Have you ever heard of the fruit that fell too far from the tree? If you haven’t, then let us introduce you to Gangstar New Orleans, a successor game to Gangstar Vegas that’s so bad it will make you forget your hate for Warcraft III Reforged.
Gangstar New Orleans is the successor of the game Gangstar Vegas. Unfortunately, it is an entirely different game that frustrated the fans of the original game. It threw away everything that made the original fun. Perhaps, things would have been better if the game was called a spin-off instead of a successor.
Gangstar Vegas vs New Orleans Graphics
Unfortunately, the graphics of Gangstar New Orleans can not be even called an upgrade. It changed a lot of the original graphic style but not necessarily for the better. For instance:
• GNO has a different walking animation. The character looks like a man jogging around with a 75 ton gun on his right arm. He’ll make you worry that he’s about to pass out of exhaustion anytime soon.
• GNO has better animations. Although your main character looks like a clunky model rigged by an intern, everything else animates relatively smoothly. As a bonus, the game now has shadows.
• GNO and GV have an entirely different art style – they use two entirely different palettes. GNO has a more vibrant palette that makes it more cartoony but less consistent.
• GNO seems to have a shorter full render distance. Compared to GV, the buildings seem to pixelate earlier when you are moving away.
• GV has better textures. The character textures are obviously meant for mobile, but it works well with everything else. On the other hand, GNO’s textures are trying hard to be console quality but the low poly models counter the purpose. HD models with square hands? Sure, that seems console quality.
If you love shadows and great animations, GNO is great for you. However, prepare to pretend blind as you try to ignore the inconsistencies without breaking your immersion.
GNO Has a Shallow Story
Unlike in other Gangstar games, you won’t be playing as Jason in Gangstar New Orleans. Throw in the fact that E-man is still alive and kicking and you’ll most likely uninstall the game immediately. It’s as if Gameloft is trying to emulate GTA V’s Trevor, albeit a Trevor that is annoying but has no depth.
The bright side is you can modify your character the way you want, but it makes no sense if your character lacks the depth needed to produce a great story.
GNO is Online Only
You can play Gangstar Vegas even without an internet connection, though you can’t participate in events. On the contrary, you can only play Gangstar Vegas when you are connected to the internet. Perhaps, this is to avoid cheats and to let you participate in Turf Wars, but it kinda sucks when you are in a place without internet and you are dying to play.
Gansgstar Vegas Has a Military Base
If you want to emulate invading Area 51, GV is your game. It has a military base that is arguably an Area 51 parody. Nevertheless, it’s a fine addition that GNO lacks. Go ahead and steal the latest military-grade weapons and vehicles!
In a nutshell, Gangstar Vegas is objectively better than Gangstar New Orleans. However, GNO has some unique features that you may want to try out. For instance, you may want to check out the turf wars feature, then proceed to uninstall the game and move back to Gangstar Vegas.
