Posted by Kyle Prahl | 9 Comments
Community Voice – What is Your GTA V Wish List?
On this week’s Community Voice, we’re looking for your thoughts on one of the year’s biggest announcements. Grand Theft Auto V is coming, and Rockstar Games let the world know with nothing more than a tweet and an enigmatic splash screen. If you want more information on this highly-anticipated installment in Rockstar’s critically-acclaimed sandbox franchise, you’ll have to wait for the first trailer to launch on November 2.
In the meantime, we want to hear from you! The Grand Theft Auto franchise is loved by millions of gamers the world over, and everyone’s got their own ideas and hopes for the series. What do you want to see in GTA V? Characters, location, and gameplay are all up in the air at this point, and the series has certainly undergone quite an evolution in the last 10 years. From the towering metropolis of Liberty City to the wide-open countryside and sun-baked streets of San Andreas, Grand Theft Auto has taken us to fictional locations both well-realized and satirical. On the gameplay side, GTA: Vice City introduced an empire-building mechanic that would later be expanded in Vice City Stories. Meanwhile, GTA: San Andreas is often recognized for its RPG elements and blockbuster narrative. Most recently, GTA IV used a serious tone to examine issues of economy, immigration, and the American dream.
Personally, I’ve been hoping for the next installment in the franchise to return to San Andreas. My favorite memories playing Grand Theft Auto come from all the unpredictable adventures that a landscape as massive and varied as San Andreas can offer. Even if GTA V keeps in line with IV’s realism and atmosphere (a change criticized by some), simply seeing Los Santos, San Fierro, and Las Venturas reimagined on current-gen systems would blow my mind. The processing power, memory, and graphics cards of today’s consoles and PC’s would allow Rockstar to truly express their vision for a world held back by the limitations of the PS2. I don’t even need Carl “CJ” Johnson to return as the main character. Give me someone else’s story, have me start off in a different city. Hell, set the story in a completely different time period. All I care about is being able to set off in one direction, exploring and wreaking havoc for hours, without ever touching a single side quest or story mission. The confined streets and lack of side content hurt GTA IV in this regard. While I still loved the game, it failed to kindle that same butterfly effect and sense of freedom.
These are simply my thoughts, and we’d love to hear yours. Let’s get a conversation going – sound off in the comments with what you’d like to see in Grand Theft Auto V. A new city? Old characters? Should the game ignore the influence of its predecessors and carve its own path? Let us know!
What is Community Voice? Community Voice is your weekly chance to make yourself heard on Vivid Gamer. Each week our Community Voice topic is meant to encourage discussion, not only with the staff, but with the community as well. We want to hear from readers of the site, so let us know your opinions on the topics every week, and let’s get something lively going!
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DOA
Would be great to see it all take place in Europe or China.
You know, that would certainly introduce some cool variety, but there’s something about GTA that’s always been distinctly American to me. Maybe it’s the political and social satire on the radio stations, or the indirect references to events in our history (the 80s drug trade, the early 90s riots, etc.).
Couldn’t agree more… San Andreas is the standard bearer, I’d like R* to return to the XP stats system of SA & maybe take it a step further with subjective character leveling, this would really help diversify multiplayer.
Also as in the article. R* really need to provide an environment which let’s gamers find their own things to do, IV was sorely lacking in this regard.
You, sir, just made me a very happy man. I had COMPLETELY forgotten about the fact that MP is now a series staple – I was so caught up in imagining what the world of San Andreas could look like and offer now.
Just think – a multiplayer session where you and your friends have the WHOLE map at your fingertips. Hydra jets, bicycles, tractors, shootouts in redneck towns, sniper wars on skyscrapers… It’s blowing my mind right now.
GTA 4 was a more serious game than SA and in some ways very realistic. Which kind of takes away from the fun of SA, because you would almost feel bad for the things you did in 4. In SA I always ended the game with a killing spree but i didn’t do that in 4. Kind of what the series to get back to that point of just being completely over the top
That’s the thing: GTA IV introduced a new continuity and laid the foundation for a somber, serious tone to be present in the series. Thankfully the characters and plot devices were often “classic GTA” in my opinion, but your freedoms and over-the-top escalation weren’t present in nearly as full of force.
I think it’s a safe bet that GTA V won’t revert back to the insanity of SA (given that GTA IV was so critically acclaimed), but I wouldn’t at all be surprised to see a return of RPG elements, character customization, and some of the fun stuff like owning your own business, modding cars, etc.
One thing that’s guaranteed is that GTA V will also forge its own path in some regards. Now’s a better time than ever to offer tons of interiors, interactive and progression-based gang warfare (with a tied multiplayer component), and the like.
My bets? Count on multiplayer renovation, social network integration, and more character customization a la SA. Who knows? Maybe drop-in drop-out co-op will make an appearance.
I liked Gta IV very much due to itz reality..but it was jus like anothr GTA game and wat i saw in it was not EPIC as the other parts…wen i recalld about wat i used to do in gta:sa..i could recall it 4 the whole day but gta:f was jus about commitin suicides in difrent ways…evading the police…and only less activities other than the main story..the Main things i wish 2 have in gta:v are car customization,tattoo shops,car showrooms,parachute,ability 2 fly planes,access to all buildings,branching storylines with many player decisions,huge map,garages,people doing casual activities other than walking,ability to buy anything 4m the shops*not just goin inside em*,casino,gambling,army,more clothes,ability 2 hold 1 man as human shield during combat,destructive buildings,ability 2 carry dead bodies & rob the bank when we wish,to swim underwater,car races,ability 2 create or join gangs(even biker gangs),stealth kills,customizable weapons,hiding ability during police chases,more varieties of shades,haircuts,gym(but it shoul take weeks to become a fullfledged bodybuilder) ,ability 2 threaten a cab driver to drive while the cops are after us -etc.. If these features are in GTA:V, it would be the coolest game in the Universe.. * 8-)