vice city looks unreal but the missions in the reveal are just rockstar's same old formula

Watched the reveal and I keep going back and forth. Vice City itself looks absolutely stunning, the neon, the beaches, the density. Rockstar's world building is on another level, no question.

But then I think about the actual missions they showed and it's like... same old Rockstar. Drive to a marker, shoot a bunch of guys, lose the cops, done. I've been doing that since GTA 3. The setting is new but the skeleton feels identical.

I get that the formula works, it's why these games sell a billion copies. But after RDR2 pushed things forward with more organic mission design, I was hoping GTA 6 would take that further. Instead it looks like we're getting the same linear scripted sequences with a fresh coat of paint.

Maybe the full game will surprise me, but from the reveal alone I'm more excited to just free roam Vice City than to actually play through the story. That's a weird feeling for a GTA game.

Still buying it day one obviously, but my hype for the missions specifically has cooled off a bit.

Source: PC Gamer · Curated content.

The mission loop is whatever but I'm tryna see what ENGINE swaps they got. If I can drop a motor into some beat up Karin and drift Ocean Drive at night the story can wait. Free roam is where the real build happens anyway.

Free roam is where the real build happens anyway.

Agreed. The reveal only showed the action layer. I'm holding out for the setup phase. Comms, role assignments, payout splits. That's where the formula breaks or repeats. If the planning is shallow, it's just prettier muscle memory.

Back in '02 we were just happy to cruise Ocean Drive. Missions were just an excuse to unlock the next island.

prettier muscle memory

Exactly. If the world hits like Vice City did, I'll stomach the same loop. Some things don't need reinvention, just the right neon.

prettier muscle memory

Feels accurate. Still, I'm wondering if the physics and AI might create enough chaos to crack those scripted missions open. Even a rigid loop gets interesting if the engine lets things spiral. Might be wrong.

Think the new damage model could accidentally break a chase sequence in a fun way?