10 Video Games You Constantly Have To Defend Hating
2. Red Dead Redemption 2
On reflection, Red Dead Redemption 2 is actually something of an unexpected analogue to the Gran Turismo series - undeniably beautiful and crafted with a frankly troubling obsessiveness, and yet in its bones rather tedious to play.
RDR2 is the zenith of Rockstar's commitment to "realism," crafting an experience which requires the player to re-enact their character's every calorific exertion in order to do anything at all.
The game has a gorgeously crafted animation for even the most mundane activities imaginable, which paired with intentionally unresponsive controls makes basic movement an active irritation.
Even opening a cabinet is an unexpected faff in a game where you're centrally preoccupied with riding a horse and shooting people dead.
Speaking of which, the gunplay is also sloppy and unrefined, ensuring that the excitement expected from most any Rockstar game is weirdly lacking here.
There's a reason why so many have beaten the game once and never gone back to it - the thought of dealing with those wading-through-treacle controls for another 30 hours couldn't seem less appealing, no matter the clear craft that's gone into the overall experience.
You flew too close to the sun on this one, Rockstar, and considering the brutal developer crunch required to make it happen, it's easy to dismiss the game both artistically and ethically.