GTA V Review

 

Hi guys,

 There are very few games that can do what GTA V does with such flare, this game defies all things you have previously though a current generation game was capable. A huge open world, with few glitches in sight(GTA Online aside) and graphics that will reach out of the screen and drop your jaw for you. This game takes the principle of Skyrim and takes it to new heights, a huge open world with no load screens to cut it up, one huge mountain in the middle, and a plethora of content to go with it. Unlike some of the reviews you may have seen, this game is not perfect, though the problems presented in the game do little to detract from the amazing memory's you will take away with you into the next generation of gaming.

For me this was the first GTA game I have played, so the controls took slightly longer than I would have liked to get accustomed to, though now I know them they are not only easy to use, but make the game flow better. Just expect some rocky sections in the first couple of hours in Los Santos, such as diving out of cover when you wanted to through a grenade, obviously I didn't do that....
     For a game of such brilliance as GTA V you want to play it as soon as you put the disk in your console(sorry PC gamers), alas this is not the case, every time you want to boot up the game you will be met with a long wait of looking at cell shaded pictures of the characters non to flattering mug. Whilst we are on the subject of long waits, the time it takes to switch between characters outside of missions it a bit on the long side. Though that is understandable when you see just how big the whole world actually is. 

The three characters are one of the largest selling points of the game(as if it needed one) and I am pleased to tell you that the missions with all three characters are pulled of seamlessly. Through out the missions you are encouraged to switch between characters, though it is rarely essential. Believe me you will want to switch between the characters, as it presents 3 totally different perspectives of the mission. There aren't many occasions when you are forced to switch between characters, and these occasions make you feel sad to be leaving that character, all that sadness is blow away with a tank sized gust of wind when you find out what the other character is doing. Trevor will be flying a helicopter, Michael will be scaling a building and Franklin will be on an adjacent building providing cover fire with a high power sniper rifle. The level of freedom within the levels is unlike any other game you have played. And that sums up GTA V really, unlike any other game you have played.

     If you think this game is with out it's morale issues then you are sadly mistaken, all 3 of the main characters use frequent and extensive language. There is about an hour and a half section near the beginning of the game when you are forced to play as Franklin, in this section you spend a lot of the time with your "friend" Lamar. Both Franklin and Lamar use obscene amounts of racist language towards each other. Now I can put up with so much language in a game, but that section was highly un-enjoyable to play due to all the dialogue being filled with that type of language.
     Now it may look like I am trying to diss the hell out of this game, but please don't see it like that, GTA V is a game that has created many fond memories and will create many more in the future, that I will take with me into the next generation of gaming. One of the largest pleasures in the whole game is just driving around, not because the driving mechanics are good(though they are), no it is so enjoyable because of how alive the world is, you will start out on your journey in the city, and you won't know where you will finish out. You could be robbing a store so you can get enough money for that suit you wanted. You could take the cable cart to the top of the main mountain and then parachute off. The number of possibility's in this game are nearly endless, and the map gives of a similar feeling of near endlessness.
     Asking someone to review this game is like asking someone to review Shakespeare; it can not-or should not- be done. Suffice to say, you need to play this game to class yourself as a true gamer.
     And if you still need convincing, here is my score breakdown:
Graphics: Truly amazing, with some stunning faces,                                               9/10
Gameplay: Brilliant but with some hiccoughs in here,                                              8/10
Length: A game with a plethora of content, be sure to know you are in for the long hall if you want to 100% this game,                                                                                10/10
Sound: Good sound and brilliant voice acting, but with a few very annoying glitches in there,                                                                                                                          9/10
Multiplayer: There is GTA Online but I will review that separately soon!
That gives us a grand total of 9/10, this is a game that-despite it's flaws- you need to play; a true send off of this generation of gaming.
Thanks for reading,
Ed
Twitter