IMO almost every GTA has had derivative writing and set ups, but it's okay because of everything else taking the spotlight. 3 was just Claude doing random missions until one mission lets you get revenge on Catalina and then the game just ends. Vice City is a revenge plot sort of but it's just Tommy doing random jobs until Sonny's like "oh you fancy huh?". SA's story was just batshit crazy all over the place. 4 IMO had the actual good story and didn't seem derivative. Niko was a genuinely interesting character. V's story was just straight forward "criminals finding out who snitched", satisfying, but a bit scant. I just ask for a serviceable crime plot set in a vibrant and lived in world.