Former Rockstar technical director Obbe Vermeij says he wasn't a big fan of GTA 4 because everything about it was scaled down.
GTA: San Andreas is still everyone's favorite for a reason. This is an absolutely massive game that takes the PS2 style GTA game to its natural conclusion. And developing the then-first next-gen GTA would undoubtedly have been a daunting task for anyone, which is likely why Rockstar ultimately took the series down a more realistic, character-driven route with GTA 4, resulting in an entry that caused some controversy… and it wasn't just among fans.
Talking to GamesHubVermeil explains: “I actually didn't really like GTA 4 when it was made because yes, it has atmosphere and I think Niko Bellic is probably the best and most developed GTA character in the universe, but I think we had to sacrifice a lot in terms of gameplay.”
He adds that this is mainly due to the lack of mission variety, saying there are “four” missions. He explains: “You can either follow this machine, or clear the area, or follow this machine with a time limit, or kill this character, or a mixture of all of these. But that's all.” Vermeil explains, “Previous games had crazy missions like following a train, boarding a plane, and dropping leaflets, and you didn't know what to expect.”
