GTA V: 10 Ways It Failed To Improve On GTA IV

10. The Sidekicks

Roman Bellic Roman Bellic gets a lot of undue criticism, but the annoying, portly cousin of Niko gets under the player's skin for good reason. He is one of the best written characters in the GTA series, achieving exactly what the developers targeted, in that he inspires a mixture of frustration and affection (which is wholly visible in the criticism that he attracts) and he is utterly memorable. The ultimate narrative trick that you have to choose between Roman and Kate McCreary is a particularly smart one, and the fact that it is a difficult choice, despite Roman's annoyances, is testament to the enduring, but perhaps perverse, appeal of the character (and probably also the fact that GTA doesn't exactly encourage you to like female characters.) Roman is also head and shoulders above every supporting character in GTA V - none of the central characters who are close to Roman's importance in GTA IV are even remotely as interesting or as smartly conceived. There are some good gimmicks, such as Wade's childish mind, but none feel particularly rounded, or even particularly memorable, other than as narrative devices. As much as he might be hated, there's no denying that there are no supporting characters in GTA V who have the same sort of impact or relevance as Roman Bellic did.
Contributor
Contributor

WhatCulture's former COO, veteran writer and editor.