Line #70 YMMV/GrandTheftAuto


1	!!For specific games:
2	* ''YMMV/GrandTheftAutoClassic''
3	* ''YMMV/GrandTheftAutoII''
4	* ''YMMV/GrandTheftAutoIII''
5	* ''[[YMMV/GrandTheftAutoViceCity Grand Theft Auto: Vice City]]''
6	* ''[[YMMV/GrandTheftAutoAdvance Grand Theft Auto Advance]]''
7	* ''[[YMMV/GrandTheftAutoSanAndreas Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas]]''
8	* ''[[YMMV/GrandTheftAutoLibertyCityStories Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories]]''
9	* ''[[YMMV/GrandTheftAutoViceCityStories Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories]]''
10	* ''YMMV/GrandTheftAutoIV''
11	** ''[[YMMV/GrandTheftAutoIVTheLostAndDamned Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned]]''
12	** ''[[YMMV/GrandTheftAutoIVTheBalladOfGayTony Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony]]''
13	* ''YMMV/GrandTheftAutoChinatownWars''
14	* ''YMMV/GrandTheftAutoV''
15	** ThatOneLevel.GrandTheftAutoV
16	* ''YMMV/GrandTheftAutoOnline''
17	** ThatOneLevel.GrandTheftAutoOnline
18	* ''YMMV/GrandTheftAutoVI''
19	* ''YMMV/GTARadio''
20	----
21	!!For the series in general:
22	* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: It's surprisingly easy to interpret the GTA protagonists as [[VigilanteMan vigilantes]]. When you think about it, most of their victims are criminals, serial killers, gang-bangers, mobsters, drug traffickers, corrupt officials, or terrorists. For all their evil actions, they do far more damage to the criminal underworld than the police ever did. IF the player only kills police officers during missions, then most of those officers will be corrupt too.
23	* AntiClimaxBoss: Most of the bosses are very easy in comparison to the hordes of {{mook}}s you fight to get to them. Justified in that, while they may be criminal masterminds, they are still human.
24	* BrokenBase:
25	** Following ''GTA IV'', the fanbase split into two directions -- those who missed the more over-the-top style and player customization of the prior games (particularly ''San Andreas''), and those who preferred the DarkerAndEdgier, more story-driven tone of ''IV''. The ''VideoGame/SaintsRow'' games briefly healed the fracture by causing some of the former group to gravitate to that series, but it split open wider than ever after ''GTA V'' came out and seemed to return to the style of ''San Andreas'', causing an outcry from fans of ''IV''.
26	** There was also a brief split after it was announced that the protagonist of ''San Andreas'' would be a black {{gang banger\|s}} from South Central, with many claiming that Rockstar was trying to pander to the tastes of [[PrettyFlyForAWhiteGuy pasty suburban white boys]]. However, that rift healed pretty quickly after ''San Andreas'' was released and the "ghetto" sections turned out to be some of the best parts of the game.
27	** Hoo boy, where to begin with the ''Definitive Edition'' CompilationRerelease of ''III'', ''Vice City'', and ''San Andreas''... Opinions were divided when the first trailer was released, thanks to the more cartoony aesthetic Rockstar decided to use with these new versions of the sixth generation trilogy. Things had only gotten more heated with the collection's final release. While some of the [=QOL=] improvements have been well received (such as the improved shooting mechanics and implementation of a GPS system in all three games), the compilation has garnered ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}} III: Reforged'' levels of complaints! Ranging from glitches that weren't present in the originals to the graphics being seen as an artistic downgrade. The PC version, especially, was such a buggy mess that Rockstar had to pull it from their online distribution service just to make it more playable, ''and'' eventually start reselling the original PC ports again.[[note]]Despite these claims, however, according to data-miners in the ''Grand Theft Auto'' community, it turns out the developers left in ''the mission scripts source code'' (including the "Hot Coffee" code that got initially ''San Andreas'' recalled with an AO rating upon discovery) and most the original music files that were supposed to be removed for these remasters.[[/note]]
28	* CatharsisFactor: Running down pedestrians and [[StuffBlowingUp blowing stuff up]] can be very therapeutic.
29	* CompleteMonster: [[Monster/GrandTheftAuto See here for details]].
30	* CrossesTheLineTwice: The series' bread and butter since day one - running over pedestrians is one of the ''least'' notable examples here. [[NotHyperbole Yes, seriously.]]
31	** When the game start to introduce actual lore and in-game media to create the feeling of a living world, most of it just screams "life is pain, get over it".
32	* EpilepticTrees: Many of the explanations that some fans have given in order to support the idea that ''IV'' and ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoChinatownWars'' are set within the same canon as the previous games, rather than an AlternateContinuity. Among them is the claim that there are actually ''two'' Liberty Cities, the one from ''III'' and the one from ''IV'', explaining away the vast differences between the two depictions of the city. The fact that these cities and their inhabitants do not seem to have ever heard of each other, in spite of the fact that both are large cities located on the East Coast, and even when places like Vice City and San Andreas are frequently mentioned on radio and TV, doesn't occur to them.
33	** WordOfGod has [[http://www.rockstargames.com/news/2009/09/18/741/(updated)_asked_&_answered_?_re_vice_city_red_dead_redemption_and_chinatown_wars confirmed]] that ''III'' and ''IV'' are set in different worlds (also due to how big the TimeSkip was[[note]][[RuleOfSeven seven-year time gap]][[/note]], they had to retool everything from fresh state).
34	* FandomRivalry: With ''VideoGame/SaintsRow''.
35	* {{Fanon}}: It was the fans who named Claude, and it turned to AscendedFanon.
36	** Fans prefer the ''Revenge'' ending of ''IV'' canon.
37	** Even though WordOfGod says the ''[=GTA1/GTA2=]'' era, ''III'' era and the ''IV'' are ''three'' different universes, fans still apply characters from both in Fanfiction. Most intriguing are ''1/2'' and ''III'' eras which overlap often.
38	* FanNickname:
39	** 'Flipstalker' for the Landstalker in the 3D era games, for reasons that are apparent for anyone who has tried doing sharp turns with it.
40	** "Stealy Wheely Automobiley" has caught on among parts of the fandom as a sort of affectionate nickname for the series, based on a tumblr post that briefly went viral.
41	* FriendlyFandoms: with the ''Videogame/GuitarHero'' fanbase, due to sharing some of the songs and both franchise enjoyed the peak of their popularity at the same time.
42	* GameBreaker: Several throughout the ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' franchise:
43	** In general, mouselook on the PC ports of the various installments. You could fire machine guns and assault rifles with pinpoint accuracy, fire out of cars at enemies much more easily and pick targets far off with sniper-like precision, regardless of what weapon you were using. Using helicopters in all the entries after ''Vice City'' also allowed the player to avoid many of the problems that were specifically set up to hinder drivers - once you know where to get one, you'll never need to use a car again outside of required missions.
44	** The Hunter chopper. Vigilante missions are a lot easier when you have a death-spewing military attack helicopter to do them with. Play the mission for thirty minutes without resetting and you end up with more money than you can ever possibly spend.
45	** If you know where to look, you can obtain high-tier guns with plenty of ammunition and tons of explosives for free, long before they're available for purchase. These pickups respawn when you save or after six in-game minutes. When you're doing an early to mid-game mission when enemies come at you with handguns or UZI's, you can fight them with an assault rifle, an automatic shotgun or rocket launcher you didn't pay a single cent for.
46	** The M-16 in ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIII'' was easily the most overpowered weapon in the game. Available early on, the M-16 shredded everything that stood in its path - cars, people, law enforcement, you name it.
47	*** The ''Vice City'' equivalent was the Minigun.
48	** In ''[[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoViceCity Vice City]]'', collecting 30 hidden packages (which can be done right at the start of the game) gives a Colt Python spawn at Tommy's safehouse. It's a OneHitKill on most enemies, with the only drawback being a slower rate of fire.
49	** ''Vice City'' is also infamous for having a strict CashGate throughout the second half of the game. However vehicle challenges in the game grant you money that doubles every time you beat your best time. So by intentionally going slow once then gradually increasing your time you can get lots of money very quickly.
50	** ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoSanAndreas'' features a special gambling system linked to a luck stat, whereby you can only bet based on your gambling skill. It then tosses the whole thing out the window with Inside Track Betting, a horse racing gambling shop with no upper limit to bets. And one of them is right near a save point. So, bet the long shot, reload if it doesn't win, save if it does, and repeat this; you'll quickly have more money than you could ever possibly spend.
51	*** In the [=PS3=] and Xbox 360 versions from this game has a aim option which can be switched to free aim or lock aim. The thing that unlike original versions of the game you can auto aim with the minigun. Killing someone within a group of enemies will instantly auto aim the other enemy of their group killing all the entire group of enemies in less than one second. This makes gang wars pretty much a joke so all you do is press the shoot button while wielding the minigun to kill all Ballas/Vagos and complete gang wars in less than one minute.
52	** ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoViceCityStories'': By taking over a few businesses, building High-Rollers and doing their missions early on, you can easily get 5-digit income every day... and you can speed through time by repeatedly getting Wasted or Busted. Combine this with the Minigun (although in all fairness, you can't get this until near the end of the game, but before that there are many other great weapons too), which thanks to your high income you can easily afford, and the game becomes a walk in the park.
53	** The automatic shotgun in ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIVTheBalladOfGayTony''. All of the stopping power, no limited range and explosive shells means you can blow up a car or helicopter in just two hits. Far and away the best weapon in the game, and available early.
54	** Played with in the case of "proofed" vehicles. In many games, you can find vehicles [[note]] usually cars, as bikes don't benefit so much from it because the player character is still vulnerable to attack and boats usually can't be stored, but some helicopters too![[/note]] which have some combination of bulletproof, fireproof, explosionproof and impact-damageproof characteristics (sometimes all four together, known as a "comprehensiveproof"). The only threats to these comprehensively hardened vehicles include being knocked upside-down (a car will always blow up unless it is quickly righted), them being stolen or lost somehow (for example due to arrest by police or being forced to use a different vehicle in a mission after a cutscene) and being irretrievably submerged in a body of water. These vehicles usually have those characteristics due to some requirement in the gameplay of the mission they're found in. It can sometimes be very difficult to obtain them (sometimes only by cheats, which may have negative implications for the savefile) and they can't be used for every task, but for those which they can be, you're NighInvulnerable. Particularly for gang wars in San Andreas, where you can just load a four person vehicle with the homies, load up on tons of submachine gun ammo yourself and then run over and throw hails of gunfire at rival gangs with absolute impunity.
55	* GoddamnedBats: Not literally, but Taxis and Police cars apply. The former can occupy the whole road at times (especially annoying during races). While tiny scratches on Police cars can make them onto your ass immediately.
56	** Regular civilians also count since they have the tendency to hog the road, spawn in front of you while driving, jump into your incoming vehicle and make abrupt turns. Any one of these acts can jeopardize your current mission and they will do any of these acts randomly at any given moment.
57	** Civilians on foot are not too smart in avoiding your car since they tend to dive into your path instead of away from it. At most, this is just a minor hiccup in your driving but at worst, this can happen when a cop is nearby and he'll chase you down because of the accident.
58	* GrowingTheBeard: The series' VideoGame3DLeap in ''III'' helped in the game not only selling millions of copies, but earning critical acclaim for its story and gameplay.
59	* MagnificentBastard: [[MagnificentBastard/GrandTheftAuto See here.]]
60	* MemeticBadass: The invincible trees. They are indeed invincible, but their reputation is hilariously exaggerated both in-fandom and out.
61	* MemeticMutation: [[http://www.gtaforums.com/index.php?showtopic=493148&st=0 "Realistic steak"]] is this at the [[http://www.gtaforums.com/ GTA Forums]], as a parody of both the increasing trend towards realism taken by the series and the demand by some fans that it go even further in that direction.
62	** '''Ultracop'''. Due to a glitch in the game, some cops can simply teleport to your door and arrest you instantly. It has happened plenty of times in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-nLdy_-Nx4 GTA 3 and VC]], and he has also been spotted in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ik3oNfHjx00 GTA V]].
63	** ''Definitive Rain'', due to the rain effects in the definitive edition looking less like a rainwater and more like raining white laser beams. The rain would later be fixed in an update.
64	* MexicansLoveSpeedyGonzales: The original game was made by a Scottish studio, and the series is meant to be America from foreign eyes (which seems to be a WretchedHive of a CrapsackWorld, if this series is any indication). That said, a good majority of fans of the series are American.
65	* {{Narm}}: The excessive swearing present from ''San Andreas'' onwards sometimes makes the writing sound like it's trying to be edgy just for the sake of it -- especially since Rockstar has a [[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoViceCity pretty]] good [[VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption track record]] of [[VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption2 writing dialogue]] that [[VideoGame/LaNoire doesn't]] rely on constant swearing.
66	* NeverLiveItDown: To MoralGuardians, it's the game where you kill hookers.
67	* OlderThanTheyThink:
68	** ''GTA'' (the first one) was not the first open-world game. ''Zelda'', for example, predated it by well over a decade, and there are probably some text games that are even older. Hell, ''GTA III'' is not even the first ''3D'' open-world game; that honor goes to ''VideoGame/BodyHarvest'', a game that came out on the Nintendo 64 three years prior, and was in fact made ''by the same studio that made all the GTA games''. One may argue that it was the first 3D open-world crime game, but once again, ''VideoGame/{{Driver}}'', a game that came out in 1999 on Platform/PlayStation, beat it to the punch.
69	** Similarly, people mistakenly thinking that the series began with ''GTA III'', despite the rather obvious presence of the number three in the title.
70	* PeripheryDemographic:
71	** The series' reputation makes it clear that is not intended for younger audiences. Despite that, it has a substantial number of fans who got into the series at a young age, possibly due to the open world element being the series signature strengths.
72	** Since the rise of {{Virtual Youtuber}}s, it is revealed that despite the game targeting male audiences with all of the titles between the first and ''Online'' only featuring male protagonists, the game has a substantial number of female fans as well.
73	* PlayTheGameSkipTheStory: Some players will barely finish the missions and couldn't care less about the rather-intriguing storylines in each game, just creating mayhem instead of moving the plot forwards. This has led to the unfortunate stereotype where non-fans are surprised to learn the games even ''have'' plot.
74	* PolishedPort: Despite the detailed explanation of Porting Disaster below, ''Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition'', an UpdatedRerelease compilation of ''III'', ''Vice City'', and ''San Andreas'', adds quality-of-life features such as in-mission checkpoints, autosaving, on-foot free aim, weapon wheel, radio wheel, and dramatically increased draw distance, details, and lighting effects, though initially during launch, were far from perfect.
75	* PortingDisaster: ''Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition'', an UpdatedRerelease compilation of ''III'', ''Vice City'', and ''San Andreas'', quickly became one of the most infamous examples of this upon its release in 2021.
76	** Common complaints included the questionable artstyle change, numerous bugs and glitches being found across all three games that weren't present in previous releases, poor optimization across all consoles, even on the Platform/PlayStation5 and Platform/XboxSeriesXAndS, lots of cut songs, and frequent crashing.
77	** All of this was made even worse by the fact that, in a move similar to ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}} III: Reforged'', Rockstar had removed all previous versions of the three games from all platforms' storefronts, meaning that ''The Definitive Edition'' was the only legal way to play the [=PS2=]-era ''Grand Theft Auto'' games unless you already own them on the original consoles or prior to their storefront removal, such as Steam. In mere days after its release, the game ended up being frequently compared to the aforementioned ''Warcraft III: Reforged'', the ''Franchise/SilentHill HD Collection'', ''VideoGame/SonicColors Ultimate'', and ''VideoGame/Cyberpunk2077'' (the last one is notable as it isn't a remaster like the previous three, but a completely new game), and was the subject of so much vitriol and refund requests that Rockstar temporarily delisted the collection on PC.
78	** For details on the exact issues, Digital Foundry did a [[https://youtu.be/Y1JJt7xHTlE two]] [[https://youtu.be/w7zv5r0CBvY part]] review on the game(s) initial state(s), and a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Rd2huQTNh0 video compilation]] of the game's bugs and glitches was uploaded a few days after the game's release. Said video is ''an hour long''.
79	** In particular, the style of the graphics ''seems'' to be an attempt at being HD versions of the original games' graphics but given some stylization. Good in theory, but in practice it ends up crashing headlong into being creepy, with a side of SpecialEffectFailure. Rockstar did eventually start selling the original PC ports of the games again, but only via their own storefront, and they're all bundled together. However, owners of the ''Definitive Edition'' on PC do get the original trilogy for free. Some thought that the whole "Definitive Edition" is that bad and heavily rushed because Rockstar (or Take-Two) need an AshcanCopy to uphold their intellectual property against modders.
80	* RatedMForMoney: To keep it brief, [=GTA=] is one of the most infamous video game franchises in the world because of its mature content; [[NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity but its fifth main installment nevertheless managed to become the single fastest selling entertainment product in history.]]
81	* SelfImposedChallenge: Many of the games feature vehicles with unique colors or properties that only appear once during specific missions. A common pastime among GTA fans is to try collecting these vehicles for yourself by saving them in a garage. This can range from easy (simply have the foresight to take the vehicle with you and save it after a mission) to quite difficult (many of these vehicles are part of scripted sequences, which might require careful manipulation of gameplay mechanics or failing the mission before you can steal them).
82	* SequelDisplacement: Many people only know that ''III'' was a sequel by virtue of the big Roman numeral III in the title.
83	* ShallowParody: A big problem with the satire is the targets parodied are often surface level with them either being very specific and obvious people or cliche stereotypes. This is more apparent in the HD era games as ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIV'' went too far with the former and ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV'' went too far with the latter.
84	* SidetrackedByTheGoldSaucer: Many of the minigames have this effect.
85	* SignatureSong: "Grand Theft Auto" from the first game's hip-hop radio, N-CT FM, although it's not the TitleThemeTune, despite featuring a TitleDrop. It is also confused with the instrumental main menu theme, "Gangster Friday". The hook from "Grand Theft Auto" is used as a ringtone in ''GTA III'', ''Vice City'' and ''GTA IV''.
86	* SongAssociation: The games are very well-known for their soundtracks, particularly ''Vice City''. Also, it's tough to listen to Lazlow's radio show without thinking of his work with the series.
87	** Funny thing is, you can ''avert'' this trope in the PC games, which install a folder in your documents folder (where usually your saved games go), in which you can stuff as many [=MP3=] as you want and/or recycle its content ever so often.
88	* SpiritualAdaptation: Many games in the series are this for various popular crime dramas.
89	** ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoViceCity'': A mix of ''Film/{{Scarface 1983}}'' (playing as a drug lord in South Florida), ''Film/CarlitosWay'' (ditto, with Ken Rosenberg in particular being an expy of David Kleinfeld), and ''Series/MiamiVice'' (the general hyper-exaggerated '80s Miami aesthetic).
90	** ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoSanAndreas'': Early '90s hood films like ''Film/BoyzNTheHood'', ''Film/MenaceIISociety'', ''Film/SouthCentral'' and ''Film/{{Colors}}''.
91	** ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIV'': The story of two Eastern European brothers immigrating to America to escape their traumatic pasts as veterans only to get caught up in the criminal underworld evokes the Russian movie duology ''Film/Brother1997'' and ''Film/Brother2''. The segments with the Pegorinos, a [[TheMafia Mafia]] family based in the suburbs of Alderney (an Expy of New Jersey), are heavily inspired by ''Series/TheSopranos''.
92	*** ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIVTheLostAndDamned'': The entire expansion is this to ''Series/SonsOfAnarchy''.
93	** ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV'': The early parts of Trevor's story, which revolve around the meth industry in the southwestern desert, reminded a lot of players of ''Series/BreakingBad''.
94	** An ''inverted'' example with ''III''. It's one of the few games that doesn't take too much influence from other media, but roughly a decade later the movie ''Film/Drive2011'' would use a very similar setting, plot and main character.
95	* SurprisinglyImprovedSequel: ''III''. The games before this were rather mediocre action titles that were only distinguished by their open worlds and controversial content.
96	* TaintedByThePreview: Those who wanted to see a more photorealistic depiction of the 3D Era's characters were disappointed when the Definitive Edition reveal showed that the new character models were more cartoony than realistic, comparing them to ''VideoGame/{{Fortnite}}'' or ''VideoGame/TheSims4''.
97	* ThatOneLevel: As good as the games are, each one has quite a few missions that are so frustratingly hard that they're sure to [[ApplianceDefenestration make you want to hurl the controller through the nearest window]]. You can see a sample of the most notorious missions in the franchise [[ThatOneLevel/GrandTheftAuto here.]]
98	* ThatOneSidequest: Paramedic missions. Completely optional, but doing them gives the player character a permanent health boost. You can't repair the ambulance at all during the mission, the slightest nudge can kill the people you're trying to save, and (until ''Vice City Stories'') you can't save your progress -- if you mess up on the last level, you have to start from the beginning! However, each completed Paramedic mission does restore the health of the Ambulance to some extent, making life a little easier.

Context YMMV / GrandTheftAuto