GTA series

[maundy]

So I have played and completed:

 

GTA

GTA 2

GTA 3 (not completed)

GTA: Liberty City Stories (not completed)

GTA: Vice City Stories (not completed)

GTA: Chinatown Wars (completed)

GTA Vice City

GTA IV (playing now)

GTA V

 

and have not played San Andreas or London 1969.

 

I loved GTA III. I loved how it was 'modern' and city and stuff. Also the third/first person view thing was a whole new world for gaming when it came out. I liked it more than Vice City. The 'mood' of the city was great. I liked when you opened the bridge and got to the second island the whole Japanese/Chinese flair thing going on there. Vice City was just a game with a gay 80s theme. It had nothing that made me love it. It was just a game. GTA III had the city, with the sky scrapers and bright lights and felt contemporary. At the time I assumed that was what life would be similar to, or how the world is after high school, if you are in the city and what not. I thought this is amazing. Vice City had missions to do. GTA was a way to escape in to a fantasy world. I could drive around the city and be amazed at what the world was like/was going to be like. Also I think it was really the only city simulator getting around.

 

I thought GTA V was sh*t. The story was lame and I just couldn't escape in to the world of GTA V. It was too outlandish. And the map was boring. It was huge. But empty. Huge and empty. The game was short and the story was lame. And pathetically lame. I could not escape in the world they created and I could not relate to the situations or live vicariously though the game. It was too outlandish.

 

I have had free time the last week or so and have been playing GTA IV. I have never played this before except for half an hour about 7 years ago. So I have the edition with the two addons.

 

This game is great. The city is great, but doesn't feel as alive as GTA III. Maybe because I am older now and not so awe struck. The game itself is much better than GTA V. The setting is much better than GTA V. The map definitely feels bigger than GTA V as it is not comprised of vast emptiness.

 

This game kills GTA V. It is not so believable to be mundane, but not so outlandish as to be ridiculous. I can usually relate to the GTA games (since GTA III) as my weird life has had triads, mafia, bikers, corrupt cops, celebrities and whatever in it. Not as a part of my life, but in my life and on the periphery, so that I can live vicariously through these games and escape in to some kind of plausible fantasy land.

 

So yeah, I rate GTA IV way above GTA V. I also rate Sleeping Dogs way above GTA V.

 

I am having a hard time deciding which is better, GTA IV or Sleeping Dogs. GTA IV is a very long game. Sleeping Dogs is not so long. Sleeping Dogs has a much more plausible story line whilst at the same time being too outlandish to be real. But you can escape in to it much easier. Which is why games like Saints Row with the warp shifter things are never going to do it for me.

 

So what do you think? I need more games to play in my time off. Ones that I can play and either love the story or pretend I am in another world. I like the city too. Kinda like the song on BEAT with Kanye West where the lyrics go "She don't like shooting stars, she likes shoes and cars. Flashing lights." Do you know what I mean? Anyway...

 

WATCH_DOGS is on the order list but what else do I need?

 

Also I found something way weird/cool. Actually lots of things, but I'll get to this first.

 

At the funeral for the dead cop of the Irish family. When the cut scene appears and the car pulls up to take the rest of the family out, it has teal/aqua colored rims.

 

Earlier in the story the brothers and their family and associates were talking about being in Ireland, helping the boys out 'back home' and participating in the 'troubles'. The troubles is a common term for the thing that went on in Ireland with the IRA (Irish Republican Army) and stuff.

 

Teal/aqua is the color of the MI6 building and the MI6 logo.

 

So you can look at the association of MI6 assassinating, or trying to assassinate, the IRA.

 

This game has heaps of things like this all through it.

 

 

[maundy]

I ordered Yakuza 4 also. I heard Yakuza 5 is a whole city with regions and cars, unlike Yakuza 4 where it is pedestrian mode only which makes the map seem bigger or what have you, but outside of Japan this is only available via download from the store so I am waiting for Yakuza 6 to become available as I am not in to digital copies. And when it does come out hopefully GTA 6 will be about to be released so I'll have a reason to get a PS4 and WATCH_DOGS 2. Because these are the only types of games I am in to now. Shooters and racers are all essentially the same, and after playing the latest shooters and racers on PC with the highest setting, there is no real reason for me to be in to the next generation of these types. The games will be the same and the graphics mostly similar as what is out now is probably as good as it gets. So I have no reason to update the console for one game (WATCH_DOGS 2).

 

But these open world games have a story. Not like, "The enemy is the enemy and we need to kill him and save the world." or "We are stuck behind enemy lines and need to fight our way back to allied lines." or "The jungle is full of guerrillas plotting to take over Brazil and we need to kill Fidel Castro." if you know what I mean. No REAL story, just a plot outline before you go blasting. And driving games? Yeah. Again. Nice. Whatever. I can't see a leap of graphics capability that the human eye can detect becoming available so there is no reason for me to bother on these considering my gaming time. Like in the last 10 years, I have played video games for about a month last year and since Christmas this year. I am not hardcore in to this enough that the game itself draws me in. The graphics would.

 

But these stories are amazing sometimes. Sleeping Dogs was SO GOOD. So I can do these types of games over and over again. I could be coming back to this in my 60's I reckon if they still make these types of games. These games draw me in.

 

That's pretty much everything for crime games/city games that aren't total unplausible stories right? If I was in to that I could do Saints Row or Final Fantasy.

 

Is that it?

 

Can anyone recommend me some games like this?

 

I don't think I will like Assassins Creed having played that for about 10 minutes a few years ago. The historical story isn't my thing. However, Assassins Creed Black Flag is and I am ordering that too. I might never get to play it but at least I will have it there in case copies stop becoming available.

[.Ryan.]

Welcome to the forums and I agree with everything you've said especially GTA IV being better than GTA V.

 

Just a heads up. Try to avoid double posting please. Just edit your post.

[maundy]

Thanks for the welcome.

 

I will keep that in mind.

 

GTA IV is such a long game! Just based on length it is hard to decide which is better, that or Sleeping Dogs. If they were the same length Sleeping Dogs would win, but there is just SO MUCH GAME in GTA IV.

 

I just saw I can get a physical copy of San Andreas remastered in 720 for PS3, so I'm gonna get that too. If it was just a digital download version I wouldn't. I've never played this before either. I think when I was a teenager I saw a guy playing it at his house for about five minutes.