Grand Theft Auto 5 review
Penning a simple review for Grand Theft Auto 5 is like asking an art critic to give a short appraisal of Michelangelo's paintings in the Sistine Chapel; it can be done easily enough but in the end it just doesn't do the subject matter any justice. This is the problem when a truly epic game like GTA is released, regular practice when approaching reviews and previews has to be forgotten and a whole new line of thought must be adopted. It's not simply about whether GTA 5 is a good game, a great game or even an amazing game. It's about whether GTA 5 is a game changer.
Spoiler alert - it is.
Other open world games have come and gone, they've entertained and they've enthralled, they've kept us busy for hours, weeks and sometimes months. But they're not Grand Theft Auto. This is the franchise that has had players encapsulated throughout the years with definitive titles that became synonymous with the era they were played in. Just saying names like Vice City or San Andreas can conjure up vivid memories from the past. It has created more newspaper headlines than any other videogame franchise in history - and not always for good reason.
But whatever you know of Grand Theft Auto, whatever your opinion of it is or whether you love or hate it, here's some advice: Prepare to be blown away.
Rockstar has completely turned the tables here by having not one, but three main protagonists. Michael, Franklin and Trevor have to share the limelight, but that doesn't mean their characters are fleshed out any less. All three of them have their own stories, but more than that, they have their own qualities and their own problems. They feel like living, breathing people that even the best films and TV shows would have trouble depicting as effectively.
They also have vastly different personalities. Michael is the middle-aged former conman who now lives in a big mansion in the nicest area of Los Santos, but between time spent arguing with his ungrateful family he yearns for a bit of excitement again. Franklin is the young hustler who dreams of more than doing odd jobs here and there with his buddies for some cash. And Trevor... Well Trevor is the hardest to sum up, but let's just say he has a penchant for violence and doing the absurd. The one thing that ties them all together is their love for money, and the fact they would do anything to get it.
Having three main characters alters gameplay massively, and initially it could be seen as a risky move. But after a few hours of getting used to it you wonder why other games haven't tried multiple main characters sooner. With a few button presses players can choose who they want to play as and within seconds you'll be sent straight to their location. To add to a sense of the game being alive Michael, Franklin and Trevor never stop, and when you switch to one of them they'll be doing things like driving around town or washing their car. Or in Trevor's case, on the run from the police in a high-speed chase across the city.
Each character also has their own special ability, such as Franklin's driving skill which allows him to dodge in and out of traffic with ease, or Trevor's berserker power, where he can suddenly take much more damage and a firefight against ten other guys suddenly doesn't seem such a problem. Skill points in different areas such as shooting or driving will also be given based on how often you do each activity, so it's worth taking the time to visit the gun range and improving your shot.
A criticism of GTA games in the past has sometimes been their lack of grandeur when it comes to story missions. Even the most intense storylines often ended with a boring shootout or a car chase. Not anymore. GTA5 sees the inclusion of heist missions, and these are what you'll spend the whole game looking forward to.
Heist missions see players plotting the robberies of banks or jewelry stores with a strategic mind. It's not simply a case of walking in and doing the deed, it takes planning and time to pull off a big heist. Tech whizz and old friend Lester will pitch you different ideas to get that big payday, and then it's up to you to do the rest. You'll get to choose your own team, such as drivers and gunman, before searching for material needed to pull it off. This usually includes stealing a certain type of vehicle or collecting a certain uniform, but it all adds to the epic final moments.
When it actually comes to the heist missions it feels like a huge, blockbuster moment worthy of most films. You'll also find yourself switching between characters mid-mission to complete certain tasks, and when it all goes smoothly and you walk away with millions in cash you really do feel like a criminal mastermind.
Thankfully Rockstar has decided to make GTA5 slightly more forgiving than its predecessors by adding checkpoints during missions, so you don't have to go all the way back to the start if you fail. This was an infuriating part of life in GTA4 but now you don't have to start that long drive across the city again just because you drove your car into the river. Missions are also graded depending on how well you do, and you can get a gold medal if you pull off missions flawlessly. Don't fear though, if you don't get the gold then you can always replay missions again from the pause menu.
Another huge improvement is the combat, now there's a cover system that really works and won't have you accidently standing up in the line of fire every five seconds. The shooting system is assisted and feels very much like Max Payne, although you can turn off the assists if you prefer a tougher challenge. The driving is also enhanced, and controlling vehicles really feels like an enjoyable experience, no matter what you're riding.
Character switching not only adds to the narrative but it allows you to explore the massive map in greater detail. Los Santos is huge, and there are so many places to explore that it could take literally months to see everything. There will be times when Michael and Franklin are in downtown Los Santos while Trevor is further north in Sandy Shores, and travelling up and down constantly would just take far too long unless you'd managed to hijack a plane. Now you can simply switch between them if you want to get somewhere fast.
Another nice inclusion is missions that have nothing to do with the main story, they're just there to show off the absurdity of Los Santos and its inhabitants. These side missions are labeled as 'Strangers and Freaks' and it's when you'll meet the really colourful characters that you won't be forgetting in a hurry. It's definitely advised to check all of these out and not try to just rush through the game.
And that's one of the biggest compliments you can pay to GTA5. Rockstar has spent so much time and effort creating a Los Santos that feels like a real city, sometimes you just need to forget what you have to do next and go for a bike ride. Enjoy the sights, take in the sounds and really take the time to enjoy everything. Other GTA games have had engrossing open worlds but not to the same extent as this. Just taking the time to walk the streets will reward you with funny exchanges between random passers-by.
And then there's the radio stations, with the most in-depth, licensed track list and talk shows yet. Then there are the mini-games such as tennis and golf, which you could find yourself spending hours on if you're not careful. You can take your money and invest in the stock market to build it up, before assassinating a rival company's CEO to affect share prices. You can train Franklin's dog Chop to learn tricks. Base jumping, cinema-going, street races, hunting, scuba diving, jet skiing, the list of activities is endless and adds to the idea that Los Santos really is alive.
Rockstar has raised the bar once again, not just in terms of size and scope, but storytelling, gameplay features and creating a game that offers more than anything else out there. It's fitting that the best Grand Theft Auto ever is closing out the current-generation of consoles, and you have to wonder just what else can be pulled off in a GTA game. This truly is Rockstar's magnum opus, and for a studio that brought us Red Dead Redemption and Max Payne 3 there can be no higher compliment.