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Whose your favourite HD era GTA protagonist and why?
- Thread starter vestan
- Start date
i honestly think the GTA fan base is split down the line on gta forums. I notice that half people prefer mafia themed/aesthetic like GTA 4 with the Italian Mob, Russian Mob etc. and those that prefer the street gangster aesthetic like seen in San Andreas or Franklin's story
The problem with this is that alot of times many people's reasonings fall into traps of racism. I wonder if this has some truth in the split between those that like say Michael and those that like Franklin.
The problem with this is that alot of times many people's reasonings fall into traps of racism. I wonder if this has some truth in the split between those that like say Michael and those that like Franklin.
I find that I'm in this weird subset of GTA players. I don't like playing this psychopathic monster. I liked Vice City because it felt like a cheesy 80's crime movie and could step back and envision it like that. I missed out on San Andreas when it came out. I loved GTAIV because I was really caught up in Nico's story and how hard it is to get out of crime. I couldn't even play GTAV because Trevor existed and I would never be able to play that character. I get that each of the three are supposed to represent the main player-base of GTA games, but I just like the open world setting, the quests, the cheesy ness. I just wanted to be more good in that world. Perhaps that's why I loved Watch_Dogs 2 so much. Or why I loved Saints Row because it was basically a comedy and couldn't be taken seriously. But by the time GTAV came around the realism clashed with the awful behavior in a bad way and just made it feel gross.
The problem with all the recent GTA games is that the story shits itself about halfway through, so I basically have to go off of the character's introduction and the first half of their respective stories. Niko probably takes the top spot for me. I liked the escalation of Niko basically looking out for his fuck-up of a cousin to offing Roman's complete and utter bastard of a employer/loan shark, Vlad. He's a fish out of water in Liberty City and he tries his best to fit in, ultimately failing, and then unwillingly falling back into shady dealings like he did back in the Balkanic criminal underworld back in his home country. Very sympathetic character overall, but I do dig Trevor as well, just for how brash and outlandish he is!
I haven't finished any HD-era GTA, but Niko is the first that comes to mind with this question.
There's nothing in particular that I dislike about him, and he seemed somewhat relatable (back when I played the game at least, it's been quite a while now though).
There's nothing in particular that I dislike about him, and he seemed somewhat relatable (back when I played the game at least, it's been quite a while now though).
I don't consider Luis to be a protagonist
TBOGT was clearly about Tony's story
Luis was just the playable character, but that's just me being super semantic i guess
TBOGT was clearly about Tony's story
Luis was just the playable character, but that's just me being super semantic i guess
Huang Lee is criminally undervalued.
That being said, Niko was the deepest character, Michael was cool with his Soprano-esque personality and Trevor was funny. I found Franklin to be a bit tiring as he was constantly complaining, like he could absorb the fun out of a situation (maybe that makes him more realistic than the other two)
Johnny and Luis were not that likeable imo.
That being said, Niko was the deepest character, Michael was cool with his Soprano-esque personality and Trevor was funny. I found Franklin to be a bit tiring as he was constantly complaining, like he could absorb the fun out of a situation (maybe that makes him more realistic than the other two)
Johnny and Luis were not that likeable imo.
I've felt that the GTAV protagonists are just the tropes of the previous protagonists divided up to 3 people. A ruthless loose cannon set on revenge, reluctant ex-crime pulled back in, and the friends, homies, and family striving for a "better life" through crime.
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I think my favorite of all time is Tommy Vercetti. But my favorite from the era mentioned is probably Michael when forced to choose. I think it's his short fuse. It just makes sense in a GTA game, and it's probably why I like Tommy too.
Pretty much my reasoning. Trevor was annoying and a visual nuisance, Michael's family got on my nerves, and Niko has got to be the most shitty, inconsistently written piece of shit character I've come across in a game this side of Anders around the end of Dragon Age 2.
GTA5 splitting the vote three ways is pretty funny to see. I went Trevor because he acts as some sort of weird self criticism in GTA. Also he's very well acted. I would put all 3 of the characters in 5 over Bellic, despite quoting GTA4 for years.
None of them come close to Arthur Morgan tho.
None of them come close to Arthur Morgan tho.
Playing through GTAV at the moment. Michael is my favourite. Franklin is okay. I hate Trevor; he's just a disgusting awful person and I don't enjoy playing as him.
Niko was forgettable. So much so that I've totally forgotten what he was like. That whole game in general was pretty forgettable to be honest.
Niko was forgettable. So much so that I've totally forgotten what he was like. That whole game in general was pretty forgettable to be honest.
Franklin. I loved how he just wanted to stabilize his life, getting used by all the people, and ended up rich but lonely.
Niko was just... meh, although I agree that his story was more refined.
Niko was just... meh, although I agree that his story was more refined.
Yeah, on replays I always feel like Franklin is the most interesting but least explored.
That's not true at all. Michael's character isn't very original but it's there in abundance.
How though? Michael was much more original in the context of GTA. I just don't see how Franklin comes close?
Franklin knows what he is doing is immoral, so do the others but he seemed the only one that actually thought that mattered. I wish they explored that more, because it was the most interesting thing to me. I wanted to see him finally come to a point where the flimsy justification he has for doing what he knows is immoral collapses.
Well I would say Michael knows it's immoral too. He just pretends to feel guilty about it when he really much enjoys it. While Trevor is pure Id
Trevor, easily.
He encapsulates the normal play style of the average GTA player.
And he's funny as fuck.
He encapsulates the normal play style of the average GTA player.
And he's funny as fuck.
who wins in a fight between Niko, Johnny, Luis, Trevor, Michael, Franklin
6 battle street fight, all against each other, hand 2 hand only
6 battle street fight, all against each other, hand 2 hand only
Niko canonically knows krav maga, so I assume he just kicks everyone in the nuts and declares himself the winner.
I liked niko the best, I like his humour and that he kept his own council.
He was also not crazy or fake like some of the other characters.
He was also not crazy or fake like some of the other characters.
1. Niko Bellic. I liked the whole immigrant dynamic that was unique to the character. A character with a dreadful past who comes to the land of opportunity to escape it, only to dive back into a whole other world of violence and potentially lose his loved ones. Technically all by is own hand in seeking revenge. Niko suffers one the potential trope in Rockstar protagonists in that they're the overly sarcastic, reluctant criminal who thinks they're surrounded by idiots and knows better than everyone else, but there is at least more to him.
2. Trevor is of course the best protagonist of GTA V, but there are times where it gets a little too over the top for my tastes. It certainly helps him fight through the dissonance that has existed in the relationship between player and protagonist for so long in Rockstar games. In this regard, he is perhaps one of the most interesting and unique protagonists. He is second to Niko for me.
3. Johnny is cool, and its interesting to see the his established relationships within the gang develop and unfold after Billy returns to bring unease into the gang once again, but he isn't too dissimilar to Niko and his trope.
4. Michael can be an entertaining protagonist because he is this new role of washed up veteran in a mid-life crisis family part of his character, but I feel he quickly becomes overshadowed by Trevor. And his mid-life crisis bits in the story were some of the weakest parts of the story.
5. Franklin is probably the least interesting, being the same played out reluctant criminal role without the witty sarcasm and backstory of Niko or Johnny. At most, he is likable because he is a reminder of classic San Andreas that had a better gangbanger protagonist. Lamar kind of carries his story arc because Lamar is the greatest.
6. I don't remember too much about Luis to be honest. He was a hired tough guy for Gay Tony who had most of the personality throughout the story. Not too different from Franklin with having a side character carry him.
2. Trevor is of course the best protagonist of GTA V, but there are times where it gets a little too over the top for my tastes. It certainly helps him fight through the dissonance that has existed in the relationship between player and protagonist for so long in Rockstar games. In this regard, he is perhaps one of the most interesting and unique protagonists. He is second to Niko for me.
3. Johnny is cool, and its interesting to see the his established relationships within the gang develop and unfold after Billy returns to bring unease into the gang once again, but he isn't too dissimilar to Niko and his trope.
4. Michael can be an entertaining protagonist because he is this new role of washed up veteran in a mid-life crisis family part of his character, but I feel he quickly becomes overshadowed by Trevor. And his mid-life crisis bits in the story were some of the weakest parts of the story.
5. Franklin is probably the least interesting, being the same played out reluctant criminal role without the witty sarcasm and backstory of Niko or Johnny. At most, he is likable because he is a reminder of classic San Andreas that had a better gangbanger protagonist. Lamar kind of carries his story arc because Lamar is the greatest.
6. I don't remember too much about Luis to be honest. He was a hired tough guy for Gay Tony who had most of the personality throughout the story. Not too different from Franklin with having a side character carry him.
Trevor Philips is Grand Theft Auto in the same way that Agent 47 is Hitman and Doomguy is Doom. He's the perfect embodiment of the usual player and their desires with the tools they're given to use on the canvas that is the game world.
I don't want to say least favourite as that's not correct but the oddest one to me is Franklin. He's a character who basically helped his friend steal/repossess cars and commit low level crime who then literally turns round to him and says he doesn't have problem killing people!
Niko's my favorite. GTA IV's more lowkey writing probably plays a big role. I thought all three protagonists in 5 fell flat, Lamar was clearly the standout character in that game.
Probably Michael for me, though maybe because I was probably too young at the time to appreciate Niko as a character.
From the get-go we see present day Michael as someone who loves the thrill of being a criminal mastermind but struggles to enjoy his ill-gotten gains. He's fed up with the kind of lifestyle that being rich has afforded him.
Being a tired, older criminal as opposed to the up-and-comers we usually play as in GTA made him stand out more to me. It's also through Michael that Rockstar is really able to drive him GTA V's parody/satire.
From the get-go we see present day Michael as someone who loves the thrill of being a criminal mastermind but struggles to enjoy his ill-gotten gains. He's fed up with the kind of lifestyle that being rich has afforded him.
Being a tired, older criminal as opposed to the up-and-comers we usually play as in GTA made him stand out more to me. It's also through Michael that Rockstar is really able to drive him GTA V's parody/satire.