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Why are GTA games so hated at GAF?

cicero said:
"Last edited by C4Lukins : Today at 12:23 AM." 20 minutes later and this is the pinnacle of your efforts? You are like a slow-witted DrGAKMAN, but for the life of me I can't decide if that is a bad thing or if it is utterly fantastic.
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In my drunken state I think I actually ****ed up a word I typed correctly initially. I should have trusted my original instincts. When responding to some ass hole that just insults you, and does not actually counter a single point you made, it is hard to be really intellectual about the whole thing. I riverted to the 1st grade mentaility that was thrown at me.

Edit: I deleted the s..... Better now?
 
I liked GTA & Vice city, but SA really isn't for me - got bored after playing for maybe three hours, tried again later but didn't work.

I don't have any problems with the controls/graphics, but that might be because I normally play the (superior) pc version.
 
i didn't think gta was hated that much on gaf. personally i think the games are okay but tend agree with Jiggy37.

imo the problem with the games are poor controls and tedious missions that play like boring fetch quest gameplay. nevertheless, i wouldn't say i hate the series.
 
gimz said:
actually i didn't like it before, but i just beated San Andrea, i found it is actually pretty fun (especially after you learnt how to fly a plane)

+ my favorite part of the game was running around taking pictures with a camera, its fun to just run around and try to climb as high as possible to take a nice picture, i actually spent about 5+ hours just to do that :lol

i hope for the new GTA on PS3/Xbox360 will feature video camera for you to take some video in the game (since they both have harddrive built in the console)
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To me that's what makes this game so ****ing brilliant. What you just mentioned is not even remotely appealing to me, but yet you find great enjoyment from it. Amirox likes going all mission impossible with the skydiving. I myself like to go Vin Diesel XXX by riding the BMX off mount whatsitsname and then openeing my chute as I fall.

I'm sure if you asked everyone there'd be hundreds or thousands of different answers, many that you'd never even think of. That's the appeal of GTA.
 
I would say "go **** yourself" but I realize that your hand would commit suicide well before the desired result was achieved.
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Dude. You just said that everybody here who hates GTA must have that opinion solely because they want to be a rebel. I mean, that's stupid in and of itself. Can't you see that?

And then you went on and threw out a bunch of poor, stupid emokid cliches that nobody in reality (at least at GAF) actually falls under, only to wind up sounding like you're the bigger elitist yourself.

gg man.
 
C4Lukins said:
I would say "go **** yourself" but I realize that your hand would commit suicide well before the desired result was achieved.
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:lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol


GTA sucks, but that comment was ****ing gold.

BTW his assessment is correct, just not of GTA haters. Snobs are exactly how he described.
 
SnakeXs said:
How is it hated? Even on GAF, "where the hardcore go", it's adored by most.

I personally dislike it a lot. Borderline hate, almost, mainly because it's created a vision of what a "good game" should be.

I see the draw, stupid mindless fun, pick up and play, but to me it doesn't do it. Horrible "actual" gameplay, and nothing else that screams spectacular. Every single element of it is "less than".

I do however admire and respect GTA3, as it did push gaming forward to a certain degree, but again this came with a stigma that THIS is what great games are, which is sad. Beyond that, barely changing the gameplay (OMG IN THIS ONE HE TALKS, OMG NOW YOU CAN TAKE BIKES AND GET FAT) and pumping out more is a copout. Do something new and refreshing again.

But, top selling games have proven, being fresh doesn't matter. Be it Madden, or GTA, people will eat up the same s hit time and time again.

Whatever, if people enjoy it, so be it. Have a blast, I only get upset when people hold it to some standard that it doesn't belong. Best game _____ is one, it's not the best anything. Never a GOTY, not one of the best titles around, it's stupid fun with some crafty radio writing, take it for what it is.

/end slight vent
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GTA is consistently fresh. Evidently (once again) you are one of the people who has either never played the game or at least played very little. Strip away the subject matter and look at the later mission designs, the way your character interacts and changes the entire playing field and this is hardly 'dumb, mindless fun'.

The gameplay, level design, mechanics and complexity of the game are such that it SHOULD be held up as an example of one of the best games ever made. The entire game is genius, plain and simple. Why do you think nobody has even come close to replicating the game?
 
It is true that most of the people who hate the game are Japanophiles who hate it just because it's Western. When I walked in to EBGames to actually buy SA for the first time (I had borrowed it for long periods of time but never owned my own copy) the clerk told me: "I don't see you as a GTA-guy."

Me, the only person who noticed they had a copy of Gitaroo Man. The only one who had interest in buying Beatmania (I would of bought it but I have no money.) The only one who has pre-ordered Yggdra Union and Elite Beat Agents. The only one who bought Space Channel 5: Special Edition when it came out. Usually, people who play those games would not like GTA (except in the melting pot previously known as GAF.) But I love GTA (well, except for Vice City, but most people think that is the black sheep of the three PS2 GTAs.)

But it is strange, that most Japanophiles do not like the game, it has sold pretty well in Japan itself.
 
I played GTAIII late 2001 shortly after its release and shortly after I got my PS2. I enjoyed a lot about it, the open-ended city, the radio (original GTAIII still has the best radio stations IMO!), the humor... but didn't like the controls - car was bad and on foot I thought was truly awful.

But the thing that really gets me about the games is the missions. So much trial and error is involved... half the time they basically shoehorn you into a single car or a single way to beat the mission, totally going against the whole "open ended" philosophy of the game. The missions got really bad IMO in San Andreas, since they were divided into multiple parts each containing a different task. Like the first 2 parts would be cakewalk, but the final section would require perfect gameplay on your part. Why not allow a quick way to continue in missions? Would save a lot of time and make the games more fun IMO. In fact, considering the casual base these games have... wouldn't it make sense to make the games a bit more forgiving, so the fans can see more of the game? I know a lot of people who play the games up till they get to a mission they can't beat, totally give up with the story, and spend the rest of their time screwing around in the free roaming part till they just put the games back on the shelf.

I'd like to play and enjoy these games and see the storylines, but don't want to constantly reload the game every time I make the smallest error 90% through the mission.

But the biggest problem to me about the GTA games is that, instead of working on and correcting the errors in GTA3, the designers just went for added complexity totally ignoring the inherent problems in the original... I would gladly trade dressing up my character for smooth controls and more balanced missions, for instance. Hopefully they'll build GTA4 from the ground up and take into mind some of the criticisms of these games. Then you'll get me playing again.
 
Nozi said:
GTA is consistently fresh. Evidently (once again) you are one of the people who has either never played the game or at least played very little. Strip away the subject matter and look at the later mission designs, the way your character interacts and changes the entire playing field and this is hardly 'dumb, mindless fun'.

The gameplay, level design, mechanics and complexity of the game are such that it SHOULD be held up as an example of one of the best games ever made. The entire game is genius, plain and simple. Why do you think nobody has even come close to replicating the game?
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Multiple people in this thread have said that GTA games DONT feel consistently fresh. That maybe they're even boring. Why must you write these people off as liars? I've played every single GTA game. I've played GTA on ****ing regular Gameboy. I'm not lying, I'm not a participant in a grand conspiracy to bring down the GTA franchise. The games bore me now, and alot of people clearly feel the same. Just accept it.
 
Kittonwy said:
But I wuv GTASA!!!
gladtomeetya.gif
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But you need to be hung, drawn and quatered.
 
Himuro said:
what? That feature has been in GTA since VC. If you die you have a taxi that takes you to the place where you can re do the mission for example.
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You don't even need that.

There's actually a "Trip Skip" system in San Andreas that warps you to the beginning of a mission that you've failed. You click "Direction Button Right" to skip, the same action you use to respond positively in conversation.
 
There was zero AI in any of the GTA games, sure you could go almost anywhere and do almost anything, but who cares when the AI sucks so bad.
 
Goreomedy said:
You don't even need that.

There's actually a "Trip Skip" system in San Andreas that warps you to the beginning of a mission that you've failed. You click "Direction Button Right" to skip, the same action you use to respond positively in conversation.
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I put 20 hours into SA and never saw that, there is no HUD element that points that out. I fail a mission and thats it, I have to go back to the start.
 
I liked GTA3 and loved Vice City, but SA got pretty boring at some point, and I never finished it. I also have no interest of playing Liberty City Stories or all those GTA clones any longer. Maybe GTA 4 will be more interesting, but I'm not holding my breath.
 
But still, I find that trip unnecessary. (typo?)
You have to listen to the briefing again...etc. Just have you restart exactly when the mission starts please.
 
I love the game... it taught me to save myself some money in real life... why not just run over the hookers when you're done with them to get your money back, plus a lil bonus right?
 
Is it ok to just like the games? Sure my interest has been going down hill since GTA3, but I might still rent them.

My real complaint is that they are giving me too much to do, in SA it felt like it started to become a chore to manage my turf, keep my girlfriend happy, stay in shape, eat, etc. while doing missions.
 
I admire the majority of the games' design, and the ideas behind the development, but the subject material doesn't appeal to me very much.
 
I don't know, I guess some people lack imaginations. You're given the biggest sandbox you've ever had, complete with a mission structure if you choose to follow it, and a ton of extras. Just being creative can extend the length of these games.
 
coldvein said:
Multiple people in this thread have said that GTA games DONT feel consistently fresh. That maybe they're even boring. Why must you write these people off as liars? I've played every single GTA game. I've played GTA on ****ing regular Gameboy. I'm not lying, I'm not a participant in a grand conspiracy to bring down the GTA franchise. The games bore me now, and alot of people clearly feel the same. Just accept it.
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The games are consistently fresh, that's not for debate. For me 'fresh' means innovating, improving and superceding themselves each time. Apparently that's not good enough for you.
 
I think GTA series is crap. I really love the concept of an open world with freedom of choice, but the game is so poorly executed that I´m unable to enjoy it. You can shoot people, but the shooting system is poor. You can drive cars, but it feels so wrong that ain´t any fun. You can hit people, but melee system is nowhere to be found. You can go around the city but you won´t enjoy your time since the camera is pretty bad and the controls wonky. You can try to interact with pedestrians, but they are so dumb that you´ll end up hitting them or doing nothing. Then there´re the missions, which are lame and if you fail them, you cannot restart the mission.

The only good thing and well executed idea that I find in GTA series, is the radio stations. It´s cool and it´s really well implemented.
 
Nozi said:
The games are consistently fresh, that's not for debate. For me 'fresh' means innovating, improving and superceding themselves each time. Apparently that's not good enough for you.
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Come on, sure it's up for debate. I'm not denying that the games aren't getting better, there's certainly an increase in quality from game to game. Objectively speaking, San Andreas is a much better game than GTA3 in almost every way. Does that mean I enjoyed it more? Hell no.

When the first GTA came out, that was "fresh". When the series jumped to 3D, that was "fresh". The "in-between" games (London 1969, GTA2, Vice, San Andreas etc) haven't felt fresh to me at all. Again, there's obvious improvement, but the majority of those games just feel "samey" enough that the improvements become kinda negligible to me.

You're right, the innovations and improvements made to the series aren't good enough for me. Most sequels improve on their predecessors, that's what they're supposed to do. But when a series turns into a lumbering gigantic beast of a money machine and goes through instalment after instalment a la GTA or Final Fantasy, they're just destined to get old. When HALO gets up to game number eight and hasn't made any significant changes to it's formula i'll probably be tired of that shit too.

that's the end of my rant against sequels.
 
coldvein said:
Come on, sure it's up for debate. I'm not denying that the games aren't getting better, there's certainly an increase in quality from game to game. Objectively speaking, San Andreas is a much better game than GTA3 in almost every way. Does that mean I enjoyed it more? Hell no.

When the first GTA came out, that was "fresh". When the series jumped to 3D, that was "fresh". The "in-between" games (London 1969, GTA2, Vice, San Andreas etc) haven't felt fresh to me at all. Again, there's obvious improvement, but the majority of those games just feel "samey" enough that the improvements become kinda negligible to me.

You're right, the innovations and improvements made to the series aren't good enough for me. Most sequels improve on their predecessors, that's what they're supposed to do. But when a series turns into a lumbering gigantic beast of a money machine and goes through instalment after instalment a la GTA or Final Fantasy, they're just destined to get old. When HALO gets up to game number eight and hasn't made any significant changes to it's formula i'll probably be tired of that shit too.

that's the end of my rant against sequels.
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Biggest game world ever in a videogame wasn't good enough for you?
The addition of swimming, bmx's and a host of other vehicles wasn't an innovation?
A new lighting and graphical engine was a cheap cash in on a money machine?
The ability to recruit allies, the inclusion of tactical gang warfare and two player options were samey?
RPG Lite elements, much tighter controls, bigger story paths, an ENTIRE new world and characters are just cheap by the numbers upgrades.. you know what, you're right. :lol

Lumbering is an interesting term. What about the series is 'lumbering'? it's enormous sales, its ability to innovate and redefine gaming each time it's released, or is it just lumbering in your mind because you don't like it?
 
I find them boring. Plain and simple. I played out GTA back in the day and nothing significant has been added to the formula to entertain me for more than maybe an hour.
 
D.Cowboys said:
Or the same old ****ing Mario games either
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Buh? Unless you're talking about Mario Party, in that case, you should have said "the Mario Party" games, the Mario series isn't like GTA or Castlevania at all...
 
Nozi said:
Biggest game world ever in a videogame wasn't good enough for you?
The addition of swimming, bmx's and a host of other vehicles wasn't an innovation?
A new lighting and graphical engine was a cheap cash in on a money machine?
The ability to recruit allies, the inclusion of tactical gang warfare and two player options were samey?
RPG Lite elements, much tighter controls, bigger story paths, an ENTIRE new world and characters are just cheap by the numbers upgrades.. you know what, you're right. :lol

Lumbering is an interesting term. What about the series is 'lumbering'? it's enormous sales, its ability to innovate and redefine gaming each time it's released, or is it just lumbering in your mind because you don't like it?
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Big game world and everything else you mentioned is "new". Exciting? Not enough to get me stoked about playing a GTA game again. End of story.

And when I called it a lumbering gigantic beast it wasn't necessarily negative. Gigantic applies to this series in alot of ways...The # of games in it (7, 8, something like that?), the size of the actual games (big), the sales numbers (huge). It's seemingly unstoppable. It'll continue to sell shitloads. I just probably won't be playing it anymore. Maybe when next-gen online GTA4 comes out I'll give it a shot.
 
I have been quite vocal about my beefs with GTA games but oddly, yesterday and today I've been playing LCS on PSP a lot. Its really good. I think I like the missions, they're short and have great action. The storyline is interesting too.

I would like VCS to be online, that would rock and would be a great addition. Otherwise I would wait for a pricedrop.
 
Because Mafia is better :D

Probably for the shitty missions and awful stories. Not to mention until San Andreas they controlled like ass.
 
hate for them really didnt start here @ gaf until that day it became clear that gta really wasnt going to be exclusive to sony consoles
 
Schnicktick said:
Why? Because it's Mario?
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Not really. Because it doesn't receive a new sequel almost every year. Yes, the name "Mario" might be overused, but the game franchises aren't. There isn't more than one Mario Kart for a single system, Mario's platformers went through many years without a single new release, each one of the several Mario sport titles only have one version for each system.

Yes, several different games with "Mario" in the title is a way of whoring out a franchise, but it's not the same thing done to GTA or Castlevania, which receive new games fairly often, not just games using their trademarks.
 
I personally love the series, my only complaint about San Andreas is that it felt like it was too big of a game for me to even attempt playing. I played it for a month, invested a huge amount of time into the game and just stopped because it seemed like it was going to go on and never end. It probably would've taken me months to beat.



Anything popular--be it Final Fantasy, Halo, Grand Theft Auto, Madden, whatever--is going to have it's vitriolic detractors who make it their mission to shit talk about one series for whatever reason.
 
i have a group of friends who strongly hate gta. they happen to be all japophiles, nintendo lovers, sony haters and never touched a gta outside of three and refuse to acknowledge any good games that it influenced. they always bring up the point on how great mario is and how much of an influence it had on the industry. go figure. they also are incredibly hardcore gamer. as in they buy gradius collection, praise it for its oldschool gameplay, and only later i find out they can’t even get passed the second level of gradius 3.

if you ask me, gta3, vice city and san andreas are all masterpieces and done the most that they can with current gen hardware. san andreas is just mind blowing in scope and pushing the genre to its limit. it's especially apparent after you've played gta3 right after playing sa. the gameplay will be outdated if they don’t add a lot more to it such as better physics, a.i , a world that really feels a live, etc etc etc. i want to see ****ing rush hour traffic damnit and better pedestrian ai!

lcs is the only one in the series that is obviously truly a rehash. it comes off feeling like a mission pack. but as far as handheld gaming is concerned, it is a classic and the gta formula we know and love now can survive on the psp.
 
as in they buy gradius collection, praise it for its oldschool gameplay, and only later i find out they can’t even get passed the second level of gradius 3.
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To be fair, Gradius 3 is an absolute ****ing nightmare, and even reaching stage 3 in it is a gigantic feat.
 
Tain said:
To be fair, Gradius 3 is an absolute ****ing nightmare, and even reaching stage 3 in it is a gigantic feat.
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well the point is they don't play the game's that they buy. instead they praise them for being conventional and old school. they all have an amazing collection of games they do not play.

and i'm going to put money down that this stereotype applies to gta haters.
 
djtiesto said:
But the thing that really gets me about the games is the missions. So much trial and error is involved...
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Amen. I guess I'm not hardcore enough (or my years of QAing killed my hands), but I don't have the patience to keep replaying missions. I really find them tough. I don't buy the myth that you play in a giant sandbox instead of completing missions. If you don't complete missions, you can't unlock more levels. Killing, then avoiding police gets stale. Plus I have to reload every time I get killed or busted and lose inventory.

As for the humor, it's middle school ha-has. The Castro Theater's marque reads "The Wizard of Ass." Ha ha.

That all said, I do love that sandbox. I love the effort and detail of every block in SA (compare that to Godfather's repeating environments). I enjoy driving from one part of the state to the next, and I've put over 100 hours into doing just that. How? I copied my friend's completed save file.

I'm playing LCS PS2 from scratch. I'm going to see how far I can get.
 
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