User blog comment:Spawny0908/Character Disscusion: John and the Honor Meter/@comment-119.12.246.4-20120328132311

In regards to the the players choices in-game changing the alignment of John Marston to either an honorable man or a dishonourable down right bastard is completly irrealavent. This is beacause it has very little or no effect on the games main storyline or cutscences. Even during story missions when your faced with a choice, such as the mission where ***SPOILERS*** John must either Capture or Kill Javier Escuella. Regardless of the players choice it has absolutlely no impact whatsoever on the overall outcome of the story, the only thing that is different is the end cut scence of that mission showing John delivery Javier to the FBI or John telling them he is dead. This is also an example of how not every choice is considered plain good or evil. Obviously the "Good" choice is to capture him alive however the other choice of killing him is not exactly a "Bad" choice, because Javier is a dangerous & wanted man, you would think John would still be considered a hero for killing a known criminal. Its just whats considered the less than "Honourable" choice.

Red Dead Redemption is different from other games such as RPG's like KOTOR, Fable, Fallout, Balders Gate, Mass Effect; where every in-game choice can potentially change your characters alignment & thus change the overall outcome of the game leading to multable game endings. In Red Dead though the story always ends the same... Good or Evil. This is why it doesn't matter what the player turns John into because his alignment will always be the same. In terms of the Storyline Missions your not telling John what to do, HE is telling YOU what he wants to do, you are mearly there to guide him down his path but not to choose it. The real John Marston will stay neutral in the storyline, despite what the honor level of the player is. Although i do think it would have been cool if Rockstar had taken a page from GTA4 & have two seperate endings depending on the players choices throught the game.