[As someone who has completely finished the main storyline, I'll only talk about the actual experience. First, the characters and companions. The two underlings I recruited, Haki and Hami, aren't just mindless tools. They have their own behavioral logic. During group fights, they block damage for you, and if chaos erupts, they draw enemy attention away from you. They occasionally act dumb, but that somehow makes them feel more alive and real. Other NPCs also have distinct personalities. Avery's calculated hypocrisy, the old colonel's quiet authority, the kangaroo boss's shameless hypocrisy. Every character has their own stance and goals. Interacting with them requires constant vigilance, showing the complexity of human nature vividly. Now, about the mission design, which is the true soul of Liberty City. It doesn't turn violence into mindless venting for entertainment. Instead, every conflict has a reasonable motivation behind it...]
Boshita wrote thousands of words in his detailed review.
From the satisfying feel of the combat system, to the clever mission design, to the impressive depth of the worldbuilding, he wrote a massive post covering everything.
In a real sense, it became the forum's first complete analysis and review.
The moment it was posted, the forum absolutely exploded.
Within half an hour, comments exceeded a thousand.
[Didn't expect someone to have already finished the story mode completely! Respect!]
[Totally agree! The character writing is genuinely amazing. I still want to curse that snake Avery!]
[This convinced me completely. I was hesitating to buy it, but now I'm definitely in!]
[Not just story missions either. You can become a business tycoon or a rising police star. Liberty City genuinely feels like a real living and breathing world.]
Supportive voices came forward from all corners, and Boshita's comprehensive review quickly reached the forum's front page.
Meanwhile, inside the temple, the atmosphere was suffocatingly tense. A stark contrast to the lively forum debates.
"This crude work should be banned immediately."
Bayev continued loudly declaring his position.
"It will corrupt believers' minds and shake their faith in the goddess herself. It must be eradicated!"
Several neutral elders frowned deeply and whispered among themselves with concern.
"Enough!"
A cold voice suddenly interrupted the debate.
Elder Christer stepped forward, his gaze sharp and fixed on Bayev like a predator.
"Bayev, relying only on your subjective judgment, you want to deny a work recognized by countless people? And even use the temple's sacred authority to ban it? Aren't you afraid your actions will anger the goddess?"
"My intentions are purely for the goddess's faith! My conscience is completely clear!"
Bayev straightened his neck and retorted with feigned righteousness, his face full of supposed integrity.
"Whether your conscience is truly clear is something we all know."
Christer sneered with obvious sarcasm dripping from his words.
"What nonsense!" Bayev glared back, his chest heaving with indignation.
The heated debate over Liberty City continued without resolution.
Meanwhile, trouble arose at the Saint Orors Trading Company's headquarters.
"Child, as a woman, you simply can't manage such a large business properly."
An old elf spoke with false concern to Ophelia.
"Before, your uncle was useless, and your parents were gone, so you reluctantly handled the family business out of necessity."
"Now your brother Orig has returned home. Just hand it over into his capable hands. Your uncle has reformed completely. With his leadership, our family will prosper."
Ophelia clenched her fists tightly. Her manicured nails dug into her flesh until blood seeped out between her fingers.
--------
"Joseph, since you always work so well, you'll be promoted to the sales department."
"From now on, Batu will handle all liaison work with Mr. Alto."
"Orig, what do you mean by this?"
Joseph exploded in barely contained anger. The disguised demotion was painfully obvious to everyone present.
"Not just Orig, show some proper respect."
Batu, behind Orig, jumped out smugly and pointed directly at Joseph's face.
"Open your eyes and look clearly! The one before you is the new president of the Saint Oros Trading Company!"
"You..."
Joseph was trembling with genuine rage. He looked at Orig's cold, indifferent face, then at Batu's arrogant expression, and knew there was absolutely no point in arguing any further.
He suddenly turned around sharply. Bang! The door slammed loudly as he stormed out.
"Hmph, ungrateful fool." Batu curled his lip and muttered a curse under his breath.
Orig didn't care about the dramatic exit. He lightly tapped the polished tabletop with his fingers, his eyes gleaming with calculated ambition.
"Batu, now that Liberty City is caught in a public opinion storm, I think it's the perfect time to have a serious talk with Mr. Alto about revising the revenue split."
A new leader needed to make his mark quickly. He needed results to shut up those who doubted his capabilities.
He admitted Alto had real skill and talent. He was able to design multiple blockbuster works consecutively.
But the contract Ophelia had signed with Alto gave him far too many profits, which displeased Orig considerably.
Now that Liberty City had been targeted by temple elders and was stuck in a media whirlpool, Alto must be feeling anxious and desperate, right?
"Go negotiate with him. As long as he's willing to revise the contract terms favorably, the Saint Oros Trading Company will firmly stand on his side. We'll support him publicly and do our best to eliminate the negative outcry."
"President, leave it to me! Rest assured!"
Batu patted his chest confidently, eyes full of excitement. This was a great chance to claim credit in front of the new president.
In Alto's office, his communicator suddenly rang. It was Joseph calling.
Alto answered, about to joke casually, but immediately heard Joseph's urgent and furious voice on the other end.
"Slow down. What happened?"
"Master Alto, Miss Ophelia has been replaced by her cousin Orig. The liaison work has also been handed to his people. I'm afraid I won't be able to help you anymore."
Alto froze in shock. How did they suddenly change leadership like that?
"Where is Ophelia?"
"I can't reach her either. Something serious must have happened inside the family!"
Joseph was clearly stunned by the sudden upheaval as well.
Now that he'd been "promoted" away from his actual post, it was obvious the new president wanted to systematically purge Ophelia's inner circle within the Company.
"Tell me everything you know. Don't leave anything out!"
Alto held the communicator tightly, his expression darkening with concern.
He never expected such a drastic change to hit the Saint Oros Trading Company so suddenly.
Ophelia was temporarily unreachable, and his trusted liaison had been replaced by a complete stranger.
And now Liberty City was already the main topic of public discussion. This so-called new president likely wasn't coming with good intentions at all.
Ah, before I forget to mention it, I only just now got to read all the comments about moving on from GTA. No worries, although the next arc is about just one game as well, and it is a rather long arc, I'm sure you'll enjoy it more, since it's gonna be a competition between players. Plus, if you have any general suggestions, feel free to tell me. As it stands now, I will molst likely be able to implement any suggestions in the following months, if things dont change.