This game is awesome. And I can't wait for all the haters to eat their hats when their hero, Yahtzee, says this game is awesome.
I've been playing almost non stop since launch and I'm a fan of all the big hitters. This is GOTY, without a doubt.
The multiplayer alone is like a complete game unto itself. Anyone who doesn't like this game is hating, plain and simple, or they don't dig cowboys.
The leap from GTA IV to this is astounding. Anyone who says it's the same game with horses cut and pasted is a flat out moron for spouting off about something without any idea what they're talking about.
Can you hunt animals and skin them to earn money in GTA IV? No?
Well, can you use that money to buy items, aside from just clothes and weapons, like animal bait, and horse pills, etc, etc? No?
Ok, well, can you play blackjack, hold'em, liar's dice, five finger fillet or horseshoes for money and fame? No?
Didn't think so.
Again, mark my words, GOTY. I honestly feel terrible that others outside of North America don't get to play yet.
But, on the upside, you get to avoid the "Beta-beta testing" that was the first day or two online. And R*'s already on it, patching it in the first day, eliminating most of my issues with network connection loss.