3 GTA clones that deserve more credit and 2 that don't

Rockstar Games' success with the GTA franchise has spawned multiple imitators in the gaming world, giving rise to a brand new sub-genre of games titled "GTA clones."

GTA clones have been known to copy the DNA of GTA games with a large open world, a linear storyline and a protagonist that is controlled via a third-person perspective. While many games in the GTA clone category have been blatant cash-grabs, a few titles have received unfairly harsh criticism due to surface-level similarities.

Here's a look at three GTA clones that deserve more credit than they got and two titles that are not up to the mark.

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3 GTA clones that deserve more love and 2 that don't

The good GTA clones

1. Sleeping Dogs

Released in 2012, Sleeping Dogs was a project built from the ashes of the True Crime franchise.

The True Crime series started its journey as a blatant GTA clone, a bad image that unfortunately rubbed off on the brilliant game that is Sleeping Dogs.

Complete with a gritty story, in-depth combat mechanics and a fluid parkour system, Sleeping Dogs had enough to differentiate itself from GTA but somehow never reached the popularity it deserved.

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2. Just Cause 2

Square Enix's 2010 hit Just Cause 2 built upon the open-world sandbox genre and completely overhauled traversal in video games forever.

The high octane action pieces, paired with the grapple hook mechanic, set Just Cause 2 apart from GTA in many ways. While Just Cause 2's story left a lot to be desired, it made up for it in terms of scale, destructibility and intentionally funny voice acting.

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3. Saints Row: The Third

Taking a big departure from the GTA Clone formula, Saints Row: The Third adopts more stylized and cartoonish visuals that is paired with zany characters, over-the-top action and vehicle design.

Saints Row: The Third has a fast-paced story about the protagonist's quest for revenge. With VTOLs, hover bikes and a story that isn't grounded in reality, the game does just enough to distinguish itself from GTA.

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The not-so-good GTA clones

1. APB Reloaded

APB Reloaded had the makings of everything great. A vision for what was essentially GTA Online but conceptualized in the mid 2000s, APB Reloaded had the potential to leapfrog the competition and outshine GTA in every regard.

What ended up happening, though, was a switching of hands when development rights were sold. The game became a microtransaction-riddled mess that failed to meet expectations.

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2. 25 To Life

25 To Life was released a year after GTA San Andreas and had big boots to fill.

Tasked with living up to Rockstar's legacy, 25 To Life was an ambitious project that had many interesting ideas but poor execution. Unimpressive graphics, clunky controls and poor writing let the game down in more ways than one.

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