*opera music plays* What makes a Rockstar game world feel so much more alive and realized than its competition? Like, why has Rocky over here stayed the champ since pioneering the genre with Grand Theft Auto 3 in 2001? Obviously, it's easy to look at the newest game "supercrime part 5" and immediately see why everyone's all jacked off about it Oh, wow, look at those graphics. Oh wow, look at that mountain. Oh wow, look at that dead body that somebody *else* hit with their car! But why is it that even when I go back to that landmark gem from 2001 That world still feels more real to me than some modern open world titles? I mean, I'm not gonna name no names I ain't no snitch (these ones) In short, I think these worlds feel so much more realized than others because, along with being technical marvels, Rockstar has always put the focus more on the world itself rather than the player. What I mean by this is while other games will have all these side quests, and objectives, and skill trees, and repetitive tasks for the player to do to give the illusion that the world feels full, Rockstar just makes a world so compelling, that it's a joy to just exist in that space I'd like to discuss the factors to go into creating that beautiful escapism in Rockstar's titles, but I won't be talking about Bully, the mobile games, or the first two Grand Theft Auto games because I haven't played all of those, but I promise I've played all the other ones. *thinking* I wonder if they know I've never played a video game. Shit, I don't even know what a video game is. I could talk about each of these games at length, and I still might do that in the future, but, I'm gonna break my discussion points down into five categories that I think, for the most part, are applicable to all GTA games and even that darn, tootin, cowboy game Dead Guy Redemption. These are: Location, location, location, weather/day and night, heads-up display, music, and uh, #JustRockstarThings :) Also I should mention that I wanted to wear a blue Hawaiian shirt to be like Tommy Vercetti from Vice City, but I only had this orange one, so I guess I'm Johnny Vercetti Tommy's Arch-nemenis rival twin brother who only does good stuff. "I don't steal cars. I don't kill people. I always pay my taxes." "One of those facts about me was not true." In a Rockstar open-world, almost every location receives the same amount of detail. Even if it's a location that the player is never required to visit during the main missions, it's treated with the same level of polish and care, because Rockstar understands that if it's an open-world game, the players first inclination is to explore the shit out of it. This level of consistency translates to different parts of the map feeling unique while also giving the player Recognizable landmarks to learn their way around the world without always having to look at the dang mini-map Knowing that gamer girls just want to explore also means that a lot of the side stuff-to-do is seamlessly integrated into the nooks and crannies of the game itself, rather than having a bunch of annoying objectives and markers all over the screen. Look how nice and clear this space is! Things like stunt jumps, rampages, hidden packages, or gang hideouts in Red Dead all reward the player for being a curious sumbitch without actually telling them to do any of it This shit is genius, there's a direct conversation happening between player and developer with no words all because the game has a consistent level of detail making the player want to explore. "Mom get the camera! Video games are tight as fuck!" This section is pretty simple and obvious but I still feel like it deserves some recognition. Open-world games usually have a day and night cycle. but the way Dwayne the Rockstar Johnson over here does it is just *mwah* Whether you're playing 3, 5, Red Dead or Drive, the skyboxes are always a dang treat. I'm talking sunrises, sunsets, the way San Andreas gets that warm, orange glow sometimes, or Red Dead's starry sky at night And it's not just the sky, but the rain and the fog. 4, 5, and Red Dead's weather effects are just insane, but even the PS2 games could have some fog roll in and obscure the view, and the rain would make all the lighting be blurred and your traction would get worse and Simply put, Rockstar's weather forecast is looking uhh pretty good with a high chance of video games This joke was really fuckin dumb This one may not seem like a biggie when it comes to creating the game world, but just hear me out. In all of these games there is a beautiful consistency between the heads-up displays, font and color choice, and the setting of the game. Grand Theft Auto 3 has some plain fonts, some nice colors to reflect the gritty nature of Liberty City, then you go over to Vice City and BAM I'm talking classy, cursive fonts, some bright ass eighties pastel colors for that shit. Even as the games progressed into a more minimal style with the heads-up display Each game still chose a font and color scheme to perfectly match its respective universe. Again, this might seem like a small thing, but it's one of those traits you don't realize how important it is until it's gone. And I guarantee now that I've pointed out how well Rockstar does this, you're going to realize how other games fuck it up. I live in perpetual turmoil. Among the Grand Theft Auto games, I feel like Vice City is the most often cited for having an excellent soundtrack. The fact that Rockstar got the rights to all of those amazing eighties hits to really build the atmosphere of that game's universe is amazing, but I would argue that all of the other games also have excellent soundtracks, with radio stations perfectly and professionally curated specific to each game's setting. Whether it's the classical station in Grand Theft Auto 3 to match the mafia vibes, or the classic hip-hop station in Grand Theft Auto 4 that's hosted by none other than legendary east coast producer DJ Premier or the amazing new age and ambience station, The Journey, that's hosted by a computer in Grand Theft Auto 4. "People are machines, like me. Your sole purpose in life is to make more machines. Get to work." Also, while we're on the topic of Grand Theft Auto 4 I know I made that "True or Nostalgia" video About Grand Theft Auto 4 and I kinda harped on a lot of shit about it While I'm still proud of that video, I feel like I was very much trying to be like professional critic, and look at it from a very strict point of view and not really my personal tastes because regardless of that video, Grand Theft Auto 4 might still be my favorite Grand Theft Auto game, which is saying a lot, because I've played all of these motherfuckers but of course that's the video that the YouTube algorithm decides to put in front of a bunch of people's faces to reflect my content. It's whatever, I'm just complaining about shit, let's go, let's move on. It's not just the radio stations that Rockstar is a master of, but the ambient soundtrack of Red Dead Redemption perfectly captures the emotions and action of the wild west. Or the tangerine dream composed music in Grand Theft Auto 5 during the car chases or quiet moments in the sky Rockstar spares no expenses when it comes to the music in their games and it is very much appreciated. If a Rockstar employee happens to come across this dumbass video, thank you, I love you, dog bless you. I wanted to include this last section to just really stress how all of the little things Rockstar does add up to create something that is seldom seen in the gaming industry. Things like how the controller vibrates when a train goes by in Grand Theft Auto 3, or when lightning strikes in San Andreas or when you call 911 on the cell phone in GTA 4, Niko actually says the area that you're in Or how in first-person mode in Grand Theft Auto 5 you could see what song the radio is playing on the dash Or how Tommy's shirt actually flaps in the wind when you're riding a bike in Vice City Or how in Red Dead Redemption, if you jump off a ledge and happen to land on your horse, the game just lets you ride away, cowboy style. This list could go on, and on, and on, even if we were just talking about one of these games. But I'm just really trying to stress how dedicated Rockstar is to nailing all of these little things, that in turn enhance all of the big things. #JustRockstarThings, let's go ahead and get that trending, uh could we get some hashtags in the chat, please? A Rockstar game world always feels like it could exist without the player ever stepping foot in it. You're just a tourist of whatever place you're visiting. If you're like me, the biggest thrill of any of these games isn't the explosions, the stories, the guns, or the cheat codes, but just being able to exist in that world, achieving the ultimate escape, and being able to visit a place you never thought you could. Basically video games are tight as shit and Rockstar makes some of the tightest video games you're ever going to find. And that's exactly why I'm more excited for Red Dead Redemption 2 than I've probably been for any game in the past, and the funny thing about that is I didn't even really care about Red Dead Redemption 1 Until I played it I didn't even think I liked cowboy shit, but Rockstar sold me on that because that game is so damn good. I feel like I want to make a video just about Red Dead Redemption alone. Maybe I'll do that. Anyways, thanks so much for watching this video If you did like it go ahead, and UAV tactical insert harrier strike inbound that like button Subscribe if you want to see more this Also just to keep you guys in the loop, I'm going out of town this week. By the time this video is up I'll actually be in North Carolina to visit my brother, but *stutters* it's not necessarily a vacation I still consider it work I guess because the whole time I'm there We're just going to be playing "Breath of the Wild" So whenever I get back expect a video on that. Also feel free to hit yah boy up on Twitter Pokemon snap (SnapChat) Twitch, NakeyJakeyStreamerBoy If you really like my content you can help me out on patreon. You don't have to, but if you want to, that'd be cool. Got a sweatshirt in the works *wink wonk* I'll keep you guys updated. Have a good weekend. Don't play Zelda too hard. Dog bless
