TBOGT's Vibe Ruined the Series

[OneManCrimeWave 209]

Do you feel the same as I do about TBoGT's vibe in the storyline. It ruined the vibe for me in GTA IV and TLAD's storyline. Don't get me wrong, I love the fact that Rockstar were able to find a more lighthearted and comical approach to the game than in the first two games. But I always felt that the game felt way too comical to make sense in a logical way like the first two games before it could have done. Maybe if the whole series was just as lighthearted and funny as TBOGT, then i could see how these stories make sense, or vice versa.

 

Does anyone else feel the same way? Discuss! And for the love of Christ-All-Mighty, do not, I repeat, do not say that this topic is pointless shtick or stupid! It's only for people who want to discuss, and not spread around pointless stupidity or bickering nonsense. Enjoy!

[mikeinthahouse 40]

I agree. The city didn't feel the same

[Fidzy 434]

I barely noticed anything less 'serious' about it other than the comical lines on cutscenes, missions and hanging out with Armando and Henrique.

 

I did notice that with TBoGT you more or less started off with everything at hand, to a certain point. Of course you'd have to make money and eventually be able to use Yusuf's equipment and vehicles as well as having the weapons in your safehouse, but you get the idea. I wonder if this was just a version for those who felt like they wanted to get into the game straight away or maybe just to get a gist of what GTA V could possibly be like - but we can never predict the last predicament since GTA V wasn't mentioned about the time TBoGT was removed.

 

I think I've gone off topic haha. Correct me if I'm wrong please.

[OneManCrimeWave 209]

 

I barely noticed anything less 'serious' about it other than the comical lines on cutscenes, missions and hanging out with Armando and Henrique.

 

I did notice that with TBoGT you more or less started off with everything at hand, to a certain point. Of course you'd have to make money and eventually be able to use Yusuf's equipment and vehicles as well as having the weapons in your safehouse, but you get the idea. I wonder if this was just a version for those who felt like they wanted to get into the game straight away or maybe just to get a gist of what GTA V could possibly be like - but we can never predict the last predicament since GTA V wasn't mentioned about the time TBoGT was removed.

 

I think I've gone off topic haha. Correct me if I'm wrong please.

I understand with what you are trying to say when referring to people wanting to get into the game right away. It's just that it was so hard to get into the game's storyline with all of the comical sides i saw in it, as i didn't see it in the other games (although, i can't speak for everyone else). And no, you aren't wrong.

[Chad Warden 438]

TBOGT was a great game. I actually really like it now. I did not like it when it first released (on PS3) but it has grown on me over time. TBOGT is suppose to be kinda satirical, somewhat of a tour of LC's....culture.

[FearTheLiving 42]

I remember it being the odd one when it came to the other two, but I haven't played it sense release so I don't know. I'm playing GTA IV and it's DLCs in chronological order while awaiting GTA V so I'll get more info when I start getting to it.

[Seeto200 3]

For me the 3 games make more sense together.

Nico's and Johnny's stories make more sense when playing through TBOGT.

The diamonds for instance pass through all 3 main characters stories.

 

 

[LennonNL 23]

Personally I think it's 10x better than any of the other ones. They were too serious, TBOGT is the real GTA. Also, I think the city somehow looks more impressive and there are obviously great exclusives such as better cars, guns and PARACHUTE!

[GoldenBlade 127]

I love TBoGT in many ways, but I wouldn't say it's better than TLAD or vanilla IV. It just feels different' or shall I say more 'odd' compared to the others. I do understand R*'s take on the whole point of the game, though. TBoGT had some great exclusives, such as parachutes, new weapons, and even a different (better, IMO) version of the Schafter. The storyline wasn't the best, though. It feels more thrown together, tbh. It could've been made a bit better.

 

TBOGT's doesn't ruin the series at all. It just has a 'different' vibe.

[Spectre95 14]

I did feel it was too over-the-top(stealing trains? Gold choppers? C'mon now).... but that was to be expected since Rockstar wanted to go all out with the last DLC.

I prefer the more realistic approach with GTA4 and TLAD.

[Gunslinger_GK 1,575]

Not at all, i really like TBOGT's Vibe.

In fact, i think it should have been way more colorful.

 

It fits the game way better than i originally thought when they announced the game.

The thing that the vibe is different for each character is imo a great thing, all of three live in the same city, but not in the same world

 

Niko sees LC like a gritty and dangerous place, really different from all the bullsh*ts Roman told him to get him moving in LC. He's always very suspicious at people because of his past, he has seen the war and made mistakes because of the people he used to know. He has barely no trust in the people he met in a country that he just immigrated in. Niko has his own vision of america, that has been made up watching american TV Shows and movies in his country, showing america like a land of opportunities. Niko is a depressive person lost in a world he barely know the codes and surrounded by assholes that are always a threat for him and his friends.

 

Same for Johnny's vision of Liberty City, he's a gang member, he sees LC as both a playground and a a very structured city with rival gangs territories. So here again, a constant threat and a dangerous place. He's also homeless (he lives in the Lost HQ), has a marginal lifestyle that a few people can understand, owns almost nothing but his bike, has problems with laws, rules and subbordination even within his own gang.

 

There's a strong contrast between Luis' lifestyle and Niko's & Johnny's (that somehow are on the same step on the social ladder).

Luis is way above them, is way more confident because he knows the city like his pocket. He grew up in LC with his mother and is still very close to her. He believes that he is able to keep him and his friends out of the mess. He has a lot of friends but only a few people are really close to him and he has almost achieved everything Roman ever wanted to get in Liberty City.

 

 

[Nigoldeneye 1]

TBOGT was just a fun story,with fun characters. I personally loved it.

[synchro_w 1]

for some reason i hadn't got round to playing BoGT until recently. i played vanilla and LatD straight away but saw some playthrus of BoGT w the parajump challenges and thought, "no way, an xbox controler is never gonna handle that kinda precision".

 

i was right about the xbox controller [had 4, the D-pad is poss the worst thing ever & the stix are ruined within a few months] but i find BoGT surprisingly good stuff. when i got the explsive auto shotgun.. THAT was pretty amazing. the new weapons are niiiice. shame they weren't in vanilla.

 

it has as many 'passerby' missions as vanilla [i think] as well as a lot of fkd up crazy ppl with crazy personalities which enlightened me as re: the main vanilla niko story. even LatD characters appeared a few times which reminded how good the vanilla and LatD stories were.

 

as an OTT DLC it is definitely the better of them, tho i do feel a more closer association w niko & johnny, luiz let you see how the other half lived, the spoilt billionairesses [tho i gotta admit the dancin game just cannot be done with my controller.. pfft, was a naff part of BoGT anyways], keeping the 'closet' gays lives 'closeted', sticky bombs[throw one at a cop.. it's fun!], etc etc.

 

the missions seem tougher, tho, again, i think it may just be that i need a new controller. and the upbeat nature seemed to round off the GTAIV series nicely - instead of the usual gritty niko or johnny you have luiz who is his own boss, works pretty much as and when he chooses, doesn't have to try to get laid as well as partying at the best club in the city.

 

deffo the most fun DLC. i mean, nitrous cars? champagne races? explosive auto shotgun [god, i luv that gun]? sticky bombs?

 

and let's not forget.. princess robot bubblegum!!!

[Uptown Rider 4]

 

Felt better for me. R* made minor changes to the landscape but other then that...

[Infinityfq 16]

If it was a stand-alone game I probably wouldn't of liked it as much as i do, but I really like the 3 stories together, with the different view of the city and a protagonist with a different mind.

[Ryder_from_the_grave 29]

i can agree on the different vibe but it definitely didnt ruin it for me.i guess its because i got so bored of the story and dull missions i just wanted to burn through them.now that ive gotten TBoGT a week ago i can say the missions are so much more fun and creative as it should be.i can only remember 3 leaf clover but in TBoGT i can for sure pick a handful.

[pentaxian 13]

tbogt wasn't too comical/over the top for me. i actually thought the storyline carried it's own sadness/darkness to it, but with this comical sheen over it. tony and luis' lives are a mess, so everything really isn't all happy and silly and sh*t. and like someone mentioned earlier, luis' take on the city is different because he's actually from there, etc.

 

it's definitely my favorite after gta iv, for this gen. it really is second only because it's not a full game. and until v comes out, we'll see.

 

 

[Pastor Richards 6]

Not at all, it was far and away my favorite of the GTA IV era.

 

I loved Gay Tony, he reminded me of my first boss who was a completely zonked out middle aged homosexual drama queen. And Yusuf Amir reminded me of a crazy Saudi guy I went to university with.

 

But ultimately each of the three were zeroing in one one of the New York area stereotypes. The bleakness of Brooklyn and Queens, the decadence of Manhattan and the white trashiness of urban New Jersey.

[bobo081093 15]

Not at all, i really like TBOGT's Vibe.

In fact, i think it should have been way more colorful.

 

It fits the game way better than i originally thought when they announced the game.

The thing that the vibe is different for each character is imo a great thing, all of three live in the same city, but not in the same world

 

Niko sees LC like a gritty and dangerous place, really different from all the bullsh*ts Roman told him to get him moving in LC. He's always very suspicious at people because of his past, he has seen the war and made mistakes because of the people he used to know. He has barely no trust in the people he met in a country that he just immigrated in. Niko has his own vision of america, that has been made up watching american TV Shows and movies in his country, showing america like a land of opportunities. Niko is a depressive person lost in a world he barely know the codes and surrounded by assholes that are always a threat for him and his friends.

 

Same for Johnny's vision of Liberty City, he's a gang member, he sees LC as both a playground and a a very structured city with rival gangs territories. So here again, a constant threat and a dangerous place. He's also homeless (he lives in the Lost HQ), has a marginal lifestyle that a few people can understand, owns almost nothing but his bike, has problems with laws, rules and subbordination even within his own gang.

 

There's a strong contrast between Luis' lifestyle and Niko's & Johnny's (that somehow are on the same step on the social ladder).

Luis is way above them, is way more confident because he knows the city like his pocket. He grew up in LC with his mother and is still very close to her. He believes that he is able to keep him and his friends out of the mess. He has a lot of friends but only a few people are really close to him and he has almost achieved everything Roman ever wanted to get in Liberty City.

 

Very awesome and deep interpretation!

[Gunslinger_GK 1,575]

Very awesome and deep interpretation!

Thank you

[DwnShft2Xcelr8 56]

I actually loved TBOGT. I started playing it again earlier this week and decided to do everything I didn't do in my first play-through, such as all of Henrique & Armando's drug wars.

 

Out of the 3 GTAs released within the GTA IV realm, The Ballad of Gay Tony was my favorite. The game wasn't very over-the-top, though stealing a train was kind of ridiculous, yet fun. The new cars, new weapons, and new activities made it more entertaining than the other two games.

 

I thought the game did a great job with the story. When I first played GTA IV (before the DLC had been released), I was annoyed that there wasn't any closure on Niko & Bulgarin's beef. When I played TBoGT, it all made sense. It was actually perfect, imo. Just the right kind of euphoric feeling knowing that Bulgarin didn't end up getting away after that cut scene in GTA IV where Niko & Packie lose the diamonds while fighting off Bulgarin's men.

 

Anyway, I think I went off-topic completely. OP wanted to discuss the vibe of this game, not the actual gameplay and the likes/dislikes of the story.

All I'll say is that this was a perfect addition to the GTA IV world. You saw the nightlife of LC, the way the richer-half of LC were living, and it was all done through the perspective of an interesting character whose entire life was dedicated to the LC life.

[7csc 32]

I liked it :S I liked even more than TLAD. But we all have different tastes

[MikeMyth 1,044]

TBoGT and TLAD were meant to be exact opposites. TLAD is more dark and shows the underbelly of LC. TBoGT focuses on the glitz and glam, nightclubs and such. TLAD had a devastating ending and TBoGT a "happily-ever-after" ending... The list goes on.

[Racecarlock 613]

Ballad of gay tony was my favorite IV game out of the 3. I stole a subway train. I stole a tank. I blew up a cruise ship. I can base jump, steal APCS, and use explosive shotguns and satchel charges.

 

If rockstar wants to go OTT, let them go OTT. Nothing has to be serious all the time.

[cp1dell 2,077]

The story was pretty okay compared to IV and TLAD. It was dark when you realized what deep sh*t Tony and Luis were in.

 

My biggest gripe had to be the characters though. So many of them seemed like they were ripped from a cartoon. Some characters in IV provided comedic-relief, but the ones in TBoGT just felt like they were made to appease to younger fans.

 

On a related note, I'm glad GTA V still seems to be retaining that more realistic/dark approach, while containing fun gameplay/missions. I love the content and updates in TBoGT, but I just can't get past some of the characters. Especially how they butchered Bulgarin and squeezed him into the story.

 

I honestly believe a lot of the plot points and characters in TBoGT were thought of after IV and TLAD. Before TBoGT, the users here had a nice chronological order of missions for IV and TLAD. But, TBoGT's missions screw up that timeline and create some plotholes. It's obvious Rockstar focused mainly on the gameplay for TBoGT, and didn't really focus on the rest.

 

With V, I'm happy to see they've found a good balance.

[theonlytobyever 16]

Gay Tony was my favorite. IV and TLAD failed to embody what GTA is to me, and TBOGT nailed it.

[cp1dell 2,077]

what GTA is to me

Has Rockstar apologized to you yet for not catering to you specifically when they developed the game?

[gravelli 4]

TBOGT was a different experience from the other two episodes. It gave us an insight into the high life and thriving party scene in Algonquin as well as into the lives of a gang of drug dealers trying to make it to the top.

[sukmieazz 74]

I don't think it ruined the series. After playing the darker IV and Lost and Damned, The Ballad of Gay Tony was a nice change up. It showed the glitz and glamour of LC, while the other two showed the grit and grime. Sure it wasn't as deep in story, but one could argue it was more fun.

[SonOfLiberty 43,387]

For me it has always felt out of place. GTA IV and TLAD both complimented the dark underbelly of LC perfectly. TBOGT has always felt like some compensation tool for those that desperately needed a parachute, over the top weapons etc. The fact most of the characters feel like they were written by kindergarten kids doesn't help much either.

 

TBOGT is a good game in its own right, but it's the oddball out of the trilogy IMO.