Has GTA 4 aged as well as other games in the franchise?

It was quite easy to see that Rockstar Games had struck gold with GTA 3 at the start of the millennium, and a cultural phenomenon was born. Many often point to Rockstar Games, specifically the GTA franchise, as the ultimate symbol of excellence and consistency in the AAA space.

The publisher has made very few compromises when it comes to the production quality of each game. Even with arguably smaller titles for handheld consoles like GTA Chinatown Wars, they ultimately received the kind of polish and care a mainline release would.

This kind of dedication to quality separates Rockstar from the herd and makes the GTA series the industry juggernaut that it is today. This level of production value and polish aren't just the only things that fueled the franchise's success. Creative risk and innovation had just as huge a part, if not bigger.

Many often look to GTA 4 as perhaps the most creatively ambitious game in the series, but not one regarded as the most replayable in the current age. What makes the game so critically lauded yet not too popular amongst mainstream audiences is indeed quite puzzling.

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Has GTA 4 aged as well as other games in the franchise?

It takes just one casual stroll through the internet for fans to likely come across GTA San Andreas memes and talk of Vice City's soundtrack, amongst the occasional "Niko, let's go bowling" joke. Even for a game that came out in 2008, Grand Theft Auto 4 hasn't stayed in the public eye as much as other games in the franchise from earlier have.

For instance, Vice City and San Andreas are massively popular games that are being enjoyed even in 2021. GTA 4, on the other hand, remains a dearly beloved classic, but most wouldn't elect to go back and play the game again.

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Nostalgic, but nearly not enough

The problem largely remains that even though it has been 13 years since the game out, fans could argue that the game doesn't feel that old. The mechanics and controls can feel a bit dated compared to the game that came out five years after it did, or even Red Dead Redemption.

Take, for instance, Vice City. The game is undoubtedly old and feels as such with its bizarre running animations, dated AI, confusing controls, and blocky textures. Yet, instead of those elements working against the game, they add to the charm.

They essentially evoke a strong sense of nostalgia that transports players back to when they first played the game. GTA 4, on the other hand, feels old but not nearly as old as the rest of the games and is in a highly confusing spot.

The visuals look dated but are modern enough to pass for a 2012 game at best. The open-world is arguably one of Rockstar's best and feels as authentic as a modern video game.

Yet the controls and lack of modern features make it slightly less accessible than a game in 2021, or even GTA 5, which still sells incredibly well. Thus, when the consumer is looking to make an informed purchase, GTA 4 isn't as appealing as Grand Theft Auto 5, which is miles ahead in terms of both tech and popularity.

The gameplay, controls, and visuals

One of the other significant reasons why GTA 4 isn't in the public view is because it wasn't available for the previous-gen console, the PS4 and Xbox One. Newer consoles allow a game to find new life, and a remaster can work wonders.

A remaster allows the studio to not only give the game a much-needed visual upgrade but also fix some of its lingering control issues. Remapping specific controls and tinkering with driving physics could have helped make GTA 4 far more accessible than how it is currently.

Drab visuals

The visual aesthetic that plagued the 2000s is all over GTA 4, instantly turning away audiences with its perennially lifeless and gray tones. While credit is due to Rockstar for sticking to its creative vision, and the game is all the better for it, it doesn't necessarily mean the title has aged well.

Another glaring issue that jumps off the page when playing through GTA 4 is just how many driving missions there are in the game. The typical task involves either picking up a friend, dropping one, or simply chasing someone down.

Gameplay variety, or lack thereof, and driving

The lack of variety makes GTA 4 feel incredibly bogged down. The player is either shooting or driving, and the lack of interesting context for the majority of the time can make the game feel uninteresting at times.

But perhaps what truly makes GTA 4 unplayable to a large portion of players is down to the driving physics. Rockstar's vision for the title mandated that each aspect of the world feel as authentic and grounded in reality as possible.

That essentially translated to vehicles feeling like they had 20 tons of cargo in their boot at all times. The cars had enormous weight, which, to be fair, were true to life and made the game feel incredibly real and authentic.

Many are rightfully fans of that decision as it ultimately made the game world feel all the more authentic. The player simply couldn't drive like a maniac without consequences, which was ultimately a brave move by the publisher. But it also meant that it wouldn't sit well with large portions of fans.

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Is GTA 4 still worth the player's time?

Despite some issues listed above, and how GTA 4 has essentially been outclassed by its successor, it still has incredible value. The narrative aspect is perhaps the strongest Rockstar had ever put up at that point.

Purely in terms of narrative and the kind of story the developer chose to tell, the game is right up there with the likes of Red Dead Redemption. GTA 4 represents Rockstar's pursuit of constant innovation and ambition and how creativity takes precedence over everything else.

It was, and still is, refreshing to see that a publisher as monumentally big as Rockstar is always willing to take risks and double down on its vision. GTA 4 might not be the perfect game that is endlessly replayable in 2021, but it is a solid offering that fans should try again, if for nothing else but the narrative.