Developer Rockstar Games is back yet again with another installment of its epic series in Grand Theft Auto V. Many things that the player has learned to love, and hate, about these games are back. One thing could be said about Rockstar games is that they know when to keep things as they are, and they also realize when things need improving.
First off, the massive expansive land of San Andreas is back with a few touch ups and improvements. Spanning from sea to shining sea, San Andreas offers the player hours of exploring and even more time with side missions and events. Anything from land, sea and air races, to various sports such as golfing and yoga, to visiting a local strip club, to owning and managing your own restaurant; whatever it is you feel like doing, you will most likely be satisfied in the delivery. You may even, and very well often, feel bewildered by the immense amount of activities to try out. (You may even find yourself stopping back at an old house from Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas).
Skydiving in GTAV is truly inspiring
The addition of having three characters to play as is new to this series, and is possibly the largest leap from the last game. At first glance, it would seem as though the three characters are simply recycled characters from past games, (and strong arguments could be made for that case), but after a few hours of game play, you may find yourself actually changing how you play depending on which character you are currently controlling. The main difference between characters, (besides Trevor’s personality defects), is their abilities; an aspect of the game that Rockstar Games seemingly pulled straight out of their Red Dead Redemption series. Michael has the ability to slow down his aim to have a more precise shot; Franklin’s ability comes into use when he is driving, to allow for a more controlled handle of the car in a slow motion reaction time; and Trevor’s ability allows him to take an increased amount of pain, and in return, cause more pain to his victims. When playing as Franklin, you may want to drive fast cars, go skydiving, and even search for treasure, and when playing as Trevor, you may find yourself pouring gasoline on the nearest car and seeing how long you can survive with a bounty on your head.
From left to right, (Trevor, Franklin, and Micheal)
Driving seems to be much improved since the last game in this series as well. Cars don’t slip and slide across the road with a slight nudge of the wheel. Franklin’s ability comes in handy more than you’d think as his slowed down reaction time and steadily handling will all but guarantee a safe travel. Not to mention the possibility to flip the car back over when it is upside down which was not offered in the others GTA games. This doesn’t simply stop with land vehicles; the mechanics for helicopters and some of the planes as well, fly almost by themselves, (So long as the character chosen has a high flying stat).
Now onto the some minor gripes that did appear throughout the play through. Glitches were few and far between, and there was nothing entirely horrible that need mention mechanic wise. There are a few frame drops here and there which is an obvious, and expected problem with a game this massive; not to worry though, because they will correct themselves almost immediately. If you are one of those people that severely abhors the use of drugs, sexuality, and violence in video games, simply do not pick this one up. It goes way beyond its previous reaches, and may even go too far in some moments. There is one mission involving Trevor where the use of torture is forced, giving the play no option but to participate. It went so far that I even thought about placing the controller down and immediately selling the game. That being said, simply try to prepare yourself if you want to continue with the story.
Trevor’s torture mission…
That isn’t to say that the story goes without spectacle. The story here is actually one of the things that will keep you coming back for more. It is enthralling in the pickup, straight through the end titles, and will keep you coming back for more, even after the main story is complete. The characters, for the most part, serve their purpose in giving the player outlets to this newly formed world. They all three are likable in some ways, and disgusting in others. That’s just one thing that Rockstar Games thrives at, along with creating comical, yet undeniably insane and intense missions, one after the other.
Grand Theft Auto Online on the other hands has simply underwhelmed me in the greatest way. Straight off the bat with the first mission, my game froze on me three times in a row, essentially forcing me to place the controller down and come back another day. Even after making it past the first mission, trying to find a match with other players could be so frustrating that you may never want to come back to GTA online again. This seems to be a problem with the massive amounts of players trying to access the servers all at once, a thing common with most online multiplayer, but one not welcomed lightly on my console. For this player, exploring the single player world a bit more might be the only option until the online mode has been severely updated.
Overall, Grand Theft Auto V has striven for a more enjoyable game than we’ve ever been introduced to before. In almost all of its aspects, it becomes better and better by giving the player more options. If it weren’t for the online problems, I would say that this game might even be close to perfect. If you are looking for a massive single player game with 35+ hours of fun, then this is a great game to pick up. If you are anticipating the online mode, you might want to wait for the hype to simmer a bit.
Joseph Monfoletto
Updownright 