Life in the Wild West was very much slower than any modern metropolis, I still like my analogy
In what ways would you say it’s better?
I’ve watched a few hours of it and agree it’s slower paced, but it’s no bad thing , I’m yet to actually play RDR2 (can’t get along with console controllers) so really looking forward to it on the PC.
It's not only the story and characters but also an incredible amount of detail and liveliness to the world. There's so much stuff happening around and it can be missed if you don't explore, for example there are places I visited a dozen times and sometimes things happened there that I hadn't seen before. It's genuinely impossible to enlist all those details like if you injure a shop clerk he will be in bandages next time or the shop will be closed for a few days if you kill him, or people in a saloon reacting to a thunderstorm outside or commenting on your clothes/hygiene. This is more of a gimmick but you can actually greet everyone in the world, antagonise them etc. and people react to you. The animals look and behave amazing and the world doesn't feel like a mere backdrop. There's an entire ecosystem of around 200 species that you can hunt and study. There are loads of interactions/optional conversations in the camp that reveal additional story elements and numerous interesting places/random encounters on the map.
A lot of immersiveness as well, collecting plants, hunting, camping cooking, cleaning weapons, minor things like changing clothes according to the temperature etc. Not everyone will like this stuff but I loved it. It's the most convincing world I've seen in a videogame.
On top if that, it has probably the best graphics ever as well, the lighting and weather are just bonkers. Can't wait to see it maxed on PC.