Summary
As far as crime-focused games go, few are more influential or visible than Rockstar’sGrand Theft Autofranchise. The series has had the category in a chokehold since its first release in the late 90s, and its status as the top dog in the industry is set to receive another boost with the highly anticipatedGTA 6scheduled for arrival late next year. Along its path to becoming a household name in gaming, many components have become synonymous with the franchise. Fromthe story of the purple-coded Ballas gangto the vast offering of vehicles on land, sea, or air, the focus inGTAgames has long rested in the power of its narrative and vehicles. However, with the wait forGTA 6marking the longest stretch without a new title, other mechanics like combat might be under scrutiny.
As theGTA 6reveal trailer underscored,GTAis mired in crime, a lens that shines through in its historical missions inVice CityandSan Andreas, sending players to rob influential characters and even invade heavily guarded military installments. These feats are achieved with the help of an assortment of weaponry ranging from RPGs and bazookas to more traditional tools. Where some franchises tend to err on the side of realism, Rockstar doesn’t emphasize this inGTA, as can be evidenced in the many epic shootouts where the protagonist survives the assault of an entire police department. WithGTA 6’s Bonnie and Clyde-esque narrative coming into play, the developer faces the question of rocking the apple cart of combat.
GTA 6 Could Be Under More Pressure to Be Realistic
It’s been 11 years sinceGTA 5made its earth-shattering debut, and in that long stretch, the status quo for shooters has gone through many changes. WhileGrand Theft Autoisn’t primarily described as a shooter franchise, guns go hand in hand with virtually every mission, so it stands to reason thatGTA 6should be subject to the same rules asthe likes ofHelldivers 2andCyberpunk 2077. With that in mind, logically,GTA 6’s first order of business should be to shore up its combat options.
However, that contrasts with theGrand Theft Autofans have gotten used to over the years. Hand-to-hand combat, for instance, hasn’t posed much of a challenge to any of the franchise’s protagonists. Few – if any – NPCs are capable of resisting and returning the player character’s blows with equal capacity, making for brutal and largely uninteresting beatdowns. From the example of heavily guarded military bases, it’s unclear whetherGTA 6would feature a similar location, but it makes sense for trained troops like police or soldiers to pose more of a challenge combat-wise.
A Revamped Combat System Could Be All GTA 6 Needs to Thrive
Likewise, gunfire might need some sprucing up in the face of higher-quality competition from shooters.Destiny 2andHelldivers 2have dominated the space so far this year, and their shooting mechanics (especially that ofHelldivers 2) are a blueprint for newer games to follow because of the realistic aim focus. By contrast, themost memorableGrand Theft Autogamesdon’t require much thought or deliberate action in aiming. That stance has served the franchise well in the past, since many other fun components make up for the lack of realism.
The question Rockstar has to answer inGTA 6is whether it places its stock in the “fun” unrealistic status quo and goes harder into its vehicular offerings, akin toGTA 5 Online, or takes the route of modern games and updates its gun and combat physics. GivenGTA 6’s rumored Bonnie and Clyde premise, who, according to legend, were quite adept at handling guns, adopting more realism in its shooting mechanics wouldn’t be out of place. Going down this new route would help provide a measurable amount of shock factor thatGTA 6needs to stick its landing, so it might be worth Rockstar heavily investing in this component to bring it up to speed.
Grand Theft Auto 6
WHERE TO PLAY
Grand Theft Auto VI heads to the state of Leonida, home to the neon-soaked streets of Vice City and beyond in the biggest, most immersive evolution of the Grand Theft Auto series yet.Jason and Lucia have always known the deck is stacked against them. But when an easy score goes wrong, they find themselves on the darkest side of the sunniest place in America, in the middle of a criminal conspiracy stretching across the state of Leonida — forced to rely on each other more than ever if they want to make it out alive.
