So i picked up GTA the other day, and i’ve probably played it for about 8 hours total now. I like the game for the most part, but one thing has been bugging me; the driving sucks!

Now i know what you may be thinking, “Come on Rogue! GTA at its core isn’t a driving game. It’s a game where you blow up police cars and spray bullets through innocent bystanders while driving by in your stolen ride with a kilo of cocaine in the trunk.”

Yes, Yes, I get it, however I would argue that if you did a study on how long each person that played GTA spent driving around vs. rampaging through Liberty City on their feet you’d find that more time is spent driving then any other mode of transportation. Which would mean that if this game is going to be any good, the driving experience has to be as hardcore as hooking up with your first prostitute.

Sure GTA is not a racing game, but there is a strong driving component that could use some more development. I recently played Burnout Paradise on the PS3 and that game has a great driving style. It’s not a simulator per se, like Gran Turismo, but it’s a ton of fun driving around and getting into accidents.

I was disappointed with the style and quality of driving in GTA. For instance, it’s extremely difficult to steer the vehicles. Many of them can’t even do a U-Turn on a four lane street. And if you step on it from a stand still the wheels don’t even break loose. At higher speeds the vehicles are near impossible to keep under control, one false move and you’re sent into a giant spin out that’s sure to end in the car rolling a half dozen times. But oh well, i guess that’s part of the fun.

Anyways, my major argument about the driving is the steering, it’s just not fine tuned enough. You have to be going the equivalent of 5 miles an hour to make a turn or it’s right up the curb and into a tree. I spend as much time backing up out of situations as i do getting into them.

If i could ask for one thing in the next series of GTA, i would say spend less time on the cheesy cut-scenes and more time perfecting the driving experience.

Ahh yes, the cheesy cut scenes. Does anyone else find these things redundant? I feel like they spent millions and millions of dollars editing, writing, and producing these damn cut scenes, and i really couldn’t care less about most of them. I’ll sit through and watch them simply because I’d like to find out what’s going to happen, but mostly i just end up disappointed. It’s overkill. If there is a major moment in the story line, then please let’s have the cut scenes, otherwise save it. We don’t need all the fluff.

Also, while im at it, people keep mentioning all the special features in the game like the internet dating at the “internet cafe,” oh great just what i wanted, to virtually date fake people over the internet in a video game. Whoop de doo.

I say, “cut the fat Rockstar,” focus on the 3rd person experience, the shooting, the driving, etc. Give me a Max Payne shooting experience, and Burnout Paradise driving experience and i’ll be happy. I know that’s no easy feat, but this game grosses more than any other game out there. We’re talking 100s of millions of dollars here, so this game better knock me over like King Kong, or i’m gonna complain a bit. And if you don’t like it, then leave me a comment and tell me why.