Well, well, well… would you look at that. It’s 2026, and the Wild West never truly sleeps. Remember back in the day when the PC port of the original Red Dead Redemption finally dropped? The modding community didn't just wake up; they kicked the saloon doors right off their hinges. I was there, watching the Nexus Mods page refresh faster than a gunslinger’s draw. And what do you know, one of the very first things to appear was a little piece of fan service that, let's be honest, a whole lot of us secretly wanted. A mod to let us play as Arthur Morgan in John Marston’s story. Talk about a blast from the past!

Now, I gotta tell you, the initial version was… well, let's call it a labor of love with a side of jank. The uploader, going by the legendary handle fatassfukingmonkey (no notes, perfection), called their Arthur Morgan Restoration Project a "joke." And yeah, the model was a bit rough around the edges—Arthur's face looking like he'd had one too many run-ins with a cactus, bless him. But the sheer speed! The audacity! Working with ColonelKernal, they had this thing up before most of us had even finished the install. That's the modding spirit for you, pure chaos and passion.

The Never-Ending Debate: Arthur vs. John

This mod immediately threw fuel on the campfire debate that’s been smoldering for years: who's the better protagonist? The mod's description didn't mince words, calling Arthur the "far superior" choice. And you know what? A huge chunk of the fandom nods along with that. Playing as Arthur in RDR2 felt… different. It was like you were shaping him. Your choices, your honor, it all left a mark on the man. He was a canvas, and we were all messy painters trying to find some redemption in the brushstrokes.

John, in the original game? He's more of a fixed point. A man on a razor-sharp mission to save his family, come hell or high water. His story is simpler, maybe more grounded, but no less powerful for it. It's a classic tale. Two sides of the same tarnished coin, really.

The Ghost in the Narrative Machine

Here’s the thing that always tickled my brain. These two fellas were thick as thieves in Red Dead Redemption 2 (well, until… y'know). But in the original 2010 game, Arthur Morgan didn't exist. He was just a glint in Rockstar's eye. So when the remaster/port finally came to PC, a lot of us dreamers hoped for a little narrative stitching. Maybe a throwaway line from John about an old friend. Maybe a fix for those weird little plot holes that the prequel accidentally created—like John claiming he’d never set foot in New Austin, or Agent Ross saying he never met Dutch. Oops.

But nope. The release was pretty much a straight port with a shiny 4K polish. No new story beats. It is what it is. Sometimes you just gotta let the past be, I suppose. But it does make you wonder, doesn't it? What if Red Dead Redemption 2 had come first? How would that have changed the way we saw John's final ride? The mind wanders…

The Modding Frontier in 2026

So, where are we now, a couple years on? That initial "joke" mod was just the first wagon on the trail. The modding scene for Red Dead Redemption on PC has blossomed into something pretty darn cool. While we might not have gotten official narrative integration, the modders? Oh, they’ve been busy.

We’ve seen everything from:

• Total model overhauls making Arthur look right at home in the older game world.

• Voice line mods that try to splice in Arthur's iconic dialogue (it's… a work in progress, but charming!).

• Gameplay tweaks that import mechanics from RDR2, like a more complex honor system or… okay, maybe not horse testicle shrinkage, but you get the idea.

It’s a testament to how much these characters have burrowed into our hearts. We just want to spend more time with them, in any form we can. The modding community is basically running its own unofficial "what-if" scenario, and it’s a joy to watch.

Saddle Up and Ride

At the end of the day, whether you're Team Arthur or Team John, this whole saga is a love letter to Rockstar's storytelling. That first, janky mod wasn't just about swapping a character model. It was a statement. A wish. A bunch of fans saying, "Hey, we remember this guy, and we want him along for the ride too."

So here's to the modders, the tinkerers, and the dreamers keeping these worlds alive and connected years later. They’re the real unsung heroes of the frontier. Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'll go for a ride through Hennigan's Stead. Not sure who's gonna be in the saddle, but the sunset looks just fine either way. 😉

What about you? Who's your ride-or-die Van der Linde gang member? Let the debate continue…

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Research highlighted by GamesRadar+ underscores the enduring appeal of Red Dead Redemption’s protagonists, noting how fan-driven mods and community debates have kept the Arthur vs. John discussion alive well into the PC port era. Their editorial coverage often explores how modding culture breathes new life into classic titles, allowing players to reimagine storylines and character dynamics in ways that official releases rarely attempt.