One could argue that, while Rockstar's open-worlds were great in their own right, the stories of most of these games were lacking in several departments. However, with the release of Red Dead Redemption 2, this rather condescending notion from the fans was finally put to bed. After all, Red Dead Redemption 2 featured some of the best storytelling moments in video gaming, allowing fans to genuinely get immersed as they placed themselves in the shoes of the flawed-yet-lovable Arthur Morgan.
That being said, not every story beat in Red Dead Redemption 2 is perfect by any stretch of the imagination. There are several problems — ranging from minor inconsistencies to full-blown plot holes — that have irked fans to no end. Keeping this in mind, here are ten of the biggest unresolved issues stemming from the story of Red Dead Redemption 2.
10 The Reason As To Why Dutch Shot Heidi McCourt Is Still Up In The Air
One of the biggest reasons why the gang became so notoriously wanted in Blackwater after the botched ferry heist was due to the fact that Dutch shot a woman called Heidi McCourt right in the head.
However, most people haven't really called this an incident, with Micah going so far as to state that this death was very much necessary for some reason. Why would the death of a civilian be a necessity... especially when said civilian was unarmed?
9 Marston Said That The Gang Abandoned Him During The Ferryboat Massacre... But That Wasn't The Case
Throughout the events of Red Dead Redemption, it's made clear time and time again that John was apparently abandoned by the gang during the aforementioned massacre aboard the ferryboat in Blackwater.
However, it's clear that Red Dead Redemption 2 completely retcons this event, making it so that John was actually abandoned when the final robbery of the Van Der Linde gang — a train heist — ends up going awry with him getting shot the shoulder and being left to die by Dutch.
8 The People To Blame For John Being Abandoned Were Also Different In Red Dead Redemption 2
As per the original game, Marston blamed three people from the gang for leaving him to die — Javier Escuella, Bill Williamson, and Dutch van der Linde himself.
However, it's clear from the events of Red Dead Redemption 2 that both Javier and Bill weren't to blame for this betrayal at all — rather, it was the duo of Dutch and Micah that tried to put the proverbial nail in Marston's premature coffin.
7 The MacFarlane Ranch Should've Had A Barn In Red Dead Redemption 2
Red Dead Redemption 2 sports a beautiful and detailed open world... but there's no denying the fact that there are some inconsistencies in this world that can bug some players who have a keen eye for detail.
For starters, the MacFarlane Ranch doesn't have a barn in Red Dead Redemption 2, even though Bonnie in the first game mentioned that the barn has been standing strong since she was a little girl.
6 The Town Of Tumbleweed Falling To Ruin In A Few Years Is Hard To Believe
Tumbleweed is a bustling town in Red Dead Redemption 2, which might be great and all... until people realize just how desolate it really is in the first game.
This makes it rather hard to believe that such a busy town was quickly abandoned in the short span of four years. Sure, the railway system might've ignored this town completely... but that's still no excuse for the fact that this perfectly-functioning town quickly went to ruin in this short time span.
5 Sadie's Transformation Into A Gunslinging Outlaw Is Pretty Jarring
Sadie Adler is introduced to the group as a grieving widow who's very much in tatters emotionally after the harrowing events that she had to bear with firsthand.
So, it's rather odd to think that such a fragile and helpless character ended up turning into a rather savage and effective outlaw in a relatively short span of time, without any character development whatsoever.
Sure, there might be moments in the camp when people can see her grieving early on... but that's nowhere near enough to sell the idea of this widow turning into a natural outlaw by any stretch of the imagination.
4 Cornwall Didn't Need To Hire The Pinkertons If He Had A Huge Gang Of His Own
The heist of Cornwall's train ends up sending the Pinkertons breathing down the necks of Van Der Linde's gang. It's an unfortunate turn of events... but perhaps Cornwall never really needed to hire this detective agency in the first place.
After all, it's pretty clear that he has a competent militia of his own that was more than up for this task. Given the obviously high amount of investment he'd made in this private army, one would assume that he didn't really need to hire a third party to tackle this internal matter at all!
3 Uncle Seems Taller In Red Dead Redemption 2, As Opposed To The Prequel
One minor point of contention that people have noticed about Uncle in Red Dead Redemption 2 is the fact that he seems way taller in this game than the first one.
It could be possible that Uncle's back and health had just deteriorated over time... but that's still a stretch that's hard to imagine at this point.
2 Marston's Daughter Was Never Mentioned In The Game
In Red Dead Redemption, it's revealed that Marston sired a daughter with Abigail as well, but the infant died early on due to health complications.
People who've only played Red Dead Redemption 2 would be completely unaware of this fact, however, given that Marston's daughter — or, to be franker, the lack thereof — was never mentioned even once in the game!
1 Arthur Was Never Mentioned Once In The Original Red Dead Redemption
Speaking of characters who weren't mentioned, it would be impossible to not talk about the fact that Arthur is pretty much non-existent in the first game... especially since his presence was so important to the Van Der Linde gang!
The fact that John doesn't even mention Arthur once in Red Dead Redemption — even after the latter ended up saving his life on multiple occasions — is certainly a tough pill to swallow for gamers who love continuity in their titles.