The humor in GTA IV is underrated

[FanEu7]

Lots of people act like it was all doom and gloom but its actually f*cking hilarious as well and balances the tone well.  Niko's interactions with Brucie, Vlad, Packie etc. still make me laugh.

[universetwisters]

It's just weird that there's this really serious dark story and it's juxtaposed with TEEHEEHEE THIS INTERNET CAFE IS CALLED "TWAT" and 69s all over the place

[Ryo256]

44 minutes ago, universetwisters said:

It's just weird that there's this really serious dark story and it's juxtaposed with TEEHEEHEE THIS INTERNET CAFE IS CALLED "TWAT" and 69s all over the place

I think that's just a simplified way of looking at it. Most people may disagree with me when I say that while GTA IV's story was more grounded than GTA SA, it was only slightly more serious. This is why TWAT and 69s stuff isn't that out of place because writing is just a step up from previous games but the core of it all stays the same. Also GTA III is much darker and serious game than IV, it had similar humor, especially on the radio. Because it's a satire series, it's poking fun at how America is in an exaggerated way. 

Edited December 29, 2020 by Ryo256

[universetwisters]

28 minutes ago, Ryo256 said:

 Also GTA III is much darker and serious game than IV, it had similar humor, especially on the radio. Because it's a satire series, it's poking fun at how America is in an exaggerated way. 

 

what

 

I'm too tired to go into but I'm 100% positive that IV is more serious than III. Like I don't remember Claude ever sitting down with anyone and recounting some dead kids he saw in a war and that being why he doesn't believe in God, or a tearful reunion between Claude and the chick who betrayed him, only for her to call him out on him doing exactly what she did

 

Not only that but I don't think GTA was a "satire" series when III came out, they just wanted something funny and kinda topical to put on the radio to add to the atmosphere. By the time IV came out, it's like they wanted to have late night talk show-tier "wokeness"

Edited December 29, 2020 by universetwisters

[Americana]

I think what he means is that in Grand Theft Auto III everyone is either annoyed or angry. 

 

Well... apart from pedestrians. I mean, his mother's his sister.

Edited December 29, 2020 by Americana

[Ryo256]

1 hour ago, universetwisters said:

I'm too tired to go into but I'm 100% positive that IV is more serious than III. Like I don't remember Claude ever sitting down with anyone and recounting some dead kids he saw in a war and that being why he doesn't believe in God, or a tearful reunion between Claude and the chick who betrayed him, only for her to call him out on him doing exactly what she did

There's no characters like Roman Bellic and Bruice in GTA III. GTA IV is like GTA III, except the main character can speak and is human. What you think, Claude was gonna talk about ponies and rainbows if he could speak when he interacted with Catalina? GTA III is serious business in a gloomy city. In GTA IV you see Niko happily bowling, joking with Packie, getting a comfy and rich apartment from Dwayne and even thinks about settling down with Kate. GTA IV isn't all about Niko being scarred from war, he is much more than that.

Edited December 29, 2020 by Ryo256

[universetwisters]

4 minutes ago, Ryo256 said:

There's no characters like Roman Bellic and Bruice in GTA III. GTA IV is like GTA III, except the main character can speak and is human. What you think, Claude was gonna talk about ponies and rainbows if he could speak when he interacted with Catalina? GTA III is serious business in a gloomy city. In GTA IV you see Niko happily bowling, joking with Packie, getting a comfy and rich apartment from Dwayne and even thinks about settling down with Kate. GTA IV isn't all about Niko being scarred from war, he is much more than that.

 

Idk man just because there's some witty comic relief characters in IV who have a personality beyond "do this job for me" doesn't mean that III is a darker, more serious game than IV.

Not only that but did you forget the "strangely animated cop" you had to kill, or having to drive all over Portland picking up pr0no mags for the El Burro guy?

[Ryo256]

18 minutes ago, universetwisters said:

Idk man just because there's some witty comic relief characters in IV who have a personality beyond "do this job for me" doesn't mean that III is a darker, more serious game than IV.

Why not? Quite clear it has narrative beyond just Niko sharing gruesome war stories or Claude on a serious revenge mission.
 

18 minutes ago, universetwisters said:

Not only that but did you forget the "strangely animated cop" you had to kill, or having to drive all over Portland picking up pr0no mags for the El Burro guy?

Not exactly convincing. Not only GTA IV has comic relief characters that play bigger role in the narrative, we got funny TV shows and quirky girlfriends that match this content you are talking about. GTA IV tried to make me laugh (and succeeded) way more than III did.

Edited December 29, 2020 by Ryo256

[universetwisters]

15 minutes ago, Ryo256 said:

Why not? Quite clear it has narrative beyond just Niko sharing gruesome war stories or Claude on a serious revenge mission.

 

What narrative is there in III other than Claude getting revenge on Catalina and a few phone missions? Niko's main driving force in IV was revenge and trying to find who betrayed his unit during the war, Claude's was just a hired gun, doing whatever for money and possibly to find Catalina.

 

16 minutes ago, Ryo256 said:

Not exactly convincing. Not only GTA IV has comic relief characters that play bigger role in the narrative, we got funny TV shows and quirky girlfriends that match this content you are talking about. GTA IV tried to make me laugh (and succeeded) way more than III did.

 

I feel like that's because IV tried to be more of a """"""""social commentary"""""""" and reflect on the setting like a talk show host trying to be funny more than III was trying to be funny. 

 

III just wanted to be silly when it could, IV was deliberately trying to get the same laughs you'd get on MadTV

[Ryo256]

1 minute ago, universetwisters said:

What narrative is there in III other than Claude getting revenge on Catalina and a few phone missions?

Exactly, there isn't really that much diversity in the narrative. It's a serious revenge story in a gloomy city.

 

2 minutes ago, universetwisters said:

Niko's main driving force in IV was revenge and trying to find who betrayed his unit during the war

He also wanted a new beginning. Why do you think he wanted to settle down with Kate? Because revenge? 
Also unlike Claude, Niko isn't always asking about Darko e.g he enjoys spending time with Little Jacob, Dwayne and the McReary family.. It's not just strictly revenge thing for Niko. But it was for Claude.

[universetwisters]

11 minutes ago, Ryo256 said:

Exactly, there isn't really that much diversity in the narrative. It's a serious revenge story in a gloomy city.

 

Yea but just because there's no diversity that doesn't mean it's a dark or serious story. I dunno what's serious about chasing after donkey pr0no or trying to be blown up by crazy dudes on drugs

 

12 minutes ago, Ryo256 said:

Also unlike Claude, Niko isn't always asking about Darko e.g he enjoys spending time with Little Jacob, Dwayne and the McReary family.. It's not just strictly revenge thing for Niko. But it was for Claude.

 

He's always talking about how he's looking for someone and that's one of the main reasons why he came to LC. Just because he can go bowling or get some drinks, that doesn't take away from the fact that he's spending the story looking for that special someone and that's a large driving force behind his actions.

[Ryo256]

29 minutes ago, universetwisters said:

Yea but just because there's no diversity that doesn't mean it's a dark or serious story. I dunno what's serious about chasing after donkey pr0no or trying to be blown up by crazy dudes on drugs

Okay bear with me, this is some complex math sh*t:

GTA III = Serious revenge story in gloomy city + few minor funny characters
GTA IV = Serious revenge story in gloomy city but not the only focus + some major funny characters + some minor funny characters + funny side content like TV

Therefore GTA III is more serious and darker than IV.
 

29 minutes ago, universetwisters said:

He's always talking about how he's looking for someone and that's one of the main reasons why he came to LC.

One of the main reasons.  Reasons include:

- Finding Darko
- Escaping Bulgarin
- A fresh new start

 

29 minutes ago, universetwisters said:

Just because he can go bowling or get some drinks, 

I'm not talking about hangouts. Niko will spend time with and do main story missions for Little Jacob, Dwayne and McReary Family out of his own interest. Why doesn't he spend all this time looking for Darko? These guys can't find him nor does Niko mention Darko to these guys. Niko has interests beyond Darko. Diversity in narrative, therefore GTA IV is not just a serious revenge story. It is more than that.

 

29 minutes ago, universetwisters said:

 that doesn't take away from the fact that he's spending the story looking for that special someone and that's a large driving force behind his actions.

But it isn't the only major driving force. BUT this is the case for Claude. Claude has no time for life, he is on a mission for revenge.

Edited December 29, 2020 by Ryo256

[FanEu7]

3 hours ago, universetwisters said:

It's just weird that there's this really serious dark story and it's juxtaposed with TEEHEEHEE THIS INTERNET CAFE IS CALLED "TWAT" and 69s all over the place

 

I was actually talking about the dialogue in the main story which is often hilarious. While GTA IV obviously has the darkest story of the series I don't think its just dark, it has a good balance so the parodies and jokes outside the story fit as well

[TWIST_OF_HATE]

- What's your name again ?

- Big mouth prick

- Very catchy, sit down

[Dr Busta]

1 hour ago, Ryo256 said:

Therefore GTA III is more serious and darker than IV.

How's GTA 3 more darker

Because it has a darker Atmosphere?

[Ryo256]

16 minutes ago, DR:BUSTA said:

How's GTA 3 more darker

Because it has a darker Atmosphere?

Because of:

 

2 hours ago, Ryo256 said:

There's no characters like Roman Bellic and Bruice in GTA III. GTA IV is like GTA III, except the main character can speak and is human. What you think, Claude was gonna talk about ponies and rainbows if he could speak when he interacted with Catalina? GTA III is serious business in a gloomy city. In GTA IV you see Niko happily bowling, joking with Packie, getting a comfy and rich apartment from Dwayne and even thinks about settling down with Kate. GTA IV isn't all about Niko being scarred from war, he is much more than that.

And:
 

2 hours ago, Ryo256 said:

Why not? Quite clear it has narrative beyond just Niko sharing gruesome war stories or Claude on a serious revenge mission.

Also:
 

2 hours ago, Ryo256 said:

Not exactly convincing. Not only GTA IV has comic relief characters that play bigger role in the narrative, we got funny TV shows and quirky girlfriends that match this content you are talking about. GTA IV tried to make me laugh (and succeeded) way more than III did.

Plus:
 

1 hour ago, Ryo256 said:

Exactly, there isn't really that much diversity in the narrative. It's a serious revenge story in a gloomy city.

Not to mention:
 

1 hour ago, Ryo256 said:

GTA III = Serious revenge story in gloomy city + few minor funny characters
GTA IV = Serious revenge story in gloomy city but not the only focus + some major funny characters + some minor funny characters + funny side content like TV

Main point is that while both GTA IV and III are dark, IV goes beyond just that, III doesn't. At the very least,  III is equally dark if not more than IV.

[Dr Busta]

2 minutes ago, Ryo256 said:

Because of:

 

And:
 

Also:
 

Plus:
 

Not to mention:
 

Main point is that while both GTA IV and III are dark, IV goes beyond just that, III doesn't. At the very least,  III is equally dark if not more than IV.

Being serious doesn't mean that it's dark 

We never saw Claude getting traumatized memories of CJ bullying him because he was mute 

[Yinepi]

8 minutes ago, DR:BUSTA said:

Being serious doesn't mean that it's dark 

We never saw Claude getting traumatized memories of CJ bullying him because he was mute 

Yeah but that happened after GTA3. It would've been not even possible to write such trauma when at the time of GTA3's release CJ didn't exist yet.

 

Edited December 29, 2020 by Yinepi

[Ryo256]

12 minutes ago, DR:BUSTA said:

We never saw Claude getting traumatized memories of CJ bullying him because he was mute 

That's a very simplified definition of dark. You have Assassin Creed IV which is not dark but serious yet it has Edward facing regretful memories. GTA III doesn't need MC facing some emotional distress to be dark. Liberty City is a dark and messed up place, you are shot and left to die in a dangerous city and your only motivation is to get revenge. GTA 3 is not simply a serious game. It is dark.

And read Rockstar's description on their page:

Edited December 29, 2020 by Ryo256

[universetwisters]

6 minutes ago, Ryo256 said:

And read Rockstar's description on their page:

 

Idk man maybe it's rose tinted nostalgia glasses or being able to compare III to IV, but III doesn't seem that dark despite what Rockstar themselves say. 

[Dr Busta]

4 minutes ago, Ryo256 said:

GTA III doesn't need MC facing some emotional distress to be dark. Liberty City is a dark and messed up place, you are shot and left to die in a dangerous city and your only motivation is to get revenge. GTA 3 is not simply a serious game. It is dark.

And read Rockstar's description on their page:

Except that's not the main topic of the game that's a side thing that you would think of I mean every GTA  game has a f*cked city where it's the protagonist playground

The main GTA 3 topic is  ranking your way through the underworld

9 minutes ago, Yinepi said:

9 minutes ago, Yinepi said:

Yeah but that happened after GTA3. It would've been not even possible to write such trauma when at the time of GTA3's release CJ didn't exist yet.

 

Yeah but there's still nothing that dark about GTA 3 except the atmosphere

[Americana]

1 hour ago, TWIST_OF_HATE said:

- What's your name again ?

- Big mouth prick

- Very catchy, sit down

 

Now bring me a f*cking coffee!

 

[Niobium]

i agree, GTA IV probably has the best humour in the series. niko's one-liners are pure gold, especially his interactions with vlad. i just love how much of a smartass he is at times. johnny and luis had their moments too.

[Ryo256]

14 minutes ago, universetwisters said:

III doesn't seem that dark despite what Rockstar themselves say. 

 

Fair enough but it seem dark enough for me and I do personally agree with what Rockstar is saying.
 

14 minutes ago, DR:BUSTA said:

Except that's not the main topic of the game

Game starts with Claude getting betrayed and ends with him getting his revenge. In IV, game doesn't end after Darko dies. So yes, revenge is main topic in III and probably the only one....ranking up in criminal world is a means to that goal.

 

14 minutes ago, DR:BUSTA said:

you would think of I mean every GTA  game has a f*cked city where it's the protagonist playground

The main GTA 3 topic is  ranking your way through the underworld

 

Problem is that Rockstar doesn't agree. 

Rise to power is Vice City's theme. Game doesn't end after getting revenge on Diaz, it ends when Tommy dethrones Sonny. This is not the case with III's description nor does the story of III agrees.

Also I think people don't take GTA 3's dark approach that seriously since it is still more gamey due to when it was released but imagine if it was re-made today. You think Rockstar won't make the dark approach more apparent?

Edited December 29, 2020 by Ryo256

[Dr Busta]

2 minutes ago, Ryo256 said:

Rise to power is Vice City's theme. Game doesn't end after getting revenge on Diaz, it ends when Tommy dethrones Sonny. This is not the case with III's description nor does the story of III agrees.

We betrayed Diaz and not the opposite  also Diaz was a second antagonist not the main one

Just like how GTA 3 didn't end after killing Sal

3 minutes ago, Ryo256 said:

Also I think people don't take GTA 3's dark approach that seriously since it is still more gamey due to when it was released but imagine if it was re-made today. You think Rockstar won't make the grittiness more apparent?

Well I think it will be the same a criminal simulator and getting ranking up your way from a driver for a pimp into meeting the Don's son then meeting the Don's right hand after working for him he introduces you to the Don and you keep ranking up

[Ryo256]

1 minute ago, DR:BUSTA said:

We betrayed Diaz

Tommy's first deal got screwed over by gunners sent by Diaz. That's why we got the revenge.

 

2 minutes ago, DR:BUSTA said:

Just like how GTA 3 didn't end after killing Sal

Exactly if main topic was getting higher ranking through underworld, Sal would be the final kill.

 

2 minutes ago, DR:BUSTA said:

Well I think it will be the same a criminal simulator and getting ranking up your way from a driver for a pimp into meeting the Don's son then meeting the Don's right hand after working for him he introduces you to the Don and you keep ranking up

Look I don't mind your perspective on the games. I'm just explaining why I think otherwise.

[universetwisters]

15 minutes ago, Ryo256 said:

In IV, game doesn't end after Darko dies.

 

Oh come on dude lmao that's like the third to last mission. 

[Dr Busta]

1 minute ago, Ryo256 said:

Tommy's first deal got screwed over by gunners sent by Diaz. That's why we got the revenge.

They weren't exactly best friends you know and Diaz doesn't know that they're the same person

 

2 minutes ago, Ryo256 said:

Exactly if main topic was getting higher ranking through underworld, Sal would be the final kill.

After Sal's betrayal all of the effort that Claude did went to sh*t so he started all over again but with the Yakuza this Time to improve things a bit

3 minutes ago, Ryo256 said:

Look I don't mind your perspective on the games. I'm just explaining why I think otherwise.

Catalina's betrayal seems like the main plot but when you play the game you never feel like it's part of the story until the very final part of the game actually I feel like Claude totally forgot about Catalina's betrayal

Also Claude is a silent protagonist so not everyone will see him the same

I see him as a normal criminal not depressed or dark or anything like that and I never felt like he was supposed to be like that

Another reason why I think that because most of the missions that he does are not related to finding Catalina at all

[Ryo256]

3 minutes ago, universetwisters said:

 

Oh come on dude lmao that's like the third to last mission. 

Well.....I'm not wrong am I? 
 

 

3 minutes ago, DR:BUSTA said:

They weren't exactly best friends you know and Diaz doesn't know that they're the same person

You need to check again. I didn't mention the word betrayal.


 

4 minutes ago, DR:BUSTA said:

After Sal's betrayal all of the effort that Claude did went to sh*t so he started all over again but with the Yakuza this Time to improve things a bit

And?
 

5 minutes ago, DR:BUSTA said:

Catalina's betrayal seems like the main plot but when you play the game you never feel like it's part of the story until the very final part of the game actually I feel like Claude totally forgot about Catalina's betrayal

Also Claude is a silent protagonist so not everyone will see him the same

I see him as a normal criminal not depressed or dark or anything like that and I never felt like he was supposed to be like that

Another reason why I think that because most of the missions that he does are not related to finding Catalina at all

I understand where you are coming from. I'm not dismissing how @universetwisters feels about III either. I just think III's main point is revenge, ranking up in power is a means to that point and that's it. Claude is seeking revenge, through aid of other criminals in a dark land of Liberty City and the game ends with Claude killing a lot of people and getting his revenge. That's all there is to GTA III. Now IV, I argue.....isn't just about Niko doing that, he has other interests in Liberty City like beginning a new life with Roman, helping him out, having fun with friends and having a family with Kate. Claude isn't into that. GTA III is about revenge, dark atmosphere and criminals. IV is also like that but has much much more. That's why I can't agree that IV is more darker than III. You can choose to disagree, I understand why because of how you see things but I see things differently and that's about it.

[universetwisters]

2 minutes ago, Ryo256 said:

I'm not dismissing how @universetwisters feels about III either. I just think III's main point is revenge, ranking up in power is a means to that point and that's it. Claude is seeking revenge, through aid of other criminals in a dark land of Liberty City and the game ends with Claude killing a lot of people and getting his revenge.

 

I agree that revenge is III's main point, I'm just arguing that III isn't as dark as IV and IV is darker than III, even if you take out the human element.