There's been a lot said about GTA over the years, and with part five becoming the fastest selling, highest grossing entertainment property of all time - seriously, it outsold the entire music industry in its first month of release - there's always going to be a million things to analyse and pull apart. However, for all that's done right it does feel like after part three we've been playing increasingly refined versions of the same formula. With not a huge amount of forward momentum in terms of core gameplay mechanics or appeal, yes GTA V is a landmark achievement for programmers and level design, but outside of that it's not really a definable leap from what's gone before. Rockstar's biggest rivals know it too, with biggest being the Saints Row series - a franchise that started out literally Coke-to-Pepsi'ing the GTA games and hoping it would sell just as well. Although Microsoft fans and Xbox-devotees stood by this, with parts three and four they've gone completely ridiculous, deciding that the most asinine parts of the GTA formula are what people come to these games for. Because of this it highlights the biggest divide between the two, as well as the identity of GTA in 2014; a glaring flaw many people have with part five, in that it sits some way between San Andreas' jetpack-fuelled escapist thrills and GTA IV's bolted-down, more realistic story, not really delivering on either but still having core gameplay that's solid and enjoyable. All of this means that for part VI the chips are still on the table, as it remains to be seen if GTA IV will remain a one-off, or become the basis for a future identity.
