Hell, even "open world systems for toddlers" is giving it too much credit, especially when a game like Watch Dogs Legion does a better job at it. Never mind the fact that a PS2 era GTA did a better job as well
The same poorly implemented systems exist in The Witcher 3, but weren't nearly as noticeable or immersion breaking as in a dense, urban setting lol.
Metascores are more meaningful when comparing games not released in the same year. Not the case here, so let's have a look at the GOTY tally, shall we: