Grand Theft Auto V

UPC: 710425475252

Platform: PlayStation 4

Publisher: Rockstar Games

Developer: Rockstar North

Category: Action

Style(s): Action Adventure

Synopsis: Rockstar's critically acclaimed series debuts on PS4 with upgraded graphics, new wildlife, and a new first-person perspective 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. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

Package Contents: Map

Controls: Joystick/Gamepad

In what has become a somewhat unsettling trend (though not surprising), publishers are bending over backward to redistribute and repackage year-old games for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The reason is simple: neither system offers backward compatibility with the previous generation's discs, so games can be resold to a potentially new audience.

The issue is one of value -- are the potential enhancements and visual upgrades worth a price that's often higher than the older PS3 or Xbox 360 versions? In Grand Theft Auto V's case, the answer is an unequivocal "yes." Grand Theft Auto V on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One is the definitive version of a game that offers plenty of bang for the buck.

Grand Theft Auto V impresses from the start with its high-resolution textures, reflective surfaces, and lighting effects, making an already beautiful game even more stunning. From hairline cracks in the concrete to shiny chrome on vehicles to the worn and frayed rug in Franklin's house, you'll notice details that weren't present in the previous console versions. The PlayStation 4 version even has cell phone messages and police chatter coming through the controller's speaker, which will flash red and blue when you're being pursued.

Adding to the enhanced presentation is the ability to switch to a first-person perspective at any point in the game, which makes the shooting sequences far more engaging and other actions such as jogging or biking seem more lifelike. The developers even added new animations to the first-person sequences, making it feel like the game was designed to be played this way from the start.

The first-person view is not without its faults, however, which are most evident during the driving sequences. It's more a hindrance than a help. You're not playing a traditional racing game, where you are only focused on what's ahead and immediately behind you. Here you must be wary of traffic coming at you from all sides, as you engage in high-speed chases with computer-controlled drivers desperately trying to lose you by swerving all over the place. Playing the game from a first-person mode during these sequences is like having blinders on, limiting your peripheral vision when you need to see everything around you to plan your next move.

Other changes are relatively minor but improve the overall experience just the same. The wildlife and domestic animal population has increased, traffic and population densities are higher, and you'll be able to see farther ahead than in the previous versions of the game. While the majority of the campaign is the same, the developers added a few new activities (stock car racing, wildlife photography) and collectibles (peyote, which transforms your character into one of 27 animals) to spice up the action for veteran players.

Grand Theft Auto V's online component offers plenty of variety and thrills for those willing to invest the time and virtual cash to build up their characters. Owners of the earlier games can import their characters (and edit their appearance) while retaining any cash, levels, vehicles, and lodging previously acquired. The online game still does not feature any heists, but it does include the new first-person option and supports up to 30 players instead of the original's 16.

Grand Theft Auto V is a re-release done right. It's not merely a simple port, but rather a truly improved version whose enhancements will make you view the game in a whole new light. When you have a game world as detailed and as absorbing as Grand Theft Auto's, that's reason enough to experience it all over again. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

the game requires Joystick/Gamepad.