When I was a kid playing Paperboy and I got to the crossroads where that pink car comes from the side, I always pushed hard right against the screen edge because I wanted him to turn his bike so I could go exploring down there

For me GTA is just the kind of game I always dreamed of playing as a kid (maybe without so much nihilistic ultra violence but apart from that...) and I love it

In fact the original 2D GTA took more than a little inspiration from another Atari arcade favourite of mine - APB, I actually pre-ordered the C64 version of that at a computer show when I was in my early teens!

I don't like them GTA games, but I will install V on pc just to see how badly it will be ported :-D

Vote for the Grand Theft Auto saga on the wishlist!

Grand Theft Auto + London 1961 + London 1969
Grand Theft Auto 2
Grand Theft Auto III
Grand Theft Auto IV + Episodes From Liberty City
Grand Theft Auto V
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

I think you just have to accept that GTA just has a mission based save system - no one complains about not being able to have mid-mission in Wing Commander, X-Wing, Crimson skies etc. Or mid race in a racing game, they've just gone for that kind of system rather than a FPS style one...

For me it makes the 'Mission Complete' sign all the sweeter, checkpoints on certain missions with boring drive-about build-ups wouldn't go amiss, though, admittedly

GTA can be loads of fun, but it isn't for everyone. However, people uninstalling a GTA game after 15 minutes sounds pretty foolish to me and makes me wonder why they've bought the game in the first place - it isn't like the game formula of a GTA game is a big secret.

GTA 1 and 2 were fun, but GTA 3, in many ways, created a brand-new subgenre of games and its legacy can be seen in many modern day games.

I've played through Vice City multiple times. To me, the best GTA game because the setting is so much fun and this is where the series was at its greatest. San Andreas was pretty good too, but GTA 4 was a step back.

I'm looking forward to the PC release of GTA 5.

It did borrow quite a lot from the early Driver games that pre-dated it though - props to Driver! (and Inter State 76 to some extent too, I guess)

I didn't buy it, got it from a friend. :p

Gyms are for building muscle and learning new hand-to-hand moves.

Burger and other food places for gaining fat as well as recharging health.

And yes, all potential in-game girlfriends prefer different types of body as well as different types of dates. All of these are just extra spice, really - the rewards you get from a full relationship meter are usually not worth the required effort.

Actually, I hate it that I can't save mid mission during IL-2. =P
But GTA is openworld, having constantly need to drive to a safehouse before experimenting on something is not my idea of fun, the very first GTA was also the worst offender, as you couldn't save at all and every progress in between areas could vapourize in an instant.

It has cars, buildings, people, all kinds of "real life" items in it. It has no magic, no sci-fi elements, no weird aliens or zombies. Therefore It tries really hard to have a "real life" setting. *Every sane* person can see that.

In GTA V you can save anywhere (not in-mission, I think) using your in-game cellphone. I know this discussion is mainly about earlier titles, but it does seem that Rockstar are listening. Now, if only they'd listen to calls for Read Dead Redemption on PC...

I have 3, VC, and SA and I probably prefer SA if for no other reason than being able to swim and climb.

As for why I like them as a whole, I've put a lot of thought into this (don't have a life) and near as I can tell it comes down to me being a silly immature immoral piece of shit! :P

I'm sorry but in the virtual world I can do all sorts of mean nasty evil things and not feel guilty about it, and GTA IS that virtual world. Mugging, holding up, blowing up cop cars, setting fire to pedestrians, selling drugs out of an ice cream truck, lobbing grenades into a crowded mall...all of it...I just love doing it on my pc and after words I feel a sense of calm. Twenty minutes of chaos in the virtual world of GTA and I no longer have an ounce of anxiety or hatred toward my fellow man in the real world.

That's why I love GTA.

Did unlocking new cities even persist between play sessions in the first one? Like if you closed the game and restarted? I have a funny feeling it didn't and yeah, the first 2 GTAs are a little unplayable for me at this point - I'll just play Retro City Rampage instead I think!

One thing I will say if that as if you're not going to re-load your last save after you get taken to hospital or arrested and all your weapons taken away - they might as well just give you a 'Game Over' screen!

Why does anyone play any game he won't like? :P Some people are pleasantly surprised by something they thought they couldn't ever enjoy, others hate something they were sure they'd enjoy. And heck, many people who actually enjoyed the older GTA games in the past can't stand that gameplay anymore when they give them another try (myself included). It's foolish to assume that having the slightest idea of what a game is like guarantees you that you will enjoy it or won't. :P

Trying to insult others? Well, here's my story with San Andres:
Started the game. I saw a small three-wheel bicycle, something little kids ride. I thought: this can be really funny, let's have a ride ^ So I did. Then someone tried to cross the street and I accidentally bumped on him. I was riding reeallly slow, but despite that, the guy fell down and soon a huge red pool of blood surrounded his boody. He was dead! (lol) But that's not all, I wasn't able to go far away before a police car rushed to the site of this hilarious accident. They jumped out of the car and i was thinking : "great they gonna arrest me now", but no! they started shooting at me and killed me in an instant, though I didn't have gun or any kind of weapon!
Now I dare to say that not me, but the game is utterly foolish and stupid. It amazes me actually: to build such a huge and detailed game world and to put there such a bullshit game mechanics.. it's beyond my understanding...
So yeah, it took like 15 minutes and it was enough to uninstall.