What if GTA used real cities, real cars, and real brands?

[FakeBrandsSuck]

I know I am in the minority here most likely, but how would people feel if GTA started using real cities, real cars, and real brands?\
I actually really HATE the fake parody cities and brands in GTA, I find it very distracting when the game is trying to tell a serious story, or when I  trying to immerse myself into a setting during gameplay, and BOOM, a giant ad for eCola or Cluck'n'Bell takes me out of the moment and reminds me of The Simpsons.

I know it's a staple in GTA, but I find it stupid, and I was wondering, even though it will never happen (which means I usually end up resorting to mods, something Rockstar does NOT like), how would people on this forum feel about a GTA game set in a real city, where you can drive real cars, and interact with real brands?

[Moth]

Then it wouldn't be GTA. The point of the world of GTA is to be a parody of reality. You think Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Ford or any real world brand would want to be in a game like GTA? Or be made fun of?

Edited November 16, 2021 by Moth

[LowTierDude]

9 minutes ago, FakeBrandsSuck said:

I actually really HATE the fake parody cities and brands in GTA

Evidently

[lil vader]

I find it hard to follow your reasoning. GTA is not meant to be a re-creation of our world, it is a parody of real life that exaggerates whatever Rockstar want to mock. The game would probably feel LESS immersive if you were constantly being bombarded with ads for real life products. Don't you ever feel a disconnect when you're watching a movie and a bit of blatant product placement is shown?

[Dragomazing]

5 hours ago, FakeBrandsSuck said:

I know I am in the minority here most likely, but how would people feel if GTA started using real cities, real cars, and real brands?\
I actually really HATE the fake parody cities and brands in GTA, I find it very distracting when the game is trying to tell a serious story, or when I  trying to immerse myself into a setting during gameplay, and BOOM, a giant ad for eCola or Cluck'n'Bell takes me out of the moment and reminds me of The Simpsons.

I know it's a staple in GTA, but I find it stupid, and I was wondering, even though it will never happen (which means I usually end up resorting to mods, something Rockstar does NOT like), how would people on this forum feel about a GTA game set in a real city, where you can drive real cars, and interact with real brands?

If you like real brands, check this supergt mod as a Toyota Supra MK3 in gtasa style:

My first real brand mod.

Edited November 16, 2021 by Dragomazing

[Lonely-Martin]

If they do that, it'd be a franchise killer, IMHO.

[Flipswix]

Try Driver San Francisco for examble. Feels unimaginative.

Edited November 16, 2021 by Flipswix

[jaljax]

Then there would probably be a bunch of lawsuits .  
 

Real life car manufacturers don’t want to see their cars being used in video games to kill pedestrians & what not 

Edited November 16, 2021 by jaljax

[MrNukki]

That would defeat the purpose of these games. GTA likes to poke fun at corporations and the shady businesses that they conduct. I doubt that any real-life company would willingly endorse their products in this "murder simulator" anyhow - would lead to bad publicity.

 

I hate seeing real brands in GTA, they feel too out of place, even if it tried to justify its existence.

 

1 hour ago, jaljax said:

Then there would probably be a bunch of lawsuits .  
 

Real life car manufacturers don’t want to see their cars being used in video games to kill pedestrians & what not 

 

Car companies can be very sensitive when it comes to licensing their cars, even if it's something minute and not harmful. Toyota for example refused to license their cars for NFS due to them opposing unsanctioned and illegal street racing. 

Edited November 16, 2021 by MrNukki

[StarJet905]

We already have licensing issues with music. Cars would be a far greater disaster. Please no.

[BobFromReboot]

The brands in the GTA series are a huge part of their charm and flavor. Fictional cars that are not exactly like their real world counterparts are much more interesting, for example. Not to mention all the licensing issues already brought up. You would end up with a world where there is only Coca-Cola Products, and no android phones, etc. Weird things like that because of business deals.

 

If you want to see real life brands, go to a shopping mall.

[FakeBrandsSuck]

7 hours ago, BobFromReboot said:

The brands in the GTA series are a huge part of their charm and flavor. Fictional cars that are not exactly like their real world counterparts are much more interesting, for example. Not to mention all the licensing issues already brought up. You would end up with a world where there is only Coca-Cola Products, and no android phones, etc. Weird things like that because of business deals.

 

If you want to see real life brands, go to a shopping mall.

 

Yeah, I know it's a huge part of the charm and flavor, and series staple, and I'm not saying they should be removed just due to my personal preferences, just expresing my opinion.

It's incredibly distracting when a game is trying to tell a serious story about an event that happened at 'Pier 69' in 'San Fierro', it's extremely distracting from the storytelling and immersion in my opinion, going with a 100% fictional city like Saints Row 2 would have fared better IMO, especially when the GTA cities usually do a better job representing the real city then games actually set in that city do, GTA IV still has the best representation of NYC to this date, even GTA San Andreas did good.

One thing I don't get is how GTA IV (not knocking on the game or anything) strips players of the ability to drive a Dune Buggy or use a tank because it wanted to be serious, but they still call what is obviously Central Park 'Middle Park', it begins to feel inconsistent.

[Valiant ENT CEO]

GTA is and pretty much always was perfect before GTA V hit. Every game had landmarks from their respective cities that really made you feel like you were there. And no fake ads got in the way because you knew what they were if you thought about it for 2 seconds.

 

GTA Online is where they kinda sold out. Imo they got away from the whole "Respect is Everything" mantra. It's become a circus. Not even a travelling circus. A circus that goes nowhere for 10 years.

[lil vader]

4 hours ago, FakeBrandsSuck said:

100% fictional city like Saints Row 2

 

You don't think Saints Row 2 drew inspiration from real life cities? You're aware Stilwater was heavily influenced by cities such as Chicago? It might not be a total recreation but it's more in the same vein of games like GTA 3. Do you get un-immersed playing GTA 3 because of Badfellas posters?
 

4 hours ago, FakeBrandsSuck said:

GTA cities usually do a better job representing the real city then games actually set in that city do

 

Yep. But again, R* didn't totally recreate New York City or L.A. I haven't been to any of these cities, bear in mind, but my assumption would be that famous landmarks and key areas (such as Rockford Hills/Beverly Hills, Middle Park/Central Park) were recreated, and then exaggerated, because IRL the Statue of Liberty isn't Hillary Clinton holding a coffee mug.

 

4 hours ago, FakeBrandsSuck said:

One thing I don't get is how GTA IV (not knocking on the game or anything) strips players of the ability to drive a Dune Buggy or use a tank because it wanted to be serious, but they still call what is obviously Central Park 'Middle Park', it begins to feel inconsistent.

Those two things are so totally disconnected and you're just making arbitrary connections to validate your own "opinion". The former part of your statement is correct, tanks or a dune buggy for instance do not fit the tone Rockstar were going for. Not being totally dissimilar to real life, you generally wouldn't see a tank rolling down the streets of Manhattan, or someone speeding on a dune buggy through central park. Recreating Middle Park does. You keep droning on about immersion yet it would be 100x more unrealistic to let Niko pilot a jet in NYC airspace but you're complaining about something as menial as advertisements. You don't seem to understand that the general design philosophy of GTA3 - 5 was a British take on American culture.

Edited November 17, 2021 by lil vader

[Moth]

2 hours ago, Valiant ENT CEO said:

GTA is and pretty much always was perfect before GTA V hit. Every game had landmarks from their respective cities that really made you feel like you were there. And no fake ads got in the way because you knew what they were if you thought about it for 2 seconds.

 

GTA Online is where they kinda sold out. Imo they got away from the whole "Respect is Everything" mantra. It's become a circus. Not even a travelling circus. A circus that goes nowhere for 10 years.

GTA V did a good job at making a parody of LA.

 

Online was fine until they added the f*cking hoverbikes and Moodymann saying he's from f*cking Detroit. 

[Valiant ENT CEO]

1 hour ago, Moth said:

GTA V did a good job at making a parody of LA.

 

Online was fine until they added the f*cking hoverbikes and Moodymann saying he's from f*cking Detroit. 

 

Of course. But it's supposed to be "GTA Online" and not "GTA City Online"

 

Where is the rest of San Andreas?? Of course they did a great!!! Job!!! of a LA parody. But it's actually so good it's just sh*t. Absolutely sh*t like all of California

 

And believe me.. I just did the Union Depository Contract today. "Wanna bust a nut in me? You betta' get on yo' back playa" Having to listen to anything Tuners related is like mental rape. It should be illegal.

 

In conclusion.. I'll be damned if I want to see a Sprite commercial in any video game.. For infinity. Because your a soda. And we get enough bullsh*t advertisement in like 90% of our lives. If your ears or eyes are open you are probably processing some BS tw@t trying to sell you some sh*t.

[GrudgefromSanAndreas]

Rockstar actually did use a real city and real cars, it's called Midnight Club LA

[Piro]

On 11/16/2021 at 6:31 AM, FakeBrandsSuck said:

I actually really HATE the fake parody cities and brands in GTA

Funny, I actually really HATE all mods that replace in game products with real life advertisements and Im surprised there are people who would willingly play that

[Liberty City Executioner]

Uh, it’s simply because…

1. It would cost R* WAY too much money to try to buy so many copyrights.

2. Most of these brands probably don’t want their name attached to an organized crime game and rightfully so.

So yeah..plain and simple, Dude.

[slimeball supreme]

On 11/17/2021 at 11:11 AM, FakeBrandsSuck said:

One thing I don't get is how GTA IV (not knocking on the game or anything) strips players of the ability to drive a Dune Buggy or use a tank because it wanted to be serious, but they still call what is obviously Central Park 'Middle Park', it begins to feel inconsistent.

This doesn't seem contradictory at all. can serious stories not be told in fictionalized cities. Whats wrong with san fierro or anything else

Edited November 30, 2021 by slimeball supreme

[Claude4Catalina]

5 hours ago, slimeball supreme said:

This doesn't seem contradictory at all. can serious stories not be told in fictionalized cities. Whats wrong with san fierro or anything else

 

I just headcanon'd the lack of the Rhino as being a logical decision; theres no military bases in GTA IV so with Rockstar's more serious approach to the game it made sense for it to not be in there.  by the time the Episodes were released we had a Little Bird and APC added to accompany the NOOSE Black Hawks so looking at how militarized US police forces have become from then up until now (Gucci carbines, high cut helmets and Crye plate carriers) it made sense back in 2008 that a force created as a response to terrorism (NOOSE) would've only had access to Black Hawks, Colt LE Carbines and the same Glock pistols as LCPD patrol officers.  fast forward to their depiction in GTA V, keeping in mind that V leant more into blatant parodies and humorous takes on the concept of there being a rifle behind every blade of grass (despite Facebook gun boomers calling Cali Kommiefornia for it's strict gun laws) than IV did and the presence of Fort Zancudo, it kind of justifies the more outlandish military stuff in V's story mode.  Online with it's flying bikes and plethora of Cold War Soviet tech can still eat a very literal bowl of dicks though.

[Jimmy Muffins]

And Ryder should have been called Eazy-E and Tommy should have been called Tony Montana.

 

As others have said, GTA being a parody of real life and pop culture is one of it's biggest strengths. Remember that Cluckin' Bell jingle on the radio in SA? 

 

"Cock-a-doodle doo, we're a huge corporation.

 

Cock-d-doodle doo, and we CAN'T be STOPPED!

 

All you protesters can go to hell, it's time for Cluckin' Bell"

 

Wouldn't have been as good if they were literally just calling out KFC or Taco Bell in the game without parodying it. 

 

GTA has never used real names. It's always been on that edge where it's pretty clear what the character/location/brand is inspired by but there's nothing any of these companies or people can do about it irl. 

 

Plus I just think it's fun and it gives the series an identity and a licence to tweak and change whatever R* wants. Even though eCola is heavily inspired by Coca Cola, it still technically belongs to them since they created the fictional corporation. Same goes for the major cities, towns, brands, characters and everything else. 

 

Edited December 1, 2021 by Jimmy Muffins