With a mixture of Red Dead Redemption series has proven itself to be a timeless staple in gaming. The games have a unique style to them that makes them endlessly replayable and enjoyable, with the first game sporting a dark sense of humor, and the second game bringing a more soulful touch to the outlaw narrative.
Bearing this in mind, the cutscenes across both games have been consistently engaging and interesting. Here are ten of the best, from some of the most emotional to the downright absurd.
First Train
While the first Red Dead did have some cadence of the outlaw lifestyle, players never got the full gang experience. Rockstar made up for this in the very first chapter of Red Dead 2 when the gang robs a train owned by the oil baron Leviticus Cornwall.
It's an epic scene, where nearly the entire gang rides out and watches the train roll through snow-covered hills and valleys. The score is incredible, with electric guitar riffs and fast-paced drumbeats playing in the background. Even though the robbery starts out botched, players can't help but get hyped over what they're about to do. It's a fantastic crescendo to get players really hooked in the game from the very start.
Wolf-Eaten Mind
By contrast, Red Dead 1 opens much more slowly, yet with a remarkable display of bravado and stupidity from its protagonist. Forced to confront his old gang in order to save his family, John goes to meet Bill Williamson, who's hiding out in Fort Mercer with a gang of his own.
He does this all by himself, thinking he can get Bill to come down with words alone. And when that doesn't work, he reaches for his gun and is promptly shot in the side. It's an interesting scene and incredibly dramatic. Without context, it also makes John seem diplomatic and brave. But with the prequel's context, players understand the truth: he's just kind of dumb sometimes.
Man Of Mercy?
While visiting the town of Valentine, a man named Jimmy Brooks recognizes Arthur Morgan as one of the men involved in the Blackwater incident. This doesn't bode well for him, as a chase ensues that results in him hanging off a cliff, begging for his life. The cutscene that follows is iconic, as it defines just who Arthur is in the world he lives in.
As he saves Brooks, he tells him who exactly he is, and asks, in a low voice, "Should I have killed you, Jimmy Brooks?" This cutscene is crucial, as it reminds players that Arthur isn't just the sweetheart cowpoke they've come to know: he's still very much the same ruthless outlaw he always was.
Blessed Are The Peacemakers
Although John enjoyed his friendship with Bonnie MacFarlane, at times, her jabs hit a bit too close to home. In a cutscene that many players consider to be the best in the first game, John makes it very clear to her that while he leads a rough lifestyle at the moment, he has had a complicated, complex life, and that he's not as one-dimensional as she thinks he is.
John is one of the most misunderstood characters by those around him. While he isn't always the wisest, he does have a sense of clarity and wisdom that is leagues above most people around him. This sense shines through this cutscene, where he deftly and eloquently tells Bonnie about his life, his past, and his plans. Not such a fool now, is he, Miss MacFarlane?
In Another Life
Arthur is often put in a position where he slaves away for other people, and by Chapter 4, he is exhausted and beginning to seriously question everything he's been fighting for. That's when he gets blindsided by his ex-fiancé, Mary Linton, who implores him to run away with her and to leave it all behind.
It's a heartbreaking moment because players can tell Arthur really, really wants to, and even if they have reservations about Mary herself, ultimately they just want Arthur to be happy. But his sense of loyalty towards the gang keeps him from acting selfishly, and so he's relegated to watching Mary walk away once again, while he's left standing alone.
Babies...?
Undead Nightmare is full of bizarre, campy moments, but this particular one takes the cake. John encounters a trapper living in the woods, claiming that sasquatches are indeed real, as well as living off a steady diet of human babies. Unsure of what to think, John goes ahead and hunts the nearby sasquatches.
Eventually, though, he finds the last one, who weeps and articulates to John how his species is done for now. John clumsily tries to justify the killings, but the creature shoots back, "We eat berries and mushrooms, you fool!" It's one of the most quoted RDR cutscenes because, after the main game puts John through such a harrowing journey, it's just so utterly jarring and out-there.
High Society
Poor Arthur has to go through a lot. As the gang's strongman, he's often tasked with some of the most taxing jobs, with very little appreciation coming back his way. But this cutscene is a welcome reprieve, where players get to see him actually enjoy himself. He even laughs, openly and heartily - a rare sight, for such a troubled man!
While attending Charles Chatenay's gallery showing, chaos erupts as the dainty people of St. Denis realize the man has painted their loved ones all in the nude. As they slap their way in and out of the gallery, Arthur has a rambunctious and highly entertaining time, and it's truly a pleasure for players to watch.
What Once Was
Similar to his encounter with Bonnie, John rehashes the past with gunslinger Landon Ricketts, although this scene is a bit soberer. While previous cutscenes make John out to be an honest man trying to eke out the life he and his family have wanted for so long, this scene really drives home the point that, once upon a time, he "lived the life."
He gets an opportunity to be candid with a man who can relate to him, who understands that with the kinds of lives they both had and that the past is the events of RDR2 quickly and easily, and Ricketts just laughs, because what else is there to do but laugh about it all?
Facing The Sun
There were many moments between Arthur and Dutch that demonstrated not only the vaguely abusive power dynamic between the two of them but also how important their relationship was to the overall story. However, their last interaction was by far the most stunning in its rawness.
While dying on a hill facing the sunrise, Arthur lays it all out for Dutch: how he was deceived, how John was the only winner in this situation, and how he truly gave Dutch all he had. And for the first time, Dutch seems to really see him and hear him, as he quietly listens with an intense gaze. This scene is cemented as a truly poetic moment in gaming, since while Arthur always deserved better, he does, in the end, get the death he wanted: with his loved ones safe, while he faces the sun.
Reprieve
Although this scene is meant to feed a sense of unease going into Undead Nightmare, it also embodies everything John fought for. At the beginning of the DLC, John returns to find his family sitting by the fireplace, joking around and enjoying the domesticity they worked so hard for.
In a poignant moment, John watches his son read out loud to him, and he finds himself tuning out what Jack is saying not because he finds it uninteresting, but because he is finally happy. He's finally gotten the family life he wanted, and he gets to watch his son grow up to be whoever he wants to be. While the "real" ending may differ ever so slightly, it's a moment worth treasuring all the same.