For as long as I can remember Rockstar studio’s tentpole Grand Theft Auto franchise loomed over the gaming industry in one form or another. Whether at the forefront of the "video games incite gun violence" sqaubble, "video games are for sexist numbskulls" witch hunt or the "video games are a burgeoning art form capable of sustaining new kinds of storytelling" debate, the series has become something of the Forest Gump of the medium; stupid fun that manages to affect but not be detrimentally affected by its passing eras.
My earliest memory associated with the games was anxiously waiting for my dad to fall asleep so I could have a go at his copy of Liberty City Stories on PSP. Upon revisits as an adult, I’ve come to realize that it is a groundbreaking title in its own right, though as an adolescent I thought it was a pure revelation in the art of juvenile debauchery. The whole thing is framed as such a risible farce, the various plots and side missions that should come across as malign or tasteless end up feeling more akin to a perverse Loony Toons romp.
The older I get the more I come to understand that even at its worst, the GTA franchise is a well meaning sendup of classic gangster films. Not moralizing commentaries on the nature of violence or greed mind you, but irreverent homages to a silly genre.
This is all to say nothing of the manner in which the franchise helped solidify open world gameplay as default game development. Vice City (a game that featured the voice talents of Ray Liotta before shit like that ever happened) crafted a fully realized synth pop fueled 1980’s metropolis back in 2003.
That’s part of the fun of the series, each title sort of feels like superficial fun but in actuality pushes the envelop in both mechanics and storytelling. From its mastery of the top down 2D sandbox in Grand Theft Auto 1, 2 and Chinatown Wars, to the genuinely gripping narratives found in the fourth and fifth installments.
Unfortunately, due to Rockstar’s dedication to the upcoming Red Dead Redemption 2, reports have recently been swirling suggesting a new title in the Grand Theft Auto series won’t even reach development until as late as 2024, a staggering eleven years after the release of its last and best effort since the masterpiece that was Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
There are plenty of titles within the series to hold us over till then, and we have no doubt that the series will continue to be a staple in the industry. It’s an institution. The first title launched twenty years ago and its installments are still making waves, in spite of the various self righteous uninformed naysayers that have attempted to bury the franchise over the years. It’s a unique study in the progress of the genre and I implore you to go back and revisit some of the earlier titles.
