Red Dead Redemption 2

In an odd update to this, last night I figured that if it wasn't going to let me mail the damn things, I might as well get rid of them. Sold them to the Trapper, then as soon as I exit his shop menu, a notification flashes up about that hunting request. I look at the notification in detail, and it reminds me that, yes, I still have to mail all four of them, with none of the checkboxes marked. So the quest is still active, it just won't let me actually fucking do it.

After the fucking arse-ache it was to track down an oriole and a robin in the first place, fuck that noise, I won't bother.

Bugs aside, this is still one of the most technically impressive games ever made. I'm continually impressed by how good it looks, despite it being a last-gen title.

Little things about it fascinate me, like the way when I did the Black Belle mission, the bodies of the men coming to arrest her made physically accurate mud-angels according to the way they'd fallen. I cannot think of any other game that's bothered to invest time and resources in mud-deformation technology:

Now in chapter 4, and just did several amusing side missions in a row, the Charles Châtenay and Marko Dragic ones in particular. I know where the third stage of the Dragic one is going from a previous playthrough, but I had completely blanked the Charles In Drag bit.

Also, during one of the vaudeville shows at the theatre, when Benjamin Lazarus called for a volunteer from the audience for his catching a bullet in the teeth routine, I shot him in the dick. He reacted appropriately, howling in agony and cursing at me as his assistant dragged him off stage.

Cougars can fuck off. They are basically this games' equivalent of the eagles in Far Cry 4. Like a goddamn stealth torpedo on legs.

Haven't found the Saint Denis Vampire yet, although while picking up a cigarette card in one of the backstreets, I heard a familiar voice from inside a house. It was none other than Mr Trelawney, having a conversation with his family who apparently lived there. Arthur called out to him, and Trelawney got flustered at the fact that his home had been discovered. It came up later with him in camp, where he explained that the reason he goes off and does crime is basically all down to wanderlust, and The Wife Wouldn't Understand.

You can start doing the challenges from Chapter 2. Make sure you pick up the hunting request from the post office/station in Valentine, as it becomes unavailable later due to aforementioned bugs.

Fucking hell. I actually managed to find all the cigarette cards. I assumed I would have to find the ones I was missing in Blackwater when I eventually get there, but I actually managed to get the last of them from packs of premium cigarettes.

Managed to do the fifth hunting request as well (toads are bastards) and got a nice thank you letter from the taxidermist.

And then wouldn't you know it, just as I think I'm done collecting stuff for a while, this bloke who makes ridiculous hats in Saint Denis literally hands me another fucking list of shit to acquire. Fuck you, Algernon.