My problem with Rockstar is that anytime they come up with a great idea for symbolism/satire, they oversimplify it.
In GTA 4, Niko Belic comes to Liberty City in search of the American dream. Of course, all he finds is drugs, death, and the occasional cheap thrill. The message, of course, that we as a country don't know the American dream anymore - And frankly, that message would've had a stronger impact if Rockstar had done it in a more subtle manner, and let people figure it out for themselves. Unfortunately, after a certain point in the game you can't go anywhere without Niko having a tantrum to whoever will listen about how the American dream is bullshit - As though Rockstar assumed their audience would be too stupid to figure it out on their own.
In Red Dead Redemption, in one mission you're driven to a mission objective by automobile. Now, at this point you've spent the entire game on horseback, and comparison wise, riding in the dull machinery feels slow, boring, and lacks any sort of majestic feel, and it occurs to you that within the game, this is soon to become the norm. It's a heavy idea - At least until protagonist John Marston starts complaining about how he'l take a horse any day, and how the automobile is a piece of crap. And then the message simply stops having meaning - And as though Rockstar was afraid that the audience didn't get the idea, at one point in the mission it breaks down.
It's getting to the point where I feel insulted playing their games.
