GTA IV's Story Is Better Than GTA V's

Kotaku:
The Grand Theft Auto series is the ultimate commentary on modern America. Greed, lust, money, and crime are wrapped together into a Las Vegas buffet of a game that is entertaining, insightful, and overwhelming in its sheer variety.

What fascinates me most is the way GTA represents the tempo of modern culture better than almost any other medium. Everything from the music playlists, the polygonal landscapes that mimic real cities, the caricatures of celebrities, and the fascinating antiheroes. Whether you take it as allegorical, symbolic, or literal, the Grand Theft Auto series is the modern epic.

GTA IV still remains my favorite because of the story and Niko, who is my favorite character in the whole canon. He embodies and represents the American dream, twisted underbelly and all.

[Walker]

Absolutely . GTA V's story was a total mess compared to oscar worthy GTA IV's story !

[DarkOcelet]

In terms of story. GTA IV was actually very good but in terms of fun, GTA V takes the cake. Both were great games in the end though.

[spacewarrior1]

i don't understand how people can call GTAV fun. its just like GTAIV an empty city with awful activities like yoga and tennis with some of the worst gunplay i've ever played. then theres the online which is basically free to play in design. then theres the police who will come after you for anything you do. i've even had a person call the cops just because i was staring at them. thats not fun its annoying. ican understand calling the older GTA games like Vice city fun as those games didn't take themselves seriously but GTAV is as bad if not worse than IV. in many aspects IV is better like bette story, better combat, better atmosphere, better car handling, better gunplay and better online. how GTAV sold almost 50 million i'll never understand.

[styferion]

@spacewarrior1: I actually played GTA IV to completion yawning all the time, wondering when the main story will be finished and play through just for the sake of completing a GTA entry,

while GTA V on the other hand, I played it laughing and enjoying it, when the credit starts rolling the first thing I thought to myself is 'this game is too short'. That's just how much I enjoyed it.

I agree with GTAIV story being better though, but in terms of fun it's GTAV all the way.

[LarVanian]

@spacewarrior1, could I ask as to what exactly where you hoping to achieve by simply staring at a pedestrian in a game that offers skydiving minigames and the ability to go on rampages in army tanks? If that's what entertains you then I am not surprised you preferred the more mundane GTAIV.

GTAIV combat/gunplay was possibly the slowest and most sluggish I have ever encountered in a game. I'd have to force myself to stay awake during all those tedious warehouse shoot-outs in the game.
Also, I wouldn't say that a game which featured airplane hijacking, fighting a swarm of aliens and killer clowns during psychedelic experiences and riding a dirtbike on a moving train was something that took itself seriously :).

[badboyz09]

GTA IV was a let down. Besides the online it was a downgrade in everyway from it predecessor GTA San Andreas. IT was shorter,Smaller,Less cars,planes etc....

[Me-Time]

Agree to some extent. GTA V's story is somewhat jumbled and over-the-top like San Andreas's story. GTA IV was definitely "oscar-worthy". It didn't have the activities available to it which San Andreas did (like GTA V), but the simplicity of the gameplay helps avoid the "too many options for its own good" syndrome (look it up, it really does make sense, but it might not fully apply to GTA SA + V). GTA V loses that factor to it, or better yet, it gives the feeling of being bombarded with too many things to do in order to have the full experience; GTA V is better than San Andreas in a lot of regards, except for my main gripe, which is the technical difficulties the current gen and past gen console versions have that don't help the experience and leaves you feeling like it would be "perfect" if they weren't present. I do understand that GTA V wasn't initially, or intended, to be developed for current-gen consoles.

Don't kick my ass for saying all this. I still think GTA V, even the story, was likely better than what any one of us could have believed it to have ended up being.

[Gwiz]

Nah,GTAIV's story needed dlc to make it less vanilla.
GTAV has that variety.

[reallyNow]

i dont think that word means what you think it means.

[diesoft]

Every time I hear that phrase I think of Inigo Montoya. "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."

Classic.

[HammadTheBeast]

I agree, it took itself too seriously for a GTA game, and there wasn't much in terms of over-the-top missions and satire which GTA is known for. Ballad of Gay Tony was one of the best parts of GTA IV.

[Me-Time]

Eh, I won't disagree with you there. I'd say it would be left to preference. I can take the insanity GTA is known for, but GTA IV was a breath of fresh air to many of us.

[Vandamme21]

Defenetly agree with that...gta4 story was way better than gta5 story and the shooting was way better to

[DivoJones]

The driving in GTAIV was horrible though, every car drove like a boat. I'd see a nice looking car and go "there, maybe this one won't be slow and shitty" .. and lo-and-behold it'd be a corvette with a VW beetle engine.

[WellyUK]

The overall game was better IMO, i played GTA 4 right up to 5 where i was massively let down tbh.

[zsquaresoff]

Gta 4's story and the game were both rubbish to be honest.

Everything cool they did in the prevous gta games was stripped out on gta4. A very bland city and protagionist.

Gta: San Andreas story is better than both 4 and 5.

Vice city and San andreas > gta 4.

[Bass_fisherman]

gta4 story was fun but nothing special...

[Psychotica]

Only thing I liked better in GTA 4 was the music and talk shows on the radio. The ones in GTA 5 are horrible in comparison. Everything else is better in GTA 5 though.

[goldwyncq]

I'm going to have to agree to this. GTA IV's story is the deepest and most emotional out of all the games in the series.

[brianunfried]

I could't get into the main character in GTA IV, felt like I was playing Grand Theft Borat.

[Me-Time]

You do realize Eastern Europe is... significant. You know, GTA games don't and shouldn't, imo, always have an American main character.

[DivoJones]

One of the pro's of GTA5 though, several characters to choose from. Granted none had a deep and true feel to them.. Niko and even CJ had more depth than Michael and Franklin. Trevor on the other hand.. that's a character.

[brianunfried]

What does that have to do with my personal opinion? I just don't like the character.

[Me-Time]

You felt like you were playing as a comical buffoon. Don't equate them and say it's your "PERSONAL" opinion.

[OrangePowerz]

As a GTA game for me 5 had the better story. 4 was too serious for me as a GTA story.

[Me-Time]

I reiterate:
"Eh, I won't disagree with you there. I'd say it would be left to preference. I can take the insanity GTA is known for, but GTA IV was a breath of fresh air to many of us."

The type of story you prefer should totally be respected. It's when people say GTA IV sucked for being too serious, I can't relate to that POV.

[RiseofScorpio]

And I 100% blame it on the 3 character setup. Good for fun/perspectives but bad for storytelling I'm sorry, and it was shorter on top of that (69 story missions vs 90 for IV).

[reallyNow]

i hate the character wheel and switching between characters. I exclusively play as Micheal, since he's the one with the most interesting story and character IMO. Franklin is flat, and Trevor is stupid. I would have liked the game more if it was written entirely from Michael's perspective.

[Tetsujin]

I vote Vice City and San Andreas over both 4 and 5.

[AudioEppa]

At the time of playing it i was let down by GTA 4, but I much appreciated it years later so I will have to say its a tie. Both games are good but they are completely different at the same time, I would have to say that I enjoyed GTA 4's online alot more than 5. There's aspects about 5's online that I like, but overall I was disappointed.

I hope there next gta online really hits it home, i want a more flushed out free mode, basically a real breathing open world without missions and crap. We own a unique home that we pay for or rent apartment and we can decorate however we want. Also we can do things like play pool, go bowling, do any real life activity, hell we can even have our character work a job. But things can & will get dangerous just like real life with gta gangs or mafia families as higher up gta groups.

Oh man the the potential that never will be lol

[sanosukegtr123]

GTA IV and GTA V should be combine to be one awesome GTA 6. in gta 5 u cant go in restaurants like in San Andreas and 4. hmm what else missing.

[VVgamer4lifeVV]

I like GTA V story better and gameplay

[Arty84]

I don't know if its even fair really to compare games since GTA V is can be considered to have 3 story type with the 3 characters from the serious to the more silly but if I had to choose then GTAV was better GTA V I played straight through until 100% Gta IV I took a long break in between more than a month easy I do hope Rockstar considers some changes for the next one though first the police should not have this magical awareness of crimes atleast not when using silencers especially in SP , In MP the aim assist/auto lock should be completely taken out and being able to acquire different job suits should bring benefits like in RDR where if you are dressed as police feds army you can get away with some things and if you stop a criminal yourself don't get beaten down urself

[objdadon]

Gta 5 is absolutely the best gta ever. Trying to deny that is hilarious!

[dillhole]

GTA4 was moody, and had a more straightforward story but it was nowhere near as fun. I like them both but GTA5 is more complete in every way.

[saukelover12]

GTA V story was amazing lets get that straight

[SaveFerris]

Personally, I'm hoping that Rockstar goes back to a single protagonist for the next GTA title.

[PrinceOfAllSaiyans]

GTA IV > GTA V imo. And it's not even close.

[LoneWanderer09]

i played GTAIV story three time twice for fun and once to finish it under 20 hours for that gold trophy. GTAV story played it once and i was desperate for it to be over, so you tell me which one was better hahahaha. I will play it once i get the PS4 version i heard is better all around, time will tell.

[johny5]

GTA III, Vice City and San Andreas had charm and the nostalgia factor from the 80's and 90's!

The Clothes, the Hair, the City, the Music. All were better, then GTAIV, and in some respects GTAV!

But diffidently the music though, because music has gone downhill for the past few years...

[ThePresentIsAgift]

I agree whole heartedly and am pleased to see that I am not the only one who felt that way about GTA4/5. For me GTA5 had one of the series weakest stories, to the extent that I found it obtrusive.

[DoggyBiscuit]

I just feel the ending in GTA4 was way better but beside that overall GTA5 us just a better

[Deathdeliverer]

I honestly can't say. Gta IV is the only GTA I have not beat and that includes China town and liberty city stories. GTA IV was so damn boring it was almost criminal. "Roman! My cousin!". I stood in line, bought my collectors edition with the bank bag and vault box blah blah. One of my biggest let downs in gaming. The story did not grab me at ALL. And compared to San Andreas that preceded it, it was stripped bare. Maybe that was the problem. It was far from the GTA before it which made it worse but in turn made GTA V better. That online was so glitchy and retarded. No lie, me and 3 other friends are driving in a 4 seater car chasing 4 other online players in a car. We ram their car and I go from driving my car to sitting in the passenger seat of the enemy car. The guy that was in their car was suddenly in my old seat not driving because my friends were yelling for me to drive. I'm like "it's not working" when the enemy car backs up and drives away and my view is on it. Turn the camera to the side with the missing door and BAM, I david Blained my way into terrible situation. Hilarious yes but this was constant. I think I got to a rc helicopter mission. So many GTA games that they are starting to blur.