Grand Theft Auto 6 Needs To Ditch The Scripted Missions

thegamer.com:

Over the years, Rockstar has gotten really good at scripting missions. In terms of choreography, music, environments, and animation, the developer knows precisely what it takes to excite, surprise, or empower a player. This could be something on an epic scale, such as Grand Theft Auto 5's multi-part heists, or smaller, lower stakes moments like Arthur and Lenny getting wasted in Red Dead Redemption 2. It's a craft Rockstar has been honing for decades and a hallmark of its open world games.

But there's also something contradictory about the studio's approach to mission design. Rockstar makes some of the biggest, best, most dynamic open worlds in the business. Red Dead Redemption 2 is basically peerless in how alive and reactive it feels. Everything is underpinned by a complex, interlocking simulation, and inquisitive or mischievous players who prod at it are rewarded with a multitude of emergent, memorable moments. This is something else Rockstar has gotten exceptionally good at.

Related: 10 Years On, Max Payne 3's Airport Shootout Is Still Sensational

Los Santos isn't as richly layered as Red Dead's Wild West, but it's still an incredible setting, propped up by a simulation that's endlessly fun to experiment with. Yet when it's time for a mission, both RDR 2 and GTA 5 suddenly stiffen up. The simulation no longer matters. You're here to dance to Rockstar's tune, playing each carefully choreographed mission exactly as the developer intended. If you stray from the prescribed path or try to dream up your own solution, you get a slap on the wrist.

Granted, some games are much worse at making the player feel stifled. Assassin's Creed 3 was infamously terrible for this, triggering an instant game over if you dared to try and