10 Video Game Moments That Blew Us Away (Even Though We Saw Them Coming)

As the title indicates, Red Dead Redemption centres around murderous outlaw, John Marston, who seeks absolution. To protect his wife and son, he cuts a deal with the government to hunt down his former gang members and bring them to justice in exchange for immunity.

With that said, it's hard to imagine Red Dead concluding with Marston riding off in the sunset with his loved ones. The game repeatedly emphasises how violence is cyclical and inescapable, so it becomes increasingly obvious things aren't going to work out for John.

And yet, nobody is ready to watch his last stand. Despite doing everything asked of him, John is ultimately betrayed by the government that promised him freedom. When an army unit invades John's ranch, he embraces his death to give his family the chance to flee. Though John's former self performed unspeakable acts of evil, the fact he willingly walked into his execution to save his family proves he was truly a changed man.

Although John's son, Jack, exacts revenge on his father's killer in the epilogue, this accentuates the tragedy of John's death. While John wanted Jack to live a peaceful life, he ends up following the same cycle of revenge and violence, repeating the mistakes of his father.