The Master and The Molotov
For better or for worse, the Grand Theft Auto series has come to define an entire generation of American gaming. I don't want to play armchair psychoanalyst, but it is hard to separate the appeal of the franchise from the ineffectualness most young American men must have felt during the post-9/11 Bush Administration years. It is no accident that the series barely made a dent in the sales charts in Japan or that the franchise has just now been culturally eclipsed by Guitar Hero/Rock Band and the Nintendo Wii.
Quite frankly, critics lingering infatuation with the franchise is just embarrassing. I would be willing to ignore the absurd grasps at cultural relevance (any critic that seriously compared the "script" to the The Wire should be permanently disbarred), but the fact that most reviewers willing turned a blind eye to the fundamentally flawed game mechanics is simply unforgivable. The mission structure is infuriating. The on-foot controls are atrocious. And while it is hard not to be impressed by the sheer scope of the game (the first trip through Times Square has an undeniable wow factor), that breadth doesn't translate into depth. The environments look great when you are speeding through the streets in a race car, but once you actually get out and start walking around everything is revealed to be a horrendously low-resoultion facade.
Grade: B-
Grade Curved For Hype: C+
posted by d l wright at 5/11/2009 08:47:00 PM
2 Comments:
Totally with you. I've never quite understood why the GTA games have gotten so much love (after 3 that is—which was just so revolutionary).
They have always had a broken mission structures, poor control and tedious, boring stories.
In fact, Ian is the only person I've ever talked to who has actually beaten a GTA game.
I mean I "beat" GTA IV. It wasn't exactly fun, but I finished the main plot line. To get 100% completion you have to find 200 pigeons placed randomly around the city. I was like AHHHH HELLLS NOOO.
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