Red Dead Redemption's "ending" (spoilers)

[Grey_Focks]

So, I have just beaten the main story to Read Dead Redemption...so I thought. Bill is Dead, Javier is in jail or hung by now, and Dutch fell off a cliff. Yet, the game continues. Not just the game, mind you, but the single-player story-oriented missions. The missions are now being given by John's family, and they are a bit...less fun. They seem to be more geared towards building the family ranch instead of, you know, things that happen in western movies. Now these missions seem to be more about the "peaceful life" or "well-earned rest" that the protagonist keeps grumbling about not having.

These missions aren't necessarily "bad", but when compared to the rest of the game's storyline missions they are pretty boring. That, and I really hate driving cattle. Now I know I don't have to play the storyline missions, but the game, until this point, has had a pretty good story and I've really been liking the game's supporting cast of characters.

I guess what I want to know is, do these missions get better? Is the family ranch attack by bandits, or something, or do I get to duel Uncle? I have really liked the story so far, and I just hope this isn't the way it ends. So, is it worth it to keep playing these missions? I haven't taken THAT many so far, maybe 2 from the wife, 2 from the son, and one from the uncle.

Oh, and can anyone else no longer change their outfits? Is this a bug in the game, or am I really stuck wearing that un-exciting rancher outfit for the rest of the game.

 

[MiracleOfSound]

Keep playing. That's all I'm gonna say. It all makes sense in the end.

 

[Zef Otter]

Thats right, keep playing the "ending" is worth it

 

[Treefingers]

Well... that's not the ending and you should keep playing the game until you actually reach the ending.

 

[Scops]

They are right to tell you to keep playing, but don't get your hopes up too high. I was pretty disappointed in the ending. (Including the trigger for the actual credit roll) The missions leading up to it (that you've already done) just killed the narrative momentum. I know they had their purpose, but considering how long the game is, and how central Dutch's gang was to the progression, it was frustrating that they dragged it out like that.

I won't spoil it, though. You'll still be able to do side quests, etc after the credit roll, so there's no reason to put it off.

 

[Skuffyshootster]

Yeah, the game does have some pacing problems, but keep playing.

And when you think it's over, go to Blackwater.

 

[Chipperz]

I haven't completed them yet, but I'm loving them so far. So many stories end on the "and they lived happily ever after..." that I think it's brilliant that a game has come along and shown it (and it'd have to be a game - if a book or film spent ages after a massive epic story on scenes of evetyday life, it'd be boring as Hell. If you dont believe me, watch the Extended Return of the King...)

Also, I liked the ranching bits. It stopped Red Dead Redemption from just being Grand Theft Horsie.

 

[Cucipher]

The ending is really, really powerful. Play on. It all makes sense.

 

[Grouchy Imp_v1legacy]

You haven't beaten the main story-line yet, keep playing. It all falls into place later on.

 

[Estocavio]

Just keep going - Theyre missions, not an epilogue... Though i do say, that would be one awesome way to end a game.

But... Why... just... Why would you DUEL Uncle?
Thats just strange...

 

[Rafe]

You haven't finished it yet, all I can say is keep playing.

 

[Herr Ludd]

Wonderful ending. I feel it's the perfect ending for a game with this theme.

 

[ButterFunky]

I don't really think that was a really great story given that you never meet the other supporting characters ever after you do their missions, it's only that they're mentioned after the game, which you haven't finished yet. What I did when I was in your situation was to change my outfit and run away from my family to Mexico where I become a millionaire from selling all the bears I brutally killed and skinned. After 2 whole hours of evading the Marshals by going across the border with all horses ( Did the white one last and got an achievement ) and yelling 'Shepherd' every time I used a throwing knife against someone/thing/rock and playing Pincushion with my posse, I realized that you should go finish the game, I mean I wanna check out on me family and go into a stereotypic Irishman drunken rage and punch me wife.

Side note: In it would be a pretty predictable ending if you say that the hunt for your former gang is the whole story 'cause there's 2 things that's going to happen, you or your former gang either dies of brain cancer or a bullet in the head, which will give you brain cancer so yeah, both will end with brain cancer.

 

[GloatingSwine]

My biggest gripe is that the ending missions feel very much like a second tutorial, that just happens to take place at the end of the game (also, the "follow the dog" hunting is much better than the "collect twenty bear asses" master hunter cobblers, why couldn't it all be like that, if they knew how to actually do it?)

Also, they're the first you see of Marston's family, supposedly the reason for everything he does throughout the game, but you wouldn't know them from a hole in the ground because the player doesn't meet them until after that part of the game is over.

Also, the plot for those missions (gotta get the ranch on it's feet, broke, might not make it through the winter, etc.) is incongruent with the fact that I'm carrying enough in cash and gold to buy Texas.

Really, all that gubbins would have been better placed at the start of the game, with some other family missions at the end to act as bookends to the main plot, it would have given the player an inroad into Marston's motivation and some reason to care about what he's doing.

 

[ProtoChimp]

Ooh I so want to spoil the ending right now, but I wont.

 

[mokes310]

Ooh I so want to spoil the ending right now, but I wont.

I know, right? That was a pretty awesome ending in my opinion...