Don't know about y'all boys but I've had the game since release night and I'm still in Chapter 2.
I'm surprised at how the most seemingly mundane tasks in this game have become an adventure.
- I find myself willingly walking through towns.
- I activley seek out members of the gang at the base camp to interact with in the mornings.
I set up my own camp in the wilderness with a purpose, usually to cook dinner at night and coffee in the am after waking up.
- I somehow actually enjoy hunting in a game for the first time ever.
- I'm still patting, feeding, and cleanin' my horse even though the bond is maxed.
- I plan my missions and activities based on proximity and the time of day.
Turning in a bounty in town, getting a bath at the hotel down the street, cleaning the horse and feeding it, and then hitting up the saloon for dinner before heading back to base camp to shoot the breeze with Dutch and company before turning in for the night feels strangely rewarding.
While you can argue that the vast majority of random events are too coincidentally timed to be purely organic, the fact is the joy in the mundane is in large part due to the fact that barring a few exceptions, the game does a good job at making you feel that the entire world
doesn't revolve around you. It feels like you're simply existing in the same space as others. Some NPCs are completely indifferent to Arthur's existence and at the same time, totally reactive to it. The game has its' flaws but I don't think I've ever played a single open world game that had more of a heartbeat than this one. If nothing else, other developers who dabble in open world gameplay are going to have to seriously step it up.