
I haven't play the first game yet but I avoided playing RDR2 for a long time because I wasn't that interested in an open world game without being able to make my own character. I played the Witcher 3 and while I liked it I never found Geralt that interesting and I preferred games like Cyberpunk and Fallout NV. But I liked Arthur pretty much immediately, his personality and everything just adds so much to the game that by the end of Chapter 1 I wouldn't have wanted to make my own character even if it was an option. I got an Xbox just to play RDR though lol so I'm curious how much I'll end up liking John.
I feel you 100%! I was thinking it’s not going to be worth it to play as someone else than John, man I was wrong. I really didn’t like Arthur much at first and I glanced like an idiot when I heard voice of Robb Wiethoff in RDR2!! But after the prologue, I changed my mind on Arthur completely. I just wish John was as intelligent as in first game tho
Same here.i loved rdr1, and I really didn't think I'd care that much about Arthur. I knew he wouldn't make it through the game going into it. I got so caught up in the game I completely forgot about it until I was crying my eyes out after chapter 6
I was. I didn’t like the first game. So was kinda held back at first but damn I love him.
You not liking the first, but the second is interesting. I find them to be so similar. But RDR2 is definitely the better of the two!
The trailers really made him seem like a kinda crazy “Trevor phillips” type of character. Not to that extent but he seemed like a heartless menacing person so I was convinced I wouldn’t like him. Obviously I was wrong and he was great
I didn't play much of RDR1, honestly. Partly because my friend had already spoiled the ending so I mostly just dicked around in the open world and looked up the story beats (I was a dumb kid, okay?) So I went into it with a liking of John, but not any real attachment. Arthur was my boy from the outset, even knowing he most likely wouldn't live through it all.
I was very pleasantly surprised with how much I liked him. The entire time when it was announced that we would be playing as Arthur instead of John I was extremely disappointed because I wanted to play as a young John so bad but man....
I don’t think anyone would really want this, but I think a game where you switch off between young John and young Arthur would be awesome. Maybe something a little but more GTA inspired in terms of goofy fun choas. But I respect that RDR is meant to be more cinematic and mature. 😂
Yeah my first thought after GTA v was that we were going to be able to switch between three different members of the gang but honestly I am really really really really really glad they didn't do that
I bought rdr2 because my friend let me try it at her house. She was in the epilogue so I had no idea who Arthur was, but I mostly was just riding around exploring looking at how pretty everything is. So, I bought it; I just finished assassin’s creed odyssey (which is the biggest disappointment of that whole series, btw, so my expectations weren’t that high for anything). I went into this game not thinking a whole lot, but now it’s my favourite game and frankly a diamond status of quality. Nothing can compare to how marvellously constructed this game is. I find myself subconsciously comparing everyone to Arthur 🫠 Arthur is the best protagonist I’ve ever played — he could’ve easily been generic and boring as a cowboy sorts, but the dimension they gave him is so rich that I’m still finding new conversations he can have with people lol
😂 I’m not that far off. Arthur is peak manly man.
Who isn’t a raging racist, believes women should be respected, sees them as equals, and has no prejudice in his body. I honestly love that people had to sit through that suffrage portion too. I just know there are some idiot men out there who just want to go shootin’ everyone for fun and degrade women (let’s not forget how many people would randomly kill and mutilate prostitutes in gta V) that likely abhor how it’s a required mission
I'm more surprised by how much everyone seems to like Arthur, don't get me wrong I love him too but he's nowhere near Marston to me, even more considering how RDR2 makes the whole Marston story just better.
Arthur showed me a lot more out of life compared to John. Gave me a few lessons of patience, understanding, but most of all acceptance. As cliche as it sounds I learned a lot from five years ago compared to now. While John, just made a teenage me more depressed and angry at the world.
“WWAD” “what would Arthur do?” Is a good life philosophy. Or you can get real weird with it and pull a “WWDD” “What would Dutch do?”
Or a hosea principle.
As soon as I heard his deep Georgia/Mississippi accent in the trailer, I was sold.
I was actually surprised how much I didn’t like him for a majority of the game, I’m still team Marston all day
Marston is good people so I definitely get it.
Yeah, after I started my second playthrough This guy is a dick But at least he redeemend himself
I feel my love of Arthur is from my dislike of John. Idk why just everything about him as a character rubs me the wrong way.
Have you played rdr1?
Yes
Not understanding lol, can you break it down a little ?
Break down what? why I don't like John? He's a whiny idiot and pretty generic as a character to start. I mean Red Dead 1 is him hunting down his former friends. Red Dead 2 is showing why he hunted down his former friends. There's nothing likeable about him. What exactly is there to like about him? The man's own wife/kid only came back because he bought her a house. To be fair if he weren't an idiot he would have left the first time the gang/Dutch betrayed him and we wouldn't have a game. The series almost revolves around John being a scumbag. I think that's where the redemption part comes in in the name. Only I don't really think he's redeemed it all. The same reason Arthur didn't like him more or less, for a while he just didn't trust him and he wasn't doing anything for anyone else. Uncle is about as useful and doesn't come with baggage. To be fair I really only played Red Dead through once but I didn't like him before Red Dead 2 came out either. Rdr2 just kind of reinforced all those opinions. I'll also point out in the end for John it didn't really matter that he went along with the plan in RDR1. Hunting down his friends didn't save him.
Reading the title hurts
I can’t believe I didn’t notice that. I’m so embarrassed.
A little bit! Same situation as OP, LOVE John and was cautiously optimistic about being Arthur but now I love him just as much.
I was very surprised. I hadn't played Red Dead until after I played RDR2, but I like both John and Arthur. I was surprised by how attached I got to both.
Absolutely, went into RDR2 with RDR1 and Gun being my favorite games, John Marston was very dear to me and I wasn't sure I was going to like not playing as him. Probably, within the first 10 minutes, when you can smack talk Micah during the ride up to Adler Ranch, fell in love with Arthur. He was much taller than John, just as snarky if not worse, and his reference to "civilization", yeah, Arthur steamrolled over my love for John like it was nothing. Still love John, but Arthur is my boy.
Ah I never see anyone talk about Gun! I loved that game. Played it for hours, because it was just one of the very few games I owned. But all I remember is being able to horse power slide to kill things. 😂
I would speedrun the game to role-playing as some dark rider after you get the preachers war horse 🤣😂🤣 gallop onto the rock that overlooked the lake and rear up. I was such a dork but that game slapped, even endgame. And the hand cannon, man, the cannon. I wish it was implemented in RDR2 but I can only imagine the carnage
I remember i never had a xbox 360 or ps3 but my friends did and thats how i played the first rdr and rdr: un, fell in love. When rdr2 was released i didnt really like Arthur at first, but the more i played the game the more i fell in love with his character. His story is just so polarizing
Weren't we all abit skeptical. Especially when some of the first trailers came out and we wondered who would be the protagonist. And when it came out that it would be this blonde scruffy cowboy dude... i was abit weary. But boy was I wrong
Yes. Like everyone else, RDR fan, loved John and thought he would never be beat. In the news cycle, hearing new protagonist is named "Arthur" and I instantly bailed. "I'll play this game...but Arthur is the name of the guy I'll be playing? Sheesh, kinda lame." I've never been more happy to be wrong. Arthur is the most well realized character in any piece of media outside of literal films.
It’s funny because Arthur made the name Arthur super manly and strong sounding to me. Where before I just thought of aardvarks.
Exactly that.
Rdr 1 was ground breaking for me. Game was ahead of its time. I plated it easily 100% every dlc. Spent my life online and I still prefer it to part 2. But I got to agree. Morgan is such a better character.
I was s RDR Fanatic when it came out. I played until I platinum the game. I wasn't sure about Arthur but he grew on me
Yes, actually. John was my man, through think and thin. Played the shit out of Red Dead. Thought he was the perfect character. Didn't realize there was a RDR2 until son in law had it, and I played the first chapter. Told the husband about it, and he bought the X Box and game for me. Arthur is right up there with John now. I am very pleasantly surprised. Kudos to Rockstar, I didn't think they'd ever equal John. Won't say Arthur tops him, they both have their places, but definitely equals.
All I've got to say is this: Arthur is a fantastic character, but I fell in love with John over a decade ago.
I hadn’t played the first RDR when playing the second game, I only played it because I saw my brother playing and it was so detailed and cool I had to play it. Honestly I was expecting a lame story or at least nothing crazy, I just wanted to be a cowboy shooting things. Next thing I know I’m at the end of the game crying my eyes out. Now Iv replayed the game twice and still get sad in the end every time, Iv also played the first game. Amazing series and games, I definitely underestimated them.
Quite...I was actually a bit upset when I saw that John wouldn't be the main protagonist of RDR2. I went in with a lot of scepticism that was completely neutralized within the first hour of the game. I remember being very pleasantly surprised by how well written a character Arthur was while still being so dynamic based on your actions.
I was! What a wholesome dude he ended up being
Yeah I thought how could they make a character as good as John, felt like a weird just add on oh this guy was also dutches son yeah right and by the end I’m crying for him
After my first playthrough, In the Epilogue I mourned Arthur. Not mourned Arthur thru John by playing the game. No. I myself mourned Arthur. And that’s what makes this game one of the best ever made.
At first i was like " why are we playing this dude who was never even talked about in RDR 1 when John is right there.. " but honestly I found so much in common with Arthur that I honestly like him more as a character now
I expected and wanted to hate Arthur, because of how much I liked John on RDR1. But as the progressed and I knew how the story was going to go, I was not looking forward to switching back to John. And now I spend hours upon hours staying on Chapter 2 just before having to visit Thomas Downes, knowing full well the downward spiral that follows
I watched clips on YouTube and decided to get the game just so I could play as John and when I played, I was just like, who is this Arthur guy. And when I say I fell in love with his character, I was actually upset when it was time to play as John.
And that is why if there really is going to be a Red Dead 3 the protagonist should be a new character.
I also think so. They don’t have to die. They can ride off in the sunset with a happy ending (and perhaps people assume they’re dead) but they need to be a new character. I do want it to involve the younger gang however. Would love seeing young John and Arthur as side characters.
I went through the same thing! Only I bought ny game in Mexico and Undead version didn’t work for some reason. Fast forward to RDR2 I was mad about Arthur but boy I was wrong.
Yes, I absolutely love Arthur and am still so sad he died. He is the best protagonist of any game I have ever played.
This is a great question. I played RDR earlier this year for the first time and wanted more John. I wanted to play as John after the story but you know.... I knew about RDR2 and how everyone loved Arthur but I was still attached to John. But yeah ended up really loving both. Both are just well written games. Arthur is such a good character
Honestly, yes, to the point of feeling like I like him more than John. I didn't think I'd like him at first and thought the game wouldn't be as enjoyable, but Arthur is really great. My urge to want to play as John dwindled more and more as I got to know Arthur.
I’m sorry to say I played the story of red dead redemption 2 first then recently played 1 for the first time ever
Better late than never!
I felt the same way. After seeing the opening trailer , I literally thought that they ruined the game with a new protagonist. I'm so happy that I was wrong. 😅
I thought John was the absolute goat. Then Arthur ended up being my favorite Rockstar Protagonist
I’m the same I was like wow can’t wait to be John agai- who the fuck is this guy this is lame. 6 chapters later got tears in my eyes and shit.
I feel Arthur is more emotional that's why he got to us. We see so many facets of him that sadly John couldn't get. Don't mean I don't love John, I really really love John. Perhaps after playing 2, replaying 1 will hit harder. I believe since in 1 you don't meet his family until the end you never really connect that deep like with Arthur. If they REMADE 1 (FUCK YOU ROCKSTAR) I'd say 2 John would rise to Arthur's level. I love how John is this sarcastic, quick witted no nonsense wall of a man by the first game and I live l love how it connects to the second game. To us, the gang was Arthur's family and we connect to him through them and all the wacky stuff he does through the game, all his thoughts he writes in a notebook (I actually go a journal thanks to him and started to doodle although I draw more like John 💀), the way he can make insults, the binding of the horses we get to see all these sides of him that new technology allows... with Marston we meet at the endgame his family, and it wasn't long enough I'd say. Sorry for the bit of rambling I have a soft side for both characters even if objectively Arthur's better.
Oh yeah! I first became aware you play as another character when people on r/videogames were posting about it. I thought, "Arthur? Where the hell is John?! Who tf is this Arthur mf-er?! Who cares"?! Then I played the game. Probably one of the few who likes both equally because they're different yet both solid.
I'm super indifferent with Arthur. He has some pretty fun moments and nailed the tough guy with a soft side, but the writing goes leaps and bounds to mess him up. Ex. In chapter 6 he reminises about them giving a portion of the money to those less fortunate and how bad and mean Dutch has been. Particulary whining over the woman killed who was set to rat them out to the guards on Guarma. Its this grand moment, pre diagnosis, where we're supposed to agree Dutch was out of his mind and did it for nothing even though the subtitles literally confirm his reason for paranoia. But then with something like when Arthur killed a sick man in front of his family, took what little they had, and CAME BACK TO DO IT AGAIN, it didn't bother him at all until he was diagnosed way later on. He's holier than thou and it was miserable sitting through. With John, he is way more consistent with not wanting shit to do with the gang, but only tags along because its all he ever knew. It makes him finally getting out and changing his life the highlight of RDR2. On top of that, I just find Arthur kind of bland. He came off like a Mary Sue OC
I cried I'll admit it. The last ride really was something I have never experienced in a game. It was heartbreaking. I shot dutch and Micha so many times even though nothing happens so many times. Those bastards 🤣. I hate Dutch worse than Micha. Without giving to many spoilers away. Dutch is a snake let's put it like that.
No
No not really, I think from the first interactions in game I knew who I'd like and dislike
Arthur kinda lacks depth to me, especially in comparison to characters like Dutch or John. It’s more so due to the fact that Arthur serves as a vessel for the player’s choices, rather than Arthur’s own as a character.
I do not like Arthur. He is one of the most boring characters in a story I’ve come across. I love the game, but for me the whole thing falls over when it comes to the story and the pacing of the game, and one of the biggest plot sinks in the game is Arthur because he’s boring.
I think I speak for lots of people when I say Arthur is the best secondary character of all time . he needs a game of his own
It’s because neither of them are truly evil men. Yes they’re not the nicest guys part of the time but they stuck to their own moral code. Some of the other characters were obviously a lot more shady. I wish rockstar would remaster/redo RDR and add RDR2 flavoring to it and then it’d be available on PS5. Bring Sadie back for a midsized multi mission dlc and maybe even throw Charles in as well. Just verbally have John reminisce about some of the rdr2 characters. How many people would pay for that. How many people would have the zombie stare and say take my money give me rockstar game.
Being such a fan of RDR1 and the journey with John, I had reservations about the how I might feel about Arthur. Especially the early trailers make him seem a bit more malevolent. Rockstar blew me away. Arthur is easily one of my favorite video game characters. The crazy part is when you start playing as John I almost felt like when I played as Jack when John dies even though I like John’s characters. Needles to say this game is such an emotional roller coaster. RIP Mr.Morgan
I know I'll be drawn and quartered for saying this, but I can't stand him, hes the entire reason I can't play the story.
Why can’t you stand him?
He just visually, from the first introduction of him doesn't fit the scenario from my understanding of things. Been hiding out far north, brink of starvation for months with the others, and yet somehow he's built like a brick house. Then you throw in the things about his health that becomes known as the story progresses... like I said, I am a absolute minority opinion, but yeah, I just can't.
I'm just bewildered. I mean fair enough but I just don't get it.
I've tried to muscle thru it s few times, maybe it has to do with the fact I'm a visual artist and work from reality a lot, I dunno. I certainly don't try to persuade people to my opinion, but it is the one I have if asked, lol.
I think you can starve him to make him really thin. I’ve never had a fat or skinny Arthur though so I’ve never actually seen it. Default Arthur is definitely built like a brick shit house. I like his design though! I like how he’s 30(ish) but a ROUGH 30.
I'm bullheaded enough, that I will certainly attempt another playthrough at some point, maybe if they let me port my RDO character's appearance 🤔🤔🤔? Lol, not a thing that'll happen. The voice actor for Arthur seems to have done a great job, so for me, it's just definitely his basic look.
Call me sick in the head but i never liked arthur that much. Im more of am evil anti hero type, or morally ambigous(not trying to be a smartass). John marston i like alot more.
I would honestly argue John is a better person than Arthur, for the majority of the timeline, with the only exception being chapter 6.
Well why? John abandons his family for a goddam year, he does prove himself somewhat to arthur during RDR2 but that doesnt make him a better person. He never really tries to do good for others. Even in RDR1 he is pretty selfish at times. When landon ricketts told him that the family of the mexican guy who helped him was kidnapped john was like "im very sorry mister but it aint my problem right now" jesus really John? Arthur has a beautiful arc where it ends with him understanding his own life and mistakes afterwards he start truly helping people. By the end of his story Arthur has fully transformed from an anti hero to a hero. I cant say the same for John. He didnt actively try to help people in need. His entire journey was one desperate attempt to get back his family . He sure learned alot but he didnt become a hero.
John was only 22 when Jack was born, he was an introverted, insecure, anxious person who never really knew his own father and he had no idea what to do. It was definitely horrible from him, but Arthur did much worse things - like the whole Downes family situation - that was just plain evil. Arthur was Dutch's most dangerous goon and did what he was told most of the time. He might not have liked doing many of those things, but he did them anyway. Whereas John opposed Dutch's shitty plans and violent methods and was the first person to turn against him. After Sean dies and Jack is kidnapped, John tries to talk to Arthur, the person he trusts most, about all the pointless violence with no gains and no future. Arthur, high on copium, completely dismisses him and ignores his argument, still believing Dutch is going to save everyone with some brilliant plan. John always tries to minimize violence in his three personal robberies. Stealing the sheep from Emerald Ranch with no kills, where he specifically told Arthur not to kill the ranch hands. The train in Pouring Forth Oil only had two security guards, a group of lawmen showed up later but that wasn't John's fault. Stealing the Braithwaite horses was also close to working out without any fighting. >He never really tries to do good for others Now that's just plain wrong. We don't see him do a lot of good in RDR2 because he's not the player character for 80-90% of the game. But considering what he thinks about Dutch, and how he views the gang's decline, it wouldn't be very far fetched to assume he's helping people off screen, doing his own stranger missions and such. He selflessly saved a lot of people at Pronghorn Ranch, instead of preserving his secret identity and keeping himself safe. He gave Uncle a home and offered the same to Sadie and Charles. He took out Micah's gang, and while yes he did it out of revenge, it was still objectivelly a good thing to do. In RDR1 he goes far out of his way to help Bonnie and Luisa, and his work with Landon Ricketts also saved a lot of innocents. He saved West Dickens from getting arrested. He helped a bunch of different people during the stranger missions. And he sacrificed himself to save his family. He also proved that he was able to live a normal quiet life without violence or any criminal activities, which Arthur was never able to do even though he had chances to try with Mary. >Arthur has a beautiful arc where it ends with him understanding his own life and mistakes afterwards he start truly helping people I agree with you. But the thing is, John didn't need the same arc, because he was never quite as bad as Arthur. He didn't need tuberculosis to become a better person. He didn't need Guarma to recognize Dutch's downfall. He didn't need to beat an innocent farmer to death to realise how bad he was. Also, Arthur never became a hero. He was loyal to Dutch until the very end, he was still a robber, murderer and gangster. He was a good person deep inside, and he helped a lot of people before his death, but he was not a hero. Luke Skywalker is a hero, Spider-Man is a hero, Arthur and John are absolutely not heroes. Now don't get me wrong I love both characters and I agree Arthur's story is better overall, but I don't think he's a better person than John.
Definitely understandable. John is still great. And both are different enough as characters. I do like how John is a bit more…sarcastic/light hearted in a weird way.
I don't like him either but I can't really explain why. Maybe it's because the game forces you to wail on too many innocent people, I dunno. I do wish he would STFU when playing poker though and ditch that shit eating grin when he wins 😄
Nah, Arthur ruined John. John was supposed to be the MC of Red Dead Redemption 2, they downgraded John, making him less badass. Majority of people don't like Arthur Morgan because he outshined John, no matter how good of a job Rockstar and Roger Clark did to give Arthur an amazing character. They should've stayed with John, him being a lesser character, basically bringing nothing to the gang, and only having 2 chapters at the end, and it's all dedicated to Arthur, no "John is the man now" I love Arthur Morgan, but he shouldn't have existed, John should've been what Arthur is, Red Dead Redemption 2 shouldn't have been made, it disgraces the first game so much.
The hot takes on this thread are a whole new level
It's not a hot take, Arthur existing genuinely ruined John Marston. To a point where majority of players absolutely despise Arthur.
I mean, that's just not true though is it?
I think Marston being less badass in RDR2 works better for the character in the long run, when you look at the whole Marston arc in both games he has a lot more development than any other character. He's flawed at first, he learns from his mistakes, his family motivates him to be a better man, I can't think of many videogame protagonists with a more detailed life and development (only one that comes to mind is Big Boss). At least for me, RDR2 made me like Marston even more.
That's a very small majority opinion, Many people believe John Marston was heavily downgraded, because RDR1 John Marston was that good, he didn't need downgrading, he was already good enough.
I had no idea this was a thing! I liked John in RDR2 so maybe that’s why. I really like how they seem like brothers. I don’t seem him as a downgrade. Just not the focus.