Let’s take in to consideration if Grand Theft Auto still went the gritty “almost-realistic” route. Last year’s “Grand Theft Auto 4″ was a massive success winning over audiences and critics alike. But it was not with out it’s flaws, with it’s constant nagging from your friends and family, and the very sluggish driving controls. But it excelled in it’s story-telling and it’s farcical takes on the American dream. Even though all of the GTA games were pretty much about rising to the top from your rags, I suggest a couple of new ways to improve this. It shouldn’t be a rags to riches story, it should just be a story of survival in the slums of “whatever city they choose”. This is a couple of ideas that could work in the next installment of the Grand Theft Auto series.

More character modification involvement

Hat, Chain, Two semi-automatics, and no shirt. Works for me

They didn’t have much customization in terms of physical appearance in GTA4, You could change a few articles of clothing but that was it.   It would be nice to see your hair and beard grow in real time with the game, then have the option to style it the way you see. It would be great to see scars on faces and chests after coming back from the hospital, your clothes get tattered (IE Batman Arkham Asylum). You should be able to make your character your own. Saints Row has this feature and I don’t see how this couldn’t be integrated in to the GTA series.  This would work in to my next wish list feature I would like to see.

Blend in seamless co-op

Hello, Mickey? Remember that favor you owe me?

Have an option to call one of your friends in regular story mode, and have him join you. It’s a simple concept and adds replay value to the game. Wouldn’t it be an amazing experience when you freely roam around the city and receive a call from your online friend requesting back-up in a fire fight? Vice-versa, you need to run a drug deal and need him to be on the roof with a sniper to watch your back. Co-op is now a big part of games today and it’s time GTA uses it other than jumping in car and exploiting the swing glitch.

Destructible Enviorments

All this can be yours. To destroy

Unlike “Red-Faction Guerrila”, in which you just destroy everything just for the sake of rubble, I want it in here to add a whole new level of immersion in the game. There should be limitations though, as in hammers shouldn’t rip through a wall like paper. Also, bridges and other heavily welded structures would require a massive amount of explosive rather than one RPG. Wouldn’t it be exciting to escape out of a sticky situation by planting some C-4 on a wall and run through the hole? If your annoying cousin were to get kidnapped again, would you go in stealthily, or drive your Comet in to that wall and go guns blazing? It would be very satisfying to drive in to people’s walls for no reason. Then you fans out there can re-create the opening of the “Dark Knight” by driving a bus through a bank wall.

Emphasis on more melee weapons

Guns are sooo old school

Don’t get me wrong, I like using guns and explosives like that, but gets pretty old after the 12th gun fight. It would be a more visceral type of game where you have a limited amount of ammo and have to resort to bats and pool cues. If you were in a bar, and a fight broke out, picture picking up the nearest chair and smashing it over that biker. What about picking up some bottles and chucking it at rival gangs? It adds realism when a bullet can be traced back to you, opting you to use the baseball bat. This is bit more realistic than getting shot at 12 times and having to heal by eating a cheeseburger. At least this way, it makes more sense to sleep off a broken arm by a bar stool than a 12 gauge shotgun shell to the chest.

Have more than three ways to finish a mission

Use the net for more than just facebooking and twittering!

It’s not very sandboxy to finish a mission by shooting the entire biker gang. There should be alternate ways to finish a mission. Starting with the simple  running and gunning. To super complex where you’ve tracked someone’s online twitter account, befriended their girlfriend, ask to meet her, hold her hostage when you drive in and pick up 20 kilos of cocaine. The internet should also be used a lot more in the sequel. You can use the GTA internet to research how to make meth, sleeping gas, or decode secret messages found on an enemy’s cellphone. The amount of things that you can do if this opens up can be enormous.