Rockstar, GTA V Better Not Include…
…Mobile Phones! With the first trailer for GTA V being released tomorrow, we take a look at some of the annoying features of Grand Theft Auto IV that held back the entire experience.
Mobile Phones:
At some point during Grand Theft Auto IV‘s development, the addition of mobile phones as a communication tool and menu system must have sounded like a great idea, with Rockstar taking one of the modern age’s greatest advances and using it to wow the poor and underprivileged immigrant Niko. But the grand idea of having the player always able to contact and be contacted by other characters quickly turned into a nightmare. GTA games have always been loved for their drop in and out storyline, with you able to complete a mission and then wipe out the population of a small nation, before continuing another mission. With a mobile in Niko’s pocket at all times, players could be happily chucking grenades at the boys in blue only to be pestered by your attention seeking cousin, Roman: “Hey Niko, want to have a drink right now? Oh and you’ll need to pick me up, and don’t be late.” And then, if you say no, the character becomes upset with you, closing off potential side missions. Lovely.
Cheats have always been an iconic part of the 3D GTA series and, while some cheats can be activated at any time, most are only really worth their salt if you use them to stock up mid-rampage. Who would need to restore their health if they weren’t in danger? Realizing this, Rockstar made cheat code entering an easy and pain-free experience, keeping the tried and true direction based cheats of the older gam- oh wait. Instead, cheats have to be entered via the phone, something that Niko puts away at the slightest nudge. So, if you’re being targeted by several cops, there really isn’t much hope in you successfully boosting your health.
Thin, indestructible objects:
There’s nothing more annoying than inconsistent destructibility in a driving game. When I was first allowed free reign in GTA IV, I immediately punched an LCPD officer to death, before hightailing it down the street in a taxi while 30 police cars gave chase Blues Brothers style. I plowed headlong through fences, people and lampposts, skidding around a corner and readying myself for a final break. Then, disaster – the taxi was brought to a grinding halt after hitting the sturdy, unbendable bow of a birch sapling. A small piece of wood, no wider than one of Niko fingers had stopped around 3000lbs of metal moving at 80mph.
Aggressive window wiping:
After hitting the World’s strongest tree, my bad luck didn’t stop there, with Niko diving headlong through the window and skidding along the ground for a good thirty seconds. Now, while bad crashes do lead to people being flung about like a ragdoll, is it too much to ask for a man who can drive any car, fly a helicopter and operate all the different aspects of a tank to learn how to put on a seatbelt? You’d think Niko would pick up the idea after the 15th time pretending to be Superman and failing.
Do you agree with our pet hates in GTA IV, or do you have any more you’d like to add? Let us know in the comments below.
17 Responses to “Rockstar, GTA V Better Not Include…”
“Rockstar, GTA V Better Not Include…DLC for the Xbox 360 1st” LoL
But i guess MS got what they wanted now i.e Xbox 360 selling more in the U.S.of.A than the PS3 so maybe they are not bothered now. If they do get DLC 1st then F**K RockStar(like i did with GTA4 i.e i got it 2nd hand for cheap off eBay) ;-D
That’s what I was expecting them to say
The biggest problem with the phone for me is that I’ll be in the middle of a shootout or running down the street pressing X or O for something and it either answers or hangs up the phone without my brain even having time to realize that my phone was ringing.
The trees are a HUGE problem.
As for being ejected from the vehicle: It would be nice if seatbelts were used, but at the same time, It only happens (I think) when hitting those fixed objects (trees, buildings, etc) and I think I’ve become a better driver / more cautious knowing that if I hit this or that, I’m out of the car.
I’ve had GTAIV for months, but only got into it in just the past couple of days. Could never get into a GTA game, but I’m hooked.
First and foremost, and no disrespect, but Sebastian Moss you are probably one of those idiots who are for GTAV being placed in LA. Your expectations of things you dont want in the game are as fake as the people who live in LA. Cell phones are a piece of contemporary technology that belong in the game and allow the sort of instant access that we have today. Yes there were some ups and downs with the phone, but unless GTAV is set in the 70′s, a cell phone should be a mandatoriy in the game. The fact I know your an idiot is becasue your 2nd paragraph contains cheats…the kind of bullshit a faker in LA would use and condone. Solid tiny objects getting in your way…learn how to drive fool. One of the best things GTAs flourish on is the driving experience in the game. I’d like to see your idiotic self drive around at 80 miles an hour and expect everything to move out of your way. Stay on the roads my friend, sidewalks are for pedestrians. Sincerely, NIKO BELIC
p.s do you honostly think one remains stationary in an automobile accident..i dont think so man, the fact you could be thrown off the motorcycle or fly through a windshield made the driving experience better. You must be cautious on the road, and when you start getting handles with the steering wheel it feels even better making clean get-aways and sliding through traffic like a magician.
Being a Brit, I wouldn’t really be able to tell you the difference between GTA being set in LA or New York, save a few landmarks, haha.
Mobiles can be in the game, but they shouldnt be used as a menu system when there already is a menu system, and there should be more responses to “Wanna have a drink?” than “Yes” or “No, I don’t have time for you”. There should be options like “How about tomorrow at 6? I’m kind of busy killing 100 people.”
Usually, I’m not a fan of cheats, it is, after all, cheating, but GTA has always been synonymous with cheats. Not as a way to complete the game, but as a way to have fun.
I don’t expect everything to move out of my way when I’m driving, but I expect it to react at least slightly realistically. If I hit a wall, I expect to be stopped, if I hit a twig, I don’t.
As for seatbelts – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-8PBx7isoM
So, can anyone explain the whole thing about LA and fakers to me?
I appologize for calling you an idiot. I’m a huge gta fan and there have just been a few things that have erked me about it the game possibly set in la. As far as the gameplay of gta4…hands down best contemporary game aside from red dead. The cell phone did have some issues such as the issue dead shadow brought up with the phone picking up and ending a call while running. I would have liked to call people in the game and not get their voicemail. They could only call you on their terms. If there was one thing I would want excluded from the game….all the helpful hints the game gave you. Each mission had step by step directions, I would have preferred the user to be a little more intuitive and discover finishing missions on their own merits. Also, when a new piece of land opens there should he shops, eating places, clubs, etc, that are exclusive to that land. Algonquin did have things that bohan and broker didn’t have, but alderney had nothing signature about it, aside from the nrg900 dealership. Apologies again, just highly anxious to see what becomea of the gta francise…
http://taoz.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/asshole-posters_jpeg.jpg
It’s funny how you start out by saying “no disrespect” and then immediately, in the same sentence, call the guy an idiot. Settle down dude. It’s just an opinion peice. And I happen to think he makes some good points. Some I disagree with, but there are some good points in here.
I find it amazing how people on the internet can start a post with the words “No Disrespect” and follow through with a series of reasons why the person their talking to is a complete and utter moron. It just makes “No Disrespect” seem pointless.
It’s purely he’s opinion and seeing as Sebastian dosen’t have a direct link to Rockstar I doubt he’ll have much influence on the game with this article though I think he’s right actually, it makes zero sense that a lamp post should be knocked down by a car yet a normal pirch tree acts as though it were reinforced with Titanium.
As for the realism? I think it’s become a problem in gaming, it’s gotten to the point where now games designers make their games realistic to the point where it actually starts making the game bad. I don’t play games to replicate real life, I play games to have fun. Hence why Saint’s Row: The Third will make billions upon release. GTA wants to be fun but at the same time over-realistic and those two things just don’t go together.
There was a feature on the phone that would stop it from being activated. And after you entered a cheat it was saved on the phone. But your other two points are good. Though I do not think that trees will ever be destructible. They’re trees!
everything, and i mean EVERYTHING, in Driver: San Francisco is destructible….it’s glorious.
Here’s to someone who hates Hotdog stands.
They also need to get rid of the missions that require you to drive across the city to start it, and then drive back across the city to do the mission. The worst one was the mission taken from the movie “HEAT.” If you died, I swear it was five minutes of driving before you could attempt it again.
They did get rid of that. You could hail a taxi with L1, then hop in and do a “trip skip.” The same applied once on the actual mission and hopping into a car.
O.k GTA 4 really sucked monkey balls. I could not for tha life of me get into this game. What dont I want on GTA 5? Let me think……..how bout tha drivin, tha phone, tha dates, and everything tht sidetracks u frm havin what GTA is made for……FUN!!!!!!!!
Niko does put a seat belt on if you don’t speed off right away. Just like if you steal a bike and wait a sec he will put on a helmet.
I believe if you didn’t start the car up right away Niko would put his seat belt on and no go crashing through the window.
However I didn’t mind the cell phone so much. Say yes to whatever anyone wants you to do then call back and say you busy, never effects the relationships.