Ben-DutkaBefore you answer the question, bear in mind that Grand Theft Auto has undergone some fundamental changes.
In Grand Theft Auto III (not the first GTA, but the first that started the phenomenon, as it was 3D open-world), I don't think anyone cared much about the story. We were all just mesmerized by the size of that virtual world and the sheer amount of freedom we enjoyed. It was almost unparalleled and a definite revolution. If you ask people today to explain the plot, I doubt anyone could in any detail. Heck, the main character you controlled didn't even have a name. Wasn't he just "The Guy?"
Vice City stepped things up a bit in the story department, as it essentially stole from "Scarface." Well, sorta. I'm not implying that Rockstar lifted the idea, but the influences were obvious, especially in regards to the mansion you end up living in. Tommy Vercetti was a cool character, too, and Ray Liotta brought him to life. San Andreas had an even more complex story with even more characters, but gamers could still just run around and wreak havoc if they so chose. And it was still wicked fun to do. I still like to throw in Vice City every now and then, just to terrorize the streets in my tank. That just never stops being fun.
But GTAIV brought about that aforementioned fundamental change and Rockstar went grittier and more realistic. Many didn't like the change and while I missed a lot of the wacky craziness from previous entries, I still loved GTAIV. However, love it or hate it, the path has been clear since then- Grand Theft Auto V will take that premise to the next level and lo and behold, we've got three protagonists this time around, each with his own back story and adventure. Furthermore, those three plot lines must intersect, so it must've been a challenge for the writers.
Therefore, it seems that we really should care about the story in GTAV. I think I will. But is this what the long-time fans are looking for…? Or will GTA forever be associated with running around beating people with baseball bats? The stereotype should be dead by now, but…
Related Game(s): Grand Theft Auto V
I care. Hopefully they deliver some thing deep like RDR, but also exciting.
One thing I hope Rockstar does with GTAV is calm down with all the over the top humor and characters I noticed this generation. I mean whitty humor seen in Naughty Dog products are what I want to see, not Rockstar trying too hard with some characters. Example: Bruno was just all over the place. Or in RDR, you had that "crackhead" by the cemetery and the medicine swindler. These characters changed the vibe of everything in a bad way.
I have a feeling, GTAV is going to use the Trevor as comic relief a little bit too many times. We will see. Not a fan of corny in your face humor. I like clever comedy…give me that.
"One thing I hope Rockstar does with GTAV is calm down with all the over the top humor and characters I noticed this generation."
You have to be a new Grand Theft Auto fan. This is what made the series in the beginning! They only changed it with GTA4. I hope they KEEP alot of zany and crazy humor and they provide PLENTY of Trevor's humor. I'm not trying to lose that certain "Grand Theft" charm.
Their stories have always been kind of bare minimum tongue in cheek treatments of hollywood cliches, I expect that to continue.
Their stories may be the bare minimum but at least you count on them being good and not bad.
They do do what they do well, their stories make for some masterful social commentary imo.
Yeah that's what I love about GTA, going all out with those wonderful commentaries and stereotypes.
I was never one of those guys who just ran around blowing things up and neglecting the story. I've always loved both sides of the coin; campaign and random reckless antics. I care about the story very much.
I'm not expecting The Last of Us or Heavy Rain caliber stuff. Just an epic tale that keeps you engaged. San Andreas use to be my favorite GTA game and it still is to some degree (i love the customization and huge world) but it's GREATLY hampered by one of the worst stories in GTA history imho!
Regardless i'm a biased GTA gamer So i'll enjoy it by default regardless of the story
The only reason why I followed the story is to unlock all the goodies and locations possible, to increase my random terrorizing.
Regardless if theres substance in thwestory or not or if the story is good… people are not buying it for that.
why would you expect the story to be great?
GTAs stories have always been so stereotypical and generic, expecting GTAV to have a great story is like expecting a F1 car to have the same fuel consumption as hybrid!
aint gonna happen!!!!!!
care, no not really, as long as the games fun and lets you wreak havok, than thats all that matters because thats all the series ever let you do.
id be nice if it surprised us and actually had a great story, but thats hardly anywhere on the priority list.
From what I've seen in the videos so far I don't see they are leaving the past behind at all? What I am seeing is Rockstar building further on the foundation they created with the GTA3 series games (GTA3, VC, SA and the Stories siblings).
If we look at the promo videos for San Andreas they look a lot like what we see from GTA5. The light, sunny visuals are back (as opposed to the dark, rainy GTA4 visuals), the whole atmosphere takes me back to VC and SA with the beach babes, outdoor activities, and the attitude and style of the three protagonists.
Furthermore I gotta say that I am one of those who really thought the story in both VC and SA were a lot of fun, so to me this will not be the first GTA with a story. Sure, I strayed off the main story a lot in the former GTAs and I fully expect to do the same in GTA5, but that doesn't mean I don't care for the story.
Last edited by Beamboom on 8/1/2013 6:45:49 AM
Story is very important. Yes, I'm going to run around the streets and do all types of crazy stuff but if the story is really good then at the end I can say to myself "Wow, GT5 was fun as hell and the story was great!"
The story could be interesting. I am more interested to see how well they fit all three main characters together. As far as caring, some people will, and some people are just in it for the fun. It really depends on what you look for in a GTA game.
I liked the story in GTAIV. Look forward for a good story also in GTAV.
I think the answers are yes, this story is going to be somewhere between great and groundbreaking (at least I'm hopeful it will be) and no, it honestly wouldn't matter if it was garbage. These worlds that Rockstar creates are among the very best, more immersive you will find in the medium of video games. I've enjoyed all of the GTA stories very much, but maybe more than any other game I've played, there's nothing quite like taking a break from the plot line and just going and doing whatever it is that strikes your fancy at that moment.