GTA and Me

Rockstar Games have been around since 1998, but didn't shake the earth until 2001 with the release of GRAND THEFT AUTO III. It was their first step into the third dimension with the GTA series. GTAIII punched you in the face with AWESOME! The game was realistic with a freedom never seen before in a video game. And has since, been seen as an extremely important landmark in video game history. Rockstar released two GTA titles within the next five years (GTA VICE CITY and GTA SAN ANDREAS), and they were increasingly successful. Rockstar seemed to have followed the motto "if it ain't broke, don't fix it", while only adding to the successful recipe. Frosting on the cake.

I wasn't fortunate enough to own a PS2 when GTAIII came out in 2001, but that didn't stop me from getting my eager hands on it. I borrowed a PS2 from a spoiled friend of mine who wasn't using it, and I owned a copy of GTAIII (a friend gave it to me). To me, there was no other game that mattered on earth. This game was the best game ever made. I finished the game within a week, and kept playing whenever I got a chance. I obviously had to give back my friend's PS2, so with a tear and a hope, I put GTAIII into my drawer. Over the years I got to simply play VICE CITY and SAN ANDREAS, but never beat them. I noticed that those games surpassed my beloved GTAIII, but I had no access to them. I did loads of research and was always updated online with GTA SAN ANDREAS news. I was so excited for this game before it came out that I was thinking of buying it on the launch day without even having a PS2. I was convinced that even if I just owned it, that I would be fulfilled. But in that time, I was in high school, and my priorities changed. I was becoming more and more worried about how I looked than releases of video games I had no access to. It was 2004, and I still only had a Playstation. I gave up, needless to say, on keeping up. GTA SAN ANDREAS released and I watched it pass by. I wasn't too worried about it. I was more worried about the "super successful" band I was in. Time went by and I put my "childish toys" away..

Until GTAIV was announced at E3 2006.

The announcement of GTAIV didn't really hit me until about a year later when I saw the first trailer. I had gotten a job in 2006 and bought myself an Xbox 360 with my first paycheck. PS3's were too expensive and people were getting shot and trampled on because of them. So I took the safe route and got a 360. Like I said, it didn't hit me until 2007.. "I will finally own a GTA game on my own system on the actual launch date.." My buried dreams were coming back to life. I waited and got pumped up for this game that I was sure was going to be good. Once I pressed the "close tray" button, expectations needed to be met. To this day, GTAIV holds a special place in my heart and has earned the rightfully earned title (by me in my opinion), THE BEST GAME EVER MADE (no. 1 on my list of favorite games).

There are obvious achievements this game has to offer like amazing top notch HD visuals powered by Rockstar's own in-house engine, an unbelievably realistic physics engine, high quality voice acting powered by incredible writing from Dan Houser (co-founder of Rockstar Games) himself, an optional cover system that works perfectly with the solid gunplay mechanics, tuned driving mechanics that feel just right, very fun activities, over 40 hours of creative gameplay and SO MUCH MORE. The direction of this installment was obviously different from its predecessor as well. Where GTA SAN ANDREAS began to cross the line from realism into craziness, GTAIV made it evident that Rockstar Games made the decision to make their games as believable as possible. The story of the main protagonist is simply a story of an immigrant's submission to his dark past that he wished to leave in his old country. America is no pure country. That theme is a theme that I personally love. All GTA games have the underlining tone of being a parody of American culture. GTAIV was more obvious because it was through the lens of a character who is new to the country.

For four years, this game has been played more than any other game that I have ever played. For four years, there was nothing that could stand against my favorite game.

Until GTAV was announced.

I was at work when this game was announced on Rockstar's website at nine in the morning. What did they give me? A logo. I cried. A little. With it was a date claiming the release of a trailer. It's been nine months since the announcement and Rockstar has released a trailer and ten screenshots. With that alone, I have been COMPLETELY convinced that this game will take the mantle of being my favorite game ever. Taking the locale back to the LOS ANGELES is one of the reasons why I'm going nuts over this game. I'm from the LA area, so to be able to play in a world that is based off of a city that I regularly visit is pretty exciting.

My excitement for this game has shown me something else about my connection and love for this series in general. I've grown up really liking crime movies. There's something about having your protagonist be not morally conformed to following the law that has always intrigued me in story telling. When GTAIII came out, my dreams had come true. I love video games. I love crime movies. Mash them together and you get the GTA series. I loved every single GTA game because they were everything I could want in a game. I've had conversations with friends about how I could so easily replace my number one favorite game. I couldn't nail the reason why it has been so easy for me to say "Most likely GTAV will be my favorite game ever." I think I might have a reason now. I love the Grand Theft Auto series. I love what they represent, how they play and how they're presented. Each one has topped the last in every way. I'm in love with the cities Rockstar creates. The world in which you roam is the main character. The protagonists are the secondary characters. I love these games first and foremost because of the detail of realism they pour into these worlds. In GTAV, I'm sure the story will be fantastic, but I know the world they create will be much more impressive. That's what GTA means to me. Video games are becoming more and more sophisticated in representing the cities and worlds we live in today. Nobody does it better than Rockstar Games. No series does it better than Grand Theft Auto.

GTAV will release within a year. I will watch every trailer. Look at every screenshot. Read every article. Pre-order the special edition (maybe twice). I will most likely replace GTAIV in my heart with this game. And in six years, I will probably GTAV with another GTA game. Because in the end, my number one game is not one game. It's a series of games. A philosophy of game design. A genre of tone and mechanics. It is Grand Theft Auto.

The Timeless Game

I've been trying to write this ever since I beat the game about over a month ago. What took me so long was not the loss of time, but the loss for words to describe this game. It's rare when I play a game that is over 10 years old and it successfully fulfills it's expectations. I was not fortunate enough to own a Nintendo 64 when I was growing up, so I didn't have access to this game when it came out in 1998. After 13 years of thinking I was never going to play it, partly because I had no interest, I finally got my hands on it. I borrowed my girlfriend's Wii and my good friend Et heard that I had obtained a key to finally unlock the experience that convinced him that it was THE BEST GAME EVER MADE. So, he was excited to hear that I can TRY to experience what he did so long ago. The next day, Et walked into my room with the game in hand and a smile of excitement that I could not understand. It couldn't be that great. I mean, what can be so great about THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: OCARINA OF TIME?

To completely honest, starting this game, I wanted to hate it. I wanted to be like..

"Yo! I just finished OCARINA OF TIME!"

"O YEAH!?! SWEET!! Best game ever right!?"

"HA! NO! That game was stupid! Its over 10 years old and its stupid! And the only reason why people love it is because they played it when they were 10! And EVERYTHING is better when you're 10!! You're dumb!"

"o.... yeah... you're totally right.. I'm dumb.. Anthony, you're so smart..OCARINA OF TIME is dumb."

So, I popped in the game and the first thing I notice is that it looks old. "UGH! I'm going to have to play this old looking game.." And then I noticed something else.. "I HAVE TO READ!?!?" There were no voice overs. All conversations were carried out through text that I had to read. This game was starting off on the wrong foot (is what my hater self was thinking). This game was setting itself up to not impress me. It was dated, I didn't know how to play it and I had to read A LOT (more than I'm used to)! Zelda.. you've failed me..

...3 hours later, I have a change of mind.

I realized by the first temple, which was the "Forest Temple", that this game had a lot more to offer than reading and dated graphics. It had immediate replay value, amazing level design, a simple story executed in the most complex way and a genius way of immersing the player into the game itself. There were so many times that this game blew my mind. I just did not expect to get what I got. It was ahead of its time in so many ways, doing what others dared not. And that is what a game should do.

The awesome level design was one trait that this game had that caught me off guard. I didn't expect to see things I haven't seen already in a more refined and improved way. But this game seemed to have high ambitions. I would enter a room, and it would be intimidating, yet, inviting. After being worried about how I'd ever solve out how to get moving along, I immediately became excited to "crack the code". And, once "cracked", I would think to myself, "Of course I have to shoot the eye above the door! That makes sense!" The level design had a PERFECT marriage with the puzzles themselves. Its as if the puzzles were created before the levels. And you cant help but to think after you've figured something out, that only a genius could come up with this awesome temple! The temple puzzles were always a level of difficulty that wasn't too brutal and always rewarding. Not once was anything in this game so hard that I wanted to give up. It was always human error that made my time longer in this game. Once I figured out what I was doing wrong, I could only smile and laugh at myself. Never cursing the developers for making an unfair game. And that's what makes games that have puzzles in them fun and successful. And these developers knew this well.

Another thing that the developers knew well, was that immersing the character into their newly created world was VERY important if they wanted to make an impact in the gaming world. The way that they did this, was subtle and clever. You'll notice immediately that your character doesn't talk or have a default name. So, you immediately think, because of that, the developers wanted you to feel like you were the character himself. "Cheap attempt at trying to immerse me..", is what I thought. But as simple as this sounds, it worked AMAZINGLY. The character doesn't know anything about almost anything or anyone. He was raised in his own little forest village his own life, and doesn't know much about the outside world.. Just like the player! And that's where the genius lies. Whatever is new to the character, is new to you. Normally, when you play a game, you're main character (controlled character) has to be a badass and know everything about everything. But that leaves the player thinking "Huh? What? No, I don't know what the locust are and I don't know why Marcus is in jail.. but Marcus knows.. But I'm Marcus..?.. hes keeping secrets from me." In OCARINA, every time you meet a race, find a new area, learn a technique or find a new weapon or tool, its new to both YOU, the player, and YOU, the character. Making the player and the character ONE. It keeps the player immersed and the experiences close to his/her heart, because it feels personal. And that is gold.

Whats a game that's repetitive and has no replay value? A BAD GAME, is what that is. OCARINA OF TIME steers clear of that ice burg. In fact, this game had IMMEDIATE replay value. You would pass so many objects and areas that either made no sense or was missing something that you knew you didn't have (after an hour of looking like an idiot wasting all your resources on a square on the floor that had a little soil in the middle of it). And those areas stay in your mind, because after acquiring a new item or weapon, those areas start to make sense. You get excited to go back to those areas to try out the process, and its always rewarding, no matter what it ends up being. This happens a whole lot in this game, and it is truly so much fun. Where other games hardly give you a reason to go back to anything, this game keeps everything as fresh as possible, and you'll never be bored.

Besides these main reasons, this game is great for many reasons; A charming cast of characters, lots of collectibles, solid combat mechanics, very creatively fun boss fights, an epic conclusion and so much more. This game surprised me in so many ways, that it is... surprising, that it took me this long to play it. But to be honest, I think it happened the best way. Knowing myself 5 years ago, I wouldn't have given this game a second chance after the first hour of it. But I've matured over the years (in gaming), and I know that I appreciated this game for lots more different reasons than everyone else did. Besides it being an unforgettably fun experience, this game taught me something that will stick with me for a while.. games that accomplish something truly unique and ambitious, need to be recognized and appreciated always. Even if the game is over 10 years old with bad graphics and no voice overs, its very possible that you will be stumbling upon a game and an awesome experience that happens to be TRULY.. timeless.

Left behind?

I work from 8 to 5, Monday through Friday. I have a girlfriend who takes up most of my weekend free time. I try to visit my large family from time to time. I also am forced against my will to workout on Tuesday's and Thursday's after work with my girlfriend. So what do I do with my "free time"? I play video games. I have a PS3, PS2, Xbox 360, Wii, N64 and Super Nintendo. Collectively, I have over a hundred games, in which about 20 of them I have not beaten. Those 20 do not include games that don't have a campaign (sports, racing and fighting games). Besides those games I haven't beaten, there is a line around the block of games I'm looking forward to that will be released in the near future that will be first priority when I get my hands on them. So, my point? I have no time for games. And not in the initial way that you're thinking. I play games ALL THE TIME. So it's not the issue of me not playing enough games, it's the issue of.. Not.. Playing..?.. Enough games?.. Let me explain!

It took me about 6 hours to arguably finish ASSASSIN'S CREED BROTHERHOOD. I say arguably because I did close to none of the secondary missions. I see secondary missions as.. well.. secondary. Not important. Not necessary. I've been told that BROTHERHOOD's greatness is evenly spread throughout the variety of the secondary missions. But I didn't care. I wanted to "finish" the game, so I can play another game I just bought I haven't played. I told myself that if I finish the Primary Main story missions, I can put the game in my "finished games" pile. Done and done. But am I truly "finished"?

This scenario with ASSASSIN'S CREED BROTHERHOOD is not foreign or crazy to me. I've done this quite a few times.. Ok, most times.. Almost every single game I play. But I wasn't always like this! No no no! I used to play my games until I knew everything there is to know about them. Every secret and collectible. So what happened? I'll tell you what happened! Accessibility happened! Along with a good paying job and no real responsibilities. What happened, was that after getting my first job, I started going crazy trying to buy as many games as possible. I'm assuming I thought I was making up for the lost years of no gaming. So I was playing game after game. It got to a point where I started buying games bi-monthly, MINIMUM. Sounds like heaven, right? Well.. it is.. Until I couldn't keep up, because I was developing a life outside the controller. So, I was minimizing my game time and expanding my social time, while still buying the same amount of video games. A new game came out that I was REMOTELY interested in, I bought it. Old games that I missed out on that I felt I needed to play, I bought them. I needed a system to play the old games, I bought the system. Piles upon piles of games with less time to play them. Before I knew it, I was drowning in games that I started and then quit because a "better" or "more interesting" game came wandering around. I was in trouble.

Recently, I've found more time to play. That would be a great thing if I still didn't have all these games that have been pushed back over the years. So, now I find myself playing games like its a job. Clock in, get it done, clock out. No overtime. No trying to impress my boss. No above and beyond the call of duty.

Its obviously not THAT extreme, but I feel like I've betrayed the very core of the reason why I love playing video games.. Fun. From as far as I remember, I've had fun playing video games. Whether it was by myself or with others, I was having fun engaging in these fictional and non-fictional worlds, saving the earth in bullet time slow-mo. If I remove the fun factor from video games, then what do they have to offer? I'm assuming its what I'm feeling now.. work. But I don't want to feel that about the medium I love most. I need to stop rushing and stop to smell the digital roses. Inhale that pixelated air. And swim with the fish sprites. Where are these games going? Nowhere. They're staying right in my drawer, waiting patiently for me. So, I'll do not only the developers the pleasure of playing their games through and through, but also myself the pleasure. Get back to the basics of playing video games. What got me into loving them to begin with. Fun.