Sepharo wrote on Jun 28, 2021, 17:39:
What did you guys think of the previous four GTAs' writing?

Don't much remember, but I think garbage. I don't remember GTAIII. I didn't play Vice City. San Andreas felt dumb to me, particularly because you found your way to being a billionaire that owned a casino yet you kept having to go back to "save the block," but I get that's the genre it was going for. Didn't play IV.

V, though. Everyone in Michael's life sucked. It wasn't funny sucking, it was just sucking. And I know some here get angry when I say this, but every single woman was terrible in that game. Not a single female character had a single redeeming quality. Basically, you learned that the women in Michael's family slept around a lot. Oooo, good satire! On top of it, Michael himself mostly sucked. No fun in him, or Franklin. Don't get me started on how terribly written, how unoriginal, and how unfunny the son was. Any time spent around him in a mission was a chore. I'd rather have stabbed myself in the eyes than spent another minute with anyone in Michael's family, which perhaps was the point, but making a video game unpleasant to play because you're (in the beginning) forced to be around unpleasant characters as a statement on how unpleasant being in your late 40s is just isn't fun. Also, I don't think that was the point, because the game definitely thought Michael's family was funny.

Saints Row 1 initially also felt way too stupid and try hard. "Freckle Bitches" was one of the worst gags, or "satirical jokes" I can remember in a game. But it moved way the hell beyond GTA in 2. And 3. And probably 4.

GTA V seemed to think it had something to say about life, but "let's film that actress having sex until she kills herself trying to get the tape back" wasn't really a good point, particularly when she's the butt of the joke and supposed to be seen as overreacting. I bring that one up because it keeps with the theme of "women in this game are bad because they have a lot of sex, yet no one has sex with our 3 protagonists."