(Before you ask, I don't know if RDR2 has better shooting than the others, because I simply haven't played it yet. I'm pretty sure it does, since it's the newest Rockstar game and the likely the most refined, but I wouldn't know.)

I finished RDR1 for the first time about a month ago. It's now my favorite Rockstar game and one of my favorite games period. I loved everything about it: the music, beautiful landscapes, characters and story and the unique theme of the Wild West succumbing to the arrival of civilization. I also went in expecting the game to be carried mostly by story aspects, but I actually thoroughly enjoyed the gameplay as well. The shooting is intense and flashy thanks to the Euphoria physics and while missions often get repetitive, the open world was diverse thanks to extensive wildlife and stranger events.

After finishing it and Undead Nightmare, I felt a Rockstar-shaped hole in my life that I decided to fill with a new playthrough of GTA V. Now before I go on, I'll just say that I also love GTA V, for many of the same reasons as RDR. But after RDR1, I've noticed that the shooting was WAY less satisfying.

RDR1's shooting was bare-bones. Aim at a fella, shoot him a few times (or once in the head) and he's gone. There isn't much nuance or depth, compared to something like DOOM, where you have to remember each enemy's attack pattern and constantly stay on your toes to avoid attacks while using the correct weapon for each situation.

But I still found it very satisfying thanks to the wonderful Euphoria physics engine. The way enemies react to every shot in a completely new way every time is just awesome. They'll grab their gut in pain and stumble around, they'll tumble off of rooftops and crumple to the floor with eerie realism. It's exaggerated in all the best ways, and gives the combat an authentic Western feel.

It's also one of the only games I've played on console where I have actually enjoyed using free-aim without aim assist. The game's slow lever-action rifles and revolvers have a lot more punch than their GTA counterparts. Because of this, an enemy needs to be shot only twice with the high-end weapons before they die, a stark contrast to how even strong rifles in GTA V often take 4-5 shots to kill an armored enemy. Using free-aim in GTA V is just not fun for me, since tracking enemies with an analog stick while doing pitiful damage is too difficult.

I also mourn the loss of throwing weapons. Tomahawks and knives were so fun in RDR1. Not a big deal though.

TL;DR Euphoria makes everything better. GTA V has a shitty version of it. RDR also has better gun sounds and thanks to the much slower weapons in RDR, free-aim is actually viable and fun. Still love both games.

But what do you guys think?