As Rockstar took the franchise into more serious realms, and attempted to tell a story with more weight and purpose than that of San Andreas gangster-turned-high-roller, it also led into the discussions surrounding character motivation and placement within the game world. Now instead of somebody like GTA IIIs mute protagonist who would happily gun down a busload of innocent shoppers if the price was right, we now had Bellic who was constantly talking of leaving the old life behind him, yet at every turn was engaging and indulging in the most heinous acts imaginable. Whilst you could argue that Rockstar werent about to completely change their gameplay formula, it would be another five year wait until GTA V would perfect the balance between believable player agency, and that of a characters existence within the game world. Bellic does have one of the most badass missions in the entire series though, when he takes on an entire warehouse full of armed goons with hardly more than a pistol, just to rescue his brother Roman all the while yelling abuse and Scarface-style insults to all within earshot.
