It’s all about location, location, location…
I’m about to win an award for understatement of the year (both 2014 and 2015) by announcing this obvious fact: GTA V was a fairly well received title amongst gamers. Rarely can a game make such a huge splash twice in one year, but its release on the next-gen consoles did just that a few short months back. But after bringing things like improved graphics and a stellar first-person mode to the table, where does the series go from here?
And I mean that quite literary. I’m not referring to new characters or game modes, but rather where does the series PHYSICALLY go from here? We’ve bounced back and forth between the same few East Coast/West Coast locales for a while now (except for our welcomed diversion down to Vice City in the early 2000s), which leaves many wondering what city will GTA head to next? One hometown real estate company based in Portland, Oregon is taking matters into their own hands by attempting to capture Rockstar’s attention. They’ve even gone so far as to create a mock-up GTA style map of their town, complete with gun shop and strip club locations laid out for the developers convenience. According to them, the next GTA needs that “local city smell,” which is the key ingredient in making each GTA “…a little bit better and a little more distinct than the last. For Portland, we felt it was oh-so appropriate to include bike shops and coffee shops (we almost included sweater shops, but that seemed a step too far).”
Even though I love the thought of getting to tramp around the same areas where The Goonies also takes place (Astoria is just a stones thrown away from Portland ya’ know), I can think of several better locations for the next GTA to be set. This would be a great moment for a list wouldn’t it? Why I’m glad you asked, because it just so happens…I have one all ready for you! Here’s a rundown of my top picks:
- London : Basing our next adventure in a place like London could be a real breath of fresh air. Everything from the mission types to vehicles and more would be very different (yet familiar enough not to scare people off). I can even picture those cobblestone streets in my head now as I write this!
- Las Vegas : One of the first times we saw a fully realized iteration of GTA’s Sin City was in San Andreas. And while Las Venturas was a good start, I say we go all out and set the next one right in the middle of this endless sea of neon. Rolling the dice on this bet isn’t such a risky gamble if you ask me.
- Tokyo : If you’re looking for a real culture shock, how’s about we make the trek to the Far East? With the Yakuza serving as our backdrop, this story mode practically writes itself. Plus, Tokyo is considered one of the biggest cultural centers on the planet outside of our next entry below.
- The Big Apple : I know I’m technically breaking my own rule here, as we’ve seen several games based in Liberty City in the past. I’m just curious to see how a next-gen New York could look on the Xbox One or PS4. My guess is absolutely amazing and the most expansive ever!
While it’s far too early to speculate exactly what GTA VI will have in-store, it’s not too much of a leap to assume it will once again break records and take sandbox gaming above and beyond what those who’ve attempted to imitate it could possibly dream.
Let’s face it; the next game could take place entirely inside a cardboard box and we’d still line up on launch day just to pick up our copies!