Grand Theft Auto V Review

Grand Theft Auto V is probably the highest budgeted, most publicized game of all time. It is an open-world game in which you play as three different career criminals in a satirical rendition of California. Mechanically it is a third person shooting and driving game available on the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360, but that doesn’t really do justice to the huge sandbox of potential mayhem wrapped around a character-driven storyline of crime and drama which makes up GTA V.

Let’s see what can be done with a truly mind-blowing budget as we move onto what’s hot and what’s not about Grand Theft Auto V.

Hot

Story
This fifth installment in the series surpasses it’s forbears in terms of story, providing a gripping narrative which stands as one of the best any video game has ever told. Not only is the tale engaging and well told, but you also uniquely see it unfolding from three different viewpoints. Side stories and interactions between the three protagonists add further interest and complexity, without ever becoming confusing.

I’d argue that, while the scripted storyline is superb, it’s your own personal story which emerges from the gameplay that really shines. From choosing to recover and return a stolen bike through to more surreal experiences like surfing a security van around much of the map, no-one’s time with the game will be quite the same.

Tighter Gameplay
Past games in the series have never had poor gameplay, but pretty much every minor flaw you could find has been remedied here. The slightly floaty gunplay and cover systems of GTA IV are largely fixed and the poor checkpoint system of past games has seen a joyous overhaul – no more travelling great distances only to die and have to do it all over again.

Driving and flying feel better than any of the previous games too with off-roading being particularly satisfying, possibly more so when using a vehicle not designed for it – there’s a special joy in drifting round a mountain hairpin driving a limousine. Taking to the water has never felt better either with jet-skiing down white water rapids and trawling the depths in a submarine just a couple of the adventures you might have.

Mission Design
Most open world games of this type only have a few missions which really stand out, but GTA V is full of them. It isn’t just the big heist missions, which are focal points of the story, which scream quality either – every character has several missions of their very own which you definitely won’t forget. Obviously I can’t be too specific with examples of great mission design due to potential spoilers, but the sheer variety and insanity of the spectacles that the game presents you are sure to remember for a long time to come.

It’s a Wonderful World
The game world of GTA V is among the best of its kind, both in scale and fidelity. From the spectacular vistas you see from the tops of mountains down to the random events like a man getting thrown out of his house by an angry spouse, GTA V never fails to impress. San Andreas (the game’s general location) offers a dizzying array of landscapes, from bleak mountains to arid desert and verdant valleys and swamps to the urban sprawl of Los Santos. Even the ocean is an interesting place to explore with myriad wrecks and ravines to navigate, sharks to avoid or hunt and jet-ski races to take part in.