Two of the hottest gaming franchises today are Grand Theft Auto and Saint’s Row. These two open world games have many things in common besides massive followings from gamers everywhere. Both take place in the city during the modern age, unlike many games out there set in fantasy or quasi-historical realms. Both are filled with less than savory heroes and have us going on some quests that may not be for the faint of heart.

Saint’s Row: The Third has already been released. Talk of GTA V grows as we inch closer towards a release date. Everywhere people speculate as to what may be, could be, and should be in GTA V. Though Rockstar is definitely still a king in the open world gaming world, GTA V could still take a page or two from Saint’s Row: The Third to improve over GTA IV. Here’s a list of some things that GTA V may want to look at how Saint’s Row did and adapt for their own game.

Less Serious – More Fun

Yes, not all of the GTA titles were as serious as Grand Theft Auto IV, but lets face it. No matter how much you may have loved the game, loved the series, or prefer RPGs over action-adventure open world crime titles, there’s still a time and a place for everything. GTA V should take a lesson from Saint’s Row: The Third and go back to it’s previous, more fun, less serious tone. The story may have been good and the game was still great, but fans everywhere would appreciate it if GTA V went the way of Saint’s Row and stayed more fun than dark.



Keeping Its Identity

We’ve all seen this far too often in video games. A great franchise or publishing company tries to do something different, unique, or groundbreaking with its next best title. Most of the time these fall short of the mark, ending up disappointing or confusing. GTA IV, sadly, suffered from this disease. Between running over pedestrians and crashing into anything that was and wasn’t rooted to the ground we heard deep monologues from the protagonist. While they would have been great in another game, these RPG elements felt rather out of place.

Saint’s Row, on the other hand, knows exactly what it is and keeps true to that identity throughout. The fun, over the top antics don’t stop or try to be anything that it isn’t. This is something that GTA V should remember. It’s an open world crime game, not a deep, introspective RPG. Go back to the GTA III days and do what you do best – entertain.

Playability

There are an aweful lot of pedestrians that get run over in GTA. It isn’t always because we enjoy running people over or are necessarily going out of our way to run them over. Most of the time it’s just because controlling your car is a tad difficult. However, no one’s thought of making driving any less frustrating in the GTA series. In Saint’s Row, however, nothing feels overwhelmingly difficult or overly frustrating. If you can’t do something it’s your own fault, not because the controls are only geared towards hard core gamers who’ve been playing video games before they could walk. A tiered difficulty in the drivability in the cars may be a good thing. Certainly there needs to be some kind of streamlining of controls and moves that will make overall gameplay smoother and less frustrating.

Make It Special

Overall, there are more ‘Oh man, remember when’ moments in Saint’s Row than in GTA. This is something that GTA V should definitely adapt from our friends over at Saint’s Row: The Third. One of the biggest things that keep players hooked is because awesome things keep happening. In an RPG it may be the amazing storyline. In a racing game it may be the awesome abilities that you can do mid race. But in a game centered around crime, the list is pretty much endless. Everyone remembers the Bank Robbery, but there should be more incentive to keep playing than just one mission. GTA V should have more than just one similar fantastic mission, however, something that Saint’s Row has always done well with.

More Than Just The Main Mission

One of the blessings of having an open world environment is that you can spend an entire game playing and never touch the main quest line. Saint’s Row knows and embraces this. While GTA does to an extent, it could utilize the benefits of open world gaming much more. In GTA V we want to see more amazing missions, more heists, more bank robberies and anything else they can possibly come up with. Surprise us. Entertain us. Give us more reasons to keep coming back to GTA V. Give us a reason explore outside of getting lost or having to go to a certain area because we must for the main quest.

GTA V is set to be another amazing game in a franchise that has proven itself time and time again. But even great things can stand for a little improvement and tweaking now and again. Saint’s Row: The Third provides great examples of what is possible time and time again. If only GTA V would adapt some things from Saint’s Row it could push GTA V from great to fantastic.

Also Read: Things We Expect in Grand Theft Auto V