I remember really liking that bit of the game.

I liked Mexico, there was just a mission that I hated and finally quit the game. It was the one where you had to chase a train or something. Seriously, what is it with Rockstar games and bad train missions?

I don't mind it overall but the section lasts to long and slows down the overall narrative.

Its been a very long time since I've played RDR but I seem to remember missions being way too far apart distance-wise. So it was either sit through long load times or take a boring ass horse ride with the same 4 types of random events popping up ad-nauseam.

Red Dead Redemption felt like a pretty short game to me, so cutting Mexico would make the content problem worse for me.

In general, my criticisms with Red Dead are large than any one part. Mexico in general is alright with me.

Yeah, the distance between missions was the main negative for me. I didn't fast travel at all, and there wasn't really a direct route between the main Mexican towns, so it took a while to traverse the map. Other than that, I enjoyed it. I never tired of the scenery in that game, the sense of place they created is incredible.

The first time I played through Mexico, I felt the section was overly long and I found myself constantly wondering why Marston would continually choose to work for totally disinterested parties who clearly were going to screw him over in the end and had no intention of helping him, just using him as a hired gun to further their cause.

The second time though, I actually enjoyed witnessing the revolution from both sides and seeing the Animal Farm nature of the "both sides are equally corrupt just for different reasons" story. Ultimately I'd say a yay from me.

The problem is that it looks almost the same as the American part of the map. It's another desert. I watched this movie called McCabe & Mrs. Miller last week, a western with scenery quite different from other movies in the genre. It took place in the Northwest and featured mountainous wooded terrain covered in snow. I want more of that in Red Dead.

The worst part of RDR for me is not any specific part but the overall "Rockstar Games" story progression. The story beats are so slow and inconsequential to the central plot; a lot of them are just excuses for level design and content. Mexico for me is at least more interesting in terms of themes than the West Dickens missions that just drag on and on. Armadillo was honestly as poorly paced as Mexico was, it's just that novelty of playing the game hasn't worn off yet at that point. Mexico just happened to be after an overly long first act.

I remember reading comments when RDR came out about people saying how the game "opened up" or was better once you got to Mexico. I didn't have that impression. As soon as you're done on the McFarlane ranch the game gets real good but the story in Mexico is kinda bland. It could've been better if it went into Landon Ricketts a bit more and if you met more fucked up characters than a general and a revolutionary.

But yeah, they've done Mexico. If they leave it out I'm not gonna care one way or the other.

I liked the change of scenery but I didn't particularly care for the story missions. It just didn't seem reasonable that you can work for both sides of the war in any order but the end consequence is fixed. The army is always going to betray you and the rebels are more or less fine with you killing their fellow rebels. It would've been better if you can choose to follow the army path or the rebel path and it would lead to different outcomes but I guess "choices" in Rockstar's game design was still pretty basic back in 2010.

It's been some years since I played the game. In my memory, I do remember the section in México being dull in comparison to the rest of the game, but I also love it, well, rather appreciated it because the country is never represented in games -even if done so in the stereotypical Rockstar way.

It does go on way too long. Marston seems like an errand boy for most of it. I did finish another playthrough of RDR last year but before that I tried to finish it again twice and gave up not long after reaching Mexico. No coincidence.

Nay for me.

I liked the Mexico portion. I agree with @themangalist though. It's rockstar's basic story structure that's the the problem, Rockstar games are just basically a collection of sidestories. Pretty common problem for any games that uses their Openworld template.

I don't think it's an accident that the ending of the main game of RDR is praised as it's one of the few times Rockstar really put some oomph into their storytelling.

I played the game going in blind and thought it was incredible. I didn't know that the "Mexico issue" was a thing until I read it on the internet.

Its news to me that people hate the Mexico portion of the game. The transition to Mexico is fucking great, almost like starting a new game entirely, depending on how long it takes you to get to that part in the story. The entire area feels different compared to New Austin, new landscapes, flora, animals, music. Fuck, just talking about it makes me want to replay Red Dead.

I understand why people found that part of the game slow, because it's essentially a huge open emptiness. But that part of the game is deliberately supposed to portray the overwhelming loneliness and despondency of life in the wild west, and especially Marston's life. And in that, I think it serves a purpose.

Worth due to the intro music. I would forgive a lot of bullshit (not that I think Mexico part is bullshit) in current games if they could capture that feeling riding into Mexico.

Not every mission in Mexico is a winner, but the area itself is awesome looking and really fun to explore and there are great moments there.

Like kinda both?

It was a really cool intro to the area and had some of my favorite scenes. But then it just kinda keeps going.

*Another obligatory mention of riding into Mexico with that Jose Gonzalez song playing.*

Mexico definitely cemented my distaste for the game, but I didn't really like any of RDR.

I liked Mexico, th retired gunslinger and the asshole revolutionary were fun characters.

I really liked Red Dead Redemption... until I got to Mexico. I feel like that's when the problem I have with most Rockstar games reared its head. I never seem to enjoy helping out terrible people, which invariably happens at some point or another in their games.

I wasnt a big fan of RDR in general, but I remember liking the Mexico section a bit more for some reason. Maybe it was because that was where I got a poncho. (ponchos are cool)

It's where Marston receives his poncho, so I'm gonna have to go with "yay."

Tall Trees is exactly that, and it's even more awesome because bears, wolves, et al. are trying to maul you nonstop. I thought RDR did an outstanding job with the environments. It's really reductive to just call Mexico "another desert." There's a nice progression from, say, Armadillo to Rio Bravo to Mexico. Perhaps it's not readily apparent unless you've spent time in these areas, but they absolutely nailed West Texas, South Texas, and border Mexico, respectively. It's subtle, so maybe the dusty tumbleweeds of W. Texas, the rugged S. Texas terrain, and rocky plateaus of Mexico can appear kind of same-y on the surface, but trust me, R* was spot-on here. Moreover, the first journey into Mexico as Jose Gonzales' "Far Away" plays while you cross over to Mexico is one of gaming's all-time great moments. I really enjoyed the Mexico portion of the campaign, but even if I didn't, it would have been worth it for that moment alone.

I always see people say it was slow and boring, but I never had that impression. It felt like the rest of the game to me.

First going to Mexico was an amazing moment, and there were some great bits while in Mexico. But overall it felt like too much of a side mission to Marston's quest, and that made it feel like it went on way too long; even if the actual time it took wasn't that bad.

Its fine. Never understood the hate.

I liked everything about that game

Yay in theory, nay in execution.

Like I said, another desert. Tall Trees is too little and doesn't have very interesting topography.

Its fine, drags on a bit mostly because the towns are so far away with a lack of direct routes. Could have used more Landon Rickets and less of the General and revolutionary. AS others have said, when the lyrics kick in when you first get that it makes a strong first impression. If anything, I like the final third of the game less than Mexico (other than the ending and the second song with lyrics).

Time to watch the trailer for Red Dead Redemption 2 again.

Mexico was super cool. All the pueblos, the funny drunks in the bars, the ponchos, the hats, the ex-pats holding high noon draws for big money. My only negative memory of Mexico is the river ride into the country in the first place, I remember being a little stressed out during that and just wishing it would end, but I'm not sure how much of that was just feeling exposed on the river.

Pretty much this. Nothing wrong with the area itself, the plot just sags a bit too much during your time there.

@baka_shinji17 said:

All you had to do, was follow the damn train, CJ!

Also to be on track (hah, unintentional but keeping it), I enjoyed it as much as the rest of the game. The intro to it is fantastic.

My favorite part of the game. I understand and agree with some of the criticisms (except the looking like New Austin one, because no), but for me I genuinely enjoyed riding my horse back and forth through the environments and playing both sides against each other with the rebels and Mexican Army. Landon Ricketts was one of my favorite side characters in the game and wish he stayed around longer.

It's been a while, so all I can really go on is my first and only experience. I had no ill will towards that section of the game when I played through it. In fact, I was surprised to hear so many people complain about it afterward, and I remember not seeing eye to eye with those people. What I can say is that the opening to Mexico is one of my favorite moments in any game, ever.

Nah

Worst part of the game. Quit playing it the first time because I was sick of booking it back and forth from one side to the other in Mexico