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I think the biggest thing with GTA IV's Liberty City is that it wasn't actually supposed to feel like New York as Americans see it. It's supposed to come from the eyes of someone who comes from Eastern Europe, almost blending the bleakness of that environment with the colorfulness of "The American Dream"

Happy to see someone say "Every Grand Theft Auto Game" and ACTUALLY PLAY every GTA game, the PSP Stories games are always missed which is a shame because Vice City Stories is my favourite GTA game.

GTA IV tells the story through Niko's eyes, so maybe the dreariness is just what he saw. Being spoonfed the lie of "the land of the free" only to be met with the amount of BS he went through during the story kind of stands to reason imo.

San Andreas is the undisputed king. So much content, so many missions and activities. Not to mention the amazing character and story.

31:16 Fun Fact: GTA Chinatown Wars is actually surprisingly* part of of the HD Universe

GTA IV is my favourite. I’ve played Chinatown, San Andreas, IV and V. I couldn’t disagree more about the atmosphere of this game. This city feels more alive than any other setting in this franchise. It feels bleak, grimy, deprived. Liberty City’s civilians are understated in terms of colour and attire, which makes them comparatively much more believable than GTA 5’s cartoonish civilians which seem to do their best at not letting you forget they’re NPCs with silly dialogue lines and nonsensical aggression, often seeming like cheap parodies of LA citizens. GTA IV is probably the only GTA with a mature perspective of criminal life, you feel this constantly in the environment. Grime and struggle soaks every corner of the city and there is very little relief from this depressive aesthetic throughout the game, reinforcing the idea that this is not a lifestyle to desire and making the infrequent moments of bliss much more meaningful. The understated saturation, in the correct lighting, makes the concrete streets look so real. Every other game by comparison is too colourful and detracts from their realism. Unlike GTA 5, there are plenty of buildings which have explorable interiors, which have been given the same attention to detail as the rest of the map. Subconsciously this has the effect of allowing the player to believe that the city they are in is actually functional and lived in by the civilians you come across. In Los Santos however, very few buildings can be entered, which limits your suspension of disbelief. I’ve always felt that Los Santos’ buildings feel like hundreds of cardboard boxes which come together to create one big fake backdrop for you to cause mayhem in. In terms of characters, I very much appreciate that Niko seems to never enjoy his line of work, as he shouldn’t. He finds his work repugnant but he does as he must because he is an exceptional killer and is fighting for his and his cousin’s survival. This is in high contrast to Michael, Trevor and Franklin who often seem to be having a blast as they rob and kill indiscriminately. And dude, the soundtrack?? Turning the jazz radio on and cruising through this dense city as this disturbed military veteran makes you feel like you’re playing Taxi Driver. I loved the car physics in this game. Those crashes were so expressive and dynamic in comparison to 5’s stiff collisions, providing those moments of procedural chaos you expect from an open world sandbox. It’s also the only entry in which the driving mechanics are an actual skill that you develop the more you play. You will probably suck at high speed chases when you start, it requires focus and dedication to successfully manoeuvre your car. But this means that every successful moment you have is completely earned, it’s up to you 100% to not fuck things up and wipe yourself out in a high intensity moment. Real stakes. And the same principles apply to combat. To start, the euphoria ragdoll physics are obviously fantastic and one of the main strengths people point to when praising this game. The actual mechanics of combat are great too. I couldn’t stand the hard lock on aim when I first started played, so I played the entire game with free aim, and this made it so much better. Again, you develop your aiming ability so that you can proficiently complete your jobs. If you don’t use cover wisely you will also be shredded by gunfire. These more independent mechanics add so much more stakes to the gameplay and totally plays into the criminal experience, it’s grounded. I think that’s GTA IV’s strongest quality. It’s more of a crime drama than an action film like 5 is. When I first discovered what Grand Theft Auto was, the premise that really hooked me was simply the idea of experiencing street crime, which when presented seriously with gravity and weight, is my favourite version of GTA. The jets and fast cars were never the selling point for me. Speaking for myself, when I played Niko’s story, there was this ever growing feeling of claustrophobia and paranoia as the target on your back becomes more and more valuable. This, paired with the city’s unrelenting density of vertical buildings, created this feeling of tension and danger that you should feel when you’re a criminal increasingly pissing off your most violent peers. At any moment Niko could be kidnapped, have his house burned down, have a loved one killed, be cornered in a warehouse with his worst enemies, etc (all things that actually happen in the game). There is so much deceit, betrayal and vicious surprise attacking in this game. Real consequences and heavy prices to pay for involving yourself in the world of crime. I love when a Rockstar game succeeds in making me feel like a wanted criminal on the run, and not JUST when you have a literal wanted level. Red Dead 2 also did a fairly good job at that. That feeling is completely gone in 5, there is too much open space allowing you to breathe and the constant action set pieces create this air of indestructibility, like the 3 protagonists can overcome any immense danger that is thrown at them. And the characters are so lacking in anxiety that they put themselves in even more danger on their own accord multiple times. They pile on the chaos without a second thought throughout the story. “The Big One” heist was essentially just a passion project. Also, Roman is probably the most likeable and well written side character in any GTA game. Seriously, who could compete, Lamar? He’s funny but not nearly as well written. Your description of Roman as the “oh no i fucked up again haha” character is a huge over simplification. Maybe at the start of the game, but for the majority of the game it’s Roman who suffers at the hands of Niko’s actions. Both his reaction to having his business and apartment burned to the ground and his conversation with Niko about revenge after he kills Darko Brevic is some of the best dialogue in the entire series hands down. Dude goes through some horrible shit in this game. GTA 5 dumbs down everything 4 did so well.

San Andreas is PEAK GTA. The amount of content in that game is groundbreaking to this day.

I live in New York City, and for the time of year that GTA-IV takes place (mid-September to late November), the tone makes so much sense. You get that mid-to-late fall haze—the days are getting shorter, the weather is getting colder, there is less to do for fun, and soon you're going to be trapped in your studio apartment because it is going to be snowing out. I get it; you either came to New York in mid-spring to late summer when it's not so bad out.

Nico is for sure the most compelling protagonist because he is the only protagonist I can believe doesn't want to be doing any of what he is doing. He just wants to live a normal ass life in the US and he got pushed into a rough life again instead.

GTA V was a pivot point in so many  people's lives who played video games. The fact that it has been relevant for the last 10 years says a lot, and San Andreas still is getting love over 2 decades later.

But there was something special about V because it was a long wait from GTA IV.  It was the first game I picked up at a midnight release, waiting in line to get my copy, talking with everyone about it.

Considering you were so critical of GTA IV's dull colouring, I'm rather disappointed that you mentioned TBOGT without giving it credit for presenting H.D. Liberty City with a more vibrant aesthetic.

GTA IV was perfect for the 9 yr old that I was, story was sooo deep and niko was easy to root for. Driving and physics were enjoyable to me and it was different from san andreas which was my first GTA. SA might be the best overall (yes better than 5 imo as a game overall) but IV was my childhood and by far my favorite.

I enjoyed the side activities and dating stuff in GTA 4. I feel like it made it feel a little more real. I also think for the story alone I would rank GTA 4 up in S tier.

5:33 fun fact animal crossing gibberish is actually just the text being sped up and high pitched

I like that you mentioned how the games get progressively less gamey and more narrative-driven and restrictive. It really stands out when you examine them in chronological order. I also think that San Andreas struck the best balance between the two approaches.

I personally think IV is the best with the atmosphere. I can see how you may not feel like you're in control with the car because of the learning curve but it takes the atmosphere and amps it up to 11. The game was definitely the GTA 3 of the HD universe. By that I mean the side stuff is minimal compared to GTA 5 (because the story in 4 is way more focused and stronger)

GTA IV is what introduced me to the series and is currently the only GTA game I've played. I was three years old when the game came out, but I remember my dad bought it while we were taking a day trip to best buy maybe a few years after. Growing up I would watch my dad play video games on our PS3, most of which were Call of Duty and other war games, so of course I watched my dad play GTA IV. In fact, I think it's only second to TLOU when it comes to games I care about because it was a bonding experience between me and my dad. And yes my dad let his six year old daughter watch him play GTA IV, but the only conditions my parents gave me if I were to watch was to "not repeat anything you hear in the game."

GTA III will always hold a special place in my heart. While I never actually played the game the way I was supposed to, driving around the map and crashing cars as a kid was so much fun. I even did the glitch that allowed you to skip to the second island back in the day

Great video but needed a “Bully” honorable mention ranking