Which Grand Theft Auto game has the most fantastic and serious storyline?

[Nourchame]

I believe that both GTA Vice City Stories and GTA IV have the most serious storylines in the Rockstar World. What do you think?

[El Penguin Bobo]

Kind of a redundant thread but okay.

 

I always thought IV had the best plot in the series.

[iiCriminnaaL]

GTA IV and TLAD.

[KingAJ032304]

I don't get it... your just rewording the same question... gta 4 obviously

[Eugene H. Krabs]

TBoGT is definitely the most serious

Edited June 17, 2019 by Eugene H. Krabs

[Sunglasses]

IV and maybe even VCS to an extent, but my favorite GTA plot is III.

I hope people aren't making threads like these just so others can just answer 'IV' simply.

[TheSantader25]

So does this title mean stories always have to be "realistic" to be fantastic? IV has the most serious story. But SA was the one that had the best story for me. 

Edited June 21, 2019 by TheSantader25

[El Penguin Bobo]

11 minutes ago, TheSantader25 said:

So does this title mean stories always have to be "realistic" to be fantastic?

Not exactly. Stories can still be light hearted and fantastic. Example: Vice City.

[TheSantader25]

4 hours ago, El Penguin Bobo said:

Not exactly. Stories can still be light hearted and fantastic. Example: Vice City.

I agree with the first part of your post. Though I think VC loses some points because of how it handled the story after Tommy kills Diaz. 

[El Penguin Bobo]

1 minute ago, TheSantader25 said:

Though I think VC loses some points because of how it handled the story after Tommy kills Diaz. 

I agree. The story is much better at the beginning.

[Rajaraja]

IV, followed by TLaD.

[Crossbones]

GTA IV, ain't that obvious.

The protagonist is a war veteran who has seen the horrors of the war. He has witnessed and committed crimes against humanity. Then, he tries to run away from everything and start a new life but all his dreams get shattered as soon as he reaches the shores of Liberty City. Now, instead of living the American dream, he is again working with same kind of people he tried to get away from in the first place along side dealing with his nasty past. And even at the end, unlike others who have a happy ending, he loses his loved one. That storyline is fantastic and serious at the same time.

[ldani7492]

Easily GTA IV, no contest.

[Lioshenka]

Most serious? Probably GTA 3. It's realistic without going over the top.

[AmigaMix]

Interesting choice of words, considering "fantastic" can mean something like "awe inspiring", but also "derived from fantasy"...

 

TheSantader25 already made the observation, that a good story isn't necessarily "realistic".

If we were to take a closer look at the structure of melodrama, it would also be apparent how good (or rather entertaining) stories don't always include well rounded (realistic(!)) characters.

Mythologies, while focused on the struggle of man, rarely offer more than character archetypes... Is Genesis a "bad story" because it lacks complex characters and "realism"? please don't kill me for using the bible in this context!

 

I personally appreciate IV's narrative very much for being a  great character study and having a certain "depth" (it incorporates three independent(!) "character clusters"(for the lack of better words)), but not because the game is "serious".

San Andreas, on the other hand, has it's epic scale (Yes, I'm still talking about its story structure ), which is also appealing.

 

Lastly I'd like to point out, that GTA is a series of "open world adventure games", its open ended design allows the individual games to transport "stories" through much more than a linear medium could (see ingame radio, npc chatter, activities etc.),

focusing on their storylines maybe isn't the best idea...

Edited June 23, 2019 by AmigaMix

[Algonquin Assassin]

GTA IV clearly has the best story in the series because it strikes a great balance. The most "serious" is probably GTA III, but not really in a good way. People say GTA IV's is dull and depressing, but GTA III goes too far IMO. I don't even remember cracking a smile throughout GTA III's story. Atleast GTA IV offsets its serious moments with light hearted ones.

 

It is the best all round package in terms of feeling realistic/believable and takes itself seriously when it needs to.

[jaylen pizarro]

gta 4

Edited April 3, 2020 by jaylen pizarro

[Ahmedmfroezspeed]

Liberty City stories, obviously

hell even the game's theme is serious...

[Nappy]

“Fantastic and Serious”. And easy take for III. Although i coulda said IV or TLAD if the question was about the best story overall.

[iiCriminnaaL]

Fantastic: GTA IV

Serious: GTA IV for narratives and emotions, and GTA III as far as humor goes.

[AshSabre]

GTA IV

[kobeni]

Obviously GTA 2.

 

The farting and burping adds heaps to the gritty aesthetic of Anywhere City.

[LorshZontek]

Definitely GTA IV, everything about the story is really well crafted and complex, i love it.

[Fusky89]

Obviously Gta IV. 

[Mikeol1987]

I'm going to give GTA Advance a little shout out here. I remember the tone of the story being pretty grim; and not too bad. filled with all the usual beats a good GTA story has.
I also think Liberty City Stories & IV.

[VenusianDream]

GTA IV definitely has the best plot, but my favorite is Vice City Stories.

[Limefong]

Vice City and IV.

[cerdopalo]

gta san andreass

[KingAJ032304]

You know you can have a story that's ott and ridiculous and still be great right?

[Yinepi]

The most serious is GTA3. There was little, if any, humor in the story. GTA4 had plenty of humorous moments.

Most Fantastic is a hard one to mention. They have all been fantastic in their own unique ways.

Edited August 3, 2020 by Yinepi