In something of a major surprise to not only us, but possibly the whole GTA Online community, the newest Adversary Mode which was recently added, Power Play, is actually extremely well received and quite popular — something like this hasn't happened to an Adversary Mode since Slasher.
Rockstar got pretty hot on the Adversary Modes in the past half year or so, often releasing them as stand alones and pretty much always pairing one with a major DLC release. Some players were getting a bit fed up (Which is baffling. Not only is it free content, it's optional — what the hell are you angry about?!) with the endless stream of Modes.
However, the real issue with the Adversary Modes came from the players mostly — barely anyone played them. Now, anyone who has actually tried out the Modes will know that they're well put together and the balance issues are instantly solved by full lobbies — i.e. the only real issue with them would go away if people started playing them.
Granted, a few of them were better received — Sumo and Drop Zone, for example — however even these faded after a while. Ones like Siege Mentality and Slasher are rare, which have become true classics and staples of GTA Online gameplay.
It seems that the otherwise still short list of "true classics" has been expanded with Power Play, the newest Mode added to Online along with the Grotti X80 Proto last week. Power Play is basically a regular team deathmatch with a few wacky power-ups thrown in which completely mix up gameplay when triggered.
The community has really caught on with it — GTA Online related Subreddits and forums have people praising the Mode and expressing their surprise at seeing a popular Adversary Mode. Many fan videos are being made, some of which have even been featured on the Rockstar Newswire recently.
Could this be the first step towards increasing the average player base of the Adversary Mode? Thing is, Power Play seems like better video fodder than the other modes (Slasher and Sumo notwithstanding) which has boosted the population.
This, in turn, has made those players who aren't interesting in making videos more attracted to Power Play simply because it actually has full lobbies. If Rockstar tries to focus Adversary Modes on appealing to the fan video crowd, they might make them overwhelmingly popular yet.
Thinking about it, this would not be a bad move — many non-video creators might be bothered if that one niche is "pandered to". However, considering the issue at hand is low popularity, there aren't many people that can get upset in the first place.
Making Modes that appeal to YouTubers will organically boost popularity, which will then snowball down the line allowing Rockstar to go back to non-video centric Modes but keep the popularity.
Adversary Modes have always been a cool way for the devs at Rockstar to ditch the restraints of being grounded in reality with proper GTA Online gameplay. With the Modes, they are allowed to go crazy and implement new and creative ideas which adapt existing game mechanics in new ways.
Many of the most popular Adversary Modes entail themes that wouldn't be present in straight-faced GTA missions — Power Play, Slasher, Sumo, Drop Zone — all the fan favorites we've already named are farther removed from reality than the content of the main game.
Power Play's release is celebrated with a week long double RP and GTA $ promo which is still on, so make sure to capitalize on it! If you're still playing on last gen and can't access Power Play, there is always that mighty fine Steam sale going on.
How are you enjoying the new GTA Online Adversary Mode?
