Going back to the discussion on the last page, it's really difficult to have a GTA set in anything other than a western, English speaking city. GTA really thrives on cultural references and breaking from either the US or the UK would present major challenges. The tricky thing with most major metropolitan areas in the US is that their criminal history is all pretty much the same, EXCEPT for New York, Miami, and California (and to an extent the world of 'the west' in RDR). Making a game set in any East Coast city with a crime narrative is essentially the same as making a New York city crime game. Miami represents enough of a disconnect from the NEw York crime narrative specifically because of the 1980s, but Miami in the 2000s+ is boring... THere is no crime narrative anymore, where as Miami in the 80s was arguably the most criminally involved city in the United States.
I think Rockstar will be challenged with VI. IT seems impossible that they wouldn't go back to Vice City, it's something that just about everybody wants. But, Vice City in the 'modern era' really woudn't have the same draw as Vice City in the 1980s.
It's impossible to accurately guess what will happen next with the series, not just after VI but even later than that. I'd imagine they'd probably reboot it and go for a different style. Something that could work could be a "Godfather"-esque story, following a family through multiple generations, from the Old Country, to the US under different time frames, think of "The Godfather Saga" that AMC puts on once a year, that tells the story chronologically, starting in Vito in Corleone Sicily, immigrating to New York, starting the criminal underworld, starting a family, having the business (and family) be taken over by his son, who then shifts the focus to Las Vegas.
Obviously it wouldn't have to follow that line, and would it be hard -- sure -- but Rockstar has proven that they can independently develop realistic game worlds, like Red Dead Redemption could very easily be a palette swap of the Italian countryside (hence 'Spagetti' Western as they were all shot in Italy, by Italians), and tying them together would be the challenge. It may never be possible given budgets and development time, but who knows what sort of developments we'll get to ease that process many years out.
Also, if Rockstar ever wanted to cash in, all they'd have to do with me is re-release Vice City with upgraded assets, gameplay mechanics, and tinker it with a few modifications, and they'd have an insta-sale.
I'm currently playing through Ballad of Gay Tony, specifically the Drug War side missions and it made me think. The most important aspect of any of these games for me is the repeatable dynamic side missions. Drug War missions aren't the most varried example but they give just enough incentive to drive all over the city and engage in combat. Both the reward and the activities are what keep me playing far longer than the main story missions. I felt that RDR nailed it and I hope GTA V gets it right as well.
Agreed there. I'm replaying RDR and the journal ambient sidequests are one of the best aspects of the game. The "treasure hunting" gives me motivation to travel back and forth all over the region, something that I never did in vanilla GTAIV.
