GTA 6 may have the best graphics ever, and a gigantic open world to explore, but one reader feels it’s missing something very important, that was not evident in the recent Netflix show.
Like many people, I was distinctly unimpressed with the latest reveals of GTA 6. For over 10 years and $1 to $3 billion, one might’ve expected a little more innovation. The extended gameplay reveal was classic GTA – car chases, gunfights, store robberies – but little more, and so far we’ve seen nothing to suggest GTA 6 will be more than GTA 5 with a fresh face.
Personally, I’m not too fussed about that. There’s a reason people continue to play GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2 today – they’re incredible games. If GTA 6 maintains the core loop of its forebears, it will be a hit even without extensive new gameplay systems, because the basic feel of shooting, driving, and exploring in a Rockstar title remains satisfying.
Graphically, the game looks impressive too. Interiors are more detailed and there’s hope for a wider variety of buildings you can actually enter. The draw distance is incredible, showing detailed objects and topography miles off, a feat rivalled only by Crimson Desert. Character models are a standout, too, with greater diversity of body shapes and fashion.
But of everything we’ve seen so far, there is something crucial missing which makes me worry. The previews contained extensive dialogue between the game’s protagonists, Jason and Lucia, and a host of antagonists, mentors, conspirators, and throwaway characters, and in all that time the game failed to do the one thing which is essential for a Rockstar game to thrive.
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Though they have plenty of dark, serious, even emotional moments, GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2 are absolutely hilarious at times. Larger than life main and supporting characters like Trevor Phillips and Lamar Davis deliver cutting, chaotic, and extravagant jokes and behaviours which bring the story to life; Lamar’s salty reaction to not winning Employee of the Month for stealing cars well enough, for example, is one of the more memorable scenes in the early game.
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Even drier characters like Franklin Clinton or Arthur Morgan have plenty of humorous moments, be it Franklin’s incredulity at Lamar’s antics, or Arthur’s impatient interplay with some of his lazier camp members (‘I was thinking.’/’Does it pay well?’).
For contrast, the best attempts at humour in the GTA 6 preview were Jason making an offhand remark about how long Lucia took to get ready – a stale joke 50 years ago – and a streamer asking his chat what to do when he gets carjacked, which might be funny in the full release if Lucia reacts with some personality… she certainly didn’t in the preview.
Rockstar often litters their world with humorous brands and irreverent real-world references, often outrageously offensive. The best we got here was an advert about turning majestic animals into burgers… reused satire from previous games.
Worse than that not being funny, though, almost none of the dialogue was vaguely interesting. Jason has the personality of a spoon and Lucia isn’t much better. The opening scene of the preview, where the pair walk through Raymond’s gang hideout repeating the same lines of dialogue to nondescript non-player characters is tedious viewing. Raymond’s personality turns out to be saying swear words a lot. When they are betrayed by a voice on a phone, the most sinister line the villain delivers is, ‘It is what it is.’
There’s no subtle character building here. No tension. No humour. It’ just functional, matter-of-fact dialogue delivered with a po-faced, almost apathetic tone. Like a story about gangsters you’d rush out as homework for a school English or drama project.
Anyone familiar with GTA Online will know Rockstar’s writing chops haven’t been up to scratch in recent years. Most of those characters are annoying at best, and almost every attempt at humour ranges from cringeworthy to painfully so. But GTA 6 is supposed to be their biggest flagship launch to date and you’d expect them to deliver the best GTA their years of experience can concoct. On current evidence, though, I can’t help but feel it is going to fall flat and be – I can’t believe I’m saying this – boring.
The reader’s features do not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.
