9 Ways GTA Online Has Ruined GTA

6. Humour, Satire And Personality Is Completely Absent

Never just being wacky for the sake of it, GTA has always attempted to present a twisted, satirical version of the American dream, drawing its humour from exaggerated characters and the situations they get themselves into.

Unfortunately though, outside of goofy cosmetics and themes, Online's updates lack the distinct GTA charm found in the original game. Instead of sticking to a couple of tight core ideas, the multiplayer has taken a Saints Row-style approach to open-world mayhem, relying on influences and references to replace original ideas.

While not an inherently bad approach, the haphazard presentation doesn't come close to the brilliantly written characters and humour found in the single-player.

At this point, between Tron-style DLC and even the futuristic leanings of The Doomsday Heist, GTA Online is getting further and further away from what GTA "is". The developers are throwing everything at the wall in the hope that something will stick, and while that scattershot approach has resulted in some cool updates, it's also served to muddle the franchise's identity as a whole.