Grand Theft Auto V

After an hour of installation, a frantic disk change, and then a few long minutes of loading, Grand Theft Auto V booted itself up and threw me into a world I wasn’t entirely prepared for. From the sheer scale of the map, missions, side missions, random events, and things to do, I was immediately overwhelmed. I remember thinking to myself, “where do I start?” and luckily, Rockstar knows just how to get you going on their adventure. The game follows the story of three characters: Franklin Clinton, a small-time repo man; Michael Townley, a retired and presumed-dead criminal; and Trevor Phillips, a hilarious psychopath. Although each character has their own branch of side missions, storylines, and character events, the narrative of GTA V really barrels down on the complex and often fragile relationships between the three main protagonists. Each personality is unique and conflicting, which creates an awesome imbalance among them as the plots thicken and unfold.

Story aside, you’ll immediately notice a significant difference between GTA V and GTA IV simply by looking around. The dark gloom of Liberty City in GTA IV is erased with a bright and vibrant look in GTA V. Not only is the overall feel different, but the player isn’t stuck in a city. I didn’t realize the true scale and beauty of the map until I switched to Trevor and found myself in a desert wilderness amidst the mountains, and then literally explored the ocean floor all around the map. It’s moments like those that really bring awe to the game. Speaking of switching, a large mechanic of the game focuses on the ability to switch between characters at virtually any time. I’ll admit I was hesitant when Rockstar introduced the concept, but seeing it interplay in missions and general free-roam really makes the entire experience more fulfilling. During missions, it really creates that feeling of cooperative gameplay even though it’s still a single-player experience. It’s also simply interesting to switch to Michael and find him arguing with his wife, and then switch to Trevor as he’s throwing a man off a bridge or waking up in a dress on a mountaintop.

The mechanics across the board have seen real attention. Shooting has been drastically improved since GTA IV. It matches the style and feel of Max Payne 3 and really makes combat more fluid and comfortable. They even added a very generous aim-assist feature that allows players whose shooting skills haven’t been honed just yet a fighting chance. Character abilities are a relatively new feature to the series. Franklin has a special ability where his driving is excelled to perfection and time slows to his advantage. Michael has the Max Payne ability of slowing down time in a firefight, while Trevor has the unsurprising ability of engulfing himself in a bloodlust and adding some extra damage to his weaponry. Skills are not a new feature, but they are an excellent addition. Each character has strengths and weaknesses in their skills: Michael is good at stealth, Franklin is good at driving, and Trevor is good at shooting. Each skill can be enhanced with consistent use, such as getting in fights to increase strength, running a lot to increase stamina, shooting things for more precise shooting, and driving for better driving. They really help in creating a sense of accomplishment when you’ve built up a character to their maximum potential. Driving has been greatly improved since GTA IV as well. It will take a few minutes to get used to, but the whole dynamic of driving has been greatly tuned to fix player complaints from GTA IV. Vehicles are loose and a bit floaty, but with a little practice, they can make the tightest of turns and can be handled with almost perfect precision. Flying is a bit iffy. Planes can be considered challenging, but they are, more or less, a fun challenge to fly; they’re not too difficult, but they can be disorienting at times. As for helicopters, they can be a bit of a pain to fly. Even after forty-plus hours of game time on my end, I still have yet to handle the helicopter well. It’s a shame too, since the helicopters were one of the best attributes in GTA IV.

One of the most notable attributes of the story and the game mechanics are the in-game heists. Despite them being relatively linear, they offer a lot of variation and choice in how each heist will go down. From building a crew, setting up a getaway vehicle, and acquiring uniforms or equipment, to finally releasing the built-up tension on the heist itself, it is just mind-blowingly rewarding. The game may have done well even without them, but to be fair, they are and were the most notable moments in it. Rockstar really went all out on adding things that weren’t necessarily needed but were welcomed anyway. The inclusion of Strangers and Freaks missions, and the fact that I could ride a roller coaster, watch a movie, golf, hunt, or street race, were really awesome touches. They really helped widen the replayability of the game and made it so that there is always something, somewhere, to do.

One of my most favorite needless additions to the game was the in-depth internet on the phones of each character. The fact that the world reacted to in-game actions took me back a bit when I first noticed it. Celebrities I interacted with would post on the GTA version of Twitter about it. The news would cover jobs, heists, and missions where havoc was caused. Best of all, the stock markets changed solely from a player’s interaction in the game itself. If the player were to blow up a lot of cars and injure many people, insurance-agency stock would go up. It’s simply little things like the stocks that really bring out the true color of this game.

My only complaints for the game were within the narrative itself. There were two instances where I was taken aback by how unnecessary and strange the event felt in the stream of plot points. One of these was the controversial torture scene. To be honest, it felt out of place and a bit unnecessary. It didn’t bring anything to light for any character, and it really didn’t push the plot forward too much. It was simply there. My other narrative grief was with the ending. Franklin is faced with a conundrum of working against either Michael or Trevor. He is given the options of killing either one, or ignoring the requests and donning a death wish for all three of them. The choice here is probably an obvious one, though. After countless hours of seeing these characters grow together (even in spite of their potential insanity or questionable morality), a loyalty and emotional attachment is built to them. It just seemed strange that Franklin would betray either one of them after all they’ve been through. I suppose if someone really didn’t like one of the characters, they could take him out, but it seems unlikely in the general scheme of the plot.

Grand Theft Auto V has received critical praise all across the board. It’s rare to find someone who wasn’t happy with the product handed to them. In all honesty, the game I received was probably worth more than sixty dollars. The amount of interactivity, replayability, and gameplay that GTA V has is unfathomable, and the best part is, we’ve barely even scratched the surface of it. Soon Rockstar will launch GTA V Online and release us once again into a new but familiar world as fully customizable characters. Grand Theft Auto V had some of the best gameplay, mechanics, and narratives I’ve seen in a game to date. It revolutionized the franchise and stands as the poster child for the end of the console’s lifetime. The game may have a few flaws, and it certainly isn’t perfect, but it’s a great game and undoubtedly deserves the praise it’s been given.