Grand Theft Auto clone
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A Grand Theft Auto clone (often shortened to GTA clone) belongs to a
The subgenre has its origins in open world action adventure games popularized in Europe (and particularly the United Kingdom) throughout the 1980s and 1990s. The release of Grand Theft Auto (1997) marked a major commercial success for open-ended game design in North America, and featured a more marketable crime theme. But it was the popularity of its 3D sequel Grand Theft Auto III in 2001 that led to the widespread propagation of a more specific set of gameplay conventions consistent with a subgenre. The subgenre now includes many games from different developers all over the world where the player can control wide ranges of vehicles and weapons. The subgenre has evolved with greater levels of environmental detail and more realistic behaviors.
As usage of the term "
Definition
A Grand Theft Auto clone is a
Other terminology
Calling a game a "Grand Theft Auto clone" is sometimes considered unfair or insulting.[8] This is because reviewers sometimes use this term to suggest that the "clone" is a mere imitation, which commonly occurs in the video game industry, designed for the sole purpose of capitalizing on the success of the Grand Theft Auto series.[9] However, this term can also be used as a neutral description of a game,[10] which can range from good to bad.[11] Reviewers have used "Grand Theft Auto clone" to describe games that rest on their own merits,[12] and do not necessarily dismiss the entire class of games as mere imitators.[13]
Games of this type are sometimes defined under the broader terminology "open world games" or "sandbox games".[2] However, many games that predate Grand Theft Auto III, such as Metroid from 1986, are also called open world games.[14] Conflictingly, games such as Grand Theft Auto III and Body Harvest are credited with inventing this genre more than a decade later.[15][16] Furthermore, reviewers have stated that this genre does not include every game with a freely explorable world and that this genre is much more specific, thus excluding the free-roaming titles Spider-Man 2 and The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction from this class of games.[5] The terminology is inconsistent, sometimes including any game with open level design,[14] while other times focusing on a specific genre created at the turn of the century.[17]
Without clear classifications to describe the genre popularized by Grand Theft Auto, reviewers have created a number of alternate names for this genre. Some reviewers have focused on the pervasive criminal themes and mature content in the genre, using terminology such as "crime games", "crime-based action games",[18] and what CNN called the "gangsta genre".[19] Other journalists have emphasized gameplay by describing the genre as "free roaming action adventure games",[20] "driving-and-shooting games",[21] and "driving action hybrids".[22]
Game design
Driving and shooting
Grand Theft Auto clones offer players the ability to steal and drive a number of vehicles.[23][24] Games have included all kinds of vehicles, such as cars, motorcycles, helicopters, boats, fixed-wing aircraft, and military vehicles.[5] Reviewers have compared these games based on the number of vehicles they offer, with greater choice resulting in better reviews.[5] Players can also use vehicles as weapons, either by driving into enemies, or by damaging the vehicle until it explodes.[17] Some games allow vehicles to perform stunts.[5] Games in the genre thus incorporate elements of driving simulation games.[25] Some games even allow players to customize their vehicles.[26]
Players can engage in combat using a range of weapons depending on the game setting, such as
These games have employed a variety of aiming mechanisms, such as free look aiming or a "lock-on" button.[28] Several games have been criticized for difficult or burdensome controls when it comes to shooting,[23][28] and thus video game designers have tried to refine the aiming and shooting controls in these games.[5]
Open world and missions
Grand Theft Auto clones allow players to freely explore the game world,
The player's freedom to explore may be limited until they complete certain objectives and advance the game plot.[17] Players must visit specific locations and complete specific missions in order to win the game,[34] such as racing, tailing, couriering, robbing,[30] stealing,[23] shooting, assassinating, and driving to specific checkpoints.[35] There may be multiple ways to complete these missions as the game environment is designed to facilitate shortcuts, experimentation, and creative ways to kill enemies.[17] Completing a core mission will unlock further missions and advance the storyline,[8] and if the player fails a mission they will be able to resume the game from before the mission began.[23] In addition, these games usually offer optional side missions, which allow players to gain other rewards. These side missions improve the game's replay value.[17] These games are also known for incorporating numerous minigames into the game world,[36] such as circuit races.[26] Ultimately, this allows the player to follow or ignore the game's storyline as they see fit.[24]
History
Origin
Open world, 3D action-adventure games existed for years prior to the release of any similar game from the
DMA Design began pursuing open world game design with the first
In 1999, Midtown Madness was released by Angel Studios. This driving game was 3D and featured an open world in an urban environment like Grand Theft Auto. It was however not a sandbox game, as the player could only choose one of the pre-defined gameplay modes. Travelling on foot or switching cars during gameplay was not possible. Rockstar Games approached Angel Studios with a long-term partnership in 1999, which resulted in the creation of video game series Midnight Club (another open world 3D race game) and Smuggler's Run. In November 2000, almost a year before Grand Theft Auto III, Driver 2 by Reflections came out. Set in a 3D open world in an urban environment with the ability to traverse on foot and commandeer other vehicles, Driver 2 featured many aspects of what would later become known as a Grand Theft Auto clone, though violence was restricted to cutscenes.
Grand Theft Auto III took the gameplay foundation of the first two Grand Theft Auto games and expanded it into a
Other critics, however, likened Grand Theft Auto III to
Recent history
One of the first games to be compared to Grand Theft Auto's foray into the 3D video game landscape was Mafia. Its development during the same time and release a year later in 2002 had a few review websites draw comparisons, notably comparing the open world city and driving.[61] These comparisons were mostly positive, with Game Informer writing "This is a lot like GTA III. Awesome!" and "There's no shame in taking a proven gameplay formula and changing it a little bit" in its review.[62]
Rockstar North finished development of
Ultimately, rival developers were unable to match the reception of the Grand Theft Auto series.
With the arrival of the
Variations of the Grand Theft Auto formula have also been applied to games aimed at children and younger audiences, most notably with Lego City Undercover, first released in 2013 for the Wii U with a remastered version for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One released in 2017.[73] As is with the True Crime and later Sleeping Dogs games, the game is role-reversed with the player taking on the role of a police officer enforcing the law, rather than of a criminal, although the player is required to commit criminal acts on some occasions in order to infiltrate criminal gangs.[74][75] Another lesser-known example is the 2011 Wii open world sports game Go Vacation, described by IGN reviewer Audrey Drake as Wii Sports Resort meets Grand Theft Auto, in which players can freely roam four different resorts on a variety of vehicles.[76]
See also
References
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