Red Dead Redemption 2: 9 Reasons It's Not Game Of The Year 2018

6. Arthur's Diagnosis, The Downes Family & Missing An Integral Part Of The Story

Everything about Arthur's diagnosis not only comes out of nowhere, but the fact Rockstar tie it to a mission from 70 hours prior means you're left wondering just who he's referring to. The point is clearly that you treated the Downes interaction as "just another mission", but when Arthur knows exactly who Downes is and you as the player don't, there's a disconnect.

Unless you read Morgan's journal, the player is left without a flashback, line of dialogue describing him or anything. Even if you do take the time to read one line, you'll likely need to Google the guy to make everything click.

Atop that, Downes' family literally forms the main component of Arthur's redemption arc. By interacting with them in Chapter 6 you can trigger a series of side-quests that end with Mrs. Downes and her son going free, letting Arthur know he did one last good deed before the end.

The problem? These missions don't appear if your honour meter isn't above the half-mark, yet Mrs. Downes will still be in your end credits roll regardless, coming across as something the game didn't tell you about instead.

Combined, the lack of conveying Arthur's knowledge on Downes and how that family is essentially non-existent unless you were playing "honourably", makes for a closing chapter ultimately not coalescing.