There was something about those earlier GTAs back in the day. Not the 2D ones, although they certainly had the best intentions - but the first three 3D universe iterations. Playing GTA III felt like you were piloting the revolution, and embodying guys like Tommy Vercetti and CJ was the perfect way to experience their respective time periods and everything they stood for. From the soundtracks to the pedestrian banter and the radio stations topping everything off, the comedic writing was unbelievably solid across the board - and it cemented the signature GTA-style of comedy in a R*-embossed slate. However it was then GTA IV's change in direction that introduced the idea of doing another modern sequel, and with that came more up to date and popular songs (which are almost unanimously horrendous by comparison), less possibilities for how you can embellish on the world itself, and an overall feeling of it not having that same bite that came with the original games. It's obviously going to be hard when you're a multi-billion dollar company to tap back into that quintessentially rebellious spirit that birthed the franchise in the first place, so either get some new creative directors in or go back and rediscover the reason you started this in the first place. Modern society and all its extremist reactionary trimmings has plenty to be ridiculed, and when you've devoted a huge number of art assets to blowing up a fake Mark Zuckerberg - which in gameplay-terms amounted to guiding Michael through a series of rooms - it's just not good enough.
