From what I've played, London just isn't an interesting location to commit sandbox crime in.
It seems too... samey? I dunno if I can explain it, I just know that I despised The Getaway's city. It felt boxed in, and very bland.
Liberty City felt boxed in, for sure, but the design team seemed to have pulled off the 'claustrophobic-yet-still-breathable' vibe. Maybe it's just me, but I probably wouldn't buy the next GTA if it was set there.
Grand Theft Auto also has a habit of reinventing a city. London just doesn't seem to be a place you could really remodel well. I feel that no matter which way you build it, it's still pretty much the same damn thing.
You could say 'That is the point, stupid!' but I'd have to disagree a bit. Liberty City was very much it's own city, with it's own architecture and an excellent balance of same-yet-different New York City landmarks. The buildings said 'This is New York' but the vibe and ambiance said 'This is Liberty City'. Rockstar made it feel very real with it's location, but I still sometimes forgot that I was in a location based off of a real place. When I'd drive down the road and hear a pedestrian yell out 'Cheesy Vagina' I smiled and thought 'Good ol' Liberty City'. Even when I drove down 'Star Junction' it felt like the city I knew and loved from my first meeting with it in 2001, not like the metropoliton intersection it was based off of. Maybe I'm saying too much, and reading too much into this. I've just noticed plenty of people say that they want Grand Theft Auto to revisit London.
The point I was trying to make, albeit in a long winded fashion, is that London seems a rather bland location for the supposed King-of-Crime-Games to be set in. I want glitz and variety, and London just doesn't deliver.
It seems too... samey? I dunno if I can explain it, I just know that I despised The Getaway's city. It felt boxed in, and very bland.
Liberty City felt boxed in, for sure, but the design team seemed to have pulled off the 'claustrophobic-yet-still-breathable' vibe. Maybe it's just me, but I probably wouldn't buy the next GTA if it was set there.
Grand Theft Auto also has a habit of reinventing a city. London just doesn't seem to be a place you could really remodel well. I feel that no matter which way you build it, it's still pretty much the same damn thing.
You could say 'That is the point, stupid!' but I'd have to disagree a bit. Liberty City was very much it's own city, with it's own architecture and an excellent balance of same-yet-different New York City landmarks. The buildings said 'This is New York' but the vibe and ambiance said 'This is Liberty City'. Rockstar made it feel very real with it's location, but I still sometimes forgot that I was in a location based off of a real place. When I'd drive down the road and hear a pedestrian yell out 'Cheesy Vagina' I smiled and thought 'Good ol' Liberty City'. Even when I drove down 'Star Junction' it felt like the city I knew and loved from my first meeting with it in 2001, not like the metropoliton intersection it was based off of. Maybe I'm saying too much, and reading too much into this. I've just noticed plenty of people say that they want Grand Theft Auto to revisit London.
The point I was trying to make, albeit in a long winded fashion, is that London seems a rather bland location for the supposed King-of-Crime-Games to be set in. I want glitz and variety, and London just doesn't deliver.
