A reader has questioned the lack of new ideas in GTA 6 after watching the extended Netflix footage, despite acknowledging the game's graphics may be the best ever seen for decades.
The reader notes that technology usually improves, but rising hardware and development costs could mean GTA 6 represents a peak. The game's budget is said to be between $1 billion and $3 billion, making it at least twice as expensive as the next costliest title. While the graphics look amazing and every penny appears on screen, the reader admits to being bored about five minutes into the footage.
Familiar gameplay and story concerns
Although the reader enjoyed previous Rockstar titles, including GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 1 and 2, they feel GTA 6 looks like GTA 5 with better graphics. The footage almost resembled a remake, despite a different city and characters. Across the full 26 minutes, they saw no new gameplay ideas. The story, inspired by Bonnie and Clyde, seems predictable, and while Lucia appears interesting, Jason seems to lack charisma.
The reader doubts the story will justify the reported 80-hour length. They also question whether combat will improve, noting Rockstar has not significantly updated it in 25 years.
Lack of innovation criticised
While expecting GTA 6 to be at least as good as GTA 5, the reader is neither impressed nor excited. They criticise the car conversations shown in the video, which seemed to work exactly as in GTA 5. Classic missions involving drug deals and robberies are fine, but the reader asks for something new. They were surprised that with 26 minutes and a global audience, Rockstar showed nothing more surprising than a Die Hard-style sequence.
The reader suggests Rockstar may be keeping wild ideas hidden, but with over 30 minutes of official footage and numerous leaks, nothing approaching a new idea has appeared, apart from one area where everyone is nude. They argue that for $3 billion, Rockstar could have taken more risks, especially since the game is likely to make ten times its budget quickly. The reader concludes that if GTA 6 plays it safe, the rest of gaming has little chance, and they remain unimpressed.
