I know exactly what you mean OP. After playing games like Vanquish, bayonetta, ninja gaiden etc. I don't find GTA games fun at all. It's so mind-numbingly simple and boring. Like you said, the game-mechanics (the part that makes a game fun to play) is elementary at best and the difference between a novice GTA player and a professional GTA player (if a thing even exists) is hard to catch. GTA was fun for the first couple of games, ONLY because it was a new concept for me.

I think people are oblivious to the fact that GTA story is satirical and gameplay is all about having unrestricted fun like no other game can give you. I'd rather play GTA than any FPS or JRPG with confused characters with linear and cliche storyline.

I generally find the missions to be boring but I love jumping from helicopters in free roam online

I dont like it either... Driver was a better Gta

Nope.

I've been playing some GTA4 with my girlfriend, it is very dull.

The missions are all the same, the police are not a threat at all, all the cars handle pretty much identically and the graphics are terrible (don't give me any polygon count crap, I don't care, it's designed to look alright when driving at top speed, and it does. But the shortcuts they took mean it looks abysmal when you're walking/stationary.

GTA has to be the best example of a franchise not making the transition to 3D, even above sonic. All the fun of 1 and 2 were ripped out of the later games.

I can't stand GTA. So boring. Just a crappy B grade movie plot with terrible stiff gameplay.

I generally just dislike open world games. Elder Scrolls isn't too bad, but GTA, Red Dead Redemption, and just every Rockstar game have been very underwhelming.

No, you're not. I mean after San Andreas I really didn't care anymore. I loved the ability to do just whatever you wanted. Shoot a granny in the leg, steal a woman's purse, hijack a car. It WAS fun back then. Now, I feel that its just more of the same. A guy, with a gun, flametorch, grenade, in a city. I'm just done with it.

I liked Vice City and San Andreas, they were great fun.
GTA IV on the other hand was definitely not my cup of tea.