October 6, 2013
Unless you're living under a rock on Mars with your fingers in your ears, you've likely heard of Grand Theft Auto V. It completely shattered previous entertainment sales figures by earning over $1 billion (BILLION!) in just three days. Despite still being up to our necks in the glorious world of San Andreas (not to mention the incredible GTA Online experience), we can't help but look to the future. The next GTA game would be years off, with how enormous V is, but let's look ahead and imagine four possible settings we think would make for a great GTA setting. We're also including three possible protagonists, after the incredible success and fun of switching between characters in V.
- San Fierro, 1970's - San Fierro, GTA's version of San Francisco, was shown in GTA: San Andreas. So was Los Santos! Coincidence? The 1970's is an era sorely underrepresented in games, and for the protagonists we imagine a John Travolta-esque disco maniac, a burnt out hippy trying to recapture the spirit of the 60's and Woodstock, and a Vietnam vet. The game would feature SF and its surrounding areas (Berkely, Oakland, etc.) and have plenty of hippy protests and disco music. Games these days need some more funk and some more love, so why not this one?
- Vice City, modern day - Vice City (GTA's Miami) was another location from the PS2 GTA games that many people greatly enjoyed, partially because of its neon-drenched 1980's aesthetic. However, VC itself is an interesting location and one we think is due for a revisit. A spoiled rich girl there for spring break, an up-and-coming rapper, and a guy with ties to the Cuban drug cartel could round out the cast for this game, giving players Miami, Orlando and perhaps even Havana to roam around in and do what GTA protagonists do best.
- Tokyo, modern day - No offense to SEGA and its Yakuza games, they just don't sell that well outside of Japan. For many people, Japan is an almost alien world to many people, and we think Rockstar could knock it out of the park with their attention to detail and world design. It'd be a different setting for the developer, a challenge we think they'd be up to. Give us an American tourist (to ground things for North American players), an ex-Yakuza member and a weary salaryman in need of variety in his life. Include a bit of the countryside and some smaller towns in the map and you've got yourself the recipe for a good, very different type of GTA game.
- Space, future - While we're on the topic of alien and different, let's just go all out. Rockstar has yet to do a very futuristic, sci-fi game, so why not start here? The game could be set in a space station, with other planets/moons available for quick and easy travel via spaceship jacking. The sky is no longer the limit (because, you know, space and stuff) so make it as big and ambitious as you can! A bounty hunter or smuggler (think Malcom Reynolds or Han Solo), a pilot, and an engineer could be our crew for a crazy adventure in space, complete with lasers, hints of alien technology and much, much more. The next game in the series is years out and will be on next gen. GTA V already looks like amazing for PS3/360, so we can't wait to see what they can do with the power of the PS4/Xbone on their side.
