#NerdsUnite: Confessions of a Videogame Journalist (Crime has Never Looked So Good)
<editorsnote> Nerds, meet my buddy John. We started talking on the twitter not too long ago, and then he reached out and asked if he could write for us regarding his journey through the nerdy realm. I was all DUDDEEE!! That's so raaaddd!! And now, here we are. Like right now, in real time, this is happening. Pretty cool huh? HIT IT JOHN!!! </editorsnote>
#TalkNerdyToMeLover's @JohnSollitto
So the new Grand Theft Auto V trailers were released.
I immediately hijacked a computer to watch them, and I was rewarded with wonderful sights and cursing the likes of which I had missed since GTA IV and it’s expansion games.
There seems to be such an increase in quality of graphics from Rockstar, the company that makes the GTA games, that honestly I anticipate them being the only company to create hyper-realistic games and make them good.
This is not to say that other games with superb graphics aren’t good games. The Gears of War franchise is definitely a contender though it is not my favorite franchise. I can appreciate that it is wildly successful and pretty at times. Then there's Crysis as well.
Rockstar seems to find their way into creating quality images and visuals, while simultaneously not losing quality. Many companies tend to put so much effort in their visuals that they tend to forget the gameplay is the most important part.
If you look at the progression of games for this company from the GTA franchise and on, you’ll see a trend of better and better quality as it ends at GTA: San Andreas, and GTA IV. Then you have the jump to Red Dead Redemption that is hailed as one of the most beautiful games ever created, though not as realistic looking as Crysis, but also one of the best western games ever made. Then the visual giant L.A. Noire which took facial software to a new level as well as textures and realism.
While the company that handled the revolutionary facial graphics software for L.A. Noire has been shut down, we are still treated to this feast for the eyes. Remember, these are not pre-rendered images, these are actual game graphics. Take a look:
OHMYGODIWANTTHEGAMESRIGHTNOW.
Beauty aside, I’m getting a distinct Breaking Bad and Weeds type of vibe from all the trailers. Rockstar has been known for their topical, often poignant, story-lines that impress us time and time again.
I wonder why they are one of the few companies that seems to understand the marriage between visuals and storytelling.
Praise aside, the company has been known utilize the “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” motto when making their games. The lengthy car-drive conversations from point A to point B are one thing we could do without in a Rockstar game. Not to mention the delivery and escort missions. But aside from those, the general immersion and detail put into their games often overtake the monotony for a few moments for us to truly enjoy the game.
Hopefully, they will have learned their lesson and taken out the things that made the franchise a little weak in the gameplay department. If they do, we may already be looking at a contender for Game of the Year.
The combination of three stories is also unique to this game. While we saw three protagonists weave in and out in GTA IV, The Lost and the Damned, and The Ballad of Gay Tony; this seems to bring them all together in a more cohesive fashion.
Am I looking forward to this game? Yes. Will I be super harsh on it if it isn’t good? Of course. Do I think it won’t be good? No, but I do think I will see some of the same problems that I have seen in GTA games throughout the years. Will that hurt the score? It would take it to an 8 or 9 from a 10 in my opinion, but I would still love it.
#nerdsunite
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