Rockstar's games have become well-renowned for their excellent cast of characters, both playable and supporting. Whether it be through their impressive voice cast, perfectly realised version of reality or just their absolutely unique and hilarious craziness, very few of these characters are ever boring or repetitive. As the protagonist in these games, it will inevitably be the case that players will have a large part to play in the safety and survival of many of these characters. In terms of what it does for the story, having players spend a few missions per game protecting one or more of these from imminent danger makes perfect sense. The relationships that form between protagonist and supporting folks are even more fulfilling once players have had some of their own input and it also justifies the inevitable rewards that players' characters get. As a mission type, however, these are another example of something future titles could certainly do without. Though it's great to see how Rockstar places the fate of these characters into players' hands, the AI of these characters often means that - no matter what players do - they are virtually impossible to protect. It's difficult to save the life of something that almost always puts itself in immediate danger, and so it may be time to do away with these missions.
Gareth is 28 years old and lives in Cardiff. Interests include film, TV and an unhealthy amount of Spider-Man comics and Killers songs. Expect constant references to the latter two at all times.
Follow on twitter @GJCartwright.
