Grand Theft Autois one of themost successful game franchisesof all time, and in order to hold its place at the top for over two decades, it’s had to reinvent itself numerous times. Each new installment in the series has raised the bar, surprising players with ideas and possibilities that had previously seemed unimaginable.
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But not every change in theGTAseries has been an addition or expansion. For better or worse, some features that were once staples of the franchise have been abandoned in the series’ “HD era”. The originalGrand Theft AutoandGrand Theft Auto Vmight share the same name, but they’re barely recognizable as the same game.
10Dismemberment
EveryGTAgame is violent, but in the older games in the series, that violence is way, way gorier. Driving into a crowd of pedestrians in the 2DGTAgames would leave a trail of corpses and a sidewalk painted red. And in the 3D era, hours of fun could be had while popping heads and limbs of innocent civilians using the sniper rifle.
Dismemberment even plays a central role in a mission inGTA: Vice City, namely “Boomshine Saigon”, in whichPhil Cassidyaccidentally blows his own arm off. However, the more realistic visuals and more serious tone ofGTA’s HD era have led to a toning down in the gore.
9The Katana
The weapons inGTA’s HD era are a lot more sensible than in the past, particularly when it comes to melee combat. The katana is a particular fan favorite and is as ridiculous as it is deadly. It has high attack speed and damage, and the player can run with it equipped, allowing forsamurai-style killingfrenzies. There is a katana asset inGTA 5’s game code, but no way to actually use it in the game without a lot of modding.
8The 6-Star Wanted Level
One of the greatest pleasures in the classicGTAera was that of gradually escalating the Wanted level for the sheer fun of it. And the climax of this experience was the arrival of the army on the scene.
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There can be no higher badge of honor for a psychopathic criminal than being the sole target of a city-wide military campaign. This is why it’s a shame that the stars only go up to 5 inGTA 5and that, short of going to the army base and provoking them, there’s no way for aGTA Vplayer to incur the wrath of the army.
7Period Settings
The 2D era ofGTAgot two expansion packs with retro settings (GTA: London 1961andGTA: London 1969) and the 3D era got three full games (GTA: Vice City,GTA: San Andreas, andGTA: Vice City Stories). For the HD era though, not a sniff of anything outside of the 21st century.
This is odd given that both Vice City and San Andreas are very muchbeloved for their 80sand 90s settings. Rumors have suggested that GTA 6 will be set in Vice City but not in the 80s, but only time will tell if this is true.
6Major Hollywood Voice Talent
When Rockstar cast Ray Liotta as Tommy Vercetti inGTA: Vice City, this was a big deal for gamers. Here was a guy who starred in one of thegreatest gangster moviesof all time,Goodfellas, starring in a game. This was highly unusual for the time.
Liotta did a great job too, as did other Hollywood stars who lent their voices to GTA in the 3D era. Michael Madsen, Kyle MacLachlan, Burt Reynolds, Dennis Hopper, Samuel L. Jackson, Ice-T, to name but a few. But the relatively modest casts ofGTA’s HD era have done nothing to dampen the franchise’s success, so don’t expect any big names inGTA 6either.
5Multiple Cities
MostGTAgames feature just one city, but two major installments of the series have boasted three full-sized cities:Grand Theft AutoandGTA: San Andreas. In the original game, the three cities were not part of a single open world, but inSan Andreasthey were, and the player could move seamlessly between them without loading screens.
This was nothing short of a miracle on the PS2. WhileGTA 5does allow the player to explore alarge area of Blaine Countyoutside of Los Santos, this still doesn’t feel quite as expansive asSan Andreas’ huge, statewide map.
4Fun Side Activities
EveryGTAgame, except the very first one, offersside activities of some description, the most worthwhile ones are mostly found in the classic 2D and 3D eras. The relative seriousness and realism of the HD-era games result in activities that are generally a little on the humdrum side.
Perhaps the most classic side gig of the 3D era was the Vigilante mission. Chasing down criminals when the player themself has an escalating Wanted level produces some of the most anarchic experiences the series has ever seen, all of them totally unscripted.
3The Chainsaw
“Eh! He’s got a blade!” This is the somewhat understated reaction ofVice City’s Gonzalez upon seeing Tommy Vercetti step out onto his rooftop terrace wielding an enormous chainsaw. It’s not a practical weapon by any means, but it is very funny in a violent, schlocky, splattery, old-school-GTAkind of way.
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It’s hard to see how a chainsaw could have fitted into the HD era’s less bloodthirsty, if nonetheless violent, ethos, so it’s no surprise it was nowhere to be found inGTA 4orGTA 5. But maybe there’ll be a “Lumberjack” side mission inGTA 6?
2Gang Warfare
One characteristic feature ofGTA’s 3D era was the way your actions throughout the game’s story would affect the way gangs behaved towards you. InGTA 3andGTA: Vice City, any gang the player crossed would attack aggressively whenever their turf was trespassed on. This could be really annoying, but it certainly added to the anarchic vibe of the whole experience.
San Andreasexpanded this idea in a big way by adding a kind of strategy-lite turf war mechanic, which felt like it had a lot of potential but apparently didn’t work well enough to be developed further in the HD era.
1Hilarious Cheats
GTA 4andGTA 5have a lot of cheats – no doubt about that – but compared to the classicGTAgames, they don’t have that many. And most of the ones they do have are just… cheats. They give you an unfair advantage, and that’s it.
GTA 5has a handful of funny cheats, like the Drunk Cheat and Director Mode, butSan Andreashad such an enormous range of just-for-fun cheat codes that experimenting with them was pretty much a full-time game in itself.
