5 features and aspects of the GTA franchise that revolutionized the industry

The GTA franchise has revolutionized the industry through a series of great features.

It's no secret that GTA is one of the most successful and well-known video game franchises in the world. There are very few game series that can claim to be more successful than GTA, but there are none in the same category for a 3D open-world sandbox-style game.

One of the main reasons GTA is as successful as it is is because of how it revolutionized the industry. It wasn't just a cheap game with great marketing or something taking advantage of a recent trend. The GTA franchise legitimately introduced some new features and aspects into its games that many other video game series use to this day.

Five features and aspects of the GTA franchise that revolutionized the industry

#5 - The characterization

Characters are nothing new to video games, as they have existed since near the beginning. However, an often overlooked aspect of what makes GTA so great is its characters. Most fans can remember villains like Big Smoke or protagonists like Trevor Philips, as their characterization leads them to be highly memorable (not to mention how top-notch the voice acting is).

A problem other 3D sandbox games have in the industry is that their characters are often forgettable and not as interesting as the ones found in the GTA franchise. Some people play GTA for the gameplay, but the ones who play it for the story will find that the GTA franchise is one of the best in the industry in terms of characterization.

#4 - Top tier music selection

Most video games often rely on hiring a composer or a music producer to make music for them. Sometimes, they hit it out of the ballpark and produce some of the most iconic video game music of all time. However, it's the games that produce lackluster to forgettable music that often leave a sour spot on players.

Fortunately, GTA has some of the most popular and beloved songs in their games. Real songs people used to listen to on the radio, not forgettable background music. There is often a huge selection of musical styles in the GTA franchise, that it often introduces people to new songs they would've never heard of if not for GTA.

#3 - The protagonist is a bad person

An often overlooked aspect about the GTA franchise is how vile most of the protagonists are. People like Tommy Vercetti are terrible human beings, with some of the "nicer" protagonists like Carl Johnson still doing some ethically questionable activities. Sure, some of the antagonists are worse, but it doesn't make the actions of the protagonist that much better.

Other video games within the industry often feature a hero that players understand is the good guy. However, GTA takes a completely different approach, focusing more on anti-heroes. This, in turn, allows them to use features that other video games couldn't dare tackle, like dealing drugs, killing people, and hooking up with prostitutes.

#2 - Vehicles

The GTA series might not be a racing game, but its selection of vehicles is highly impressive. There are bicycles, cars, motorcycles, boats, aircraft, and even some utterly bizarre choices thrown in for fun. Most vehicles aren't just reskinned either, for some of them have unique characteristics that make it exciting for the player to discover on their own.

The two methods of acquiring vehicles are also pretty radical. First, players could carjack a vehicle since GTA 1. The second method, which isn't available in every GTA title, is the ability to purchase a vehicle. Considering both methods have their advantages and disadvantages, it opens up new gameplay options for players interested in acquiring new vehicles.

#1 - Open-world sandbox-style

Although GTA III wasn't the first game to have an open-world sandbox-style, it was easily the most popular for its time. Even if fans look back on the game as an outdated one, it was extremely revolutionary to not only GTA's future but also the state of 3D games as a whole.

There is a reason why people classify similar games as "GTA clones." It's so integral to GTA's identity that it's hard to play another game similar to it without thinking about a GTA game at one point or another.

While GTA III started the trend, later GTA titles would perfect the formula. Yes, players could still freely explore the world and go to the mission markers when they wanted to advance the story. However, more side activities were introduced, along with more reasons to explore the open-world. GTA's nonlinearity in that department helped propel it above its competition within the industry.

Note: This article reflects the writer's personal views.

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