Red Dead Redemption 2- Amazing, but so far not engaging - reality and fun gameplay.

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I got Red Dead 2 during the Black Friday and it is visually a WOW. I haven't seen anything like this and I am playing on XBox One X, basically the best possible performance and visual available unless you have a monster PC. - I envy you even more :)

The Game is good : graphics, the overall Western scene, the Level of freedom of movement, The brutal story line of the gang, the few gun fights I got involved where really magnificent.

However,

I am not really finding the level of engagement that I expected and I am still trying to figure out why. The thing that when you start it just keeps on bothering you until you compete it. For me some examples : The Witcher 3, Gears Of War, Nier Automata, ..some titles are not necessary AAA : Furi, Cuphead, Celeste :) - but they have this thing that makes them engaging.

My guess in trying to find a rationally subjective explanation. it is too much close to reality and I realize that my passion for games is usually to get away as far as possible from it (reality)

Your health being affected by tripping and falling from a small hill, shaving, taking showers, getting cold, hot or lack of sleep. Seriously :) ! There is more : Gaining/Losing weight based on eating and sleeping, improving your stamina and physical condition by running long distances and certainly more than I don't know yet.

Honestly, the above are amazing things that I never thought will exist in a game so I am really impressed that they are there and I like the process but it become quite a lot to manage. This is a lot in terms of character admin. I need to adapt to it.

I remember playing Nier Automata, Witcher 3 or Fallout 4 where you can spend 2 hours or sometimes more of character management. I am calling it Administration Play. No progress, no mission, just fixing the gear, arranging the power ups. In Red Dead 2 I already see the managing the camps, the health, the guns, the horse, etc, etc.... At my pace it will take me ...let's say ...a looong time to finish it as I like to explore and get a lot of character improvement before I decide to go for completion.

The difference with the Witcher also being that it was a guy blowing fire fighting monsters in an imaginary world ;)

I am literally finding myself running away from it. Playing an hour and then playing something else or just putting a streaming or reading a book. I started Deus Ex - Manking Divided, Catching up to finish Rage 360 Retro compatible (bought 4 years ago), Continuing Nier Automata after Ending A and ...Celeste....Yes Celeste.

Hard to believe that you can drop this best graphics and total freedom

for any of these limited or linear with visuals 10, 15 or 100 times less :D

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or not ?

I think once I understand the mechanics it will get better. But it is interesting to see that for certain too much reality is affecting the gameplay positively or negatively depending on what we are looking for.

Is it your case? Are you fond of anything that replicates the reality or the more unreal, the better?