RDR1 really hit hard, especially since I played RDR2 first, the ending hurt like hell. In RDR2s epilogue, John goes against Arthur's word and turna back, because he wanted revenge, which led him to his death at the end of RDR1. Arthur wanted John to live a normal life, he very well could have but he had to avenge Arthur. Abigail tells him he can't live two lives and she was right, John lived two lives and both had ended. What makes me sad, is that his son Jack, if you choose to play the epilogue of RDR1, goes back and gets revenge for his father, repeating the cycle. Jack, John, and Arthur were doomed to live a life as an outlaw, and Jack continues that cycle.
RDR2 was wonderful, I loved every single bit of it, it was like eating the best soup of your entire life! I really loved playing as Arthur and seeing John grow as a character. It was great seeing Arthur grow as a character too. The game starts off with Arthur blindly flowing Dutch, and ends with Arthur realizing that Dutch had never cared for him in the first place. Dutch is a complex character, and I believe he only had the gang for his own selfish reasons. The gang viewed him as a father, someone to look up to in times of need. But that trust was betrayed in the end and the gang dispersed, with a few characters dying. Arthur becomes more and more suspicious of Dutch, while Micah influences Dutch. In the end, Arthur dies, regardless of your choices in the game. He dies knowing he has redeemed himself, or knowing he hasn't depending on your choices. Not only is the story beautiful, the world around it was too. I spent like half my gameplay just looking in awe at the beautiful scenery, somehow, it gave me a more appreciative look on life and nature.
Both gameplays were pretty solid, usually I don't pay attention to button layout, however there were many options in RDR2, the button layout got confusing. RDR1 was a bit more simplier I guess but not much had changed changed, it was still a tad clunky in my opinion. My opinons on the games are slightly biased I guess because I'm a big fan of westerns and cowboys.