I've made no secret in the past of the fact that Grand Theft Auto 4 was perhaps for me, one of the dullest games that Rockstar ever produced. It is, to this date, the only game in the franchise which I have not completed. This isn't to say that the game was not technically impressive and grand in scale - it was -but there was something missing. It's soul. It lacked what Grand Theft Auto has become known for; a deep distillation of the culture of it's time. This for me meant that it was not fun. I thought the characters of Nicko and Roman et al were not particularly endearing and that the game just tried to hard to be gritty and real.
So fast forward 5 years, and now we have Grand Theft Auto V, which is I think it is safe to say, even more realistic, and even more ambitious in scale. This is all well and great considering how this seemed to get get in the way of making GTA 4 a truly epic game, however from the hour or two that I have played of V, this is the game which brings the fun back to the series. This game doesn't need expansions to make it enjoyable, it's bright, immersive, and endearing right out of the box.
You start off as Michael, a bank robber.
The game starts you in the shoes of Michael, a bank robber, who is in the midst of a big heist;- perhaps the biggest of his life. Within the first five minutes of the game, theres explosions, shootouts and more than a smattering of choice language. Rockstar have started the game with a bang and I am caught in their spell again, hook- line-and-sinker. Before you even have the chance to see the title credits, you've robbed a bank, killed about a dozen cops, and had an almighty car chase through stunning snowscapes.
Driving through picturesque snowscapes is an amazing experience.
But it doesn't last for long, you're soon in the midst of another shoot out.
On the subject of car chases, the driving experience is superb. The controls are the same as previous editions, but the car handling physics have been much improved. The cars actually do feel feel like they have a bit of weight to them, and you can literally feel the car's centre of gravity shift, as you weave and drift around the streets of Los Santos. The physics are fairly unforgiving however, so the driving might not appeal to everyone. Muscle cars have that deep, throbbing sound you would expect, and seem like they are lifted straight out of the best Hollywood sound stages. There was even a moment where I discovered that motorbikes are indeed back in the game.
Driving physics are much improved in GTA V
Motorbikes make a return to Grand Theft Auto
Performance wise, when the game moves on to Los Santos, the game engine handles quite well, even on the lower RAM Playstation 3. This is an impressive feat considering the visuals are at least 25% stronger than GTA 4, which had it's fair share of slowdown. This isn't to say that there is not slowdown in this game neither, there is, particularly when driving. It's not a game breaker, and it certainly is not severe, but it can be the difference between making a turn, or wrapping your car around a lamp post. Nevertheless, it seems as though Rockstar have taken some very clear inspiration from the realism modders from GTA 4, and it shows. The environment of Los Santos will be immediately familiar to anybody who has played San Andreas. Although the map is different, it certainly feels as though you have been there before. The slums and suburbs take many of the same cues as the 'hood' from San Andreas, and the cityscape of downtown Los Santos is simply sublime.
The neighborhoods will be very familiar to many of you
The people who live and work in Los Santos benefit from improved AI too. The city really does feel like a living, breathing city this time. There were a number of occasions where I observed car chases fly past me as I walked the streets. There was even a moment when I built up a wanted level and the cops turned up, only to be distracted when trying to apprehend me, by presumably a more wanted quarry. Instead of shooting at me, they then proceeded to engage in a massive gunfight across the street.
Mayhem is at your fingertips around every street corner.
There's still the same old mayhem to be created, which is a big part of what makes GTA so special. Sometimes there's nothing more satisfying than ignoring your mission, beating people up, and holding off waves of cops as explosions and gunfire ring out. This has not changed at all, but because the city is bright, beautiful and immersive, it feels all the more rewarding. Combat is slick, and the character do not feel top-heavy as they did in the previous game. Gunfire benefits from a degree of auto targeting, which feels a bit like Red Dead Redemption, but it works.
It's not hard to build up a wanted level.
As far as the ambitious story goes, we see a split storyline between Michael who we saw in the prologue, the repo man and general thug Franklin, and a career criminal called Trevor. Each character has their own property, finances, and relationships, but I look forward to seeing how their arcs interweave later on. They are believable in their design and portrayal, and from what I have observed, Rockstar appear to be utilizing the facial motion capture we saw in LA Noire. This only serves to make the characters more likable and believable.
In summary, I believe this game to be a massive leap forward for the series, and I am looking forward to seeing what more this game has to offer. This is not just a great GTA game on face value, it also has the potential to be the greatest Grand Theft Auto Game of all time, but I'll reserve that judgement until I have played more. My initial reaction is to advocate that this game needs to be bought, and needs to be played for yourselves. If this is what the last swansong of the current generation looks like, then I will leave this generation a very happy gamer.
