While Rockstar Games was once a developer with plenty of franchises under its belt, over the years the company has shifted its focus to two key franchises. The pair have been taking the gaming world by storm, and asGrand Theft Auto 6edges closer, its task of redefining the open-world genre is getting more and more evident. The other series thatprops up Rockstar Games todayisRed Dead Redemption, a historical Western saga that transports players to the past at a time when outlaws roamed the land. The two IPs are different in plenty of ways and similar in a handful of others.
The obvious difference between the two is the change in time period and environments, withGrand Theft Autoprioritizing the hustle and bustle of cities overRed Dead Redemption’s vast pastures and rolling hills.Grand Theft Auto 6will go back to the neon-infused streets of Vice City, which will be instantly familiar to fans of the PlayStation 2 trilogy. Rediscovering the space is an exciting prospect, but it could be inadvertently even more beneficial to the developer’s Western series.
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The Problem with Grand Theft Auto 6’s City
Grand Theft Autohas traveled to a few different locations since its inception in 1997. From the gray playground ofGTA’s Liberty Cityto the sun-soaked streets of Los Santos, each location has the potential to impress with each iteration. Vice City is no different, oozing style and substance in equal measure, it harkens back to Miami in the 1980s by draping the land with nightclubs, fast cars, palm trees, and criminal activity. However, while it was a big deal in 2002, returning could be a double-edged sword as it has to leap over the bar that the PS2 masterpiece set.
It will be very different inGrand Theft Auto 6, but it won’t be entirely new and unique, meaning that people who cut their teeth in Vice City in 2002 will find it hard to not compare the new playground to what was presented all those years ago. Rockstar seems so reluctant to craft a fresh city with an entirely new identity, instead using ideas that are now over two decades old. It’s cause for excitement and nostalgic memories, but it comes at the cost of creative freedom, andRed Dead Redemption’s open worldcould stand out for its willingness to take the risk that its sibling series doesn’t seem to have the bravery to do.
While New Hannover and its surrounding territories sit adjacent toRed Dead Redemption’s New Austin, it feels massively different. Instead of being a desolate dust bowl, it’s a diverse and topographically fascinating space, with snowy mountains, grassy outcroppings, and dense swampy areas doing well to make it feel big, but never sparse. The map had such a strong sense of identity, which made voyages away from the story feel all the more enticing.
Red Dead Redemption 3’s settingshould continue the same trend of going somewhere different, as it had so many benefits. Instead of going back to a place whereGrand Theft Autohas taken players before, starting a newRed Dead Redemptiongame is magical because there is a real layer of mystery about what the world will consist of, something thatGTAdoesn’t achieve anywhere near as much. Seeing Vice City once again will be like a homecoming for lots of veteran gamers, but the recycling of old cities and ideas could be far more beneficial forRed Dead Redemption 3as it can use its unique maps and locations to stand out in a Rockstar catalog that’s only getting better.
Grand Theft Auto 6is in development.
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