Smartest and dumbest decisions characters have made in the series

[Algonquin Assassin]

Thought this would be a good way to cap off 2020 as far as discussions go.

 

Pretty explanatory. Note this isn’t just protagonists. It can be any character.

 

Smartest: Tommy infiltrating Diaz’s operation to get the dirt on him and build his trust before whacking him and taking over and in doing so sending a clear message to other gangs/organisations he’s not to be f*cked with.

 

Dumbest: Trevor thinking it would be a good idea to rip off Merryweather by stealing a super weapon only for it to backfire epically.

[Guest]

I have another dumb decision: Lance stupidly attacking Diaz and not waiting a bit for the suitable time, as shown in "Death Row".
 

[god speed]

Dumbest:
-Michael pulling down the mansion that belonged to Madrazo's misstress.
-Johnny not letting go of Ashley...

[DeltaV20]

(Lance)
1#  Stealing cocaine from Mendez brothers and working with Diaz 
2# Most Dumbest thing Lance did was betraying Tommy , he thought he'll get a 50/50 share of money with Sonny but he forgot that it's his last dance 

Edited December 31, 2020 by DeltaV20

[Evil empire]

Carl Johnson: Blindly trusting Big Smoke, the only Grove who lives in the Ballas' territory especialy when Smoke never gives any mission implying to fight the purple gang and doesn't raise any finger to shoot the Ballas during the Drive-thru mission.

[GhettoJesus]

Smartest:
Tommy deciding to backstab Sonny by building an empire

CJ saving Madd Dogg and becoming his manager. CJ profited quite nicely from it.

 

Dumbest:
Catalina not killing Claude when she had two chances to do so. She could have put a simple car bomb under the car in Kingdom Come and be done with it or pop Claude after Grand Theft Aero

Tenpenny trying to tie up loose ends before escaping the city, CJ really wasn't all that important (and where the hell was Sweet anyways? Wasn't he outside? Didn't they notice him?)

Maria telling Salvatore that she and Claude was together

 

[Dr Busta]

Smartest : CJ treating everyone with respect even if he hated them and using each one of their skill for his own use like doing missions for ken Rosenberg /Paul/Maccer to rob the Casino and then telling Sal that he killed them just to use them later in the Madd Dogg career sh*t or doing missions for Zero to make him help him later in the hiest or associating with the Traids 

Dumbest : everything that Lance Vance did in the series 

[J LaFleur]

Dumbest:

- Franklin Clinton taking Michael De Santa's sarcastic remark about "we should go for a beer someday, and I'll tell you how the world really works" as serious, and sneaking back onto the man (who pulled a gun on him in the car for doing it before)'s property.

[Dr Busta]

17 minutes ago, GhettoJesus said:

where the hell was Sweet anyways? Wasn't he outside? Didn't they notice him?)

He was taking a piss

[billiejoearmstrong8]

Dumbest: Manny busting into Elizabeta's apartment with a cameraman 

[Guest]

10 minutes ago, billiejoearmstrong8 said:

Dumbest: Manny busting into Elizabeta's apartment with a cameraman 

Yep, Manny was too dumb to get himself killed.

[Guest]

Smartest: Everything that Kendl did.

 

Dumbest: Ryder Betraying GSF.

[Evil empire]

Dumbest in GTA 3: Salvatore Leone trying to assassinate Caude because he imagines without the least evidence that Claude has a crush with Maria, all of this without making sure Maria will not guess his plan.

[Guest]

4 minutes ago, Evil empire said:

Dumbest in GTA 3: Salvatore Leone trying to assassinate Caude because he imagines without the least evidence that Claude has a crush with Maria, all of this without making sure Maria will not guess his plan.

Maria was an idiot though. And it was Maria who had a crush on Claude, not vice versa.

[Payne]

Dumbest:

-Trevor going back to Michael

-Franklin working for feds

-Johnny betraying Ray

-Niko thinking Pegorino wouldn’t come after him when he takes Revenge

[Tycek]

Another nice topic from Algonquin Assassin. It's nice to see that You're still active on these boards. 

 

Smartest:

- Tommy working for Diaz in order to gain his trust and learn about his operations. 

- Tommy treating others with respect, which allowed him to make good business connections (e.g. Avery Carrington allowing Tommy to has a share and easier entrance into real estate market).

- CJ making various connections, which allowed him to progress on his quest more easily (connection with Triads, Madd Dogg, Zero, Dwayne and Jethro)

 

Dumbest:

- Johnny stealing money from the diamonds deal. That always irks me a bit every time I play through The Lost and Damned. Lost MC would be paid for stealing the diamonds anyway and robbing the cash straight from under mafia nose wasn't the best idea. I guess greed brought the worst in Johnny that day. 

- Michael pulling the house from the hill without checking who it belongs to (which in fact started whole trainwreck of the storyline in GTA V)

- Michael using his dumb catchphrase, for which he was well known back in North Yankton, in the jewel store job, which allowed Trevor to actually start looking for him and turned the storyline from bearable into complete destruction.

Edited December 31, 2020 by Tycek

[universetwisters]

Michael pulling the house down because it triggered the events of V

 

Also Johnny ripping Ray off

Edited December 31, 2020 by universetwisters
Forgot bout Johnny lol

[RtRick]

 

Dumbest:

Lamar trading with the man he kidnapped. 

Johnny and Jim don't stick together and go in separate ways after escaping from Ray.

Carl choosing to kill many agents instead of killing Tenpenny and Pulaski.

 

 

 

[DJ Arrt]

Smartest:

 

-The way Tommy handled himself in VC/post VC, dude really didn't f*ck up any situation through his own volition (that I can think of at least)

 

-CJ making the right connections/the way he got dirt on the Loco Syndicate by infiltrating them

 

-Not necessarily smart, though I do commend Luis for sticking by Tony, in the sense of the man saved his life, and even though it was against his better interest to, stuck by him and made just the right connections to actually get them out of it (Yusif, for example)

 

Dumbest:

 

-Claude sticking by Catalina crazy ass for 9 years

 

-CJ inflitrating Area 69 for a hippie

 

-As much as I love Vic, every action in VC besides killing Marty

 

-I'm replaying GTA IV, and I have to say the dumbest by far is Niko not realizing "Michelle" was a cop, like maybe it's bad writing on R* part, but it's just so blazingly obvious [EDIT: on second thought that relationship did help him find what he was looking for Revenge wise, but I digress]

 

-Entirety of GTA V

Edited December 31, 2020 by DJ Arrt

[ThatBenGuy1998]

What a great way to end 2020 on a high note, Algonquin Assassin! Well, I know you after all. You always like to go a bit over-the-top (in a good way). Also, it’s nice to see you being still active, @Tycek! I missed you posting on these type of topics, buddy!

 

OT

 

Smartest:

Tommy Vercetti showing respect to others just to be on their good side or pretending to work for them in order to have them in trouble with other gangs.

CJ making all of his connections and operating his businesses.

Claude simply not being a drama queen, unlike literally every other GTA protagonist.

 

Dumbest:

Claude remaining with Catalina for NINE YEARS and somehow not even seeing it coming until he was shot and left to be arrested by the cops, despite obviously knowing her insanity!
Michael pulling down Martin Madrazo’s house all because he couldn’t control his temper.

Johnny screwing Ray over in the diamond deal.

[Algonquin Assassin]

15 hours ago, DJ Arrt said:

I'm replaying GTA IV, and I have to say the dumbest by far is Niko not realizing "Michelle" was a cop, like maybe it's bad writing on R* part, but it's just so blazingly obvious [EDIT: on second thought that relationship did help him find what he was looking for Revenge wise, but I digress

I often think about this. It’s obvious to us (the player I mean), but to Niko if you put yourself in his shoes being a recent immigrant that’s only been in a new country for a few days I doubt he would’ve had enough to pick it up straight away.

 

On their first date Michelle even makes mention that maybe he’s not used to talking to American women so he could probably be forgiven not understanding social conventions and the fact he only just met and barely knew her.

 

After a few of the conversations he makes a few “suspecting” remarks so I don’t think he’s that oblivious however it’s one thing to suspect something and it’s another to prove. Since there’s nothing before her reveal that 100% without dispute proves that’s she’s working for the government he has no course to say she does. That would be a mighty allegation to make without evidence to back it up.

 

I also don’t think it’s bad writing. Clearly the writers wanted to lay down the seeds and let them slowly grow. Bad writing would’ve been Niko and Michelle dating like a normal couple and then out of the blue Michelle revealing herself to be a government agent.

 

It’s obvious now because the clues stick out like a sore thumb, but I don’t even think necessarily it was meant to be a plot twist moreover getting us to think and it done that tenfold.

 

 

Edited January 1, 2021 by Algonquin Assassin

[Dr Busta]

56 minutes ago, Algonquin Assassin said:

It’s obvious now because the clues stick out like a sore thumb, but I don’t even think necessarily it was meant to be a plot twist moreover getting us to think and it done that tenfold.

I recommended GTA 4 for a friend of mine who doesn't know anything about the GTA series and he dated Michelle but he never noticed that she's an undercover agent he always kept saying how she acts like a Karen

And that gave him a good laugh when he knew her real name 

So I think it wasn't that obvious for someone who doesn't know anything at that point like Niko

[Tycek]

I can relate to that. When I was playing GTA San Andreas for the first time (around february 2005 I think) I didn't know anything about the story. Internet, YT and forums weren't as strong as today and practically only way You could have been spoiled were magazines, which printed solutions for the games (crazy, right?). 

 

When I get to the mission Green Sabre I was truly astonished seeing Big Smoke and Ryder with the Ballas. I'd never expected him to be a traitor. Sure there were signs as well as in case of Michelle/Karen, that Big Smoke lived outside Grove St. and his missions didn't involve shooting Ballas, but I somehow never added 2 to 2, while playing for the first time. There was something iffy about him, but I couldn't put my finger on it exactly. 

 

It's easy to say that Big Smoke is a snake and Michelle is a cop now, that we know all the facts, and be surprised that character couldn't see it from the start. I guess many of us were as shocked as both games main characters, seeing Michelle and Big Smoke in strange situations. 

Edited January 1, 2021 by Tycek

[Bigglo145]

On 12/31/2020 at 10:34 AM, The Journey said:

Dumbest:

- Franklin Clinton taking Michael De Santa's sarcastic remark about "we should go for a beer someday, and I'll tell you how the world really works" as serious, and sneaking back onto the man (who pulled a gun on him in the car for doing it before)'s property.

Came here to say just this lol glad someone said it. What is franklin, a toddler? How could he be so gullible. But Michael was just as dumb for actually considering taking him for a drink and not telling him to GTFO his house

[Bigglo145]

Dumbest:id say niko trusting dimitri to kill faustin. Niko seemed smarter than that. He had no real reason to kill mikhael faustin other than whatever dimitri told him if i can recall, dimitri seemed very slimy at that.

Smartest:niko killing playboy x. Just like with faustin and dimitri, he had no reason to kill dwayne. Niko shouldve had the decision to kill dimitri like he did playboy

[GhettoJesus]

3 hours ago, Bigglo145 said:

Dumbest:id say niko trusting dimitri to kill faustin. Niko seemed smarter than that. He had no real reason to kill mikhael faustin other than whatever dimitri told him if i can recall, dimitri seemed very slimy at that.

Did he know? I recall Dimitri looking levelheaded and reasonable all the way until the assassination while Faustin looked like a grumpy drunkard who is on the edge of losing his mind. Even if he looked slimy at telling Niko to kill Faustin it looked like a rather normal request considering Faustin's mental state.

[KingAJ032304]

11 hours ago, Bigglo145 said:

Dumbest:id say niko trusting dimitri to kill faustin. Niko seemed smarter than that. He had no real reason to kill mikhael faustin other than whatever dimitri told him if i can recall, dimitri seemed very slimy at that.

Smartest:niko killing playboy x. Just like with faustin and dimitri, he had no reason to kill dwayne. Niko shouldve had the decision to kill dimitri like he did playboy

When the smartest decision is an optional one.

 

Anyways smartest was probably the gta 2 claude fooling gangs into killing each other and leaving the city

The dumbest is just everything about the Truths military missions like tf?

[Americana]

-

Edited July 31 by Americana

[billiejoearmstrong8]

23 hours ago, Algonquin Assassin said:

I often think about this. It’s obvious to us (the player I mean), but to Niko if you put yourself in his shoes being a recent immigrant that’s only been in a new country for a few days I doubt he would’ve had enough to pick it up straight away.

 

On their first date Michelle even makes mention that maybe he’s not used to talking to American women so he could probably be forgiven not understanding social conventions and the fact he only just met and barely knew her.

 

After a few of the conversations he makes a few “suspecting” remarks so I don’t think he’s that oblivious however it’s one thing to suspect something and it’s another to prove. Since there’s nothing before her reveal that 100% without dispute proves that’s she’s working for the government he has no course to say she does. That would be a mighty allegation to make without evidence to back it up.

 

I also don’t think it’s bad writing. Clearly the writers wanted to lay down the seeds and let them slowly grow. Bad writing would’ve been Niko and Michelle dating like a normal couple and then out of the blue Michelle revealing herself to be a government agent.

 

It’s obvious now because the clues stick out like a sore thumb, but I don’t even think necessarily it was meant to be a plot twist moreover getting us to think and it done that tenfold.

 

 

 

Agree with all this but also I never picked up on it the first time playing lol. It's sooooo obvious when you play it again but not so much when you don't know it's coming and it's the beginning of the game and you're focused on so many other things than just Niko's date conversations. I think in order to give some of the more sharp witted players a chance to notice it before the reveal they had to make it somewhat obvious.

Edited January 2, 2021 by billiejoearmstrong8

[H-G]

Smartest:

 

Toni Cipriani - Hacking into Paulie Sindacco's car using satellite technology to remotely control it and mess up a Sindacco-Forelli truce meet. "Taking The Peace" was a really fun mission.

 

Dumbest:

 

Toshiko Kasen - Having her rich Samurai husband Kazuki killed over one fishing email he once sent to his brother Kenji just because the email hardly implied something was off about Kazuki's... condition.

Edited January 3, 2021 by Staunton Assassin