The most disturbing GTA?

[Am3l]

What GTA game do you guys consider to be the darkest and the most disturbing?

 

In my opinion that is GTA Liberty City Stories hands down.

 

Toni delivered corpses to a cannibal Donald Love.

Toni mutilated Giovani Casa because his mother liked him more, and literally served his meat.

Toni blew up a whole neighborhood and killed thousands of people for only 5 thousand dollars.

 

GTA 4 is pretty dark, but the most of the plot is about the diamonds, cocaine, heroin and Nikos past. Toni is a literal terorrist. Anyways that is just my opinion, i would be glad to hear yours.

[44Orca]

Aside GTA LCS with some of the missions and GTA IV with its story themes , still isn't even that much to me, I don't think any game is too disturbing/dark. IV even had comedy in between.

Not even VI will have this, but I'd like to see in the future a closer and more realistic depiction of the crime world than this "movie-like" stuff, kinda like GTA IV but more-so. It could be VI, but just don't think so.

Mexico and down in South America if we ever get a game there might be the darkest themed, they could go that route, because of the cartels? And should not have any comedy, protagonist under threat all the time, losing many people he loves, something like that, doesn't need to feature too disturbing stuff to make it dark.

We'll see but again I personally don't think they will. And even if they do they won't go too far, someone can correct me but there's a line they can't cross, both Hollywood (whatever is mainstream, netflix and such) movies and then video games don't go too far for a reason. The media does overreact a bit more with video games but that is sort of in the past now I think.

 

 

[.Ryan.]

I don’t think any GTA is necessarily “disturbing” on a whole, but there have been some disturbing elements.

 

Like in GTA I when you could literally turn people into hotdogs. I can’t remember the exact mission, but at the time it never crossed my mind too much. However 25 years later yeah that’s kinda f*cked up lol.

Also in “Have A Heart” in GTA IV when Manny and Jay are killed by Elizabeta and she asks Niko to take the bodies to the doctor in Broker so their organs can be sold on the black market.

 

It’s not so much that they were killed, but Niko’s demeanour. I’ve always thought it was interesting because it seemed like a lingering aspect of his personality where he had been so conditioned from all messed up sh*t being a soldier/human trafficker from his past it just seemed like a normal errand to him. Not once does he show signs of feeling uncomfortable.

 

Plus the idea of someone having their organs harvested and sold……*shudders* yeah.

 

 

 

[universetwisters]

IMO it would be LCS. Toni is complicit in terrorism & snuff movies and actively aids a cannibal in his desire to eat people, all of which he does without a second thought. Sadly, not a lot of this is really brought up or discussed within the plot to the extent of which it would be if it were a more serious game, but it’s still something that makes you pause and think about what you’re doing.

 

I f*ckin love LCS tho. The fact that Toni can run around in a chicken suit and his underwear makes everything better!!!

[SM-W]

Of the ones I've played, GTA3 feels the most "disturbing".  Not really in content (at least by modern standards), but in just how the game comes off. It has a sort of sinister vibe running through it I can't quite put my finger on. The world is just dark and miserable, the radio music (most of which is original music, or whatever music could be licensed cheaply) gives off a great mood (particularly Head Radio, which really captures the bleak, soulless feeling of late 90's / early 2000's pop music. Listen to Head Radio, and then listen to "Music" by Madonna or "Get the Party Started" by Pink). The whole game just has this great ambient that really makes it feel like something that came from "the underground" - something that became mainstream simply by being so breakthrough. (Sadly, it's hard to find entertainment - movies, games, music, art - that actually give that feeling of being "underground" anymore.) If you lived in a vacuum and didn't know any games, GTA3 feels the closest to being some kind of analog horror creepypasta. Like, if you play it for long enough, Claude will start bleeding hyper-realistic blood from his eyes, and then an assassination mission pops up that has your home address, but the game freezes and you'll hear a knock on your door. When you hear that, you have exactly 45 seconds to find a hiding place, and the clock has already started ticking ....

Jokes aside, when you factor in the tone of the game, and how it was kind of the first game to let people freely travel around an open world and murder innocent civilians and cops at their own leisure, It's no wonder it was the big scary "videogame boogeyman" to people like Jack Thompson, Joe Lieberman and soccer moms across the country.

GTA4 probably comes a close second (again, of the ones I've played), but it never gives off that truly "dark, dank, sinister" feeling to it. It's a mainstream game, and so it has to tow the line. That said, if you ask me, the only right way to play GTA4 is to play with the saturation turned all the way down. It helps to really make you feel like you're living in the great American east-coast cesspit called NYC.

  

2 hours ago, Harwood Butch3r said:

Like in GTA I when you could literally turn people into hotdogs. I can’t remember the exact mission, but at the time it never crossed my mind too much. However 25 years later yeah that’s kinda f*cked up lol.

There's a couple of missions in GTA3 where the guy has you drive over a couple different people to his place, and he turns them into dog food.

 

Edited October 29, 2023 by SM-W

[Luciano89]

GTA Liberty City Stories and GTA4 hands down!

[PolishRye]

gta 3

that silent hill 2 lookin ass f*ckin atmosphere makes it the most disturbing game

ye i know, tony cipriani is a f*cking psycho, but walk around liberty city in gta 3 at night time when its foggy or there is a storm - especially them empty industrial areas

[cant remember]

On 10/29/2023 at 3:51 AM, Harwood Butch3r said:

Like in GTA I when you could literally turn people into hotdogs. I can’t remember the exact mission, but at the time it never crossed my mind too much. However 25 years later yeah that’s kinda f*cked up lol.

Hotdog Homicide in GTA2. What made it especially disturbing they even animated the undressed victims sobbing and panicking as they were being forced onto the conveyor belt and the mission giver told you to watch in glee.

 

Another example of a mission I found disturbing is the one where you pick up some gang members with an RC taxi and then drown them. Dumping a car with an occupant is nothing special in GTA but in GTA2 they had to add sound effects of the occupants panicking and helplessly banging on the sides of the car.

 

It was a little sadistic lol

Edited November 5, 2023 by cant remember

[happygrowls]

GTA Online:

 

The Entirety of Southern San Andreas has been stuck in a time-loop with seemingly immortal psychopaths who spend all the time fighting each other, or killing the citizens of the state for over 10 years. Imagine living in that literal hell where Aliens, Slashers, Ghosts and Psychotic Killers roam free, and you can't leave, because every plane eventually malfunctions when trying to leave the island, even the rumoured safe haven of "cayo perico" isn't safe from the psychopath's who make it their goal to rob the island daily.

[Copcaller]

On 10/28/2023 at 11:04 PM, SM-W said:

Of the ones I've played, GTA3 feels the most "disturbing".  Not really in content (at least by modern standards), but in just how the game comes off. It has a sort of sinister vibe running through it I can't quite put my finger on. The world is just dark and miserable, the radio music (most of which is original music, or whatever music could be licensed cheaply) gives off a great mood (particularly Head Radio, which really captures the bleak, soulless feeling of late 90's / early 2000's pop music. Listen to Head Radio, and then listen to "Music" by Madonna or "Get the Party Started" by Pink). The whole game just has this great ambient that really makes it feel like something that came from "the underground" - something that became mainstream simply by being so breakthrough. (Sadly, it's hard to find entertainment - movies, games, music, art - that actually give that feeling of being "underground" anymore.) If you lived in a vacuum and didn't know any games, GTA3 feels the closest to being some kind of analog horror creepypasta. Like, if you play it for long enough, Claude will start bleeding hyper-realistic blood from his eyes, and then an assassination mission pops up that has your home address, but the game freezes and you'll hear a knock on your door. When you hear that, you have exactly 45 seconds to find a hiding place, and the clock has already started ticking ....

Jokes aside, when you factor in the tone of the game, and how it was kind of the first game to let people freely travel around an open world and murder innocent civilians and cops at their own leisure, It's no wonder it was the big scary "videogame boogeyman" to people like Jack Thompson, Joe Lieberman and soccer moms across the country.

GTA4 probably comes a close second (again, of the ones I've played), but it never gives off that truly "dark, dank, sinister" feeling to it. It's a mainstream game, and so it has to tow the line. That said, if you ask me, the only right way to play GTA4 is to play with the saturation turned all the way down. It helps to really make you feel like you're living in the great American east-coast cesspit called NYC.

  

There's a couple of missions in GTA3 where the guy has you drive over a couple different people to his place, and he turns them into dog food.

 

all of that is why 3 is my favorite none of the gtas could match that dark vibe I genuinely felt vulnerable if I didn't have a gun and a car in 3. 

[Aquamaniac]

The mission in San Andreas were you bury the worker alive for basically no reason felt wrong, more than everything else I remember.

[Luciano89]

2 hours ago, Aquamaniac said:

The mission in San Andreas were you bury the worker alive for basically no reason felt wrong, more than everything else I remember.

And it is a big example that CJ, unlike what most people say, it is not the most "human protagonist".

[Jeansowaty]

Manhunt.

 

On topic, to me personally GTA1 sorta stuck out the most with the amount of disturbing sh*t that goes on. You kill the president and his wife, you kill a rookie cop and his wife who have children, assault a funeral, help a suicide bomber blow up a hotel, probably get raped by your boss, kill your bosses mom because she asked for the rent, and many, many more. It's very grotesque and played off as silly but if you like, imagine these things happening in real life it's kinda depressing.

Edited November 7, 2023 by Jeansowaty

[Aquamaniac]

 

10 hours ago, Jeansowaty said:

Manhunt.

 

On topic, to me personally GTA1 sorta stuck out the most with the amount of disturbing sh*t that goes on. You kill the president and his wife, you kill a rookie cop and his wife who have children, assault a funeral, help a suicide bomber blow up a hotel, probably get raped by your boss, kill your bosses mom because she asked for the rent, and many, many more. It's very grotesque and played off as silly but if you like, imagine these things happening in real life it's kinda depressing.

 

I never played GTA 1 but this sounds somewhat almost like Postal.

[Pistol Bobcat]

12 hours ago, Jeansowaty said:

Manhunt.

 

On topic, to me personally GTA1 sorta stuck out the most with the amount of disturbing sh*t that goes on. You kill the president and his wife, you kill a rookie cop and his wife who have children, assault a funeral, help a suicide bomber blow up a hotel, probably get raped by your boss, kill your bosses mom because she asked for the rent, and many, many more. It's very grotesque and played off as silly but if you like, imagine these things happening in real life it's kinda depressing.

 

Never really played GTA 1 but wow, is this from Snyder's DC universe?

[cant remember]

13 hours ago, Jeansowaty said:

probably get raped by your boss

I thought it was the other way around, since he calls himself the donkey I figured he is taking the roll of the receiver ?

[Jeansowaty]

7 hours ago, cant remember said:

I thought it was the other way around, since he calls himself the donkey I figured he is taking the roll of the receiver ?

It didn't sound all too consentual anyhow ngl lol and the player def doesn't care either if they easily kill him for Deever later.

 

8 hours ago, Pistol Bobcat said:

 

Never really played GTA 1 but wow, is this from Snyder's DC universe?

 

10 hours ago, Aquamaniac said:

 

 

I never played GTA 1 but this sounds somewhat almost like Postal.

Not joking. It's a late 90s flavor kinda thing. And curious fact, this was BEFORE Dan Houser became a writer. GTA1 was written by Brian Baglow, Brian Lawson and Gary Penn iirc.

Edited November 7, 2023 by Jeansowaty

[Guest]

LCS because of Toni delivering human meat and VCS for the death of Louise and the creepy kid thing ad in radio.

[Levothyroxine]

GTA 3,
in general. most of mission givers have no morals, telling Claude to steal, murder, or any duties no matter what how bad it is, worse to think that these characters would do anything while their souls are gutted and ripped, gives that uncomfortable feeling that everyone in the city is killing eachother, Claude knowing those people will meet again in hell.

[Guest]

8 minutes ago, Gabacola said:

GTA 3,
in general. most of mission givers have no morals, telling Claude to steal, murder, or any duties no matter what how bad it is, worse to think that these characters would do anything while their souls are gutted and ripped, gives that uncomfortable feeling that everyone in the city is killing eachother, Claude knowing those people will meet again in hell.

Silent protag in dark atmosphere.

[universetwisters]

I know it’s not reflective of the whole game, but the mission where you kidnap Gracie in IV is kinda disturbing. Within the context of the story it makes sense, but the mission in and of itself detached from the story is kinda upsetting.
 

I know anti violent game types like Jack Thompson, etc barely go into what the game they’re complaining about entails, but if he found out there was a mission where Niko meets a woman trying to sell something online and kidnaps her, punching her out in the process, and drops her off at an abandoned building to let someone do god knows what to her, he’d def mention it in his list of reasons why IV needs to be banned and more folks would probably be onboard that idea because of that in and of itself  

[salazarcosplay]

In GTA Vice city. It felt wrong pimping out Mercedes Cortez. When Tommy sent her to love fist, and sent her to do the porno movies.

I had real hopes for Mercedes being a girlfriend or Mercedes at least having sex from Tommy and getting pregnant from him. (so we could one day play as Tommy's son).
 

Colonel Cortez felt Tommy was the son he never had, someone he would have wanted to have been his son in law, when he told Tommy to take care his daughter.

I know its all fun and games playing GTA, but Mercedes's was someone's daughter that had hopes of being in a relationship. I am sure some of us in the situation of Tommy would have pursued a relationship. The way I saw it Tommy got cucked because he saw the woman meant for him being used by other men.

[cant remember]

14 hours ago, salazarcosplay said:

In GTA Vice city. It felt wrong pimping out Mercedes Cortez. When Tommy sent her to love fist, and sent her to do the porno movies.

I had real hopes for Mercedes being a girlfriend or Mercedes at least having sex from Tommy and getting pregnant from him. (so we could one day play as Tommy's son).
 

Colonel Cortez felt Tommy was the son he never had, someone he would have wanted to have been his son in law, when he told Tommy to take care his daughter.

I know its all fun and games playing GTA, but Mercedes's was someone's daughter that had hopes of being in a relationship. I am sure some of us in the situation of Tommy would have pursued a relationship. The way I saw it Tommy got cucked because he saw the woman meant for him being used by other men.

The most disturbing thing in the GTA universe is this post LOL

[salazarcosplay]

2 hours ago, cant remember said:

The most disturbing thing in the GTA universe is this post LOL

why do you say that lol

[cant remember]

3 hours ago, salazarcosplay said:

why do you say that lol

I think Mercedes is a very promiscuous and sexually adventurous woman out of her own volition. She acts flirty with Tommy the first time they met and then she asks to be dropped off at the stripclub.  Your version of Tommy is acting a little strange being on the receiving end of some of her flirting and imagining himself getting married and having kids and seething when he sees he's not the only man in Mercedes' life.

[salazarcosplay]

1 hour ago, cant remember said:

I think Mercedes is a very promiscuous and sexually adventurous woman out of her own volition. She acts flirty with Tommy the first time they met and then she asks to be dropped off at the stripclub.  Your version of Tommy is acting a little strange being on the receiving end of some of her flirting and imagining himself getting married and having kids and seething when he sees he's not the only man in Mercedes' life.

Lol. My version of Tommy would have acted like Will Smith then.  I started playing GTA when I thought more naively about everything. I had gone from playing games where you are supposed to rescue the princess like super mario and zelda. I was 12 when I played the games.

I also wondered if Misty would end up with Claude or Joey. Because of her prominent feature in the artwork. I wondered if Joey wanted to marry her, but did not do so because Salvatore would not have approved. And with Salvatore dead Misty would see Joey never intended to marry her. Either case the GTA V online had Claude and Misty as parents, maybe GTA VI will have Mercedes and Tommy as parents.

Edited November 14, 2023 by salazarcosplay

[MikeWh]

Errr, Misty was a prostitute who is alluded to have had unprotected sex (hence 'pick her up from the clinic' being her introduction). I don't think either Joey, or Claude for that matter, would have wanted to have settled down with her - nor would she want that. As for her potentially wanting a relationship with Claude, he was a mute psychopath who she'd known for all of 2 minutes when he drove her from point A to point B, so not sure where these blanks have been filled - same for Mercedes and Tommy.

 

Regardless of your age when you played those games, as an adult you cannot be serious with your thoughts. Mercedes was hardly pimped out, she was a goer - and quite comfortable with that. 

 

[Aquamaniac]

On 11/10/2023 at 8:47 AM, universetwisters said:

I know it’s not reflective of the whole game, but the mission where you kidnap Gracie in IV is kinda disturbing. Within the context of the story it makes sense, but the mission in and of itself detached from the story is kinda upsetting.
 

I know anti violent game types like Jack Thompson, etc barely go into what the game they’re complaining about entails, but if he found out there was a mission where Niko meets a woman trying to sell something online and kidnaps her, punching her out in the process, and drops her off at an abandoned building to let someone do god knows what to her, he’d def mention it in his list of reasons why IV needs to be banned and more folks would probably be onboard that idea because of that in and of itself  

 

GTA IV generally has a dark vipe to it as it refers to real life war times events. I played it first more than 10 years after release and wonder how it was received at release. Though choice by R* playing as an assumed Serbian war criminal, I liked him though as a character, there are far worse than him in the GTA universe.

Edited November 14, 2023 by Aquamaniac

[universetwisters]

1 hour ago, Aquamaniac said:

 I played it first more than 10 years after release and wonder how it was received at release.

 

Other than your typical critical acclaim and praise, I can't think of any controversy outside of "wah wah murder simulator" crap that people like Jack Thompson would push. I remember he took the mission where you have to kill Goldberg the lawyer and his line "guns dont kill people, video games do!" as a personal attack against him and tried to sue Rockstar over it but it went nowhere.

I also recall folks from drunk driving victim groups being pretty upset about the fact you could drunk drive ingame, but other than those bits, it's not like there was a huge issue like MW2's No Russian or the torture mission from V

[SM-W]

On 11/14/2023 at 2:59 PM, universetwisters said:

Other than your typical critical acclaim and praise, I can't think of any controversy outside of "wah wah murder simulator" crap that people like Jack Thompson would push. I remember he took the mission where you have to kill Goldberg the lawyer and his line "guns dont kill people, video games do!" as a personal attack against him and tried to sue Rockstar over it but it went nowhere.

I also recall folks from drunk driving victim groups being pretty upset about the fact you could drunk drive ingame, but other than those bits, it's not like there was a huge issue like MW2's No Russian or the torture mission from V

I think by the time GTA4 came out, Jack Thompson had mostly run his course and had fallen into the irrelevancy bin, having been disbarred in 2007. I'm glad that's he's mostly vanished. And it's dumb about the drunk driving victim groups. I hate drunk drivers with a burning passion, but cuh mawwwn guys, you're gonna get upset over THAT??

Also, I absolutely loved the drunk "gammy leg" walk in GTA4 when you got drunk. It was hilarious, and it's so sad the games since then haven't implemented it back.

 

...... also, there was controversy over the GTA5 torture mission????

I literally played it I just wondered, "... Why is any of this happening? Why has the tone shifted in such a way?" Sh*t was weak sauce; mostly because it felt less "edgy" and more "try-hardy". I think the bit that got me the most is that immediately following that, Trevor takes this guy he just spent all that time torturing that he's supposed to kill -- Trevor, the man who will take innocent people to the cannibal altruists because "lol" -- and drives his victim off to the airport while giving some lecture about ... something.

The f*cking writing of that game is all over the place, like a fly with a concussion trying to navigate a hall of mirrors. It's like they wrote GTA5 via the ol' "Pass The Story" game.

Edited November 17, 2023 by SM-W