GTAV will be in a familiar location because...

[Redstar5]

New York has been used as the backdrop of so many films and TV shows because it is the archetypal big American city: bustling, grimy and with wide variation of people and places. Liberty City approximates that sense and (for me) is why GTAIV is such a good game.

 

When you think about the next instalment, you have to consider why Rockstar would bother creating another big city which would inevitably be less than Liberty. Chicago, Washington etc have places of interest but would lack the overall familiarity of NY. You would assume that they would want a location that is signifiantly different from Liberty, but still instantly recognisable - this suggests a return to San Andreas or Vice City.

 

Both SA and VC have very specific visuals elements; as well as varied ethnic and cultural backgrounds that could provide interesting characters and plotlines. The only other American City I could think of that would be sufficiently 'different' would be New Orleans but with Hurricane Katrina still pretty fresh in the memory I doubt Rockstar would risk it.

 

I would say that the GTAIV leans heavily on American culture for its underlying atttude, and borrows from films for both visual style and plotting (French Connection to name one), so selecting a location(s) with significant film/ TV appearances for GTAV would make Rockstar's job a whole lot easier.

[WF the Hobgoblin]

This has been discussed a lot already but I agree. VC next I hope.

[Nova69_7]

It is a good theory for GTA:NeXt being set in Vice, I agree too. However I have said before that eventually we will see not only a different city other the three main GTA's but another country entirely. I just cannot see RockStar re-hasing the same Liberty > Vice > San Andreas routine forever because as good as the games will get, that sequence will get old for us eventually. I was shocked when IV was announced that we would be going to Liberty again and maybe even a little dissapointed too...even though I thought IV was truly amazing in the end. However I wouldn't say that that definately means we are doing the same sequence as the III-era this time round.

 

I would just like to say that I would actually LOVE Vice City on these latest engines, I think it would be an amazing game it really would and I hope this post doesn't come across as me hating the idea of going to Vice again because I don't. I just think that if RockStar do Vice again they would clearly be repeating themselves and I just think they will do something original this next game and not get bogged down in the same routine.

[WF the Hobgoblin]

I was watching interview with lazlow on youtube. It's kind of old though (he was promoting TLAD) Anyway at one point the guy asked him if there would be any different regional games coming (after asking about the possibility of a gta: nigeria) and Lazlow replied "Well we really like spoofing America you know" and went on to talk about spoofing miami, los angeles etc.

 

I hope this means gta won't be loving america any time soon.

 

 

[Vecceti]

I wanna see Vice City just once more, then we can move on. Then we might see a CSI in Europe (if you noticed all the CSIs are in the same location as the GTA locations). Not a fan of the show though

[Kwandilibro]

I wanna see Vice City just once more, then we can move on. Then we might see a CSI in Europe (if you noticed all the CSIs are in the same location as the GTA locations). Not a fan of the show though

id like to see another VC or some southern city but if its in europe only london would work everything else is too different

[SilentSeas]

The ideal situation for me would be another VC followed by one of the cities from SA (preferably LV) and then for the series to take a new direction by being set in London for a smooth transition into the possibility of other world cities.

[Squishybubs]

As much as I like London, I'm starting to warm up to the idea of VC.

 

@02fishera: I'm liking your idea.