Gaming United: The History of Grand Theft Auto and The Incredible Last Installment

My sister is back with another Gaming United segment, she covers one of the greatest video game franchises in history Grand Theft Auto. She gave a little background on each installment but mainly talks about Grand Theft Auto 5 and why she is still playing it. We hope you enjoy the post and share it with your friends and family!

Grand Theft Auto is an on going series that started in 1997 with the latest game, GTA V coming out in 2013. The series has gotten better and better with each new game by adding new pieces to every game and of course the graphics improving as well. If you don't know the basic principle of GTA you live under a rock and should get out more but I will give a little history on each game. I have only played GTA V so I will mainly talk about it.

Grand Theft Auto came out in 1997 and was developed by DMA Design for the PlayStation 1, PC, and GameBoy Color. The game had an overhead 2 dimensional look with an open world style which was a huge development for the game. (Open world means you are no confined to an area or have to complete the game in a linear fashion, you are able to explore the game without restrictions) There were multiple levels which were split between 3 cities, the ultimate objective was to reach a target number of points to advance to the next level. The game had 8 playable characters (PlayStation only had 4) and you had a limited number of lives for each level. If you died before you reached the target point total you restarted, there was also no save feature until you completed the level. Starting with the first game there were cheat codes you could input into the game to level up, get unlimited points, upgrade weapons, and so on. 

GTA 2 come out in '99 and was again developed by DMA Design for PS1, Sega Dreamcast, PC, and GameBoy Color. It still had the overhead 2D look and had multiple levels of districts. GTA 2 introduced a key component for the series, it had one single character you played as Claude Speed. The ultimate objective was still the same as the first game but it allowed you to save at any point during the game. GTA 2 saw a big improvement on city activity, vehicles and city people actually played a role and interacted with their surroundings. Another big addition was you now earned a wanted level for committing crimes around the city, meaning the police force would be aware of what you are doing and try to stop you. The higher your wanted level the more force the police would use to stop you. It also introduced side missions, you could now become a taxi driver or bus driver or even a semi truck driver. 

GTA 3 came out in 2001 along with the next generation systems, PlayStation 2, XBOX, PC and was available on mobile devices. It was developed by DMA Design and included two of the biggest breakthroughs for the series, it introduced the third person perspective along with a much bigger and expansive open world map. The game was set in Liberty City (based off New York City) and we are reunited with Claude Speed from GTA 2. With the bigger map the story mode was much bigger and in-depth along with the side missions. It was received with critical acclaim and controversy based on the violence and sexual content of the game. These are two sticking points for the GTA series as a whole, they are always some of the biggest games but are also very controversial. 

Grand Theft Auto:Vice City came out in 2002 and saw a new developer, Rockstar make the game which would be a common theme for the next three games. It was once again released on PS2, XBOX, PC, and mobile devices. You played as Tommy Vercetti in Vice City which was based off Miami and 1980s Miami more specifically. It once again was a third person, open world game that included a story mode and side missions. However the "world" was expanded exponentially, for example you could now purchase properties to help earn money and make the game more realistic. 

GTA: San Andreas was released in 2004 by Rockstar on PS2, PS3, XBOX, XBOX 360, PC, and mobile devices. You played as Carl "CJ" Johnson as he explored San Andreas which was based off of Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Las Vegas. San Andreas is hailed as one of the greatest video games ever and expanded on the already great GTA franchise. It introduced so many staples of what we think GTA should have, swimming, character customization including clothing, accessories, haircuts, jewelry, and tattoos. Playing as CJ you had to make sure you ate and exercised to keep your character progressing. It was only three years in-between GTA 3 and San Andreas but the developers included 250 vehicles in San Andreas which you could modify versus only 60 in GTA 3. Everyone looks at this installment to where GTA really expanded and became one of the greatest franchises of all time. 

Rockstar took a four year break in-between San Andreas and GTA 4 which came out in 2008 on PS3, XBOX 360, and PC. It went back to Liberty City and followed the story of Niko Bellic. Once again it was a third person, open world game with a story mode and side missions. However it also added another major mode, it introduced online multiplayer which included both cooperative and competitive modes. Rockstar is one of the most intelligent game developers and with smartphones being a major part of everyday life they included that in GTA 4. The smartphone could be used to start activities and contact friends to hang out. 

The last installment of Grand Theft Auto was released by Rockstar in 2013. It was released on PS3, PS4, XBOX 360, XBOX 1, and PC. GTA V broke the industry sales records, it recorded sales over $1 billion in three days. It is set in Los Santos, which is basically Los Angeles and followed three main characters, Michael, Franklin, and Trevor. Of course it is an open world, third or first person game with a story and side missions. It also has a huge online multiplayer which can include 30 players working together or against each other. GTA V looked at all the previous titles and took everything that worked for them and put it in one unbelievable game. Let's take a look at why this game is so successful and why five years later millions of people are still playing.

Although the story mode is great, the online mode is the preferred one for many gamers. Online mode for GTA is where you can play with other players in a lobby doing whatever you want. You can fight with each other, do missions or races, and ever start up a business or motorcycle club to do earn money. You also get to customize your characters looks and what their name is. You can change the hair, eye color, and ever add face paint to stand out among other players. I still play GTA everyday along with a bunch of my online friends. Mostly we like to mess around and cause mayhem around Los Santos with other but other times we will do missions so we can all earn money. You can purchase some really awesome stuff with the money you earn, you can buy cars, houses, clothes, and properties. A really cool example is the Deluxo, which is a flying car very similar to the Delorean from Back to the Future. Rockstar is always updating the game and adding new missions, story lines, races, clothes, and so on. Personally I prefer races over missions but a popular mission is a mode called Slashers. In this game there are two teams, the hunter and the killers or slashers. Both teams try to kill each other but the hunter only get a flashlight while the slashers get a shotgun and a machete. However, every sixty seconds the teams switch sides until one is eliminated. 

The game has been out since 2013 and is still widely played as this past December saw more players in GTA online then ever before. Although it can have its bad moments, like when the Rockstar servers are down, overall it is a fantastic game. I would strongly recommend this game and hopefully the rumors of GTA 6 are true!!

Gaming United Q&A

My little sister, Kelly, joins the Going Off Topic blog this week. She is a big gamer and answered a few questions that I sent her about some of her favorite games. If you have any questions you want answered send them over and she will check them out. She is going to have her own segment, "Gaming United" that she will write for every few weeks. If you haven't played these games she suggests checking them out immediately.

Q: What is more important to you in a video game a good story or good internet/multiplayer?

A: To me, a good story is a definite must have. If the story doesn’t go well or connect the dots, it’s not a good game. Or if it doesn’t have a story at all for single player games, I can’t get into it. To me, graphics don’t matter one bit if the story is good. A good game with an amazing storyline would either be The Last Of Us or Outlast. For multiplayer or internet multiplayer games, there’s usually not a whole lot of a storyline. For those kinda games, I just look to see if it’s a game I’ll be able to play a lot and not get tired of it. An example would be the Friday The 13th Game that came out a couple months back. That’s definitely my favorite online game. Although, one problem I have with some online games is team-killing. Most of them have taken that part out, but those who still have it in, aren’t as fun since some players think it’s funny to team kill 24/7. 

Q: The amount of replay ability/options a game has?

A: This question all depends on the game you’re wanting to replay. For example, if you’re wanting to replay The Last Of Us, it’s gonna end the same way every time. But, if you’re wanting to replay Until Dawn, you can make different choices throughout the game that can give you a different ending. I’ve replayed a couple of storyline games that I really enjoy, like Outlast and Until Dawn, but sometimes it not as fun playing when you know what is gonna happen in the end. 

Q: How important the characters are to a game? 

A: Characters are very important to a game in my mind. You have to have likable characters in a storyline game, otherwise it won’t be as fun. Some players can relate to the characters in a video game, which they really like. Characters are important to the story and they all need a different personality and maybe even different perspectives of what’s going on in the game. My favorite game with characters in a game is definitely Until Dawn. That game does a great job of giving you details and some background of the characters too, which some games don’t even bother to do. Another good game with great characters is TellTales The Walking Dead Series. Many players fall in love with the characters on the game and do their best to keep them safe. 

Q: What genre of game you like the most?

A: My favorite genre of games is definitely horror. I’m a huge horror fan, no matter what it is. Horror is usually the only type of genre I play, although sometimes I do find a game that’s not in the horror genre I wanna play. Outlast and Outlast 2 are my top two favorite horror games by far. The first one is set in an insane asylum, so you can imagine how frightening and terrifying that is. They both do an amazing job of keeping you interested in what’s going to happen next and both have a bunch of unexpected jumps areas throughout the game. Another favorite horror game of mine would be Until Dawn. That game is set on a family’s house on a lonely mountain, with a killer on the loose. That game has many unexpected things happen, and it even has choices that could result in life or death of a character. 

Q: Would you rather have a good storyline or good graphics?

A: To me, like I said before, a good story is one of the most important things a video game can have. Graphics to me, don’t matter at all, although they do matter to a bunch of people. I think that as long as the game is enjoyable, it can be a good game, no matter how bad the graphics may be. 

Q: Do you prefer single-player or multiplayer games?

A: This all depends on my mood honestly. I have quite a few friends online that I play a lot of games with, like Friday The 13th and GTA online, but sometimes I like to play single player games. Don’t get me wrong, I love playing online games with my friends and all, I really do but obviously there are games that are only single player that I wanna play and get to beat. 

Q: What console do you prefer?

A: I prefer PlayStation over anything, especially PlayStation 4. There’s so many games for it and such a wide variety. I don’t know if you can get a VR (virtual reality) for other consoles, but you can get it for this one. I, myself, have never played a VR game, but I’ve always wanted to after seeing videos about it on YouTube. Even though I prefer a ps4, I’ve still had an Xbox 360 that I play sometimes, but it’s rare. 

Q: Hardest game you’ve played?

A: I’ve played a couple of harder games, but probably one of the hardest is The Uncharted Series. Those games are based on strategy and difficult strategies for the most part. Half the time, I can only play that game for about an hour or so before I can’t figure out what to do and end up quitting or rage quitting cause I keep dying or something. Another hard game, that I didn’t even come close to beating was Bloodborne. That game, I could barely play for twenty minutes without rage quitting or something. 

Q: Scariest game?

A: The scariest game I’ve played would definitely be Outlast and Outlast 2. As I said before, the first game is set in an insane asylum with crazy patients roaming around. I haven’t beaten the second one just yet, but it’s still definitely one of the scariest games. The game producers for those two games really know how to make you enthralled and terrified at the same time. 

Q: Saddest game?

A: This is a harder question, cause I don’t think I’ve played a entirely sad game. Ive definitely played games with sad parts in them though. But for this, it’s a tie between the beginning and ending of The Last Of Us, the ending of The Walking Dead Season 1 and Heavy Rain. Most people wouldn’t say Heavy Rain is a sad game, but I think it is. In this game, you play Ethan, a father of a child who gets taken by a serial killer. During the game, you get clues to where the child is at, all while going through horrible tests to get there, where you are basically killing yourself to do them.