Game Review: Grand Theft Auto V

Game: Grand Theft Auto V
Console: Sony Playstation 3
Developer: Rockstar
Release Date: 17th September 2013

As it's been almost a year since the game's release, I thought it was high time I took a look at GTA V. The game is set in Los Santos which is vastly different from the Los Santos featured in GTA: San Andreas, despite retaining small throwbacks such as a version of Grove Street. Instead of following just one character through the events of the game, players can swap between control of three protagonists at will, once unlocked, unless they are in character specific missions, being chased by the police or otherwise unable to be switched to.

The game's three protagonists are some of the most developed characters of the GTA universe, with a fair amount of backstory and interesting views on events. After the opening mission/cutscene we're first introduced to Franklin who is working for a car dealer, repossessing cars and is generally involved in small time gang events. He meets Michael, a retired criminal a few missions into the game and is taken under Michael's wing in a sense as they plan some larger criminal activities. Finally we meet Trevor who is unpredictable, uncompromising and runs a small business empire centred around drugs just outside of the city.

The story mode missions of the game follow the three protagonists through events in their individual lives which show more of their character and their usual way of life, as well as following them through 5 heist missions which must be planned, set-up and executed in order to make a financial profit at the end. There are 69 story mode missions in total, which is 19 less than GTA IV. Overall though I feel that GTA V has a better pace that its predecessor and there are far more varied and exciting missions included this time around.

There are also many side missions in which players can partake; parachuting, flight school missions, one off family events for Michael and tasks done for random strangers are all available to show off the variety of gameplay and action available. Alongside these are events which randomly occur such as robberies and police chases, which the player can choose to help out in. Returning a stranger's purse or wallet can sometimes lead to a financial reward or even a new contact.

While I won't spoil any of the game's plot, I will say that the story mode has an excellent and fast paced narrative that allows players to understand all three protagonists lives and desires. The story missions will take players through many exciting almost movie-like situations, with the switching dynamic between protagonists being used to great effect. Side missions also provide an interesting and often amusing distraction from the main story, and are just as varied and fun.

Heist missions provide players with a choice of approaches and personnel for the job in hand, after which all of the required vehicles and tools must be gathered before the heist mission can be started. Every single heist had an air of excitement and novelty for me, and although some heist missions have featured in the series before, Rockstar have perfected them here.

Los Santos, the game's setting is a fairly large map ,based loosely on Southern Calfornia that has many interesting places to explore and things to find. The south half of the map contains the downtown city area and its beaches, while the north half of the map has more of a rural feel with mountains, plains and desert style locations. A good deal of the map will be seen through playing all of the story and side missions, but exploration is possible by many different means also.

As usual with Grand Theft Auto titles there's a wide range of vehicles with which the map can be explored. Each protagonist has a personal car, which will stick with them throughout the game even if abandoned or destroyed, and there's also a large range of cars on the roads which can be stolen. Motorbikes, bicycles, aeroplanes, helicopters and blimps are all available as player controlled modes of transport also. The train and tram vehicles featured in the game can be ridden, but not controlled in free roam mode.

This instalment of the GTA series is also the first to feature many things including animals (coyote, elk and dogs to name a few) which can be harmed if the player so wishes, it's also the first to feature the map as a single landmass rather than an assortment of islands, soft and hard top convertibles can retract their covers, there's no limits on what time of day missions are taken (the time will fast forward if it's unsuitable), and there's in-game music which isn't on radio stations for the first time.

The police system has also been changed quite drastically; all officers have a cone of vision which players must escape from to begin losing their wanted level. Once out of an officer's cone of vision, players must stay out of the line of sight for a period of time, until their wanted level goes away. This makes it somewhat easy to escape the police (I wasn't busted once during my playthrough, though the police wasted me quite a few times), but also gives slightly more realism to the game also, save for the short term memory of the officers once the wanted level is lost.

Controlwise the game is very responsive and cars, aeroplanes and bikes alike are easy to drive/fly. The shooting parts of the game are also straightforward, with a similar cover based shooting system to GTA IV. The auto targeting can make it a little too easy to shoot your way through large groups of enemies, but I found it necessary a lot of the time. New weapons have also been introduced such as gasoline to light fires, sticky bombs, and grenade launchers.

Once players have enough money they are able to purchase businesses such as strip clubs, bars, cinemas and even the golf club. Every once in a while missions will pop up to help with the running of these establishments, which the player can attempt or ignore. The businesses will provide players with a source of income each week, Also available as activites are tennis, golf, yoga and triathlons which serve no real purpose other than being an amusing distraction from the missions.

Graphically the game looks amazing. The landscapes and natural features of the map look excellent when flying over them, exploring in cars, or on foot. Player models could be a little better in terms of realism, but overall the visuals are excellent. I'm aware that they're being upgraded for the game's release on 8th generation consoles, but it's not in much need of improvement. The radio stations in game were a little disappointing for me, as there's been better selections of music in previous games, but there are more than ever to choose from, and the non radio soundtrack is excellent.

Overall Grand Theft Auto V is a game that is deserving of all of the praise and accolades it has received. It manages to mix its fairly serious storyline with elements of social commentary and outrageously wacky missions that provide a great sense of variety. While the game isn't 'perfect', there's very little wrong with the gameplay, missions or narrative and it's about as close as a free roaming sandbox game will get.

Rating: 97/100
Grade: A