The new GTAIV trailer came out late last week to much ado. And now that the commotion has died down and all the video analysis has been done I think I’ve finally gathered my thoughts on this one. What I feel about this game falls into two main categories:
Hope-
Seeing the gigantic leap forward in cinematic presentation makes me hope that this GTA might be able to bridge a gap that it has tried to forge repeatedly in the past. To be taken as serious social commentary.
All previous GTA entries have some very insightful tongue-in-cheek humor that is drowned in over the top violence, poor character development and dry presentation. While still being some of the most fun I’ve had gaming the GTA series tends to engage my funny-bone and not my mind.
This can all change in their latest entry; and hopefully will. The main character has the potential to be driven by emotions other than revenge and rage. The dynamic of trying to save your blood relative while risking your own life could be played out in a big way. Making this game as potentially emotionally involved as artistic games like SotC.
Defeat-
Part of me already knows that when it comes to trailers, Rockstar has always delivered on the GTA series. They’ve always managed to make the story seem much more important and impactful than it really is. Remember the Vice City trailers? An homage the Miami Vice and Scarface, while action packed, made it seem like the characters would be taking center stage. Did the game play anything like those movies with the exception of the final stand at your mansion?
Justin pointed out in the podcast this week (I’m still editing it, it’ll be out soon) that even though the GTA games have a great music selection the music was barely used in actual cut-scenes.
All signs seem to point to this entry in the GTA being very different. A departure from the series’ standard fare. We’ll see…
