While there are many beloved developers in the gaming world, Rockstar Games stands out as an exemplary member of the community. Red Dead Redemption is a beautiful interpretation of the Wild West, and the upcoming Grand Theft Auto 6 will be the latest in a long and decorated line of genuinely revolutionary titles.
It will take a lot to surpass its predecessor in quality and longevity, but if the response to its recent trailer is any indication, its popularity is already evident.
GTA 6 will take players back to the streets of Vice City, but what lies beneath the sands and neon lights is a criminal underworld. Naturally, the police have been a major element in the series since the beginning, and so the next Grand Theft Auto has the chance to evolve the law enforcement mechanisms, once again redefining the standard.
The police in Grand Theft Auto 5 were a double-edged sword
The Grand Theft Auto franchise, predictably, has always been about skirting the line of the law. It’s an industry leader in open-world design, but this innovation has no substance if there’s no reason to explore it.
Activities abound, but encounters with the law are a foregone conclusion, and fortunately, the chases that follow are constantly engaging. In Grand Theft Auto 5, they are undoubtedly the best yet, because there are so many sunny streets that the chase can explore.
However, Grand Theft Auto 5 was criticised at launch because the police are so relentless in their pursuit and can be triggered for the most trivial of reasons. At times, playing the rest of the game felt like treading on eggshells, as one wrong move could stop the activity immediately because the police would arrive in an instant.
Red Dead Redemption 2 ‘s “Wanted” system got round the problem to some extent, but it was still inconsistent. Grand Theft Auto 6 needs to fix these problems from the start.
In a related case, Cyberpunk 2077 was in a prime position to revolutionise police systems and failed to do so. CD Projekt Red promised a Night City full of criminal activity and less than desirable situations, but instead of blazing a trail and building on what Grand Theft Auto started with, it went in the opposite direction. The police came out of nowhere and attacked on sight for the slightest offence.
This detracted from the immersion, and as Cyberpunk 2077 failed spectacularly to advance the concept, it now seems that the pressure is on Grand Theft Auto 6 to be the game that surpasses its predecessors.
The Games Industry Looks to Grand Theft Auto for Guidance
Rockstar Games has built a huge legacy over the last two decades, with AAA developers looking to it for influence and inspiration. Generation-defining titles have tried to improve on the structure created by Grand Theft Auto, especially when it comes to the police, but most don’t reach the heights they were aiming for. This means that Grand Theft Auto remains at the top of the mountain in this respect, and once again, Rockstar has to be the guiding light of gaming.
With the imminent release of Grand Theft Auto 6, the supposed increase in map size and the developer’s history of striving for realism mean that a police system similar to that of Grand Theft Auto 5 will not suffice.
There’s a real irony in the fact that Grand Theft Auto, a series known for its liberal approach to criminal behaviour, has the best police mechanisms in gaming, and yet Grand Theft Auto 6 is best placed to make a substantial and much-needed leap forward.
