Going back to the roots

[SodaDog]

For a few years or so, various video games have been "going back to their roots". For example, Sonic Mania is expected to come out later this year, which is a return to the classic 2D platforming we all know and love (with Sonic Forces, continuing the main series later on), the recent release of Crash Bandicoot's N-Sane Trilogy which are full-on remakes of the first three games and Super Mario Odyssey, which goes back to collecting to advance through levels and going through weird and wacky worlds, a la Super Mario 64.

 

Grand Theft Auto's 20th Anniversary is expected in October, (with Tiny Racers as a new Adversary Mode for Online that came out earlier) and with Red Dead Redemption's sequel coming next year, it is likely that we won't see an announcement (maybe Vice City Stories getting ported to iOS/Android) for the next instalment in a few years time. Maybe we could see it after Red Dead Redemption 2 comes out, but that could also be for the rumored Bully 2.

 

So how would GTA go back to their roots? Sure, they've released Chinatown Wars, which was played entirely in top-down view with a wacky style and 3D graphics even though it sold poorly on the Nintendo DS. All in all, it is still a fun game with elements that other entries in the series didn't have. While some like the top-down style, people have preferred the normal 3D fare which was introduced in Grand Theft Auto III and has then since become one of the most influential and ambitious games to this day.

 

Grand Theft Auto V singleplayer lacked one thing in common; more features. This game was planned to be bigger than Grand Theft Auto IV, but it was watered down to fit onto PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 systems. Despite the game being rereleased twice with some improvements here and there, almost all of those planned Story DLC features were recycled for Grand Theft Auto Online (as it includes microtransactions) and can be considered to be low point of the series.

 

For their next game, they could go beyond the limits of what Grand Theft Auto IV and V had and include a ton of features, as in the same vein of San Andreas (one of the best selling games they made), which is still considered to be better than V because everything felt more compact. Like how big San Andreas originally intended to be, some of these features could see the chopping block and recycled for a possible future DLC (...or for Grand Theft Auto Online 2).

 

They could also take the Persona 5 route (considered to be the 20th anniversary Persona game), and release the new Grand Theft Auto game as usual, instead of entirely going back to the roots. The aforementioned game still had a ton of things to do (as well as including some new features), like the previous instalments in the series and still sold well.

Edited July 16, 2017 by SodaDog

[DimitriFaustin]

You've got some great ideas - it's just that I'm personally not holding my breath regarding anything "big" or "exciting" that Rockstar might do for GTA's 20th anniversary.

Tiny Racers was basically akin to an over-hyped "Zonk!" prize on Let's Make A Deal - and pessimistically speaking, that just might be how Rockstar pays "tribute" to the 2D GTAs.

My course of action would be to re-release GTAs I, both London games and II as the "Where It All Started" package complete with every tidbit a classic GTA fan could ever want -

of course, the odds of that are second to none.

While keeping it in the HD universe, Rockstar really needs to step up their game on the game engine department - if V had an entirely new game engine, it would have had all those features.

Just my honest two cents.

[MojoGamer]

I don't want a Bully 2. Jimmy was a high school dropout. There is no way his goes on to college. We all saw Jimmy Hopkins get his ear shot off by Franklin in GTA 5, while wearing a bigfoot disguise. Either make Max Payne 4 or GTA 6 on current gen, since GTA 5 was originally on PS3 and remastered on PS4. Bully 2 has to take place in Los Santos, which is why GTA 6 needs to be published 1st.

Edited July 16, 2017 by MojoGamer

[burger_mike]

I don't want a Bully 2. Jimmy was a high school dropout. There is no way his goes on to college. We all saw Jimmy Hopkins get his ear shot off by Franklin in GTA 5, while wearing a bigfoot disguise. Either make Max Payne 4 or GTA 6 on current gen, since GTA 5 was originally on PS3 and remastered on PS4. Bully 2 has to take place in Los Santos, which is why GTA 6 needs to be published 1st.

wtf

[DOUGL4S1]

The amazing thing about San Andreas was the ammount of features, things and side missions we could do in freeroam. Gambling, burglary, couriers, gang wars, taxi driver, vigilante, ambulance driver, races, etc, etc, etc. The city was alive because in every single corner of the map, there was things to do and see.

 

GTA IV also has a lot of things, but not as many (or as half) as SA's, but the city itself was a beauty on its own, with lots of interiors to go into, lots of interesting pedesrians, friend activities, touristic attractions, and even after playing for over 6 years, I still find interesting places and things to do.

 

This is a thing I think GTA V missed a bit. Sure, the city is also a work of art, but some places are just... useless. Most mountains in the game are there for scenary, basically, The pedestrians are now either uninteresting or just agressive towards you, and even tho there are more things to do, I feel better going on GTA IV's freeroam than GTA V's. That, of course, without mentioning Online, which is the same, but scripted and expensive and with jerk players.

[Jabalous]

For Grand Theft Auto VI to have the same impact and time value of IV, Rockstar will need to go back to the roots and innovate the technology on which the game will be built. The jump from the simple worlds of III era, which ended with San Andreas, to a more complex simulation of a metropolis in IV was a true innovation and a worthy achievement. Included with that was a revamped physics and animations engine (Euphoria) that truly reshaped the Grand Theft Auto experience and how it looked on our monitors. Apart from a better image quality and improved graphics, which are easily expected, V felt more like an expansion that was even missing in areas that its predecessors have already established. I would like them to go back and rethink about pedestrian AI and simulation, car physics, animations, weather effects and the various visual elements. I do not want features and mindless mini-games that act as fillers, I want VI to wow me as much as IV did in 2008 after coming from San Andreas. Rockstar should make that kind of a jump again, and challenge themselves and the diminishing returns concept.

Edited July 17, 2017 by Jabalous

[Racecarlock]

The "Roots" of GTA as I understand them stem from the first game. Blowing sh*t up is fun, so wreak havoc. That was the first two games. There were missions, but it was all about blowing sh*t up.

 

Thing is, that game kind of already exists, though. It's called retro city rampage, and it's great.

 

 

 

But here's the thing. I do hope that the next GTA does make destruction more satisfying. One of my big problems with GTA V is that the cars barely bend when you crash, hell, they barely even get a dent. That's not fun. And the explosions are so... underwhelming. You guys ever play battletanx?

 

 

 

Now THOSE are some f*ckin' explosions. Hell, you can even go to GTA IV or GTA Vice City or GTA San Andreas as examples of what a satisfying explosion looks and feels like. So why is it so underwhelming and underpowered in GTA V. I mean, the destructive potential is not underpowered, they still instantly kill people and destroy or damage vehicles in a certain radius, but the sound and the look is just so... held back. I want some boom with my boom, you know what I'm saying?

[Killerman29]

I doubt that we will ever see another game like gta sa, gta v was a massive disappointment and with rockstar focus in online, they will never return to their roots, the shark-cards train has no brakes

 

We will have to wait for rdr2 and see what is rockstar focus: sp or online, so we can make a prediction about the future

Edited July 17, 2017 by Killerman29

[Algonquin Assassin]

I just want the series to go back to simplistic yet engaging gameplay like GTA III, Vice City and GTA IV where the games weren't obsessed with the "jack of all trades" methodology like San Andreas and GTA V. That's the "roots" I would like it to go back to.

 

Make players think for themselves like we used to in the 2D era with what was offered instead of spoon feeding side missions and content like it's coming off a production line.

[Sonny_Black]

Yeah those gameplays are so simple and basic which is why it's very fun.

[Maibatsu545]

I honestly think the old days are long gone. Rockstar is a long way away from the company they used to be. Sadly I think their best days are behind them, with the series continuing in name only as a soulless, shambling, microtransaction-infected zombie.

[MentalPX]

There's no money to be made by selling great single-player games. Why would they? At this point, R* made more money by selling shark cards than they made by GTA V's sales. They have zero incentive to "go back to the old days".

 

It's as unrealistic as asking Valve to make Half-Life 3. Why would they? They make billions off Steam for almost zero effort, while HL3 would carry significant financial risk and would likely disappoint because of hype.

Edited July 20, 2017 by MentalPX

[Journey_95]

I just want the series to go back to simplistic yet engaging gameplay like GTA III, Vice City and GTA IV where the games weren't obsessed with the "jack of all trades" methodology like San Andreas and GTA V. That's the "roots" I would like it to go back to.

 

Make players think for themselves like we used to in the 2D era with what was offered instead of spoon feeding side missions and content like it's coming off a production line.

 

Exactly, I vastly prefer IV and VC to the rest as well. SA is overrated in terms of its features. It was an unnecessarily bloated game and Rockstar went quantity over quality & this direction is still impacting the series.

 

IV was bashed because Rockstar didn't make SA 2.0 and now with V when they pandered to those fans they still complain...

Edited July 20, 2017 by Journey_95

[TheHolyNZF]

There's no money to be made by selling great single-player games. Why would they? At this point, R* made more money by selling shark cards than they made by GTA V's sales. They have zero incentive to "go back to the old days".

 

It's as unrealistic as asking Valve to make Half-Life 3. Why would they? They make billions off Steam for almost zero effort, while HL3 would carry significant financial risk and would likely disappoint because of hype.

 

After some point the money first; consumer second -policies will fall short.

 

Beyond that I doubt GTA VI would sell very well (Now that it has competition everywhere on the market punpunpun) if it

 

I. Didn't have improvements over GTAV

 

II. Had a boring map with next to no interactions

 

III. Lacked in singleplayer department

 

I mean just look at the ratings on steam. That is all because of things conserning singleplayer.

Edited July 20, 2017 by TheHolyNZF

[Algonquin Assassin]

 

I just want the series to go back to simplistic yet engaging gameplay like GTA III, Vice City and GTA IV where the games weren't obsessed with the "jack of all trades" methodology like San Andreas and GTA V. That's the "roots" I would like it to go back to.

 

Make players think for themselves like we used to in the 2D era with what was offered instead of spoon feeding side missions and content like it's coming off a production line.

 

Exactly, I vastly prefer IV and VC to the rest as well. SA is overrated in terms of its features. It was an unnecessarily bloated game and Rockstar went quantity over quality & this direction is still impacting the series.

 

IV was bashed because Rockstar didn't make SA 2.0 and now with V when they pandered to those fans they still complain...

 

 

 

I'm all for quantity as long as it has quality co-existing. Just not how it's been with San Andreas and GTA V.

 

Then again I can't remember too many games that have been bloated to their brims and still maintained a level of quality that's both interesting and engaging. In saying that I still prefer a sandbox/open world game that encourages my creative vices instead of dishing out countless side missions that are just in the game for the sake of something to do.

 

They NEED relevance and importance for me to engage with them.

[SmokesWithCigs]

I just want the series to go back to simplistic yet engaging gameplay like GTA III, Vice City and GTA IV where the games weren't obsessed with the "jack of all trades" methodology like San Andreas and GTA V. That's the "roots" I would like it to go back to.

 

Make players think for themselves like we used to in the 2D era with what was offered instead of spoon feeding side missions and content like it's coming off a production line.

no! we cant go back rockstar! we've gotten a taste and we need our fix! give us more jack of all trades! give us more variety in gameplay! give us more... moAR ...mOAR........MOAARRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!