I’m not even going to bother to nominate any particular game from the series as they all deserve a place at the top spot. Rockstar are the Kings of the open world style games with each successive title trying to outdo the last. One could maybe criticize them for been a bit obsessed with New York, Miami and LA. Nobody seems to have told the Houser brothers that America is a big country with many cities that would make equally great settings for the next game. Aside from any such negativity the team at Rockstar have done well to revisit the same cities again and again but never have it fell stale or repetitive. Each time the GTA series returns to a former setting it is a chance for the developers to eclipse their previous effort. The difference between the urban environments featured in the GTA games as compared to others is that they feel alive and not just concrete tombs void of all humanity. Although GTA IV might not have been the more favoured entry into the franchise it was the title that attempted to take this concept to new heights. Although smaller then some of the other maps it was so densely packed with NPC’s going about their business unaware of your presence, that it felt more like a true to life interpretation of New York City. Pretty art assets and architecture are nice but without the right atmosphere they mean noting.
Although franchises like Saints Row have taken influence from what Rockstar have done and turned the open world gameplay elements up to eleven. The GTA series manages to get the right balance between fun free roaming mechanics and still have an engaging believable narrative. The fictitious nature of the cities in GTA allows the writers and artists to poke fun at their real world equivalents. Rockstar has always include satire as part of the narrative and world creation. Getting into your car (or jacking somebody else’s) and driving around the various cities featured in GTA games is an enjoyable experience. As every street you pass or neighbourhood you travel through will have its own unique look and character. Even when Rockstar ventured into the past with the Wild West inspired Red Dead Redemption the developers managed to impart the same level of scope and realism. If you want to know how to make a bestselling open world game just play a Rockstar game and do your best to emulate it.
