Chapter 1010: Perfect Score and Widespread Controversy
Players were all discussing the ending of GTA, the three protagonists with vastly different personalities, and the countless details scattered throughout the game.
It felt like an inexhaustible treasure trove; every time they logged in, there was something new to discover.
While player word-of-mouth was exploding, professional game review media like TGN also gave their scores for this era-defining game, GTA.
Almost without exception, they were all perfect scores!
TGN had also given perfect scores when *The Last of Us* and *The Legend of Zelda* were released, but this time, for GTA, the praise seemed to have been elevated even further.
"GTA is a masterpiece, without a doubt. Its vast and meticulously crafted game world sets a new benchmark for all open-world sandbox games. There is so much exciting content in the game, so many things to do, to explore, and to go wild with!"
"Without question, this game has sparked a global craze. While achieving comprehensive success, it further highlights Sellen's extraordinary ambition. Its richness of content and depth of detail are currently unmatched by almost any game of a similar theme. The massive scale, the embedded humor, and the perfectly timed, subtle details all reflect the genius-like intelligence of its creators. This is undoubtedly one of the finest works the gaming industry has produced to date."
"Although games like *Earth Online* previously attempted to depict a complete city, the biggest difference with Los Santos is clearly that it feels alive. People interact. You can watch pedestrians walk by, police chase criminals, car accidents, robberies, and you'll see these events affect the online forums, news, and stock system. Sometimes you might even encounter someone driving into you, or escaped convicts trying to steal your car. This makes you feel like you *belong* to this city, rather than the city belonging to you."
"Honestly, this game doesn't push current AI technology to its absolute peak, but perhaps this is a compromise Sellen made for the sake of gameplay fun. Clearly, players want to enjoy the thrill of doing whatever they want in the game. If the police relentlessly pursued you and pedestrians ran away the moment you approached for a ride, that level of AI, while making the game more realistic, would severely diminish the fun. This is likely a balance Sellen intentionally struck."
"Furthermore, it's hard to talk about GTA without mentioning the Matrix Game Pod. This pod, hailed as next-generation VR, gives players an experience akin to inhabiting the character. Accompanying this is a complete overhaul of the game's gunplay and vehicle systems. While playing, you can also practice your shooting and driving skills. This is an unprecedented, excellent experience, granting players a higher degree of freedom within the game."
"Sellen once said that GTA would be a game that redefines open-world games (even though *The Legend of Zelda* just redefined it), and would also redefine the concept of AAA blockbuster games for the next decade. Looking at it now, his statement is not an exaggeration. The combination of GTA and the Matrix Game Pod has propelled the current peak of the gaming industry to a whole new level. Can other game developers in the world create games that rival it? We are pessimistic about that. It's hard to say whether this is good or bad for the overall development of the gaming industry, but regardless, Sellen continues to write his legend."
"Pros:"
"Stunning open world"
"Revolutionary innovation in control methods"
"Excellent story content"
"Textbook depiction of a city"
"Cons:"
"None"
"Score: 10/10 (Masterpiece)"
"We all guessed that a game from Sellen would inevitably be a masterpiece, but the quality of GTA still left us genuinely awestruck."
...
TGN's review excited many players, who widely shared it.
However, most players had a lukewarm reaction to it, replying, "Making a fuss over nothing. Clearly not a hardcore Sellen fan. This is all standard procedure, sit down, sit down!"
Indeed, Chen Mo had already created too many classic works, and after seeing GTA's quality, most players already knew in their hearts that this game would inevitably continue to push the world's gaming industry forward, continuing the glory of "one perfect-score masterpiece per year."
Limited by the sales of the Matrix Game Pod, the actual number of GTA players wasn't too high, but everyone knew that with this game's release, a surge in Matrix Game Pod sales was a foregone conclusion. And the catch-up of next-generation VR, represented by the Matrix Game Pod, over traditional VR was only a matter of time.
...
...
However, while GTA was causing a global sensation, a large number of discordant voices also emerged.
Clearly, the higher the heat, the greater the attention, and the more trouble there was.
Calls to boycott GTA existed all over the world, whether in China, the Beacon Country, Japan, or other nations. The people making these noises came from various fields, such as newspaper editors-in-chief, influential bloggers on Weibo, experts and scholars, some foreign feminists, animal protection organizations, members of Japan's education and science committee...
Although many players instinctively felt the game was indeed a bit "very sexual and very violent" when they first played GTA, the fact that it drew so much opposition worldwide still caught many players off guard, even feeling it was inexplicable.
After all, the environment of the two worlds was different. In the parallel world, the vast majority of people were very tolerant of the gaming industry and didn't view it as a monstrous scourge. Coupled with the existence of rating systems, these 18+ games wouldn't have too much negative impact on minors.
But even so, so many people still raised their voices to "boycott GTA."
For example, Richard, the editor-in-chief of a major European newspaper, stated, "The game contains a large amount of pornography, gunfights, and alcohol abuse. The mistreatment of women in GTA is an undeniable form of sexism. Clearly, this game is having the negative effect of 'inciting crime' and poses a significant harm to society."
Some foreign feminist organizations agreed with this view: "Players can pick up prostitutes at street corners (though there's no explicit depiction), and afterwards, players can choose to knock the woman unconscious or even kill her, then use a machete or pistol to get their money back. Undoubtedly, this is a form of misogyny that harms us. Women in GTA are wantonly killed due to male desire, showcasing a world that treats pathology as entertainment, bringing us greater pain and damage."
Even animal protection organizations joined the fray: "Players can decapitate animals in GTA, or even run over a helpless little kitten with their car! Players can kill animals in various ways. This is clearly a very bad signal, highly likely to make people accustomed to the act of animal abuse!"