5 GTA clones till GTA IV

Grand Theft Auto is a phenomenon in itself. Not only has it firmly established itself its iconic status in modern pop culture, but it has single handedly managed to become a benchmark of sorts for games that follow the same formula; go anywhere, do anything.

Even though there were games that followed the very same formula before GTA rocked our world (take Urban Chaos for example), none of them managed to achieve the sort of cult status this game so effortlessly managed too. As you all know, nothing’s free in this world, and the game’s developer’s, Rockstar had a hefty price to pay with nearly every iteration of GTA (after III) being embroiled in some sort of controversy, the last one (Hot-Coffee) burning them the most.

Since we don’t have a new Grand Theft Auto till around 2007 (that’s when GTA IV releases for the PS3 and the Xbox 360), we’ve compiled a list of five games that have followed this formula successfully enough to be bide your time with.

The Godfather (2006)

Based on Mario Puzo’s novel of the same name, The Godfather put players in the boots of an unnamed gangster as he rose to take control of New York’s Crime Syndicate. The game was structured like GTA, which meant you could go anywhere and do anything, and the game even managed to one-up San Andreas in the customization department with its proprietary Mob face technology, that allowed you to customize your gangster to the max. Only problem was that halfway through the game, the missions ended up getting pretty repetitive, and even though the game was based on the movie/book, there weren’t any memorable characters like some of the blokes from San Andreas.
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Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction (2005)

With a name like Playground of Destruction, what else can you expect? This free roaming third person action game from Pandemic Studios allowed players to play as one of three mercenaries (Christopher Jacobs, Jennifer Mui and Mattias Nilsson) as they went around South Korea blowing up stuff (the game’s not called Playground of Destruction for nothing). A sequel to this game titled Mercenaries: World in Flames is in the pipelines and is expected to hit next gen consoles by mid 2007.

Saint’s Row (2006)

Saint’s Row is a perfect next gen GTA clone; even the story is pretty similar to San Andreas, annihilate rival gangs and take control of the city of Stilwater, one street at a time, with an arsenal that would give the US army a complex. Saint’s Row is a bit more forgiving than GTA in certain situations, but otherwise offers players the same amount of freedom and customization GTA games do.
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Total Overdose (2005)

Total Overdose was one of those sleeper titles I wasn’t aware off, till it came and bit me in my ass. The game plays like a mixture of GTA and Max Payne, with enough Spicy moves to give any gamer a heartburn. The game had a distinct style of humor that is synonymous with GTA games; only problem was that the vehicular control did suck a bit, not making the game as enjoyable as a GTA title.

Mafia (2002)

This game did what The Godfather strived to do, nearly four years ago. It had all the makings of a blockbuster; awesome story packed with betrayal, honor and respect, gorgeous visuals, memorable characters and a free roaming city that allowed you to do almost anything, except drive fast. The only problem I had with this game was the fact that it forced players to spend way too much time in their cars as opposed to walking around exploring stuff.

And that should help you bide your time till GTA IV hits next gen consoles, which by the way is happening sometime in October 2007.