Unpopular Rockstar Games Opinions

[The Tracker]

Inspired from "Unpopular Opinions Thread" from the Grand Theft Auto Series section, I thought it would be a great idea to expand upon those thoughts to not only the GTA franchise, but Rockstar Games in general. Whether you have an unpopular opinion regarding common tropes on the studio design, an underrated game of their old library, or simply some thoughts about the company itself, feel free to share them here. What are your opinions regarding Rockstar Games?

 

I'll start

 

-Dan Houser leaving R* isn't a big deal in the slightest. A lot of people act as if the quality standards of a company depended in just one or two guys, but let me tell you, that isn't the case at all, there is a whole personal at R* that helped shape the studio into what it is today, and they're still remaining at the company for years to come. Michael Unnsworth, Rupert Humphries, Rob Nelson, Andrew Semple, Jolyon Orme, Jennifer Kolbe, Ivan Pavlovich, Rod Edge, Dan Van Zantam, etc, etc, etc. Plenty of them have been familiar with the way the company works for decades, and to think all the credit belongs to just one person is pretty ignorant, not to say simple minded. 

 

-RDR2 has the best gunplay out of any other R* Open World Game. Yes, there I said it. Everything from the weapon design, weapon sounds, how meaty guns feel now and how they differ from each other statswise, the way NPCs react to bullets depending on where they get shot with the gruesome gore details, not to mention the physics engine, and althought it lacks some details from RDR1, it makes up for it with the other new amount of ways you can kill your enemies, with mechanics such as hip-fire, ammo types and even freaking bleed-out spots, say what you want about the aiming system and all that jack, but you can't deny the amount of effort that it went into making RDR2 shootouts have such a visceral feeling that you don't get in many open world games. 

Edited September 1 by The Tracker

[psxdriverplayer]

- Rocky Star is a company which has made some err can we say nice games which have been overhyped beyond belief starting with... ...if not from Grandy Thefty Automobile, then at least from Grandy Thefty Automobile Part Roman Numeral 3.

- Also Rocky Star itself is overhyped beyond belief, while peoples are not believing that ze company is not the same as it was at one time, basically, is only a fricken name at this point, like many other companies.

[BigBoyBertram]

I'll bite...

 

1. Bully doesn't need a sequel. I had fun with the game, but I always looked at it as a fun, quirky, one-and-done spin off experience. Would I like to see it and probably enjoy playing it? Sure. Would I also rather Rockstar prioritize other existing IPs or even work on creating a new IP? Definitely. 

 

2. GTA V's story isn't nearly as bad as some hardcore GTA fans make it out to be. It's a fun, heat style adventure with some well acted and memorable characters. Don't look at it for deep meaning or smart satire. Is it Rockstar's best work? Absolutely not.

 

3. Maybe not exactly unpopular, but Dutch Van Der Linde is the greatest Rockstar character of all time. 

[Space Cowboy]

After the next GTA, Rockstar should put Red Dead on hold and develop an entirely new IP in scale of RDR/GTA. It's been a good while since they brought something entirely new, and it would be nice if they stopped relying on safe sequels and make something we haven't seen from them before.

[Donald Lov]

Dan and Lazlow departing will affect the in-game comedy tremendously, making it unrecognizable;

 

The 3D era GTA offers a cast of characters more unique and memorable than that of the HD era;

 

RDR 1, while a spectacular game, is essentially a direct rip-off of Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch, making it one of Rockstar's most creatively bankrupt titles. 

[AkshayKumar]

The 'tap sprint button repeatedly' to sprint in Rockstar games that I think started from Bully is stupid. Not that i play that many games but no other games I've played do you need to tap the sprint button repeatedly and it's for good reason, it feels annoying. 

 

Holding the button to sprint is kind of a pain but not as bad I feel. 

 

I kinda wish you could just press a button for auto sprinting

[psxdriverplayer]

5 minutes ago, AkshayKumar said:

The 'tap sprint button repeatedly' to sprint in Rockstar games that I think started from Bully is stupid. Not that i play that many games but no other games I've played do you need to tap the sprint button repeatedly and it's for good reason, it feels annoying. 

 

Holding the button to sprint is kind of a pain but not as bad I feel. 

 

I kinda wish you could just press a button for auto sprinting

Why not have the entire game playing itself while yer at it

[AkshayKumar]

1 minute ago, psxdriverplayer said:

Why not have the entire game playing itself while yer at it

Because that's no fun. Like how mashing a button to sprint is no fun. 

 

Whereas it's convenient to have an auto sprint button I think, if it ruins the game for you don't toggle it

[Algonquin Assassin]

-Movement in HD era GTAs and RDR1/2 isn’t “clunky”. Having a sense of weight doesn’t make movement clunky.

 

-Renderware was already dated in 2001.

 

-Max Payne 3’s change of scenery was desperately needed.

 

-Since R* have opted for lesser known talent in the last decade or so it’s created more completing characters. Niko, Arthur, John etc wouldn’t be as memorable if they had instantly recognisable personalities attached to them. 
 

-I would rather see a remaster/remake of Midnight Club than GTA IV and RDR1.

 

 

 

[Ryo256]

17 hours ago, The Tracker said:

-Dan Houser leaving R* isn't a big deal in the slightest. 

 

-RDR2 has the best gunplay out of any other R* Open World Game. 

No offence but....these are unpopular?

Listen, son....I'll show you the meaning of unpopular, wait here.

*builds up saliva in mouth, gurgling the most vile venom*


Ready?

 

Spoiler

RDR2's narrative, beyond its amazing presentation, Arthur Morgan etc.....is not that good. (Sure as hell beats V by a mile, yes but that's not an achievement in my book, just a relief).

 

[BigBoyBertram]

11 hours ago, Donald Lov said:

RDR 1, while a spectacular game, is essentially a direct rip-off of Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch, making it one of Rockstar's most creatively bankrupt titles. 

 

Eh...

 

I can agree with the Mexico portion but not the entire game. The third and final act (with the epilogues)  is pretty original and is arguably (frankly most would say DEFINITIVELY) the best part of the game. Additionally, Act 1 in New Austin does share SOME broad similarities with the Wild Bunch, but nothing to the point where I would call it a direct rip-off. Hunting down men that wronged you, as well as a time period that's dying and a way of life that's going extinct aren't concepts originated by or owned by the Wild Bunch. 

6 hours ago, Ryo256 said:

RDR2's narrative, beyond its amazing presentation, Arthur Morgan etc.....is not that good. (Sure as hell beats V by a mile, yes but that's not an achievement in my book, just a relief).

 

What's your favorite Rockstar story then? IV?

Edited August 29 by BigBoyBertram

[Ryo256]

4 minutes ago, BigBoyBertram said:

 

Eh...

 

I can agree with the Mexico portion but not the entire game. The third and final act (with the epilogues)  is pretty original and is arguably the best part of the game. 

 

What's your favorite Rockstar story then? IV?

Well when it comes to favorite, I would say I do enjoy the story of GTA SA, Max Payne 3 and RDR1.

IV has a decent narrative, I respect it a lot for many reasons but can't say it's my favorite when it comes to story. And it's not like, despite V and RDR2 shortcomings, I didn't enjoy most of what I experienced but the overall picture? I can't say V and RDR2 narratives are put in the right position by the majority IMO, there's a lot of issues I have for me personally for me to ignore and then say, they are masterpieces in story (they are no doubt, technical masterpieces but not narrative) because I personally feel it wouldn't be fair.

[BigBoyBertram]

13 minutes ago, Ryo256 said:

Well when it comes to favorite, I would say I do enjoy the story of GTA SA, Max Payne 3 and RDR1.

IV has a decent narrative, I respect it a lot for many reasons but can't say it's my favorite when it comes to story. And it's not like, despite V and RDR2 shortcomings, I didn't enjoy most of what I experienced but the overall picture? I can't say V and RDR2 narratives are put in the right position by the majority IMO, there's a lot of issues I have for me personally for me to ignore and then say, they are masterpieces in story (they are no doubt, technical masterpieces but not narrative) because I personally feel it wouldn't be fair.

 

Fair take.

 

Your favorites are all great stories with great characters. 

 

RDRII is still my favorite Rockstar game and story, but as far as the narrative is concerned, I think there were some pacing issues and some plot threads could have been sharper. 

[Ryo256]

18 minutes ago, BigBoyBertram said:

 

Fair take.

 

Your favorites are all great stories with great characters. 

 

RDRII is still my favorite Rockstar game and story, but as far as the narrative is concerned, I think there were some pacing issues and some plot threads could have been sharper. 

Thank you for your kind words.

I guess, it's not even an issue that RDR2 has story shortcomings. I suppose, my take mostly originate from the idea that some fans do highlight that RDR2's narrative is untouchable and perfect. Like if you read some critique on RDR2, they will criticize every aspect except story. Sometime this shuts down any civil conversation so someone needs to have this take. But if people have a more balanced view of things then I wouldn't need to state my unpopular opinion.

Even the dislike of GTA V initially didn't start from people not liking the narrative. It started from people stopping others from criticizing what they supposed to be a 'perfect game'. So counter-points became more aggressive and now we have a circlejerk that GTA V story is more horrible than it is. It's not that. The point was, it's not as good as you made it out in the start but then every action has a reaction, the harder the fans pushed the 'perfect game' narrative, the harder the critics pushed the 'worst game ever' idea and now here we are. So I believe that people should look at games in a more balanced way so we won't have another GTA V subforum situation. RDR2's narrative has amazing moments, good moments, problematic moments and okay moments, that's the reasonable way to look at it. For some, the amazing moments outweighs the issues, for others the issues are hard to ignore.

Edited August 29 by Ryo256

[Not the specialist]

Gta online should've ended back in late 2016, i can't say this in the gta online forum, they will eat me alive.

[RamsaySaint77]

Present day Vice City would be very cool and it has a lot of potential. The 80s are cool but overdone, Modern Miami still has a lot of crime especially drug crimes with the cartels and this time Rockstar can properly explore that

[The Tracker]

18 hours ago, Ryo256 said:

No offence but....these are unpopular?

 

They definitely are, I don't know where you've been, but ever since Dan Houser left everyone has been freaking out about how their writing is going to "decrease in quality" "lose its flavour" "go woke" without even taking into account the rest of the personal that has worked in the games as much as him, at least outside of this forum, it's weird to find people that EVER do. Everywhere in places like Youtube, Reddit, etc, people has been acting as if Dan Houser was the only important name that there even was in the company, doesn't seem fair at all.

 

Regarding RDR2's gunplay, maybe is not unpopular to think it's good, but it sure is unpopular to think is the best they have ever made. It has been pretty hard for me to even find any hardcore fan that prefers RDR2's gunplay over first game's, mainly because of the way aiming works in both.

Edited August 30 by The Tracker

[DarkDayz]

GTA isn’t the best franchise anymore.

[Ryo256]

22 minutes ago, The Tracker said:

Yep, they are, I don't know where you've been, but ever since Dan Houser left everyone has been freaking out about how their writing is going to "decrease in quality" "lose its favour" "go woke" without even taking into account the rest of the personal that has worked in the games as much as him, at least outside of this forum, it's weird to find people that EVER do. 

Generally, it's the vocal minority. Because the popular view is that "Rockstar makes good games.", not "Dan makes good games" for the majority of people. It's just that to counter that narrative, a lot of people have made noise that "Remember Dan is gone?" It's used by most people to wake up the silent majority to realize that lack of Dan is an issue but truth be told, the fact we have remind people this kinda shows that it's not the common view. It's something we trying to make popular but I don't think it's there yet.
 

22 minutes ago, The Tracker said:

Regarding RDR2's gunplay, maybe is not unpopular to think it's good, but it sure is unpopular to think is the best they have ever made. It have been pretty hard for me to find any hardcore fan that prefer RDR2's gunplay over first game's, mainly because of the way aiming works in both.

Strange to hear because I always thought it had to do with impact i.e RDR1 guns sound more powerful than RDR2. I think most people would agree that RDR2 has good gunplay (except Max Payne series might be better but that's expected). Still you make a fair point that this might be not popular among hardcore fans.

Edited August 29 by Ryo256

[BigBoyBertram]

31 minutes ago, The Tracker said:

Regarding RDR2's gunplay, maybe is not unpopular to think it's good, but it sure is unpopular to think is the best they have ever made. It has been pretty hard for me to even find any hardcore fan that prefers RDR2's gunplay over first game's, mainly because of the way aiming works in both.

 

To add on to this, the word "clunky" is often thrown around with RDRII aiming and gunplay. Many also do not like the weapons sway mechanic. In RDRI, you aim at a fast speed with a reticle that never moves. Like all Rockstar gunplay, I think it's ultimately massively helped by the excellent and industry dominating physics system, as well as unique encounters in interesting environments. 

Edited August 29 by BigBoyBertram

[Donald Lov]

18 hours ago, Ryo256 said:

Well when it comes to favorite, I would say I do enjoy the story of GTA SA, Max Payne 3 and RDR1.

IV has a decent narrative, I respect it a lot for many reasons but can't say it's my favorite when it comes to story. And it's not like, despite V and RDR2 shortcomings, I didn't enjoy most of what I experienced but the overall picture? I can't say V and RDR2 narratives are put in the right position by the majority IMO, there's a lot of issues I have for me personally for me to ignore and then say, they are masterpieces in story (they are no doubt, technical masterpieces but not narrative) because I personally feel it wouldn't be fair.

Max Payne 3 has a stellar narrative up until the point where Max goes bald. After that, for some reason, it all gets extremely confusing, convoluted and overwhelming. At least that's the way I remember it to be; maybe I should do another walkthrough someday, see if it changes my perspective.  

[Ryo256]

5 minutes ago, Donald Lov said:

Max Payne 3 has a stellar narrative up until the point where Max goes bald. After that, for some reason, it all gets extremely confusing, convoluted and overwhelming. At least that's the way I remember it to be; maybe I should do another walkthrough someday, see if it changes my perspective.  

Lucky for you, it was convoluted for me the whole time. 

[universetwisters]

The Warriors was a game nobody wanted or asked for

Edited September 10 by universetwisters
I accidentally put “anybody” instead of “nobody” lol I’m dumb

[scorseses]

On 8/29/2022 at 9:41 AM, Algonquin Assassin said:

I would rather see a remaster/remake of Midnight Club

What I wouldn't give for a remaster of Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition.  

 

I would also say that a Midnight Club: Los Angeles remaster would also be good, but I really liked how you had three (four with remix) cities to drive around in for Midnight Club 3.

 

Not to mention Midnight Club 3's customization. It outranks any other racing game I have ever played. 

Edited August 31 by scorseses

[Comrade Monke]

GTA sa really doesn't deserve nearly as much praise as it got

[universetwisters]

On 8/31/2022 at 2:35 AM, scorseses said:

Not to mention Midnight Club 3's customization. It outranks any other racing game I have ever played. 

IIRC it was the only game to have cashed in on the whole donk ghetto roller craze that was popular back then. I can’t think of any other game that did that 

[possumbaseement]

Rockstar should release more games for the Nintendo Switch. The L.A. Noire port on Switch is a great game, and is the best way to play L.A. Noire. It's a shame it sold like trash. GTA 5 could feel very good on Switch with a lot of optimization (and the PS3 version, of course.)

Edited September 12 by possumbaseement

[Donald Lov]

In terms of violence, Manhunt happens to be, paradoxically, the most responsible Rockstar game. As far as I can remember, it's the only Rockstar title(along with, maybe, Bully) where commiting violence is not just an inorganic gameplay tool, but a justified and explained necessity for the plot. The protagonist is forced to do it, whereas in other games characters do it, because without it there would be no game.

Edited September 15 by Donald Lov

[Algonquin Assassin]

On 9/12/2022 at 10:31 AM, possumbaseement said:

Rockstar should release more games for the Nintendo Switch. The L.A. Noire port on Switch is a great game, and is the best way to play L.A. Noire. It's a shame it sold like trash. GTA 5 could feel very good on Switch with a lot of optimization (and the PS3 version, of course.)

An obvious candidate would be Chinatown Wars since it was a DS game originally.

[Jason]

Bully doesn't need or deserve a sequel.

 

GTA IV's (vanilla game + TLAD in particular) story and cast is the worst in the series - yes, even worse than V's. TBoGT redeemed that game.

 

Last but not least, GTA's humour and satire isn't very good.

 

:^)