There is no game developer more revered today than Rockstar Games, and that's saying something, as the industry has seen plenty of developers soar to stardom over the past decade. Even so, no one can compete with the company that effectively created the open world genre as we know it today, and then continued to refine it to perfection over the ensuing quarter century.
7 Hardest Rockstar Games, Ranked
Many of Rockstar's games are easy to pick up and play, but not all of them are a walk in the park when it comes to overall challenge.
However, Rockstar doesn't have a perfect track record, with some critical flops and some weird detours from their Open World championships, especially in the 2000s. However, even the “bad games” are still pretty goodalthough they are completely out of left field compared to the developer's typical project. They may not meet Rockstar's almost unattainable quality standards today, but for their time they were still a ton of fun to play.
Balance the critics' averages
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Balance the critics' averages
Light (6) Medium (8) Hard (10)
Beaterator
Don't call it a mix deck
In a surreal collaboration between Rockstar Leeds and Timbaland, Beaterator is a PSP and iOS “game” that on the surface looks like your average DJ mixing software. To be fair, that's what inspired the idea, as it's all based on a free Rockstar release back in 2005 that used Adobe Flash to create a rudimentary music mixing tool. However, Beaterator has a lot more going on under the hood.
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Beaterator has three game modes, each for different purposes. There's Song Crafter, which is more suited to audio refinement and mastering for long-term projects, Studio Session, which is perfect for practicing live mixing, making mash-ups or recording mixes for online release, and Live Play, which is pretty self-explanatory. Is it a video game? Kind of. It uses video game methods to make its systems more accessible, and it's not as feature-rich as more professional mixing software, but it's also just fun to play with, and that's what video games are all about.
Rockstar Games presents Table Tennis
So much better than a table tennis game has any right to be
The announcement of Rockstar Games presents Table Tennis was met with confusion, shock and a bit of curiosity. No one had even attempted to make a robust table tennis game before, so for the industry's top developers to take the lead on a project like this was completely unexpected. Here's how Rockstar followed up San Andreas? While it is no GTAthis table tennis simulator is shockingly deep, loaded with features, and for the time had some pretty amazing graphics.
On the surface, it's a relatively simple game. Players can aim their serve and choose the strength of their stroke. Then, when the ball comes back, they have a variety of options to return it, from putting spin on the shot to hitting a smash, doing whatever it takes to make their opponent miss. The more you play, the deeper the game gets. Each stroke can be varied in terms of power, direction and spin. Playing against in-game AI is fun on its own, but facing off against another player, either in person or online, is up there Rockstar Games presents Table Tennis really shines.
Warriors
Come out to play
Warriors
- Released
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October 17, 2005
- ESRB
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M // Blood, intense violence, sexual themes, strong language, use of drugs and alcohol
Warriors is another game that shocked many when Rockstar attached their name to it. This game serves as a companion and pseudo-prequel to the classic 1979 cult film of the same name. About like Table tennis, The Warriors hot on the heels of the smash hit Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, which many expected would catapult Rockstar into gaming superstardom. Then they follow it up with this? Well, sometimes you have to trust the process, and in this case, Warriors is one of the great beat-em-ups of the 21st century.
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There are nine playable characters in the Warriors, although you can only choose one at a time, while the rest are AI controlled. Most missions involve moving onto a rival gang's turf, beating them, and then tagging the turf to either claim it for The Warriors or to insult the previous occupants. However, a handful of missions are flashbacks detailing how each character joined The Warriors, which do a lot to elevate the film as well, enriching an already fantastic story with further character development.
Red Dead Revolver
The first steps to greatness
Released just six months before San Andreas, Red Dead Revolver is the first entry in what is now an iconic Western video game series. It's not exactly easy going back to today, especially if you've played any of Rockstar's open worlds Red Dead game, but for a first try it's pretty good. It even provides justification for why this series is called “Red Dead”: the main character of Red Dead Revolver is a bounty hunter named Red, and a gang of outlaws want him dead. Mystery solved.
Unlike the later entries in the series, Red Dead Revolver is a linear third-person shooter. Each mission involves tracking down a reward, which represents the boss battle at the end of the mission. Killing the boss gives you money, which you can then spend on new weapons and throwables before starting the next mission. While the entire game may not be open world, the hub area of Brimstone can be freely explored, with NPCs to chat with and shops to visit. There are actually several playable characters, although they are not available for every mission. This was also the first appearance of the “Dead Eye” mechanic, but it's definitely less refined than what Rockstar implemented later Red Dead game.
Manhunt 2
Controversy meets criticism
Manhunt 2
- Released
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October 29, 2007
- ESRB
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M for Adults 17+ due to blood and gore, intense violence, strong language, strong sexual content, drug use
- Developer
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Rockstar London
Generally considered to be the weaker game in the duology, Manhunt 2 is the follow-up to the massively controversial stealth action game Manhunt. It's a stealth-first game, meaning combat usually involves one or two quick attacks rather than taking on a bunch of enemies at once. Unlike the first game, you also have access to a wider range of weapons, including firearms and environmental hazards, including everything from well covers to toilets.
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Since Manhunt game takes place in the middle of a twisted reality show, you are rewarded for killing enemies in the most brutal ways possible (this is where much of the controversy surrounding these games comes from). To that end, you're given three levels of stealth execution, with the lowest being fast and quiet but largely unspectacular, while the highest level (called “Gruesome”) is exceptionally violent, but also loud and slow, threatening your stealth. While the shock value is somewhat muted due to it being a sequel, and the story not being as tight as the first game, Manhunt 2 is still a really fun stealth game that will satisfy anyone's desire for a particularly brutal battle.
Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition
The low point of an underrated racing franchise
During the all-out dogfight that was the 2000s racing game scene, Midnight club series are largely overlooked compared to titans like Gran Turismo, Need for Speed, and Burnout. Rockstar's franchise was much more of an arcade racer than a racing sim Gran Turismo, but it still has detailed licensed cars and a huge soundtrack with almost 100 licensed songs from a variety of genres.
Midnight Club 3 wasn't the last entry in the franchise – that title belongs Midnight Club Los Angeles, which was actually well received by critics and fans alike. However, Midnight Club 3 was easily the most mixed Midnight club game, mostly because of its PSP port. While it could be considered a low point for the franchise, it's still a top tier arcade racer. It features three open-world cities to explore – Atlanta, Detroit and San Diego – five race types to compete in and nearly 70 cars to drive, customize and tune to perfection. The REMIX edition pumps up all those numbers, increasing the number of cars to 94 and the number of licensed songs to 124.
9 Best Open Worlds in Rockstar Games, Ranked
If there's one thing Rockstar Games is known for, it's creating vivid, detailed and deeply immersive open worlds. These are some of their best.
