Grand Theft Auto V

UPC: 710425471254

Platform: PlayStation 3

Publisher: Rockstar Games

Developer: Rockstar North

Category: Action

Style(s): Action Adventure

Synopsis: Rockstar's critically acclaimed series returns with three distinct protagonists to control and another massive open world to explore in Grand Theft Auto V. Players take on the roles of Michael, a retired bank robber dealing with his dysfunctional family, Franklin, a repo man trying to avoid the pitfalls of inner-city life, and Trevor, a psychopathic, drug-addled hillbilly who lives alone in the desert. The main storyline finds all three characters working together to perform a series of increasingly risky heists around Los Santos, Rockstar's satirical take on Los Angeles.


Gamers draw up a robbery plan themselves, deciding which personnel to include and choosing whether to go in with guns blazing or take a more stealth approach. Players can freely switch between the main protagonists during heists in order to provide backup, drive a getaway vehicle, or just witness the events from a different perspective, and when not on a mission, gamers can drop in and take control of any of the characters as they go about their daily lives. As characters drive, shoot, and explore Los Santos they gain experience points in a variety of different skills, and each of the three characters has a special ability that can be activated when the action gets heavy.


While ostensibly the same city players explored in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, the Los Santos in Grand Theft Auto V does away with the former game's facsimiles of San Francisco and Las Vegas and instead offers a much larger world designed to reflect the extreme sprawl of Los Angeles as well as the vast and varied landscapes of California's interior. And that huge game world offers no shortage of extracurricular activities, from criminal behavior like stealing cars and collecting bounties, to business pursuits involving in-game real estate and stock markets, to a wide array of recreational pursuits like hunting in wilderness zones, scuba diving, base jumping, competing in triathlons, playing tennis, and even taking on a full golf course.


The developers at Rockstar North placed a great deal of emphasis on improving all aspects of gameplay in Grand Theft Auto V, particularly with regard to combat and driving. They have streamlined weapon management and targeting to make gun battles more fluid and enjoyable, while vehicle physics have been refined to make driving sequences feel more like a racing game. And multiplayer action returns with Grand Theft Auto Online, in which gamers can join Crews of friends to take on a variety of modes and missions.


In order to play Grand Theft Auto V users will need 8GB of hard drive space for a mandatory install. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

Package Contents: Map

Controls: Joystick/Gamepad

Featuring the most beautiful modern-day setting in any open world game at the time of its release, Grand Theft Auto V is a huge improvement over its largely disappointing predecessor. The sprawling map, the largest thus far in franchise history, offers wilderness, beaches, inner city slums, wealthy suburbs, trailer parks, deserts, mountains, and even scuba diving.

Not only is the environment gorgeous to look at, it's a pleasure to explore. City streets are much wider than the densely packed Liberty City, making zipping through traffic as much an adrenaline rush as barreling over hills in a dune buggy or careening down a winding road on a motorcycle. The level of detail, which has always been a strength in the series, is somehow even more impressive this go around; there are even animals, from cows and coyotes to deer and dogs, that flesh out the dynamic world even further.

The gameplay is largely unchanged from its predecessor, with most of the 69 missions involving large-scale shootouts using the same cover mechanics and third-person targeting found in Grand Theft Auto IV. There are also plenty of high-speed chases and races, which once again mixes arcade-style physics, where you can flip a car 30 times down a hill and still continue surging down the road, with some finesse in handling, as it's extremely easy to spin out if you steer too sharply around corners.

The most disappointing aspect of the story missions is that they are scripted to the point where there is little opportunity to tackle your objectives in different ways. The newer GTA games don't offer the same feeling of creativity you had with earlier versions. Stray too far from a designated area and the mission is over; miss a throw or shot, and you'll have to restart. That's not to say the included missions are lacking in enjoyment, but there's really only one way to accomplish your goal. There's no thinking outside the box, which seemingly works against an open-world game.

Yet Grand Theft Auto V's storytelling technique is an interesting twist on the familiar formula. Instead of playing as a single character and completing missions on behalf of one or two contacts, you can switch between three distinct characters at any time in the game, each offering their own personal connections to the world. Franklin is an inner-city gangster looking to expand his horizons through his contact with Michael, a middle-aged former thief in witness protection with his family. Trevor, Michael's hillbilly ex-partner, is the third connection, who believes Michael is dead and is accurately described as "Hell on Earth."

The problem with these characters is that they have few, if any, redeeming qualities. Franklin is simply boring and is consistently outshined by his gangster friend, Lamar. Michael is abrasive and abusive toward his family and most of his contacts, using language that would make Tony Soprano blush. And Trevor is Hyde to Michael's Jekyll, a slovenly, emotionally unstable man who acts solely on impulse, and those impulses routinely mix vulgar with violent. Of course, one could argue that *no one* in Los Santos is remotely likeable, which is part of the running gag.

The people populating the world are self-absorbed, stupid, and annoying, who would rather extend a middle finger than a helping hand. The writers have a deeply cynical outlook on society, skewering Facebook (Life Invader), Twitter (tweets are hilariously called "bleets"), television reporting (Weazel News), reality shows (Fame or Shame), government, big business, and even video games (Righteous Slaughter).

Yet while the characters are abrasive, the action sequences are often exciting, especially when all three are working together on a mission or a heist, which involves actively switching between all three to make sure the operation goes down smoothly. Unfortunately the multi-stage heists are only available as part of the main storyline, so you can't hire a crew and knock off banks, jewelry stores, and other sites at your leisure. Fortunately, there are plenty of other things to do when the story is complete.

The mini-games are actually playable in Grand Theft Auto V, which include surprisingly competent versions of tennis and golf (although the ball physics are a bit dodgy). There are random events (such as ATM robberies, kidnappings, thefts, and car crashes), and new activities unlocked by purchasing businesses. The online component is extremely ambitious in this installment, allowing players to create a custom character and build up his or her stats over time. The open-world city is populated by other players, who can either help or hinder your progress, and money earned during this mode can be used to purchase homes, garages, weapons, and vehicles, giving the game a role-playing-like feel.

Grand Theft Auto V isn't perfect, but it's an absorbing, enthralling experience, one in which you can whittle away hours of your time exploring the world's many secrets and surprises and still feel you haven't seen all there is to offer. Factor in an online mode that allows players to customize missions and share them with the community, and you have a game that offers near limitless potential for entertainment. In an era where publishers are charging full price for dubious content, Grand Theft Auto V is a steal. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

the game requires Joystick/Gamepad.