People are so overwhelmingly okay with Rockstar's game design that their games are among the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed in the industry, so it's pretty myopic to even pose such a question. And I don't know how you can seriously suggest that Rockstar games don't support or respect player agency without cherry picking the story missions, which are but a fraction of the experiences the game has to offer. Even RDR2, which absolutely has the most scripted and restrictive main missions of any Rockstar game, boasts an unprecedented amount of systems in place purely for player expression. A silly example, but not only can you wake up in camp and have Arthur get or fix himself a cup of coffee, but you can walk around and talk to NPCs while enjoying said coffee, and can even control when he takes sips ffs. In dedicating resources to grant player control over such minutiae, Rockstar demonstrates a passion for player agency and interactivity that goes above and beyond, to say nothing of the myriad activities, events, and other sandbox elements that the player may opt to engage in or respond to at any point between story missions in the game world.
Of course, some players will rightfully feel that Rockstar's attention to detail and player expression is misplaced, and couldn't care less about controlling Arthur's coffee consumption and whatever other sim/roleplay systems RDR2 offers. I get that, and agree we should criticize the preponderance of fail states in RDR2's main story missions, which tested my patience on multiple occasions (let's hope GTA VI is more accommodating!). It doesn't stop the game from being a GOAT contender for me, but I respect that other players have other priorities and may not get as much out of these systems as I do. I do think Rockstar games work for so many players because they strike the right balance between player agency in the sandbox/game world and the "on the rails" gameplay in the decidedly more scripted, cinematic main missions, or at least strike a balance acceptable enough not to detract from the overall experience. That said, I think it's possible for the pendulum to swing too far in the other direction, where too much player agency in story missions might permit the player to commit acts that cause them to miss out on cool story beats and action sequences as a consequence, which is something I don't mind in a game like Fallout: New Vegas, but probably not something I'd want in a more narratively compelling Rockstar game.
