GTA VI: A Return To The City Of Vice.

In a world that seems to relish in apathy or just simple antagonism, there are very few reasons for communities to coalesce, outside of mutual antipathy. The meager box office return of a movie. The adverse critical reception of a much venerated game. The final agonising season of “Game Of Thrones”. I’m sure there are even those that revel in the deaths of people that will never know or meet in the ever escalating conflicts around the globe. Yet somehow a new “Grand Theft Auto” is still capable of generating the kind of euphoric jubilation, usually reserved for those blissful few seconds after you wake up in the morning, before you realize that it’s Monday morning and you’ve got 9 hours of work to look forward too. The gleeful embrace from many that enjoy the collapse of a once great thing is an appropriate analogy considering the inevitable controversy that will occur from critics, by virtue of being a “GTA” game.

The trailer released last Tuesday does an exceptional job of showing a lot, without really showing you anything. Though I’m sure there are already innumerable Reddit threads analysing every frame to discover some obscure set of numbers, that when assembled in the right order reveals details concerning the entire plot! Detailing speculative assumptions with as much veracity as a politician’s promise. We did however get confirmation of a long suspected return to my favourite city of Vice, albeit with less 80’s excess. Though I’m sure GTA VI will be just as debauched and hedonistic as it was during Tommy Vercetti’s reign. The depiction of vanity and the modern vulgarity of celebrity is on full display, with social media seemingly playing a huge influence on the vacuous provocations of Vice Cities residents. It’s also impressive to see areas adjacent to what would be contemporary Miami, specifically Rockstar’s interpretation of the everglades. It’s certainly an environment that would be fun to explore on a fan boat. Not to mention being a convenient location to dispose of the many bodies we are liable to create.

Really though, all this trailer does is confirm the game’s existence. There’s very little here that gives any insight into how the game will actually play. If it can boast the dense quantities of activity from its cacophonous populace, that will create a vibrant, bustling Vice City, then I’ll be impressed. What concerns me however is that this will be the first game without Dan Houser. Though I’m sure his creative influence has reduced over the years, as there are many staff writers contributing to the outline of the stories, when someone as associated with a company or project leaves, there’s always going to be an element of trepidation. Though certainly not the first high profile exit, with the company transitioning through many iterations over the years, it’s the vagueness of his leaving I find odd. Having never publicly disclosed the reason for his departure. This lack of transparency is concerning, though this is certainly not a deal breaker.

I have many hopes and aspirations for GTA VI. For instance I’m hoping it retains that satirical edge that has become the not so nuanced part of the series, without it trailing into purile humour. And that it aspires to be something different, rather than just morally questionable criminals, in the pursuit of affluence. But I’ll reserve judgement of what this game is/isn’t until I’ve seen more. Rockstar has the prestige that suggests that they know exactly what they are doing. And I have not doubt that the same can be said of this.