Freelance criminal vs gang member/leader

[HOW'S ANNIE?]

Looking back on the last 13 years of GTA we've seen had a decent exposure to both freelance criminals like Claude or Niko and gang members/gang leaders like Tommy or Johnny. But I'm interested in knowing which one you prefer to take control of when you jump into a GTA game and why.

 

Personally I prefer to work as a freelance criminal for a number of reasons. The first, and main, point being that it opens up a bit more realistic exposure to the various criminal organisations in the game's city or cities, as opposed to feeling that you're just one man whose controlling his share whilst doing things for the sake of benefiting yourself.

 

My second reason being that when you're doing missions for your own criminal organisation it feels odd. When you go out and do missions for yourself it makes you feel like you're in control of a gang of incomptant idiots who can't perform basic tasks for their own boss without screwing up (best example I can think of is Cop Land from Vice City). What's the point in one man being the boss when he can't sit down and relax whilst his own men take care of things for him. Sure gang leaders in the real world do more than sit back and smoke cigars, but to oversea pretty much every drug deal or eliminate every opposing gang leader feels like a strech.

 

So what are your thoughts on this?

[donnits]

Definitely agree. "I'm freelance*. I don't buy into that tribute stuff." lol

 

Edit* wow. Freelance*

Edited September 25, 2014 by thekillerdonuts

[Kampret]

Obviously freelance. You're basically doing crimes for work, not for the sake of a family or a gang.

[Algonquin Assassin]

Freelance. I feel it opens up a wider exposure of the criminal underworld than being apart of gang and/or a king pin.

 

I don't know, but it just feels more authentic to me when I think of GTA in its purest form such as stealing cars, drug deals, shootouts etc. It's one of the reasons I adore IV and GTA III to a lesser extent.

 

Don't get me wrong it was fun taking over VC/SA and rolling in a band of brothers in TLAD, but I like being the hired muscle paid to do the sh*t no one else wants to.

[Osho]

Tommy was running a business, not a gang -he makes it clear in the game.

I could only see the Vercetti gang as just the members who look after and "protect" Tommy's property and his other businesses' -not particularly joining with him, as Tommy prefers to work on his own.

I could see Tommy as a freelance too, but with the added advantage of his rising strength felt into the popularity as "the Vercetti Gang", thus there's a sense of achievement and *SUCCESS* in the end.

Needless to say, later, once he has already established himself strongly that he might only need to look after his empire, and businesses', leaving them being looked after by his gang.

I didn't find anything wrong with Tommy working independently as he was meant to be climbing the ladder eliminating others, rather than focusing on running a gang, which would only make sense afterwards, once he is strong, and influential enough to get the gang associated with his business finally, being the sole kingpin!

[Jeansowaty]

It depends. If the gang is cool, the guy can be a high ranking member/leader. Otherwise if the player would work for a nice and reasonable gang as a freelance criminal, I wouldn't mind it, as long as he wouldn't be a braindead robot like Claude.

[wiizardii]

Independent/freelance is what I preffer. But personally, it would have been awesome if we had a protagonist who went from freelance onto the guy who's incharge, I know people will say we've already seen this in GTA VC, but we haven't exactly seen a low level criminal becoming a gang leader in some way.

 

 

BTW what Tommy runs is more of a business, not exactly a criminal gang. He has his bodyguards and such, but what he is running is a drug empire business not a gang.

Edited September 25, 2014 by Phoenix_Shit

[Zello]

Freelance I love playing as a hired gun. I wish they gave us more options to choose who we work for piss off a few gangs and you have a price on your head. Imagine walking down an alleyway and you get a phone call "I'mma f*cking kill you!" next thing you know people are watching you walk down the street, glancing in your direction, people in coffee shops looking at you. It would add more if you start you car and boom! IV was a good start with all those choices we could make just wish it was more dynamic I don't want to have the story end up the same everytime I play.

 

Being part of a gang or an organized crime syndicate is also fun but R* just hasn't done a good job with protraying it that well. I've always wanted R* to do a better job with their Mafia themed GTAs. LCS was good but I want to feel like Tony Soprano damn it....

Edited September 25, 2014 by Zello

[GTA-Biker]

It depends on the character,but I usually like playing as a gang member more if it´s done well and your gang doesn´t feel useless(for example how CJ can recruit GSF members and Johnny can call Terry,Clay and Jim for backup).

[Sussus Amongus]

It depends on the character,but I usually like playing as a gang member more if it´s done well and your gang doesn´t feel useless(for example how CJ can recruit GSF members and Johnny can call Terry,Clay and Jim for backup).

Tommy can recruit after 100% completion of the game. Vic Vance, the protagonist of VCS can too.

[Son of Zeus]

'Gang members/leaders like Tommy or Johnny'. What was CJ, a store clerk?

 

Anyway, I'd like to be involved in gang wars and sh*t. So Freelance is a no for me.

'Gang members/leaders like Tommy or Johnny'. What was CJ, a store clerk?

 

Anyway, I'd like to be involved in gang wars and sh*t. So Freelance is a no for me.

'Gang members/leaders like Tommy or Johnny'. What was CJ, a store clerk?

 

Anyway, I'd like to be involved in gang wars and sh*t. So Freelance is a no for me.

[GTA-Biker]

 

It depends on the character,but I usually like playing as a gang member more if it´s done well and your gang doesn´t feel useless(for example how CJ can recruit GSF members and Johnny can call Terry,Clay and Jim for backup).

Tommy can recruit after 100% completion of the game. Vic Vance, the protagonist of VCS can too.

 

I know they could,I just can´t remember could Toni recruit Leone mafia members.Too bad that Franklin in GTA 5 can´t recruit Families members.

[universetwisters]

 

 

It depends on the character,but I usually like playing as a gang member more if it´s done well and your gang doesn´t feel useless(for example how CJ can recruit GSF members and Johnny can call Terry,Clay and Jim for backup).

Tommy can recruit after 100% completion of the game. Vic Vance, the protagonist of VCS can too.

 

I know they could,I just can´t remember could Toni recruit Leone mafia members.Too bad that Franklin in GTA 5 can´t recruit Families members.

 

 

Was he even that high ranking of a member? I remember folks were yelling at him because he didn't care about gangbanging or whatever

[GTA-Biker]

 

 

 

It depends on the character,but I usually like playing as a gang member more if it´s done well and your gang doesn´t feel useless(for example how CJ can recruit GSF members and Johnny can call Terry,Clay and Jim for backup).

Tommy can recruit after 100% completion of the game. Vic Vance, the protagonist of VCS can too.

 

I know they could,I just can´t remember could Toni recruit Leone mafia members.Too bad that Franklin in GTA 5 can´t recruit Families members.

 

 

Was he even that high ranking of a member? I remember folks were yelling at him because he didn't care about gangbanging or whatever

 

Only Stretch,Lamar and his aunt criticized him for not gangbanging enough,the rest of Families members would always greet him,so I guess he should have been able to ask them to help him with stuff(or at least pay them).

Edited September 26, 2014 by LeopardGecko

[Tacymist]

I like playing as someone who's a member of a gang/crime family. I just have more fun when I'm a part of a larger group that has their own territory in the city.

[iiCriminnaaL]

Bump.

 

I personally prefer to play a character that's a part of a gang, especially if he's a leader, or at least a high-ranking member. It usually feels more badass given the fact that the protagonist is going to be powerful, with a well-established criminal name and organized protection.

[ThatBenGuy1998]

I actually like both ways about equally or even a combination of the two. Johnny Klebitz would be a combination of the two, at least the way I see it. 

[iiCriminnaaL]

On 3/13/2019 at 8:55 PM, ThatKyloRenGuy said:

I actually like both ways about equally or even a combination of the two. Johnny Klebitz would be a combination of the two, at least the way I see it. 

I guess he feels like a combination between the two.

 

He becomes the leader of the Alderney chapter of The Lost, but he's still not the kind of crime boss who would just let his men handle the job and sit watching.

Edited March 16, 2019 by iiCriminnaaL 49

[jaylenpizarro12]

freelance

[GhettoJesus]

I prefer being a gang member/leader. Freelancing always felt kinda weird in the games, I guess they aren't far from the truth but sometimes they still feel a bit fantastical.