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A new linear game from Rockstar would be a great technical showcase for the PS5 and Series X

Rockstar are very well-known for developing open world games, from Grand Theft Auto to Midnight Club to Bully and Red Dead Redemption, but did you know they also developed linear games? Manhunt, Red Dead Revolver, The Warriors, Manhunt 2, and Max Payne 3. For a while it seemed like Agent would be the next new linear game from Rockstar with some interesting ideas, taking place in the 1970s during the Cold War, it was to involve the player in a world of counter-intelligence, espionage, and political assassinations. But for whatever reason we never did see a proper reveal of the stealth action game and the company abandoned the Agent trademark a couple years ago. A while back they were also planning a spiritual successor to The Warriors called "We Are the Mods" for the Xbox 360, set during 1960s England, though it was cancelled so that the team could ironically help with development on another linear game, Manhunt 2.

Granted, open world games are pretty popular (just look at any new Ubisoft game) but it's good to have some variety and a great linear game can be just as engaging and immersive, if not more, than a new open world game. But I think with linear games you can also add more attention to detail as well and it would be interesting to see what a new linear game from Rockstar would look like on the PS5 and Series X. Two console generations after they released Max Payne 3 on the PS3 and Xbox 360. How much better would a new linear game from Rockstar look compared to something like Red Dead Redemption 2 which already looked beautiful?

What are your thoughts? Whether it be a sequel or a new IP, would you be interested in a new linear game from Rockstar?
 
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Iced Arcade

Member
Got to "but did you know they" and felt like you were trying to sell me something.


I'll take a new Max Payne though
 
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Golgo 13

The Man With The Golden Dong
It’ll never happen; Rockstars Dev cycle is around 7 years average right now. The games will be good but they’ll be huge and take forever, particularly after the departure of Dan Houser (out of the holy trinity only Sam is left).
 

gow3isben

Member
Linear story-driven Max Payne 4 with epic set-pieces utilizing bullet time in unique ways please. 12-15 hours long.

If not a Max Payne 3 remaster will do just fine.
 
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It’ll never happen; Rockstars Dev cycle is around 7 years average right now. The games will be good but they’ll be huge and take forever, particularly after the departure of Dan Houser (out of the holy trinity only Sam is left).
Oh damn. I forgot Dan and Leslie left Rockstar. I hope it doesn't mean they scrapped a bunch of projects.
 

Perrott

Gold Member
Oh damn. I forgot Dan and Leslie left Rockstar. I hope it doesn't mean they scrapped a bunch of projects.
Well, in the last two years it looks like they scrapped Bully 2 (again), definitely let go of Agent - which was still worked on until, at least, late 2017- and started from scratch with GTA VI.
 
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Represent.

Represent(ative) of bad opinions
I agree, should be right up there with ND in terms of pure quality.
But I doubt it'll ever happen. Whole industry seems to be all in on hUgE mAsSiVe OPEN WORLDS. Which is a damn shame.
 

diffusionx

Gold Member
If anything is indicative of just how shitty the last gen was, it has to be the fact that we only got one new Rockstar game, and the most popular title of the gen was actually a port of one of their 360 games.
 
If anything is indicative of just how shitty the last gen was, it has to be the fact that we only got one new Rockstar game, and the most popular title of the gen was actually a port of one of their 360 games.

Agreed, I’ve been disappointed in them for a considerable time. No new IP for ages either.
 
Can I smack you upside the head OP

Seriously, though, I think open worlds offer better gameplay than linear games, but that depends on said "linear" games, like corridors vs. open ended linearity.

But it especially depends on how important immersion is to you. To me, the pure gameplay and the fun factor would be quite a bit of a downgrade compared to their previous two games.

I'd say screw it, make an open ended linear game with individual MP maps, I can be rather open minded.
 
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radewagon

Member
After the boring slog of a game that RDR2 turned out to be and the shameful milking of GTAV, I kind of really don't care what Rockstar does next. They need a serious sea change, but considering how much money and critical acclaim they've got, I don't see it happening any time soon.

That said, it'd be crazeballs if they followed up Walter Hill's Warriors with a game based on Streets of Fire.
 
Quite the contrary, with the IO capabilities of these consoles, devs that are at the forefront of open world games are going to excel like never before.
Could you elaborate what you mean by the IO capabilities? I'm not that well versed in the tech talks.

(When I think of "IO", the developer IO Interactive is what comes to mind)
 
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AJUMP23

Member
I would be down with a new narrative game from Rockstar. I mean who wouldn’t. Maybe they could make it set in ancient Babylon.
 
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