Also available on: PS3, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Released 17/9/2013 PS3, Xbox 360, 18/11/2014 PS4, Xbox One, 27/1/2015 PC
9/10
Grand Theft Auto V is the latest installment in the incredibly popular franchise. In this edition we visit a newly reimagined San Andreas, beautifully rendered and incredibly detailed. We explore the fictional American state with three characters, Franklin, Michael, and Trevor, each with their own skills and own personalities.
You are thrown straight into the action with Michael and Trevor on a big heist that sets the scene for the rest of the game. It’s a nice change of pace from the usual opening missions which usually involve learning to walk and drive. Although once the initial excitement dies down, the game reverts back to a more manageable pace warming new players into the various aspects of the game, of which there are many. You get a bit of driving practice in a tow truck, you can walk the dog and get into a few scrapes on foot, and fit in a bit of target practice to hone your weapon skills.
Several features are back such as the sat nav, and the capability to improve your stats in a number of skills and abilities, and the multiple ways to customise your characters. You can also customise vehicles and weapons. New to GTA is the first person mode, which allows you to see through your character’s eyes rather than from a view behind them.
The new feature of having three playable characters means you can usually switch between them at any time. They all have different things to do in order to progress through the story. It brings back happy memories of ‘Day of the Tentacle’.
The characters seem to be throwbacks to earlier playable people from earlier games. Franklin is a ghetto gangster who reminds us of CJ from ‘San Andreas’, Michael is reminiscent of an older retired Tommy Vercetti from ‘Vice City’, while Trevor takes the role of amoral psychopath Claude Speed from ‘GTAIII’. They’re all different and original in their own ways, but there are definitely some parallels to be drawn.
Each comes with their own unique respawning vehicle and individual special abilities.
One of the biggest draws to the game is the huge variety of things you can do within the world. There are several vehicles to master (including a blimp!) and numerous mini-games to distract you when you want to get away from the main story for a bit. These range from dog walking and tennis to seeing if you can get away with fondling strippers while club bouncers aren’t watching (if you’re into that sort of thing). For realism you can also sit about watching tv, listening to the radio, or browsing the web including sites like Lifeinvader – a spoof of social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. The detail put into the games really becomes clear when you explore these things. Hidden gems such as ‘Princess Robot Bubblegum’ a manga/hentai spoof can easily be overlooked if you just focus on the main game.
You have access to the web at any time with each character’s smart phones, which can also be used for quick saves (no more getting to a safehouse), and taking photos. I’ve never taken a selfie in real life, but I can’t get enough of them in this game somehow.
Of course the main thrust of the game isn’t lounging and socialising, it’s crime. Burglaries, assassinations, and of course grand theft auto are what you’ll spend most of the time doing. You can plan heists choosing how to approach them and by deciding to hire an expert at the cost of a bigger cut, or gambling on a rookie.
In the rest of the game, just like in the heists, some of your choices will affect how things in the game play out.
Other familiar game points for GTA veterans will be the chance to buy properties and business that may need maintenance and the rampage missions available for crazy Trevor.
GTA V is a great addition to the series. It’s thoroughly enjoyable. Essentially it’s more of the same with some tweaks and improvements here and there. There’s little in the way of original gameplay, but with GTA why fix what isn’t broken?
