Alright I’m just gonna say it GTA IV is unironically the most mature and grounded game Rockstar ever made. The whole vibe is dark gritty and actually takes itself seriously. Niko isn’t some quirky joke machine he’s a messed up dude with actual trauma and depth and the story reflects that. It feels like it has something to say instead of just throwing chaos at you for laughs
GTA V on the other hand honestly feels like the concord of the GTA franchise. Looks big and flashy but there’s no real soul there. Everything is dialed up to be more marketable and it ends up feeling shallow. Three protagonists and somehow none of them hit as hard as Niko did by himself. It’s all just constant noise and forced humor
And yeah the physics in IV were just better. Cars had weight crashes actually felt heavy and the euphoria system made everything more dynamic. In V it’s like you’re driving plastic toys around the map and nothing really sticks. It’s smoother sure but way less satisfying
IV felt like it respected the player and told a focused story. V feels like it’s trying to entertain people with zero attention span
Downvote if you want but I know I’m not the only one who thinks this
