Been replaying RDR 1 and 2 these days, and I gotta say, I like how 1 gives the feeling of "this world is dying, and you are alone." At least Niko can still call his friends after his game ends, and while NPCs just disappear in 99% of open worlds, you can at least think, "They are still there" for Tony and CJ.
Jack meanwhile got nothing, all of his father's allies either die or move out of the region after 1911, You got a single unique mission for the epilogue, where it is clear that he got nothing to live for (and since you can't kill the Fed you talk up in Blackwater, he will be identified as the guy who killed Ross). Everything just feels empty. Civilization won, the West is dead.
I also replayed GTA IV, and I still don't get why some people like Johnny. He and his DLC feel the most "not great, not bad", but nothing really clicks for me. Sure, killing a protagonist in the next game is a weird move (they could have just used another past NPC, as LCS did for Avery).