More stable gameplay pace
When I think of awesome wild west fantasies, being a ranch hand is usually absent
Gameplay pacing was generally well handled in Redemption, but there were a few sore moments of boredom here and there. I realise it was necessary to build up suspense for the game’s outro, but the bit on the ranch with Marston’s family just about killed me. A more regulated gameplay pace (with no black spots) would really iron out one of the few bugs in RDR’s, otherwise solid, story.
More vibrant visuals
Sand and trees offer only so much colour variety
Red Dead Redemption is a good looking game. That said, there’s only so much aesthetic variation you can get in desert and dust bowls. The northern section of the map offered more variation, but greater variety down south would’ve helped (and no, that’s not a euphemism.) Variety is the spice of life, and Red Dead 3 needs to apply this tasty spice when it comes to its visual palette.
More upgrades and perks
Lasso aside, there's not a lot to get excited over here
Particularly on a visual level, the upgrades in RDR weren’t all that big. A bigger clip size here and more stopping power there belied the fact that most of the guns looked and felt quite similar. Admittedly, it’s difficult to include this variety in a period like the old west, but the perks could have also been more varied too. This applies to the multiplayer in particular, where more perks and abilities could have gone a long way.
Deeper characters
Yeah, pick on the Irish guy. That's original
Some of the characters in RDR were well-rounded and three dimensional. Others were potentially offensive racial stereotypes, or rather flat caricatures. Whilst these ciphers may not have been particularly important characters to the story, they still brought the overall tone of the game down. This is something that Red Dead 3 will need to avoid if it is to reach its full potential.
