8. Red Dead Redemption - Family Reunion
Were it not for Grand Theft Auto V, I would say Red Dead Redemption is the best open world game on Xbox and PS3. It has everything you want and expect from a sandbox Rockstar game. Cracking atmosphere, stunning graphics, great storyline with memorable characters, pitch black humour, numerous memorable missions and a few very very boring ones. And so it only makes sense that Red Dead contains a number of mind numbingly banal missions that I would recommend to any insomniac. Naturally they appear at the start as a means of helping you get used to the control scheme and gameplay mechanics. Story wise you are helping a young woman do some chores as a means of repaying her for saving your life. They can be forgiven for their inclusion as a mere necessity and also that they serve as a calm before the storm in terms of the story. What cannot be forgiven, is the decision to include a very similar set of missions near the end of the game. Now, you have returned to your family after seeing off your old boss and settling your debt with the Feds. You now have to tend to the business of being a husband and father. This includes tasks such as rustling cattle, shooting crows, delivering corn and wrangling horses. The story is different, the tedium is the same. The sad thing is, I can understand that Rockstar were going for some nice, family moments before the sucker punch ending. But, the gameplay is so tedious, it quickly turns into a clock watching exercise. These missions are, ironically, redeemed by the ending which is perfect and fitting for the story that preceded it, making them a mere annoyance in an otherwise stunning game.