I wanted to see if anyone else out there had any strong opinions about how this game ended. I dearly enjoyed playing through this visual and creative masterpiece, and to be completely honest, it is the only Rockstar game I've been into enough to finish the story mode (rampant unbridled degeneracy is fun for a while, but doesn't hold up for me). So much so, in fact, that the John Marston character is etched in my mind as possibly the most interesting one I've ever played as. He's no angel, but unlike other Rockstar characters, he's not a steaming scumbag either. A moral person can actually relate to him and like him very much.

So, you can probably imagine my disappointment at the ending of the game - Marston is gunned down like a diseased dog by a gang of crooked federal agents behind his own barn. The same federal agents who were the main antagonists throughout the game, kidnapping his family and forcing him to kill hundreds of people in their cause. It wasn't so much that he died, but rather, the way he died and who killed him, and how it played out.

The slimey Agent Ross watches Marston collapse, his agonized last breaths gurgling with blood, and simply goes on about his business. I won't deny it was deeply affecting, but I believe it was not affecting in the way it should have been.

The ark of the game's story takes us through three acts, all of them gruelling bloodbaths forced upon Marston, a sympathetic character, to finally end up with the much talked-about reward at the end of this prolonged crucible - he gets his family back - and interestingly enough, the player is treated to seeing John settle into a peaceful life, reconnecting with his wife and son. He teaches his son Jack how to hunt, helps an old friend keep her farm going, scares off the crows who were feasting upon his harvest... One becomes very comfortable with this as the ending of the game. The missions were hell for the poor man, why not let this be the ending? It would have been immensely satisfying. Leave the future to our imaginations, allow the character to live.

But just as we were lulled into a sense of satisfaction, we happen upon the aforementioned final mission, which inevitably leads to Marston's gory demise. Not only is it an unpleasant shock, it is unrelenting in its cruelty - we have to watch Agent Ross see John's death. We didn't even get the satisfaction of a slow-motion final act of defiance from Marston in the cinematics, such as him using his quick draw speed to plant a bullet right between Ross' eyes before falling dead himself. That, at least, would have left us with a monicum of dark comfort.

Instead, we are left with a flash-forwarded, grown-up Jack Marston, who has not only lost his father, but soon afterward his mother. The adult Jack doesn't sound much more mature than his fifteen year old self, barely a shadow of his estimable father. We are offered an optional mission to go after Ross and gun down the old bastard in his retirement years long after what happened to John. It is the catalyst for the ending credits and, of course, we are allowed to continue roaming the open world - but for myself, with no desire to do so as Jack. I wanted John to live.

There has been some speculation among fans that the Undead Nightmare pack coming out soon, which takes place before John's death in the game's timeline, may actually offer an alternate ending. Possibly an ending in which John survives - here's hoping so.

 

Yeah I am going to have to agree with you in ever way that you wrote your comments cause John Marston touched me like no other story I've played had. I mean I wanted to see John live and then go after Ross for screwing him over. Then I wanted to see them live happy ever after I guess you could say but well it didn't and now I can see that the next game will be from Jack Marstons perspective on what he does now his dad is gone. I think this story is ALMOST like the ORIGNAL story which was Red Dead REVOLVER in which mom and dad get shot and son takes over to finish so thats what I am thinking they used in some type of story line was the first game.

 

I was very close to writing Rockstar an angry letter.

 

I did shed some tears. While it was a good ol western ending...it could of done without John's demise.

 

I pretty much will echo everybody's comments.

The game was awesome - I haven't had that much fun playing a video game since my NES days back in the '80s and early 90's.

I'm not totally upset that John died towards the end of the game. However, trying to get 100% complete (which I have never done before until this game - another testament as to how awesome this game was) with his son Jack was brutal at times. I wish I got closer to 100% before I did John's final mission.

I can't wait to see what's in store with the DLC coming out next week. Taking the saddle with John again will be sweet!

 

I redid that ending several times in hopes to at least have John gun down the main federal agents while getting killed... but they don't seem to be there to shoot. Anyways, I wasn't that upset- knowing the ending was coming, I usually like to do everything I can before I beat it, so by the time I did do that last John mission, I was pretty much done with doing the extra stuff. I thought, while dissapointing our hero has to die, that it was at least a gutsy way to do an ending. However, since GTA 4 had a couple different possible ultimate outcomes, I really thought this would give you the option somewhere along the line to turn on the federal agents. That seems like a missed opportunity.

 

it leaves a bitter taste in your mouth, but really, i give a kudo for them doing this.
just like the ending to John Carpernter's "The Thing", (the movie, not the game) where sometimes you have a Pyrrhic victory.

or, you can't win for losing.

 

I don't know, although it was sad to see John die, I think it gave the ending more of an impact than it would if it just ended with John reuniting with his family

 

It did give it a strong impact ending...however, imagine if it was another western ending. When you are cornered in the barn, and you send your wife and Jack on his way, they get caught by the agent. John gets shot up, but found by McFarlines, and you go on another mission to get the agents and get your family back. That could of been an alternate I suppose...

 

This game so moved me to the point that I hated to see it end and even seen John Marston even die from the Agent as well even gave me chill bumps but then again their was a uplifting moment when I seen his kid jack, get back at the agent and then you can play as Johns son which thats what I am hoping will be for the next game is that it will be johns son and a whole new set of problems for the son to finish.

 

i thought it was a brave ending, making him survive would have been a cop out. just look at the ending of mgs4.

i honestly don't think it could have played out any other way, we know that marston did some bad things before the game, and that they will eventually catch up with him.

 

Snake should have killed himself.