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| Grand Theft Auto IV |
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| Action/Adventure |
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| Rockstar |
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| Rockstar |
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29th April 08 |
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29th April 08 |
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N/A |
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N/A |
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When the first Grand Theft Auto (GTA) game appeared on the Playstation way back in 1997 it became shrouded in controversy and was stigmatised for what some people would describe as questionable content. You know, running over Hari Krishna’s in stolen vehicles or doing drug deals and committing murderous crimes. Essentially from a gaming standpoint the original GTA was a simple top down viewed affair with very basic graphics even though the free roaming element was present. After subsequent iterations of the series on the Playstation including the likes of GTA London and directors cut, the birth of the PS2 brought the series into a new domain. GTA3 was a benchmark title for the series and a showcase game for the Playstation 2 hardware when it released in 2001 to much acclaim and of course respect from gamers as they were able to fully explore a 3D living breathing fantasy version of New York City. However GTA3 wasn’t with out its issues and whilst being a benchmark game was still plagued with bugs, glitches and errors.
With the successful GTA 3 under their belts Rockstar games went about topping themselves with the follow up 80’s throwback game GTA Vice City which took its inspiration from 80’s action shows such as Miami Vice and was released in 2002. Vice City improved on GTA by adding numerous features which again gamers loved and brought the series even more fans. Xbox owners who had missed out on the Playstation 2 version of both GTA games were treated to the GTA Double Pack which gave Xbox owners GTA 3 and GTA Vice City with a slight touch up on graphics and performance.
The GTA series continued to be the driving force behind the free roaming 3rd person action game genre and with the likes of Driv3r and True Crimes attempting to create their own spin on the genre it wasn’t until late 2004 when the most recent game in series and undoubtedly the best was released. GTA San Andreas took the already successful formula Rockstar had nurtured with GTA 3 and Vice City and added a plethora of extra features that truly made San Andreas a free roaming masterpiece. With its 90’s black culture influence San Andreas proved that Rockstar were still able to come up with surprises within the genre. Gamers and gaming press alike were all suitably impressed with San Andreas and unlike other titles that progressively had gotten worse over further iterations it seemed that the GTA series just kept on getting better.
E3 2006 had several announcements made from the big 3, however one of the announcements was that the next GTA game will arrive on the Xbox 360 and the PS3 simultaneously. For Xbox 360 owners this news was very welcome considering the huge gaps between the PS2 release and the Xbox versions.
So, what can we expect from the next GTA game as I’m sure the development team had plenty of features they wanted to include that weren’t possible on PS2 and Xbox Hardware. The most obvious thing to expect from the next GTA game will no doubt be a major graphical overhaul in terms of game characters (especially those pedestrians), the vehicles and of course the environments. Perhaps we will see a lot more interactivity and animations as well. Each GTA game has had a theme and so speculation is rife on what the next location which inspires the game will be. Also what time period the game will be set in is up for more speculation I could imagine the uproar if GTA next was set in the middle ages as an example. Well the sensible among us can anticipate that the next GTA game will be set within the confines of an urban environment with plenty of cars to steal and drive as well as plenty of buildings to enter. The wishful amongst us can hope for more buildings that can be entered or better still purchased as businesses. We can all expect a whole heap of new features with the next GTA but will Rockstar take the bull by the horns and offer players the chance to live out their game time as female or male characters with perhaps two intertwined storylines? Perhaps we will see areas that are already present in current GTA games vastly improved such as a more in depth car customisation, gangs and of course how law and order is handled. There’s so much scope for the developers to pull out all the stops yet part of me feels that the they could simply rehash San Andreas with prettier graphics, different setting and most fans would be happy.
I think the most obvious addition to the series will no doubt be the inclusion of some sort of online multiplayer which could offer gamers the chance to work co-operatively or even verses. Whether this makes the cut is still up for speculation but we can be assured that some sort of Live features will be incorporated; such as downloadable outfits, cars and perhaps whole missions. Episodic content has also been mentioned as a possible feature but how this is incorporated is once again up for speculation.
Like the rest of you I am looking forward to the next GTA game with baited breath and as of now the only real details that have emerged are the fact that Rockstar are enlisting talent who have worked on previous GTA games. Let’s hope that Rockstar deliver a gaming masterpiece that includes all the controversy of the original with the style and panache of San Andreas all wrapped up in “Next Gen” clothing. Happy times are indeed ahead as the next GTA game is due out sometime in 2007.
Preview By: Robert Cram
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