10 Times Video Games FORCED You To Lose (And Punished You For It)
3. The Last Enemy That Shall Be Destroyed - Red Dead Redemption
The final mission with John Marston in Red Dead Redemption is considered to be one of the most heartbreaking moments in gaming. Part of the reason why is obviously because it kills off the character you’ve spent the entire game helping to reunite with his family and achieve his goals.
However, there’s also another, just as important reason: the way in which it goes about killing John.
You see, the entire sequence has a very strong sense of finality about it. John’s ranch is surrounded by government officials trying to put John down, and the only thing he can do is buy his fleeing family some time by confronting his hunters directly.
In John’s final moments, you get to control him as he automatically enters Dead Eye mode and tries to take as many agents with him as possible. The game gives you a sliver of hope that maybe you can save John with your marksmanship skill, but in reality, it’s impossible to kill all the agents or even take down the one responsible for John’s ultimate demise.
The sequence is rigged to make you fail no matter what, and the only thing you get for trying is seeing your beloved character die in gruesome detail.