Which GTA Plot Twist surprised you the most?

[Nourchame]

Which GTA Plot twist made you go like "Holy sh*t, what a twist".

[billiejoearmstrong8]

Trevor killing Debra and Floyd made my jaw drop, when the screen went black and I saw him covered in blood and realised what happened I was genuinely shocked. Also when Michael had rigged the phone and was watching the guy on tv, I'd never really thought about what he was doing with it when playing the mission so when it detonated and killed the guy that also shocked me (along with Michael it seemed).

 

I unfortunately had spoiled most of the twists in IV for myself before I got to them (I imagine playing either of the sets of final missions would've been extremely surprising for anyone who didn't know they were coming - especially Deal) but the first apartment and cab office burning down and being gone forever totally surprised me! Didn't see it coming at all and was genuinely sad to have to leave the place I was familiar with and be stuck in sh*tty Bohan commuting everywhere, brilliantly done. Also was surprised by Michelle/Karen turning out to be undercover (even though it's totally obvious when replaying lol) and by Elizabeta shooting Manny and the cameraman.

 

In SA I think the "Green Sabre" twist where you find out Ryder and Big Smoke betrayed you got me, and then also following on when Carl gets arrested and reappears blindfolded and opens his eyes in the middle of nowhere, that was a pretty big surprising shift in the story.

[god speed]

Lance's betrayal in Vice City during the last mission. Salvatore selling out Claude in GTA III too until Maria saved him and this event leading to Staunton Island.

Edited August 9, 2019 by perennial

[KingAJ032304]

1 hour ago, billiejoearmstrong8 said:

Trevor killing Debra and Floyd made my jaw drop, when the screen went black and I saw him covered in blood and realised what happened I was genuinely shocked. Also when Michael had rigged the phone and was watching the guy on tv, I'd never really thought about what he was doing with it when playing the mission so when it detonated and killed the guy that also shocked me (along with Michael it seemed).

 

I unfortunately had spoiled most of the twists in IV for myself before I got to them (I imagine playing either of the sets of final missions would've been extremely surprising for anyone who didn't know they were coming - especially Deal) but the first apartment and cab office burning down and being gone forever totally surprised me! Didn't see it coming at all and was genuinely sad to have to leave the place I was familiar with and be stuck in sh*tty Bohan commuting everywhere, brilliantly done. Also was surprised by Michelle/Karen turning out to be undercover (even though it's totally obvious when replaying lol) and by Elizabeta shooting Manny and the cameraman.

 

In SA I think the "Green Sabre" twist where you find out Ryder and Big Smoke betrayed you got me, and then also following on when Carl gets arrested and reappears blindfolded and opens his eyes in the middle of nowhere, that was a pretty big surprising shift in the story.

Actually Floyd and Debra killed themselves and Trevot moved the bodies. You find this out through the radio

[iiCriminnaaL]

I guess I'd go with Dimitri's betrayal in GTA IV.

 

Sure, he wasn't a childhood friend to Niko, but starting as a very friendly and reasonable person made selling Niko to Bulgarin and locking him in a warehouse that's full of Russian gangsters such a shocking twist.

[billiejoearmstrong8]

8 hours ago, KingAJ032304 said:

Actually Floyd and Debra killed themselves and Trevot moved the bodies. You find this out through the radio

As far as I'm aware the radio report has been debunked as a myth. You can't find a recording or transcript of the supposed report about it anywhere (and there's lots of youtube videos with all radio reports), I myself tried to hear it in the game many times and never did (while I haven't had any problem getting to hear any other radio report), and I can't remember the video now but I saw one where they thoroughly checked for it and never found it. Also every time I hear a description of it it's different (like sometimes it's that Floyd went for Debra with the knife so Debra shot him and Trevor killed Debra or whatever, this is actually the first time I've heard a they killed themselves and Trevor only moved the bodies description - also how would anyone even know that level of information to report it?). So I call bullsh*t.

 

I think what exactly happened is meant to be ambiguous. But the initial impression you get is that since he's alive and covered in blood and they're both dead he caused at least one of their deaths.

Edited August 8, 2019 by billiejoearmstrong8

[E Revere]

To be honest, so many plot twists are initially shocking but become obvious when you replay through the game so I'm not sure which to pick. Lance's betrayal, Michelle being an undercover agent, Smoke's betrayal, etc. The only one I can say was a true shock could be Dimitri's treachery. I have to say Francis wanting to kill Derrick kind of surprised me too. 

[DOUGL4S1]

Not really a plot twist for the player, but it was for a character.

 

Bury the Hatchet was like one of the few moments where GTA V actually got serious, and we got to see a bit of Trevor's emotional side (wall, at least emotions that don't involve punching someone to death). The scene in the graveyard is just great.

[Vercettis]

I saw Lance's betrayal coming, but I didn't expect him to side with Sonny in the way that he did. Lance was very insecure and the game wasn't shy about making that known, so I thought he was just going to end up having a meltdown and going off the rails. I knew we were gonna end up killing him, but his sudden alliance with Sonny was a surprise I didn't expect.

[billiejoearmstrong8]

6 hours ago, DOUGL4S1 said:

Not really a plot twist for the player, but it was for a character.

 

Bury the Hatchet was like one of the few moments where GTA V actually got serious, and we got to see a bit of Trevor's emotional side (wall, at least emotions that don't involve punching someone to death). The scene in the graveyard is just great.

It was totally obvious what was going to be in the coffin but the Chinese turning up was a good twist (and Michael getting stuck in the car instead of getting to escape). I agree it was a great scene between Michael and Trevor. I loved Michael driving there with the thoughts repeating in his head and then walking past the light from the stained glass windows in the snow with the ominous instruction "Go to your grave" on the screen too. Very good.

[Shauny7488]

Mike Toreno being a government agent was out of nowhere

[Algonquin Assassin]

Faustin killing Andre in cold blood. No joke when I first played GTA IV I thought Faustin was going to lose his sh*t and kill Roman, but I didn't expect that. I know Andre was/is a very minor character, but it was the close up camera work and the split second execution that that shocked me the most.

 

Generally I can pick out "betrayals", but things like that are harder to pick up since they happen so suddenly. 

 

Mentions also.

 

-Elizabeta killing Manny and Jay (Similar reason as above).

-Learning that Johnny was actually responsible for Roman's kidnapping in "Hostile Negotiation". In the text Roman sends to Niko he just says some "biker" kidnapped him, but this was before EFLC so it was cool piecing the missing pieces of the puzzle together.

-That Florian/Bernie was nothing like I was expecting. 

[Grotti Vigilante]

3 hours ago, SonOfLiberty said:

Faustin killing Andre in cold blood. No joke when I first played GTA IV I thought Faustin was going to lose his sh*t and kill Roman, but I didn't expect that. I know Andre was/is a very minor character, but it was the close up camera work and the split second execution that that shocked me the most.

 

Generally I can pick out "betrayals", but things like that are harder to pick up since they happen so suddenly. 

 

Mentions also.

 

-Elizabeta killing Manny and Jay (Similar reason as above).

-Learning that Johnny was actually responsible for Roman's kidnapping in "Hostile Negotiation". In the text Roman sends to Niko he just says some "biker" kidnapped him, but this was before EFLC so it was cool piecing the missing pieces of the puzzle together.

-That Florian/Bernie was nothing like I was expecting. 

No joke, I held off betting that your input would’ve been Dimitri betraying Niko. To see you then not even include it in the list means that I must suck at gambling...

[billiejoearmstrong8]

Oh wait the second half of Did Somebody Say Yoga totally surprised me lmao. I thought I was just driving home after a boring yoga mission, definitely an unexpected twist.

[Copcaller]

Dimitris betrayal just assumed niko would move on to the next employer didnt expect Dimitri to become dangerous enough to threaten the mafia and politicians

 

Florian being the mayors bottom 

 

Big smoke and ryder betraying the grove I mean looking back on it now it was pretty obvious but not to 5th grade me lol 

[billiejoearmstrong8]

I always expect anyone that I'm obligated to work for in GTA to betray me. It's more surprising when they don't. When it's more of a friend or an equal partner (eg Big Smoke/Ryder or Lance) or I'm working for them totally by choice it can be surprising but with anyone like Dimitri I'm waiting for it. 

Edited August 9, 2019 by billiejoearmstrong8

[Algonquin Assassin]

10 hours ago, Grotti Vigilante said:

No joke, I held off betting that your input would’ve been Dimitri betraying Niko. To see you then not even include it in the list means that I must suck at gambling...

I'm as unpredictable as a good plot twist.

 

Dimtri betraying Niko was good, but as I said I can normally see "betrayals" coming hence why I didn't include it. 

 

To be honest I didn't find Dimtri's betrayal THAT surprising. I knew something was up when he asked Niko to meet him at a dingy warehouse (Like when has ever gone down well in movies/tv shows/games?), but I think the real twist was Bulgarin turning up. That made me go "WTF is going on?".

[Max.pain]

especially when dimitri said “come alone” on the phone i just tought c’mon niko you’re not stupid haven’t you ever watched a movie? and niko wasn’t stupid of course he went with jacob. 

[billiejoearmstrong8]

Also like, the way you meet him is his organisation has you tied up in a basement about to be tortured and then you're obliged to work for him and his associate under threat of death, and then you help him betray his oldest friend by killing him lol. Also I wouldn't have picked it up the first time but at one point in Do You Have Protection he goes "Do not fear, you no longer need to protect yourself from myself and Mikhail. We are your friends." suuuure  

 

But yeah Bulgarin stepping out of the shadows, "Hello Niko", was surprising

Edited August 10, 2019 by billiejoearmstrong8

[Algonquin Assassin]

1 hour ago, billiejoearmstrong8 said:

Also like, the way you meet him is his organisation has you tied up in a basement about to be tortured and then you're obliged to work for him and his associate under threat of death, and then you help him betray his oldest friend by killing him lol. Also I wouldn't have picked it up the first time but at one point in Do You Have Protection he goes "Do not fear, you no longer need to protect yourself from myself and Mikhail. We are your friends." suuuure  

 

But yeah Bulgarin stepping out of the shadows, "Hello Niko", was surprising

It's obvious now since I've played through the story so many times and all the visual/dialogue clues stick out like a sore thumb, but back in 2008 I didn't think of Dimitri as anything more than another character like Vlad. Once his part of the story was done I just assumed he'd slip away never to be heard of again. 

 

His initial impressions didn't make me think he was going to be a threat. It was Faustin who I was weary of. It wasn't until "The Master and The Molotov" that something put me off about Dimitri and even Faustin foreshadows his betrayal when he says "Dimiti will turn on you aswell. You shall discover this". Then of course the phone call setting up a meeting at a warehouse to collect the payment. Yeah. I've seen enough movies and tv shows to know that they weren't just going to have a friendly handshake.

 

I just think the betrayal itself could've been a little less obvious. Infact I would've preferred after killing Faustin instead of Dimitri telling Niko to meet him at the warehouse him saying he'll receive payment in the next few days or something then there could've been a mission where you visit Roman at the taxi depot as normal, but then Dimitri's men ambush Niko and Roman and you have to escape and flee to Bohan. You could've still had the burning of the apartment and the depot just in a different way. I'm not sure how Bulgarin would've fitted in to that, but just something to think of. Dimitri could call Niko explaining why he betrayed him or whatever.

 

I think something like that would've led the player into a false sense of security. Hell you could have another mission or two in between to further lower the suspicion level making the player think Dimitri will come good on his promise then hitting them when they least expect it. 

[E Revere]

 

23 minutes ago, SonOfLiberty said:

It's obvious now since I've played through the story so many times and all the visual/dialogue clues stick out like a sore thumb, but back in 2008 I didn't think of Dimitri as anything more than another character like Vlad. Once his part of the story was done I just assumed he'd slip away never to be heard of again. 

 

His initial impressions didn't make me think he was going to be a threat. It was Faustin who I was weary of. It wasn't until "The Master and The Molotov" that something put me off about Dimitri and even Faustin foreshadows his betrayal when he says "Dimiti will turn on you aswell. You shall discover this". Then of course the phone call setting up a meeting at a warehouse to collect the payment. Yeah. I've seen enough movies and tv shows to know that they weren't just going to have a friendly handshake.

 

I just think the betrayal itself could've been a little less obvious. Infact I would've preferred after killing Faustin instead of Dimitri telling Niko to meet him at the warehouse him saying he'll receive payment in the next few days or something then there could've been a mission where you visit Roman at the taxi depot as normal, but then Dimitri's men ambush Niko and Roman and you have to escape and flee to Bohan. You could've still had the burning of the apartment and the depot just in a different way. I'm not sure how Bulgarin would've fitted in to that, but just something to think of. Dimitri could call Niko explaining why he betrayed him or whatever.

 

I think something like that would've led the player into a false sense of security. Hell you could have another mission or two in between to further lower the suspicion level making the player think Dimitri will come good on his promise then hitting them when they least expect it. 

Speaking of Bulgarin, going by GTA IV's perspective alone, him turning up at the diamond exchange seemed completely out-of-nowhere. And I'm sure that to someone who has played TBOGT only, the twist that the diamonds belong to him would've seemed off as well.

 

Maybe you mean something like Dimitri's betrayal being formatted like Bulgarin's ambush in TBOGT? I think that could've worked out to make it less suspicious as you say.

[billiejoearmstrong8]

2 hours ago, SonOfLiberty said:

It's obvious now since I've played through the story so many times and all the visual/dialogue clues stick out like a sore thumb, but back in 2008 I didn't think of Dimitri as anything more than another character like Vlad. Once his part of the story was done I just assumed he'd slip away never to be heard of again. 

 

His initial impressions didn't make me think he was going to be a threat. It was Faustin who I was weary of. It wasn't until "The Master and The Molotov" that something put me off about Dimitri and even Faustin foreshadows his betrayal when he says "Dimiti will turn on you aswell. You shall discover this". Then of course the phone call setting up a meeting at a warehouse to collect the payment. Yeah. I've seen enough movies and tv shows to know that they weren't just going to have a friendly handshake.

 

I just think the betrayal itself could've been a little less obvious. Infact I would've preferred after killing Faustin instead of Dimitri telling Niko to meet him at the warehouse him saying he'll receive payment in the next few days or something then there could've been a mission where you visit Roman at the taxi depot as normal, but then Dimitri's men ambush Niko and Roman and you have to escape and flee to Bohan. You could've still had the burning of the apartment and the depot just in a different way. I'm not sure how Bulgarin would've fitted in to that, but just something to think of. Dimitri could call Niko explaining why he betrayed him or whatever.

 

I think something like that would've led the player into a false sense of security. Hell you could have another mission or two in between to further lower the suspicion level making the player think Dimitri will come good on his promise then hitting them when they least expect it. 

I don't have a problem with it not being a big surprise, not everything has to be. Still a really interesting set of events that has plenty of other surprising moments (Bulgarin, apartment burned, Andrei getting shot etc). I never trusted Vlad either, I think I just don't trust any character I work for under obligation. When Francis and ULP ended up keeping their words to me (and Ray too, didn't have to be working for him but just because of his personality) it was a pleasant surprise lol

[Grotti Vigilante]

9 hours ago, SonOfLiberty said:

I'm as unpredictable as a good plot twist.

 

Dimtri betraying Niko was good, but as I said I can normally see "betrayals" coming hence why I didn't include it. 

 

To be honest I didn't find Dimtri's betrayal THAT surprising. I knew something was up when he asked Niko to meet him at a dingy warehouse (Like when has ever gone down well in movies/tv shows/games?), but I think the real twist was Bulgarin turning up. That made me go "WTF is going on?".

Yet even after so long the betrayal still feels personal to you. Not going to lie, I sometimes wish I could love a game that much. I have a feeling that Niko could literally break the fourth wall and give you the most personal verbal abuse ever and you’d somehow love him even more...

[Lioshenka]

GTA SA the bit after the Green Sabre mission. My biggest shock of the series.

 

Other notable moments:

- Mission for Woozie, where your helicopter is shot down

- Mission in GTA 3 when Donald Love dissapeared. I wasn't shocked as such, but it was very unexpected to me then.

- When Michael Toreno turns out be be alive and well and a secret agent

- GTA 5 had a few moments, but the whole game is so bizzare that none really stand out that much.

- GTA 4 mission where Michelle comes out as an enforcement agent

Edited August 16, 2019 by Lioshenka

[Tao Cheng]

The one that startled me the most first time was when Luis discovered what was inside the box.

 

Plot twists:

Faustin and Andrei in IV

Green Sabre reveal in SA

[billiejoearmstrong8]

44 minutes ago, Tao Cheng said:

The one that startled me the most first time was when Luis discovered what was inside the box.

 

Damn I forgot that, that really got me as well

[billiejoearmstrong8]

Lol I just remembered the "twist" that legitimately surprised me the most and made me jump out of my skin. It was the outdoor dirt bike time trial in Vice City, there I was thinking I was just doing a peaceful danger-free side mission, when as I accidentally slowed down and came to a stop for a moment on a corner a group of Haitians suddenly appeared running at me with machetes, knocking me off my bike and hacking at me. Holy sh*t! I still can't believe they put that in . Never jumped like that playing GTA before or since.

Edited August 16, 2019 by billiejoearmstrong8

[HOW'S ANNIE?]

I'm surprised nobody mentioned Trevor killing Johnny. Now I'm not saying it was a brilliant twist, it was just a true "holy sh*t" twist. I saw Johnny and for the first minute I figured he'd be Trevor's personal antagonist. Then Trevor went to give Johnny a hug, and I knew exactly what was going to happen.

[KingAJ032304]

Claude getting setup by Salvatore 

 

[Big Fat Paulie]

Hmm, there are a lot of twists...

 

Salvatore setting up Claude is not that big of a shocking twist, since Curly Bob indicated that Sal is paranoid a few missions earlier and it's already implied that Maria is a two-timing gold digger as well.

 

I think the real twist in III would be Donald Love's mysterious disappearance. It comes out of nowhere but it also kind of works in my opinion.

 

Lance Vance betraying Tommy was a shocking twist, but not out of left field either. Lance was already hinted to be unreliable and he already achieved his goals in avenging Vic when he helped Tommy kill Diaz.

 

San Andreas had two of the most famous plot twists in the series, The Green Sabre and Mike Toreno being a federal agent.