Comment on What is the most overrated game gamers hype up?
OmegaMouse@pawb.social 3 weeks ago
Probably GTA V. I did enjoy it, but the story was all over the place and the multiplayer was never that fun (it wasn’t long before it became filled with cheaters and ridiculous DLC cars/weapons). Something about traversing the map just bored me in a way that GTA IV and San Andreas never did.
I remember finishing the story and going “That’s it?”. Even now when I try to remember what the actual plot was I have no fucking idea. And I didn’t really get into GTA Online because by the time I got around to it sharkcards were already ruining online and I just didn’t want anything to do with that.
But I have a hard time saying it’s overrated. There’s just nothing else like it in the world. Every other game that has tried to copy GTA has ended up being noticeably inferior to GTA.
I suppose it’s overrated in the sense that there are better games in the series (in my opinion at least).
I think Rockstar did an incredible job with RDR2, so I’m hoping GTA VI is an improvement over V.
It was the first time I played a GTA game.
The dialog was what sold it for me. As a game, it’s just OK. There’s a lot of mechanics that it trains you to do for one mission, and then it never comes up again. Once you do the first big heist, money is no longer anything to worry about. Which is good, because buying a business for income is almost never worth it unless you’re going to have a very long playthrough.
The torture scene was a bit much. In-universe, even fucking Trevor thought it was a bit much.
The final mission should have been the big three-way shootout between various corrupt organizations. Have Franklin have to make his choice on who to kill during that mission, and then wrap it all up. The story clearly climaxes there, and the rest is dragging things out.
I’m surprised it got so many 10 out of 10 reviews back in the day. I guess having an open world game with draw distances like that on an Xbox360 was a big deal, but once that technical achievement is no longer noteworthy, it’s a 7 out of 10 experience. Which is fine, it’s just not amazing.
I found it very strange how unfinished parts of it seemed.
calliope@retrolemmy.com 3 weeks ago
To me, Rockstar Games are cool as world simulators and storytelling engines. My issue is that they plop lazily-designed gameplay on top.
No one ever talks about the core gameplay loops of these games, the thing that makes you progress through the storyline.
They talk about the storyline, but they don’t talk about the mediocre gunfights you have to wade through to watch a cutscene or hear dialogue. Wave after wave of anonymous enemies, like videogames haven’t changed since shooting galleries.
They have to introduce essentially unexplained superpowers (slowing down time) to make it remotely interesting. And even then, I would argue most people are just trying to get through every single mission.
Or the terrible movement/driving/riding physics. I didn’t finish GTA4 (also a “10/10 game”) because some of the missions relied on the abysmal movement.
It’s like… a Rockstar game is like going to IKEA. You’re going to be led through a lot of stupid crap, just because they want to keep you there longer.
OmegaMouse@pawb.social 3 weeks ago
I do agree with your observations here, especially when it comes to GTA V.
One Rockstar game that I thought did a good job with the gameplay loop was Max Payne 3. Near-death, running low on ammo and diving to the side of an enemy’s shot in slow-motion whilst you line up that last headshot and see the animation as the final bullet hits it’s target. THAT felt satisfying. It’s not a perfect game by any means, but I loved the gameplay.
GTA V on the other hand did feel like a chore at times with its uninspiring gunfights. I think it actually shined most during the unscripted moments - being chased when a stray bullet pops a tyre, forcing you to fight your way out of a battle on the side of the road before running for your life, stealing another car and getting away. I guess that’s what you mean when you say a storytelling engine.