Davrel said:
I'd vote no.
London just isn't the right place for something like GTA - its too drab and low-rise and unless rendered into something completely unrecognisable would feel too much like home for, I would imagine, a lot of English/British people to provide a real sense of adventure (it certainly would for me). The settings for GTA need a bizarre, slightly crazy edge; San Andreas (San Fierro, Los Santos, Las Venturas), Vice City and Liberty City are all great locations because they have a touch of the mental about them:
Vice City was the 80's condensed into a game.
San Andreas, each of the cities has a unique feel and each comes with its own slightly crazy aspects - not to mention the amazing wilderness parts in between.
Liberty City, no other city on the planet has the feel atmosphere of New York from its awesome skyline to the mafia and gang-ridden 'burbs.
London just lacks that element of craziness. It worked with GTA:London because it was a top down game, but with something as immersive as GTA5 will hopefully be, London just seems a somewhat lacklustre setting not to mention that its already been done in The Getaway.
I'd like to see the next GTA set in the fabled-but-yet-to-be-seen(afaik) "Carcer City" or perhaps somewhere simillar to San Andreas, at least in terms of the scale and variation of locations.
In short: I don't want to play a Guy Ritchie movie.
Lets see;
1. Less than a 3rd of Liberty City is anymore high rise than London.
2. London has modern glass fronted buildings yards from castles (and yes that is meant to be a plural), and one of the widest range of archetectural styles anywhere.
3. At least 2 of the aformentioned castles still have military guards.
4. Wide open Parks, farms, airports, prisons and military bases all within the city.
5. Simialry to NY (the basis for liberty city) has one of the most ethnically diverse populations in the world, an iconic taxi, a well none underground mass transit system, Iconic busses.
6. Once you get past about 15 Stories (which london has pleanty of) mostly what high rise buildings offer to a game is something to make helicopter chases more interesting.
In otherwords apart from taller buildings, and a more regimented street system, New York is suprisingly similar to London. Most of what makes NY a great place to base game city on, (diversity of people, buildings and areas, iconic landmarks, a slight crazy edge) are all present in London.