This past 4th of July weekend Rockstar Games gave all Grand Theft Auto (GTA) V online players a chance to celebrate America’s independence. During July 1-6, players will receive a huge bonus: double the cash and experience points for all online jobs, and a 25% discount on everything, including vehicles, weapons and apparel. This celebration will lead players right into this week’s release of ILL-GOTTEN GAINS Part 2 update. This is a great chance for players who are struggling with the grind to level up faster and get some hard earned cash in time for new cars, clothes and guns next week’s update will bring. Most updates have added awesome content, but some have been on the more disappointing side.
GTA Online is a blast but can occasionally make you want to give up playing the game all together, like seriously; I’ve never played a game that I despised yet loved as much as GTA V. From getting killed by high level players only to respawn right next to them to be killed again which creates an endless cycle of death, to the hours spent waiting on someone to join your heists or missions only to no avail; GTA Online has some flaws it needs to patch, and quick. So here are five things I hope Rockstar fixes, or at least touches up on with the new update.
1. Fix the loading screens and matchmaking
I combined these two because you are forced to spend more time either waiting for a match to start or waiting to get back into free roam from loading screens. Seriously, Honest Trailer’s take on GTA Online play is spot on. Nothing is exaggerated. The wait can be 10 minutes any time you want to start a match, change sessions, or connect to an already existing match that you were invited to. You’re frustrated by the time you finally get into a match lobby, then you end up waiting even longer for enough players to join. I feel like I paid $60 for a console version of The Waiting Game, with an added city-simulator mini game. When it comes to matching up players in the same skill range, this game just plain doesn’t. There is an option to invite equally skilled players but it doesn’t work, often pitting a level 4 against a level 121 or not finding anyone at all. With the amount of one-sided fights and bullying that happens online, it sometimes feels like this game was made for trolling. Really, it sucks waiting what feels like forever just to get kicked from a job you’re hosting right as the match begins to launch.
2. Add more heists that doesn’t require 4 players
Let me start by staying that GTA Online heists are awesome, but we waited too long to play an experience that plays like it’s still in the prototype stages. It doesn’t help that most heists will end if a player dies, leaves, or disconnects which sends you straight back to the dreadful loading screens, without even giving you a chance to go back to the job lobby and join the players who wish to continue. It wouldn’t hurt to have more intimate heists, like two player, or maybe even solo options. Having to deal with players who won’t cooperate, usually those who find it funny to die or sabotage the mission at the last second. GTA Online heists is only a painful reminder that people are the worst.
3. More Creator Mode Options
When the beta for Rockstar’s Creator mode was released in December 2013, it allowed players to make their own custom death-matches and races which gave a lot of promise of a custom map making experience. But the update only delivered in the form of fan mods, but these mods are not available to all players as most of the community, don’t have normal access to. We’ve seen updates in the past that have added new game types you’re able to create, for example capture or last man standing. How about being able to create your own custom missions to play by yourself or with others, since we have AI bots in the form of “Actors” who can be used as enemies or friendlies. Even being able to make a custom Adversary Mode would be great. On top of this, you can make a fun map and never get to play it if you can’t get other players to join in, plus the match ends automatically if they leave. It’s almost as if the most play you’ll get out of your map is testing it before you publish the job to the online community. Hopefully the ILL-GOTTEN GAINS Part 2 will also add to creator.
4. Please give us a Double Barrel Shotgun
So this one isn’t that big of a deal, but at the same time it really is. The preview for ILL-GOTTEN GAINS Part 2 shows a new weapon that will be released named the Marksman Pistol. This new firearm is a single shot pistol, described as extremely powerful and damaging, which is cool and all, but why the hell don’t we have a double barrel shotgun yet. I feel there are plenty of pistols in the game already, and who doesn’t miss running around with the sawed-off double barrel as John Marston in Red Dead Redemption, or being able to dual-wield them as CJ from San Andreas. I hope it will show up with an update and Rockstar is letting it be a surprise, like for real, fingers-crossed on that one. How sweet would it be to be able to use the double barrel in drive by mode, mind you that’s hoping they treat it like a very powerful close range pistol in the game. Alas, one can only hope.
5. DLC for the Campaign
My biggest beef is that Rockstar adds so much to GTA Online but no DLC for the single player experience, except the weapons that come with the update. GTA IV had two awesome story additions with “The Ballad of Gay Toney” and “The Lost and The Damned”. Trevor, Franklin and Michael are characters that can easily have more stories built on or they can even add to the characters stories’ we meet along the way. At this point I’m willing to settle for a Lamar side story, and see all the crazy misadventures he gets into. I know Rockstar was focused on heists for a long time, but its nearly impossible to advance without encountering the worst of the worst when it comes to other players behavior. DLC for the single player story being absent is a huge disappointment, and this is a perfect opportunity to release some, but I highly doubt it will be coming anytime soon. Be sure to hit up GTA Online this week for ILL-GOTTEN GAINS Part 2 update which drops Wednesday, July 8th and will be followed by the Social Club Weekend event on Friday, July 10th to celebrate the update.
