GTAV is the darkest GTA of them all.

[richard1997jones]

It just makes the stories sound interesting.

[Algonquin Assassin]

Nothing will be darker that GTAIV.

 

A pennyless Eastern European soldier with the blood of his compatriots on his hands trades his murderous past from his war-torn genocidal homeland for what he thinks will be the American Dream...when arrives at the docks of a strange, foreign, cold, dark, foggy, filthy island known as Broker, a violent, poverty-stricken borough of the ironically-named "Liberty City," he is quick to discover that his hoodwinking cousin had deceived him and life in America will not be easy at all.

 

His visions of grandeur are quickly replaced by a harsh, cruel, unforgiving reality that forces him into survival mode like a stray dog, he must do whatever it takes to survive, and he has to resort back to the only way he knows how to survive: violence. As the bodycount rises his conscience dissolves to nothing...he is forced to sacrifice any shred of dignity he had left in pursuit of revenge, as well as the mighty dollar.

 

In the end, he stands at the Statue of Happiness (ironically again,) more alone than before he got to this godforsaken city. He built an empire on the blood of men, but has nothing but material items to show for it.

 

He might as well have blasted himself at the end of IV. It won't get any darker than that.

This so much. I really can't see Michael, Trevor and Franklin being subjected to what Niko went through. IMO Niko got it a lot harder than John in RDR and Max in MP3.

 

Niko hit a low no human would want to.

[Chukkles]

Did you not play GTA IV. That game looks much darker than this game and it's much more serious than stealing money from banks and what not. IV is the darkest GTA of them all.

Story, not how the city looks.

[redx165]

Nothing will be darker that GTAIV.

 

A pennyless Eastern European soldier with the blood of his compatriots on his hands trades his murderous past from his war-torn genocidal homeland for what he thinks will be the American Dream...when arrives at the docks of a strange, foreign, cold, dark, foggy, filthy island known as Broker, a violent, poverty-stricken borough of the ironically-named "Liberty City," he is quick to discover that his hoodwinking cousin had deceived him and life in America will not be easy at all. 

 

His visions of grandeur are quickly replaced by a harsh, cruel, unforgiving reality that forces him into survival mode like a stray dog, he must do whatever it takes to survive, and he has to resort back to the only way he knows how to survive: violence.  As the bodycount rises his conscience dissolves to nothing...he is forced to sacrifice any shred of dignity he had left in pursuit of revenge, as well as the mighty dollar. 

 

In the end, he stands at the Statue of Happiness (ironically again,) more alone than before he got to this godforsaken city.  He built an empire on the blood of men, but has nothing but material items to show for it. 

 

He might as well have blasted himself at the end of IV.  It won't get any darker than that.

This so much. I really can't see Michael, Trevor and Franklin being subjected to what Niko went through. IMO Niko got it a lot harder than John in RDR and Max in MP3.

 

Niko hit a low no human would want to.

GTA IV did have the best story out of all of them. I just wish the missions were more fun and not the same. Still my favorite story is RDR. It felt right to me. ( My opinion )

[rjmthe2nd]

Think about it.

I know GTAV is all bright and colorful but when you think about it, GTAV is the darkest and saddest GTA ever and says so much about the GTA series itself.

 

Think of the characters.

 

Michael - A retired bank robber that made a sweetheart deal and got out of the business at the top, he's the GTA character that made it, but evidently ...He's trying to get back in the game, meaning that no matter how far a GTA character goes, or even how low...

A GTA character is stuck in that life until he dies. He's really not able to get out of that life.

 

Trevor - A normal character that has embraced the GTA nature, he's been going on rampages and killing tons of people way before the story of GTAV takes place. He's living in a dump, his life is the opposite of Michael's, but he's still 'Being a GTA character'.

 

Franklin - A gangster that's trying to get out of the life, but in doing that, a GTA character is born... Meaning GTA characters are made all the time, whether they get a game or not is unknown, but we know they are. (Canonically ofc lol)

 

 

And GTAV is gonna be what these GTA characters do canonically when they meet.

 

A GTA character isn't a menace or a mass murderer.

A GTA character is just a normal person that got mixed up in things, and will never get out ...Not even possible for him to get out, except for death.

Ain't no rest for the wicked, until we close our eyes for good.

No, Just no...the characters aren't what makes it dark...its the VIBE.

 

GTA IV's city was dark,the STORY Was dark,and had a really depressing vibe.

 

GTA V is going to be vibrant,hype,over the top, and light-like story.

 

GTA 3 Was depressing too.

 

VC Was more happy & chill

 

SA Felt dangerous to me and you had to watch your back type of feel...

 

GTA V Will be the a vibrant GTA Game.

[Kifflom112]

Did you not play GTA IV. That game looks much darker than this game and it's much more serious than stealing money from banks and what not. IV is the darkest GTA of them all.

Story, not how the city looks.

Did you read all of my posts in this thread? I wasn't only referring to looks, comprehende?

[rjmthe2nd]

Did you not play GTA IV. That game looks much darker than this game and it's much more serious than stealing money from banks and what not. IV is the darkest GTA of them all.

Story, not how the city looks.

Did you read all of my posts in this thread? I wasn't only referring to looks, comprehende?

GTA IV Is the darkest and will always be until they return to NYC Again.

 

They dno't seem to understand how things & places are and how we know them..

[IDredMan]

Think about it.

I know GTAV is all bright and colorful but when you think about it, GTAV is the darkest and saddest GTA ever and says so much about the GTA series itself.

 

Think of the characters.

 

Michael - A retired bank robber that made a sweetheart deal and got out of the business at the top, he's the GTA character that made it, but evidently ...He's trying to get back in the game, meaning that no matter how far a GTA character goes, or even how low...

A GTA character is stuck in that life until he dies. He's really not able to get out of that life.

 

Trevor - A normal character that has embraced the GTA nature, he's been going on rampages and killing tons of people way before the story of GTAV takes place. He's living in a dump, his life is the opposite of Michael's, but he's still 'Being a GTA character'.

 

Franklin - A gangster that's trying to get out of the life, but in doing that, a GTA character is born... Meaning GTA characters are made all the time, whether they get a game or not is unknown, but we know they are. (Canonically ofc lol)

 

 

And GTAV is gonna be what these GTA characters do canonically when they meet.

 

A GTA character isn't a menace or a mass murderer.

A GTA character is just a normal person that got mixed up in things, and will never get out ...Not even possible for him to get out, except for death.

Ain't no rest for the wicked, until we close our eyes for good.

No, Just no...the characters aren't what makes it dark...its the VIBE.

 

GTA IV's city was dark,the STORY Was dark,and had a really depressing vibe.

 

GTA V is going to be vibrant,hype,over the top, and light-like story.

 

GTA 3 Was depressing too.

 

VC Was more happy & chill

 

SA Felt dangerous to me and you had to watch your back type of feel...

 

GTA V Will be the a vibrant GTA Game.

For some reason, the people that understood me explained it too, and yet people don't get it.

 

I guess that one guy got it right when he said it wasn't dark itself, but its implications made the GTA series as a whole a hell of a lot darker.

 

This has been sort of a factor in all the GTA games, but GTAV sorta proves it.

 

A GTA character is doomed to a life of crime and murder.

So many of them have tried to escape, but have failed.

Whether it's their choice or being forced to is different.

But they always get back into the game.

 

CJ, Tommy, Claude (The bridge blew up when they were gonna put him in the slammer), Niko and Michael.

Either that, constantly trying to get out of the game or accepting it and embracing it, like Trevor, which basically went insane.

[KrushLTx10]

You're reading into it too much. A GTA Character will always be dark. GTA IV/Niko is the darkest. Why? You can read his story a couple posts back. I don't see how GTA V will be the darkest, even with all the reasons you put. We'll just have to wait until we play the game to see if you're right. Most of the facts point to GTA V not being as dark as GTA IV.

Edited May 18, 2013 by KrushLTx10

[rjmthe2nd]

OP.

 

No. Dude.

 

GTA IV is dark all over. really no need to explain its so common sense.

 

GTA V is VIBRANT, and WILL Be.

 

you think GTAV Will be the darkest but it won't. eiither lll or IV Will be the darkest.

[Nameless Foot Soldier]

Now take this logic and apply this to the GTA IV trilogy characters. Then we can see which GTA has the darkest theme. Now I haven't played V but from what I've seen and from what I've seen in IV, I will put 200 bucks on my opinion which is GTA IV.

[Nameless Foot Soldier]

"Life is complicated; I killed people, smuggled people, sold people. Perhaps here, things will be different." These are the first words spoken by a tragic man at the start of his journey to Liberty City, the protagonist of Grand Theft Auto IV, Niko Bellic. Grand Theft Auto IV is a story of a man in the corrupted apple of the world, Liberty City, a re-imagined New York City. The main character of this tale is a man of many complications in life.

 

Frist and foremost, Niko did not have a pleasant childhood; he was born in 1978 and lived in Yugoslavia, a poor middle-eastern European country. He grew up in a shanty village with his alcoholic father, his well respected brother and his innocent mother. As a child Niko did not have electricity until he was 12 so his childhood was spent mostly out doors with his friends and his cousin Roman Bellic. Niko came of age during the Yugoslav Wars during the 90’s and was drafted by his community as a child soldier along with the rest of his friends, which he and they were all put into a unit together. Niko was trained as a urban guerrilla infantryman and later on was trained as a helicopter pilot for the war’s causes. Niko’s cousin Roman, moved out of country to escape the war in 1998, he moved to Liberty City and had apparently made it big and was living the American Dream. During the war, Niko did many things that caused him to question his own morality and even his very own soul; these events later caused his cynical views on life and other people whom he meets. At one point during the war, though, there was an incident where Niko and his unit were out patrolling alone they were ambushed, the dead were stacked on top of one another in a shallow grave, only three survived . Niko later realizes someone from the group had sold them out. The 3 survivors were Niko Bellic, Florian Cravic and Darko Brevic and Niko knew he was not the traitor that left only the other two, these men would be the center of his focus for the next ten years of his life. As Niko buried his childhood friends, he himself considered himself to be just as dead inside as all his friends were. He even stopped counting his own birthdays as he felt that if his friends couldn’t have birthdays anymore, than nether should he, Niko really doesn’t even remember his real age. After the war, Niko struggled to get along in his life and soon fell into a bad crowd. He began working for a man named Ray Bulgarin in which he smuggled people from Eastern Europe to Italy and other parts of Europe on boats. In that life, Niko made a life for himself in the business of smuggling, selling people and even killing people. It all worked out until one night in 2006 the ship he and the cargo was on sank; Niko had to swim for his life to escape. Bulgarin blamed the problem all on Niko thus forcing Niko to find an escape from that life. In an attempt to get away, he joined the Merchant Navy and spent several months onboard a ship called the platypus until eventually he found information one of the men he was looking for from his betrayed unit. The lead was leading to Liberty City so he decided he would smuggle himself into Liberty City. Niko figured this would be the next chapter of his life as he would soon find his resolution from nearly a decade ago and be able to live in comfort for a while with his big time cousin while he sought a better life in the land of opportunity, America and even strive for his own American Dream. This was it to Niko, he would finally find a better place.

 

 

 

Liberty City, the final destination for the modern American Dream, or so people say. Niko smuggled himself to Liberty City on the Platypus and is finally ready to come forth to the new world of opportunity, his opportunity. Although, once Niko takes his first glimpse of the city fresh off the boat he encounters his drunk and joy filled cousin whom he has not seen in years, he finds that Roman has been lying this whole time and lives in a poor state in Liberty City whilst owing money to multiple loan sharks. Through this situation, Niko is slowly dragged back into the shissty underworld he tried to escape as he is forced to work for these loan sharks in order to pay off his cousin’s debts. Niko starts slowly falling through the rabbit hole yet again until everything builds up with the murder of a loan shark named Vald. After that, Niko gathers the intention of some high ranking members of the russian mob. They threaten to kill him and his cousin if he chooses not to help them with his talented abilities. Through this, Niko tries to come to terms with his actions and and his morality, at one point, he even doubts his ability to have a soul. He also starts to realize the dream is just a lie to the poor and weak because he comes terms with the fact that country only worships money and power and if you don’t have them then you are trash. It is a chaotic place that is just like the old country with the same self delusions but just with better advertisments. This in a sense shatters Niko’s core when he realizes there is no escape from his sins, there is no such thing as the land of opportunity, Niko is trapped in this cycle and finds this place to be just a cage of nightmares for him, a place that uses him to kill other people against his better judgement, for people who would cast out all humanity just for money and power, a place where the corrupt rejoice in their own pitiful existence without care.

 

Whilst being used by the Russian mob of the Fustian family, Niko is led to a point where he must confront with the assassination of another Russian mob family, Lenny Petrovic, the son of the powerful Kenny Petrovic of the Petrovic crime family. This causes Niko to have to make a choice when he confronted by Dimitri, Faustian’s right hand man and blood brother. Dimitri forces Niko to take out Faustian, Because Niko was the hired gun for the assassination, he is to be the one to kill Faustian, as so Kenny prescribes. This action further causes a chain of events that sets NIko even more a dark path. After Niko eliminates Faustian, he is betrayed by Dimitri for money to Niko’s old boss from Europe, Bulgarin. Apparently, Bulgarian has been searching for Niko everywhere and demands money for the ship that was lost back in 2006, that or his life. Niko escapes his ambush and is burned out of Broker (Brooklyn) causing Roman to lose his only home and his whole business, everything that took Roman 10 years to earn. Setting the Cousin's Bellic back to the bottom rung. This further forces Niko to start looking for work using his special abilities and skills to keep them afloat. They take refuge in Bohan (Bronx), and start from there. Along the way, Niko makes connections and meets people who are looking for a man like Niko to do things. So much for Niko’s chance for a better and cleaner lifestyle. Eventually, Niko makes a connection with an up and coming Street King with a lot of money to spend, and a lot to make, he is known as Playboy X, this is Niko’s gateway into the borough of Algonquin (Manhattan) and it’s high ranking crime needs. As Niko finds promising work for good money, Roman appears to be wasting most of the money on illegal high stakes gambling games. Although Roman gets his business back through insurance needs, he still appears to be going nowhere. Through these gambling matches he keeps losing at, he gathers the intention of the Dimitri who has been looking for both Bellics. This escalates to the kidnapping of Roman which forces Niko to rescue him, all the while making a statement that he is not a man to be messing with while clearing an entire warehouse of Russian goons, this apparently causes Dimitri to back off a bit and rethink his strategies leaving Niko and Roman a little safe for a time being. After this event falls through, Roman is shocked into realization and precedes to back off on the gambling which finally allows them save enough money to get their own high class apartment in Algonquin with the money from Roman’s cab business and Niko’s crime money. They are moving up, but is it in a good way?

 

Once in Algonquin, things change up a bit and more problems arise. Niko finds work in cast of odd characters. One being a corrupt cop, a big time mafia man known as Ray Baccino, theStreet King Playboy X, and is even forced into blackmail by a secret government unit of the IAA (CIA) known as a cover font called United Liberty Paper. Niko is being hired for some serious dirty work and is being put to the test to make money for Roman. Through these characters, he finds that he can start demanding information of the man who originally brought him to Liberty CIty, one of the survivors from 10 years ago. He has these people help him find this man in order for continued work. Along, Niko’s dirty and bloody journey through the underworld in Algonquin, he meets people whom he can rely on as friends, allowing Niko time to relax and chill some days in between some of the sin filled deeds he intakes. An arms dealer and Jamaican drug pusher known as Little Jacob, a reliable man who helps Niko many times in the story on personal problems. A eccentric and coke induced irish man known as Packie, a man whom Niko can relate to on many levels of problematic lifestyles, past conflicts and the need to make money for a better tomorrow. A tostasrome riddled man with rage issues and a massive superiority complex and need to impress people so they don’t question him about his sexual preferences; Brucie, the man who knows no bounds to fun and topline lifestyles of highest caliber, he is good friends to both Roman and Niko, although Niko finds him annoying often times. And lastly Dawyne, a man who has done time for quite some time and has fallen on hard times, just trying to scrape by; Niko finds Dawyne a comfortable guy to hang out with as they both have lived a life of disappointments and can reflect upon one and other. Then, there is a love interest Niko finds himself connecting to, Packie’s sister, Kate. These characters allow Niko a chance of personal connections during his time in Liberty City so he can ground himself upon during his hard and questionable times he seems to find himself in. Eventually after a few jobs and and a 2 million dollar diamond job gone wrong for Ray Baccino, Ray helps Niko find the man Niko has been searching for, Florian Cravic. Niko gathers Roman from his apartment and sets out to Florian’s apartment to finally end his decade long torment. During the tense confrontation with Florian after he kicks down his door holds him at gunpoint, Niko is explained to about how Darko was real one who betrayed the unit. As it turns out Florian was not the one and actually come to Liberty City to rejoice in his favored life style, that of a homosexul. Florian was left the impression that it was either Niko or Darko as well and feels he is happy to know which one it was, but unlike Niko, Florian has long gotten over the tragic event and is trying to enjoy his life. Niko helps out Florian in the city as a friend but as it turns out, Florians boyfriend is the mayor of Liberty City and is being blackmailed by Dimitri and the Russian mob, which allows Niko a closer step to revenge to Dimitri for the problems he has caused him and his family. Niko helps back them off for a while but eventually lets Florian be after he has helped him with his conflicts. Once again though, Niko moves up the ladder of contacts and jobs and eventually is introduced and hired to do some jobs by the leader of the Pegorino Family, Jimmy Pegorino, who also turns out to be the boss of Ray Baiccino.

The Pegorino family operates heavily in the Alderney (New Jersey) and has been trying to claim a seat on the commission of Liberty City’s five families (Based on New York City’s real Five Families), the most powerful mafia families in Liberty City. Now at this point, Niko has helped the McReary family, Packie’s family who works for the Pegorinos, start a gang war between one of the five families and a Albanian gang . The family is the Ancelotti and is the weakest family on the commission of the Five Families. This was to help work the Pegorinos into the commission through the failing of one of the families. Pegorino tries to even more grease the wheel with a bribe to another one of the families known as the Porvanos which would help him gain a name and seat in the commission. Though at the meeting with the Porvanos, the Porvanos try to whack Pegorino but thanks to Niko being hired to oversee the meet, he survives and begins a war with the Porvanos. Further to complicate things, the government unit that has been forcing Niko to do things for them have forced him into doing some jobs for a dying old man named Jon Gravelli, the leader of the most powerful family of the Five Families, the Gambettis. Though, Niko never tells Pegorino that he is doing some jobs for Gravelli as Niko himself thinks of Pegorino as a joke and only cares for the money he can offer. After doing jobs for all these Families, Gravelli helps Niko find the real man who caused him his 10 year long torment, Darko. Gravelli with his immense amount of world connections found Darko living in Romania, Gravelli and United Liberty Paper arrange his kidnapping and has him sent to Liberty City for Niko. As Darko is brought into the country, Niko collects Roman so they both can confront Darko. As Niko stands face to face with Darko and learns of his side of the betrayal. Darko himself is a drugged out and slightly crazy man who lives in his own torment. As Niko finds out, his friends were sold out for just 1000 dollars and the reason for it was truly meaningless. Niko is face with this fact and loses himself in a fit of rage as he proceeds to shot Darko 12 times, a bullet for each dead friend. Then, as Niko collects himself, he leaves with Roman, and explains that he hoped that Darko’s death would finally fill him with some life, energy to live that he lost so long ago. Niko admits that he still feels empty, a shell of a man with nothing to care for. This is Niko’s destination, his fall. He spent 10 years grinding on the idea of revenge and now that he has it, he comes to a realization that his life is now meaningless as he put all effort into finding and killing this man that he now has nothing, he is empty. Whilst Darko was already dealing with his consequences, Niko though, put that blind burden on himself and let it eat away at him, letting him lose any other reason he may have had to keep living, It eat him whole.

[IDredMan]

So this is how you're all gonna be? Not even read my latest post and just respond to the title?

[rjmthe2nd]

We did,you just lost in your own topic. get over it.

[IDredMan]

We did,you just lost in your own topic. get over it.

I already clearly said what I meant and so did other people and yet you people are still coming here and crying ' GTA 4/NIKO IS THE DARKEST' even though I clearly said that was true but that wasn't what I was gettin at, it's like you people are getting payed to act like that.

[GlitzyTomb]

I dont know which will be darker as I've not yet played GTAV.

 

I do think it has all the elements to be darker, it's just in how they develop.

 

If Michael, Trevor, and Franklin get along splendidly and start making so much money that they can set to right what's gone wrong with their lives...if Michael beats the hell out of that bloke that was banging his wife (and thus in some way proves his love for her) and helps his daughter out of some kind of Gracie from IV like situation and if Jimmy's involvement with Michael's dealings makes them grow closer......

 

If Trevor grows less crazy as his bank account expands and he becomes move involved with Trevor and Franklins dealings...and if Franklin uses his money to fix up the hood and try to help young poor men in LA....

 

All that would be not particularly dark.

 

On the other hand....

 

Michael realizes that even when he has all the family workings he's not happy. He doesn't want family he wants the thrill of a life of crime. He divorces and just sends his wife money from time to time. Trevor becomes more chaotic as his newfound wealth is put into drugs, weapons, and hookers. He clashes with Michael who wants to build a new criminal empire while Trevor just wants to burn bright until his flame is snuffed. Franklin is drawn into the gang life when Lamar is found shot, stabbed, and beaten. He rises to the challenge and Hill Families (or whatever) become dominant in the area...but not without killing plenty of old enemies and old friends and introducing a hell of a lot of drugs into the community.

 

 

[Fazachino]

Chill the f*ck out man, its just a game! We kill for the fun of it, doesnt mean ur a real life killer xD

[redx165]

"Life is complicated; I killed people, smuggled people, sold people. Perhaps here, things will be different." These are the first words spoken by a tragic man at the start of his journey to Liberty City, the protagonist of Grand Theft Auto IV, Niko Bellic. Grand Theft Auto IV is a story of a man in the corrupted apple of the world, Liberty City, a re-imagined New York City. The main character of this tale is a man of many complications in life.

 

Frist and foremost, Niko did not have a pleasant childhood; he was born in 1978 and lived in Yugoslavia, a poor middle-eastern European country. He grew up in a shanty village with his alcoholic father, his well respected brother and his innocent mother. As a child Niko did not have electricity until he was 12 so his childhood was spent mostly out doors with his friends and his cousin Roman Bellic. Niko came of age during the Yugoslav Wars during the 90’s and was drafted by his community as a child soldier along with the rest of his friends, which he and they were all put into a unit together. Niko was trained as a urban guerrilla infantryman and later on was trained as a helicopter pilot for the war’s causes. Niko’s cousin Roman, moved out of country to escape the war in 1998, he moved to Liberty City and had apparently made it big and was living the American Dream. During the war, Niko did many things that caused him to question his own morality and even his very own soul; these events later caused his cynical views on life and other people whom he meets. At one point during the war, though, there was an incident where Niko and his unit were out patrolling alone they were ambushed, the dead were stacked on top of one another in a shallow grave, only three survived . Niko later realizes someone from the group had sold them out. The 3 survivors were Niko Bellic, Florian Cravic and Darko Brevic and Niko knew he was not the traitor that left only the other two, these men would be the center of his focus for the next ten years of his life. As Niko buried his childhood friends, he himself considered himself to be just as dead inside as all his friends were. He even stopped counting his own birthdays as he felt that if his friends couldn’t have birthdays anymore, than nether should he, Niko really doesn’t even remember his real age. After the war, Niko struggled to get along in his life and soon fell into a bad crowd. He began working for a man named Ray Bulgarin in which he smuggled people from Eastern Europe to Italy and other parts of Europe on boats. In that life, Niko made a life for himself in the business of smuggling, selling people and even killing people. It all worked out until one night in 2006 the ship he and the cargo was on sank; Niko had to swim for his life to escape. Bulgarin blamed the problem all on Niko thus forcing Niko to find an escape from that life. In an attempt to get away, he joined the Merchant Navy and spent several months onboard a ship called the platypus until eventually he found information one of the men he was looking for from his betrayed unit. The lead was leading to Liberty City so he decided he would smuggle himself into Liberty City. Niko figured this would be the next chapter of his life as he would soon find his resolution from nearly a decade ago and be able to live in comfort for a while with his big time cousin while he sought a better life in the land of opportunity, America and even strive for his own American Dream. This was it to Niko, he would finally find a better place.

 

 

 

Liberty City, the final destination for the modern American Dream, or so people say. Niko smuggled himself to Liberty City on the Platypus and is finally ready to come forth to the new world of opportunity, his opportunity. Although, once Niko takes his first glimpse of the city fresh off the boat he encounters his drunk and joy filled cousin whom he has not seen in years, he finds that Roman has been lying this whole time and lives in a poor state in Liberty City whilst owing money to multiple loan sharks. Through this situation, Niko is slowly dragged back into the shissty underworld he tried to escape as he is forced to work for these loan sharks in order to pay off his cousin’s debts. Niko starts slowly falling through the rabbit hole yet again until everything builds up with the murder of a loan shark named Vald. After that, Niko gathers the intention of some high ranking members of the russian mob. They threaten to kill him and his cousin if he chooses not to help them with his talented abilities. Through this, Niko tries to come to terms with his actions and and his morality, at one point, he even doubts his ability to have a soul. He also starts to realize the dream is just a lie to the poor and weak because he comes terms with the fact that country only worships money and power and if you don’t have them then you are trash. It is a chaotic place that is just like the old country with the same self delusions but just with better advertisments. This in a sense shatters Niko’s core when he realizes there is no escape from his sins, there is no such thing as the land of opportunity, Niko is trapped in this cycle and finds this place to be just a cage of nightmares for him, a place that uses him to kill other people against his better judgement, for people who would cast out all humanity just for money and power, a place where the corrupt rejoice in their own pitiful existence without care.

 

Whilst being used by the Russian mob of the Fustian family, Niko is led to a point where he must confront with the assassination of another Russian mob family, Lenny Petrovic, the son of the powerful Kenny Petrovic of the Petrovic crime family. This causes Niko to have to make a choice when he confronted by Dimitri, Faustian’s right hand man and blood brother. Dimitri forces Niko to take out Faustian, Because Niko was the hired gun for the assassination, he is to be the one to kill Faustian, as so Kenny prescribes. This action further causes a chain of events that sets NIko even more a dark path. After Niko eliminates Faustian, he is betrayed by Dimitri for money to Niko’s old boss from Europe, Bulgarin. Apparently, Bulgarian has been searching for Niko everywhere and demands money for the ship that was lost back in 2006, that or his life. Niko escapes his ambush and is burned out of Broker (Brooklyn) causing Roman to lose his only home and his whole business, everything that took Roman 10 years to earn. Setting the Cousin's Bellic back to the bottom rung. This further forces Niko to start looking for work using his special abilities and skills to keep them afloat. They take refuge in Bohan (Bronx), and start from there. Along the way, Niko makes connections and meets people who are looking for a man like Niko to do things. So much for Niko’s chance for a better and cleaner lifestyle. Eventually, Niko makes a connection with an up and coming Street King with a lot of money to spend, and a lot to make, he is known as Playboy X, this is Niko’s gateway into the borough of Algonquin (Manhattan) and it’s high ranking crime needs. As Niko finds promising work for good money, Roman appears to be wasting most of the money on illegal high stakes gambling games. Although Roman gets his business back through insurance needs, he still appears to be going nowhere. Through these gambling matches he keeps losing at, he gathers the intention of the Dimitri who has been looking for both Bellics. This escalates to the kidnapping of Roman which forces Niko to rescue him, all the while making a statement that he is not a man to be messing with while clearing an entire warehouse of Russian goons, this apparently causes Dimitri to back off a bit and rethink his strategies leaving Niko and Roman a little safe for a time being. After this event falls through, Roman is shocked into realization and precedes to back off on the gambling which finally allows them save enough money to get their own high class apartment in Algonquin with the money from Roman’s cab business and Niko’s crime money. They are moving up, but is it in a good way?

 

Once in Algonquin, things change up a bit and more problems arise. Niko finds work in cast of odd characters. One being a corrupt cop, a big time mafia man known as Ray Baccino, theStreet King Playboy X, and is even forced into blackmail by a secret government unit of the IAA (CIA) known as a cover font called United Liberty Paper. Niko is being hired for some serious dirty work and is being put to the test to make money for Roman. Through these characters, he finds that he can start demanding information of the man who originally brought him to Liberty CIty, one of the survivors from 10 years ago. He has these people help him find this man in order for continued work. Along, Niko’s dirty and bloody journey through the underworld in Algonquin, he meets people whom he can rely on as friends, allowing Niko time to relax and chill some days in between some of the sin filled deeds he intakes. An arms dealer and Jamaican drug pusher known as Little Jacob, a reliable man who helps Niko many times in the story on personal problems. A eccentric and coke induced irish man known as Packie, a man whom Niko can relate to on many levels of problematic lifestyles, past conflicts and the need to make money for a better tomorrow. A tostasrome riddled man with rage issues and a massive superiority complex and need to impress people so they don’t question him about his sexual preferences; Brucie, the man who knows no bounds to fun and topline lifestyles of highest caliber, he is good friends to both Roman and Niko, although Niko finds him annoying often times. And lastly Dawyne, a man who has done time for quite some time and has fallen on hard times, just trying to scrape by; Niko finds Dawyne a comfortable guy to hang out with as they both have lived a life of disappointments and can reflect upon one and other. Then, there is a love interest Niko finds himself connecting to, Packie’s sister, Kate. These characters allow Niko a chance of personal connections during his time in Liberty City so he can ground himself upon during his hard and questionable times he seems to find himself in. Eventually after a few jobs and and a 2 million dollar diamond job gone wrong for Ray Baccino, Ray helps Niko find the man Niko has been searching for, Florian Cravic. Niko gathers Roman from his apartment and sets out to Florian’s apartment to finally end his decade long torment. During the tense confrontation with Florian after he kicks down his door holds him at gunpoint, Niko is explained to about how Darko was real one who betrayed the unit. As it turns out Florian was not the one and actually come to Liberty City to rejoice in his favored life style, that of a homosexul. Florian was left the impression that it was either Niko or Darko as well and feels he is happy to know which one it was, but unlike Niko, Florian has long gotten over the tragic event and is trying to enjoy his life. Niko helps out Florian in the city as a friend but as it turns out, Florians boyfriend is the mayor of Liberty City and is being blackmailed by Dimitri and the Russian mob, which allows Niko a closer step to revenge to Dimitri for the problems he has caused him and his family. Niko helps back them off for a while but eventually lets Florian be after he has helped him with his conflicts. Once again though, Niko moves up the ladder of contacts and jobs and eventually is introduced and hired to do some jobs by the leader of the Pegorino Family, Jimmy Pegorino, who also turns out to be the boss of Ray Baiccino.

The Pegorino family operates heavily in the Alderney (New Jersey) and has been trying to claim a seat on the commission of Liberty City’s five families (Based on New York City’s real Five Families), the most powerful mafia families in Liberty City. Now at this point, Niko has helped the McReary family, Packie’s family who works for the Pegorinos, start a gang war between one of the five families and a Albanian gang . The family is the Ancelotti and is the weakest family on the commission of the Five Families. This was to help work the Pegorinos into the commission through the failing of one of the families. Pegorino tries to even more grease the wheel with a bribe to another one of the families known as the Porvanos which would help him gain a name and seat in the commission. Though at the meeting with the Porvanos, the Porvanos try to whack Pegorino but thanks to Niko being hired to oversee the meet, he survives and begins a war with the Porvanos. Further to complicate things, the government unit that has been forcing Niko to do things for them have forced him into doing some jobs for a dying old man named Jon Gravelli, the leader of the most powerful family of the Five Families, the Gambettis. Though, Niko never tells Pegorino that he is doing some jobs for Gravelli as Niko himself thinks of Pegorino as a joke and only cares for the money he can offer. After doing jobs for all these Families, Gravelli helps Niko find the real man who caused him his 10 year long torment, Darko. Gravelli with his immense amount of world connections found Darko living in Romania, Gravelli and United Liberty Paper arrange his kidnapping and has him sent to Liberty City for Niko. As Darko is brought into the country, Niko collects Roman so they both can confront Darko. As Niko stands face to face with Darko and learns of his side of the betrayal. Darko himself is a drugged out and slightly crazy man who lives in his own torment. As Niko finds out, his friends were sold out for just 1000 dollars and the reason for it was truly meaningless. Niko is face with this fact and loses himself in a fit of rage as he proceeds to shot Darko 12 times, a bullet for each dead friend. Then, as Niko collects himself, he leaves with Roman, and explains that he hoped that Darko’s death would finally fill him with some life, energy to live that he lost so long ago. Niko admits that he still feels empty, a shell of a man with nothing to care for. This is Niko’s destination, his fall. He spent 10 years grinding on the idea of revenge and now that he has it, he comes to a realization that his life is now meaningless as he put all effort into finding and killing this man that he now has nothing, he is empty. Whilst Darko was already dealing with his consequences, Niko though, put that blind burden on himself and let it eat away at him, letting him lose any other reason he may have had to keep living, It eat him whole.

I can't believe I read all of this

[IDredMan]

You know ...I guess the title could make you misinterpret what I meant.

I guess ..."GTA V makes the GTA series darker" would have made more sense?

[ZeeKid2k10]

GTA4 had of one of the best storyline in a game

[Raavi]

GTA4 had of one of the best storyline in a game

Besides RDR that is, that game made me cry in the end.

[brian.]

 

Did you not play GTA IV. That game looks much darker than this game and it's much more serious than stealing money from banks and what not. IV is the darkest GTA of them all.

Did you even begin to read the post?

Hmm, yes.

I presume you just read a third of my post and presummed that I was only referring to the lighting and look of IV. No, give my original comment another read. IV is still darker than V, I mean did you even play the game? Niko loses so many he loves and- well the story is just really dark. It's much mor darker than some dumb psychopathic hick, a thug from 'the hood' or some rich man who hates his family.

I suggest you read the psychoanalysis of the 3 characters again.

(From your argument, I suggest you read them for the first time.)

 

I wasn't talking about their f*cking stories, I'm talking about their existence.

I suggest you play GTA IV lol.

 

It will seem like I'm talking story, but i am talking existence, but really, it's the same thing...

 

It doesn't get much darker than Niko in the GTA universe. His whole game is based on vengeance, he executes people all through the story, his cousin or his cousin's wife dies on their wedding day, Niko's back story is the most dark and tragic we've ever seen. Will Trevor have a more tragic story? Maybe. But I think he'll really just be a former member of Michael's crew who went to jail because of Michael's deal (abandonment issues), and gets out of jail looking like that, living like that and such.

 

Niko's story is the darkest GTA has likely ever been so far, and though we do not know the story of GTA V, so far, it is not setting a tone nearly as dark as eastern european war veteran who killed kids and is hunting the guy who killed his squad and sold them out while he is hunted and messing with the darkest characters we've ever seen in a gta game.

 

Will V top it in terms of how dark it is? Maybe, we'll have to see, but so far Niko is going to be hard to beat (in terms of darkness) with an old bank robber (old kid-killer is darker), young would-be gang banger (immigrant turned russian mafia assassin downgraded to hood/ghetto assassin and gofer is much darker), and a psychopathic one-man meth kingpin (Niko isn't Psychotic, at least Trevor has an excuse)

[BlackNoise]

 

GREAT WALL OF TEXT

I can't believe I read all of this

You get a for that. I don't think I could if I wanted to.

 

To the OP, I don't see it as dark, but I think "mature" would be a better word IMO. It seems like R*'s storytelling is much more mature than it has ever been.

Edited May 19, 2013 by BlackNoise

[iCaramelBird]

In my opinion, from what I've gotten so far from GTA V is a much more lighter and comical vibe from it, and that's not just how it looks just how characters seem to talk, act, etc.

 

With GTA IV if you look at those trailers, the first two are dark and mysterious, whilst the other two weren't so much of that just regular trailers. However I feel that you're reading way too much into their personalities, I mean Claude Speed, Tommy Vercetti and CJ all thrived from being 'GTA Characters' and Niko Bellic is the only protagonist with the worst deal out of all the protagonists so far. Once again, just my opinion.

 

I'm sure GTA V will progressively get darker as it goes on however I feel as if GTA IV will remain the darkest. We'll have to see, I honestly don't think any of the protagonists will die- They may go as far as to one of them being killed by player choice but I don't see the point of implementing a new feature only to limit the player with it for completing the campaign. It just seems illogical, to me.

 

But who honestly knows? We'll just have to see.