Does the world need another GTA?

Mike Bantick
Monday, 11 February 2008 14:41

Opinion and Analysis

Grand Theft Auto IV is soon to be released on the market, but has that market moved on since GTA III?  Is there room for another crime based sandbox game?

Need is the key word here, the world definitely does need a bunch of things: disease cures, an escape from abject poverty that plagues a large percentage of the population, freedom from oppression and war, and so on.

So the imminent presence of another in the hugely successful Grand Theft Auto series will not go much toward solving these global needs.  It will however provide employment to many at developers' RockStar Games studios, and undoubtedly a cadre of lawyers on both sides of the video game violence debate will also find a lucrative way out of their particular brands of “abject poverty”.

A new official website has been launched , detailing many new snippets of information about the new GTA IV, due to hit store shelves April 29th this year.  It gives expanded insight on what gamers can expect in the way of people, places, areas of Liberty City (New York) and the Goods & Services that will litter the sandbox game,

There are videos (check out the hilarious Steinway Beer Garden clip) and screens to check out, giving a glimpse of the Next Gen power RockStar have managed to harness for this release.

But no official clue about GTA IV's multiplayer code, there is a heading here, but only “coming soon” appears when rolled over.  For a possible hint to the multiplayer action destined to be under the GTA IV hood, check this rumour.

So, back to the question, and lets be a bit narrower in our focus this time so as not to lose perspective.  Does the Gaming world need another GTA.  Hell yeah.

So far RockStar has been the only company to really step up to the crime sand-box style game, a few others have tried and come close – The Getaway: Black Monday and Saints Row come to mind, but inevitably  they all are compared to GTA, and never seem to reach the same standard of variety, depth and tongue-in-the-cheek humour that GTA has so far captured. 

So bring it on RockStar, we want to slip into the shoes of Niko Bellic as he strives for his own American dream. 

Grand Theft Auto IV is due for release April 29 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.