Title: Grand Theft Auto V
Platform(s): Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
Release: September 17, 2013
ESRB: M
There's something about the
Grand Theft Auto series' over-the-top violence, freedom, and Fatty
Arbuckle-esque assault of hookers that seems to attract gamers, the
press, and politicians alike. With Grand Theft Auto V, Rockstar
North has created its most ambitious title to date, which is sure to
give each aforementioned party plenty to talk about. The fictional
state of San Andreas is a sprawling landscape with seemingly
limitless activities and possibilities for the player to explore and
exploit. With a completely revamped gameplay and approach to open
world games, Grand Theft Auto V is a game sure to be talked about for
many years to come.
For the first time in the
series history players are given the ability to control three main
characters with individual stories and backgrounds. Michael Townley,
a former bank-robber who has retired to a big house in Rockford
Hills, GTA's take on Beverly Hills, with his dysfunctional family,
seems content to just sit back, enjoy old movies, and drink
in-between therapist sessions and outbursts of violent rage. It is
these outbursts of violence that bring Michael out of retirement and
bring Franklin Clinton, a street savvy hustler born from gang-related
violence in the underbelly of Los Santos, into his life. Michael and
Franklin's exploits soon draw the attention of Trevor Philips,
Michael's former crime partner and drug-addled psychopath, who is now
living in the desert of Blaine County outside of Los Santos. Trevor
is also prone to violent outbursts and to kill indiscriminately, even
by GTA standards. After a bittersweet reunion of Michael and Trevor,
the three become a dysfunctional team hellbent on doing whatever it
takes in pursuit of “the almighty American dollar.”
The inclusion of three
playable characters adds a level of diversity to the gameplay. Each
player has a set of skills to increase like driving, shooting,
strength, etc. as well as a special ability exclusive to each
character. Michael is able to slow down time during gun battles, à
la Max Payne, to perform more precise shots. Franklin has a
similar ability for driving which allows him to slow down time to
perform more precise turns and fit in-between other vehicles as
things get tense on the road. Trevor has an ability called “Rampage”
that allows him to take less damage from bullets and deal out more
destruction to surrounding enemies. All three abilities are fully
realized, not leaving one to be less useful than the others. And
integrating them into missions sometimes becomes vital for success,
especially when using all three characters together. Rockstar has
put a large emphasis on these character skills and upgrading them
creates a much smoother experience. Not upgrading skills such as
driving can create a sloppy getaway during a mission or even failure
in completing it. While constantly trying to upgrade skills in games
just to be able to pass through missions can seem tedious, Grand
Theft Auto V does a good job of organically upgrading skills
in-mission, but also leaves it up to the players to work on and
upgrade skills more in-depth on their own in the world.
The diversity of almost
every aspect of Grand Theft Auto V is staggering, from the different
terrain you can explore in the state of San Andreas, to the missions
that scour the world. There are 69 story missions, 58 side missions,
and 59 pass-times for players to partake in and more. Whether the
player is completing a seemingly impossible heist by the skin of
their teeth or helping San Andreas residents with everything from
taking pictures of celebrities to hunting for aliens, there is
something always going on in the world to keep players engaged. The
pacing of story missions is excellent, keeping players motivated to
unravel more of the story. There is always plenty of action to keep
players on the edge of their seats. Not every mission has players
blowing up cars and shooting through waves of enemies though. Many
missions have you on stake-outs for heists and getting gear for your
operation. While these missions aren't jaw-dropping and
action-packed, they give heists and more action-oriented missions a
sense of importance and personal weight. You can't just go in
everywhere in Grand Theft Auto V guns blazing and hope for it to work
out in the end like in other entries. Some missions require planning
and precise execution. It is this attention to detail and player
interaction that will keep players involved and interested in what
the rest of the game holds for them. And yes, at long last Grand
Theft Auto V has an in-mission checkpoint system making sure that you
won't have to sit through in-car conversations over and over that
were interesting the first time, but lost their charm the eighth time
because you couldn't get past a certain mission. I think I speak for
all GTA fans when I say, thank you Rockstar, and it's about damn
time.
Apart from the main and
side missions, Grand Theft Auto V has a plethora of activities for
players to partake in. Everything expected from a Grand Theft Auto
release is here, partaking in races, going to strip clubs, listening
to local radio, and committing mass murder are all accounted for.
And yet, that's just the beginning. Bored? Go see a movie. Unhappy
with your flying skills? Don't worry, you can go to flight school.
Depressed because you've spent all day on your couch playing Grand
Theft Auto V? You can participate in a triathlon. Out of weed in
real life? Smoke some in the game. There is also tennis, tattoo
parlors, yoga, darts, bars, TV to watch, mountains to climb, bounties
to hunt, collectibles to collect, base jumping, barbershops,
therapists to talk to, animals to hunt, and the list goes on.
Rockstar North has really put the “open” in “open world game”
and has created a living, breathing world where passer-by's have
conversations, police officers go after speeders, and people live
actual lives around you instead of walking around mindlessly in
circles on sidewalks. Everywhere from the city of Los Santos to the
deserts and mountains of Blaine County have their own individual feel
to them. This makes exploring them a charm. The world is so big and
full of activities that after thirty-three-and-a-half hours with the
game, I still feel like I haven't done or seen half of what it has to
offer. The price to pay for all this content are frequent texture
pop-ins and the occasional muddy environment. Though, these are
small annoyances rather than major complaints.
Grand Theft Auto V's
gameplay has seen major overhauls compared to previous entries in the
series. This is especially true in driving and shooting. Characters
no longer feel like slugs to move around when traversing on foot and
handle much like a standard third-person-shooter. Shooting has been
made sleeker. It now features a soft auto-aim that is easy to toggle
between your targets with the right analog stick making blasting your
way through the numerous enemies the game sends at you in-mission a
breeze. The auto-aim will also deactivate itself if after a few
seconds you do not fire at a target. This eliminates the frustrating
“stick” the auto aim of Grand Theft Auto IV had, which would not
always allow you to move your reticle around to aim at other targets
because it was stuck on an unintended target. Possibly the most
noticeable change to gameplay in Grand Theft Auto V is the driving.
Handling for all vehicles has been drastically improved and cars have
individual weights to them that feel right while driving around.
Cars don't feel glued to the street like they do in Saints Row, for
example, but it is easier to drive around at top speeds and not have
to worry about barely clipping a passing car and sending your car
sailing into the stratosphere. All guns and cars can be upgraded and
upgrades are very noticeable and helpful. For example, if you put
sports brakes on a car or a grip onto a gun to assist aiming, there
is a noticeable difference. And the upgrades, that can be very
pricey, do not feel like superfluous items thrown in last-second by
developers.
Grand Theft Auto V is
primed to be at the top of many, if not all, game of the year lists
this year. Rockstar North has created a living, breathing world
where players can do whatever they want. While it is not a flawless
game, the only noticeable flaws, like texture pop-ins, muddy
enviorments, or the occasional sticking to the wrong wall while
trying to take cover, are only mere annoyances rather than anything
that brings the quality and enjoyment down from the experience. And
yes, Grand Theft Auto V is an experience. It is something all gamers
should at least see, because with the dawn of next-gen upon us, Grand
Theft Auto V is our closest glimpse into what gaming will be like in
the next years to come. Like many of its GTA brethren before it,
Grand Theft Auto V will be the reference point for which most games,
not just open world, will be based on. It has taken the genre it
helped create and define and flipped it on its head and made it the
best it possibly could be.
Stay tuned to Parent's
Basement Gaming for our review of Grand Theft Auto V Online when it
drops October 1st.
5 out of 5
Blake Hester
Parentsbasementgaming@gmail.com
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