Grand Theft Auto 5, possibly the most looked forward to game of the generation, and possibly of all time, raking Rock star $1 Billion in three days alone should prove how many fans have been looking forward to this game. Considering most fans hold GTA San Andreas as one of the best games released, it’s no surprise that finally returning to Los Santos got so many fans excited; even returning to Grove Street brought back some fond memories.
Of course with any Grand Theft Auto game, you get the news (Read America) blaming the game, reporting that It causes young children (Who shouldn’t be bought an 18 anyway) to shoot people. Ignoring how idiotic this prospect is, please do not worry, if you play this game you will NOT turn into a carjacking murder. (Note if you do, Invision is not responsible, and neither is Rock Star)
If for some odd reason you have never heard of Grand Theft auto, well quickly buy some and play them right now, we can hold the review for you, if you still haven’t well Grand Theft Auto has a simple premise, you’re a up and coming gangster/mobster and want to become the top dog, or just get lots of money, it depends on the games. Apart from this, they are basically the first game to do open world correctly, and are also the reason why a lot of other developers started to do similar styles for better or for worse.
Of course after the massive leap that Grand Theft Auto 4 Rock Star needed something special for Grand Theft Auto 5, and they did just that, allowing three different characters to choose from to progress the story. Not only this you can switch between the three on the fly, with a nice animation of the camera flying high into the sky from the current character, then panning and zooming into the chosen character, times can be a little slow due to loading, but the effect is nice.
So we have three different charterers to choose from, each with different backgrounds, different special abilities and slightly different stories, though they all interact with each other, each character has their own friends and jobs they want you doing for them. Time for roll call, first up is Franklin, ex-gang banger and has dreams of scoring some big hits and setting himself up for life, this guy is the closest you’re going to get to Grove Street and san Andrea’s story. Next up is Michel, the veteran, set up for life from his own exploits, explained in the prologue, living in Vine wood in a mansion and whittling away his years under a new name. Lastly is Trevor, a crazy Hick who loves nothing more than to kill and try to be top dog, even when hurting his very companions, though he has a score to settle with Michel, but that is all part of the story.
For whatever reason you play Grand Theft Auto games, for the free roam or for the game play, the story here is pretty damn good, but I’ve never felt that the story in any of the previous versions were bad, just not fantastic, but they seem to be getting better with every new iteration. All the characters are likeable in their own way, and the story is very fun and engrossing, if a little on the short side compared to Grand Theft Auto 4 and the humongous San Andreas.
Now onto the biggest part of this game, the world and its game play, which both are massive and diverse, want to go play golf? Go ahead, kill gang bangers? Sure, mounting climb and then ride down on a mountain bike? Absolutely. The world that has been created here is fantastic, there are many different areas in the city of Los 
Santos and they all feel unique and different, from the lower class areas where most of the gang members are, the sunny beaches, to the rocky outback’s of mount Chiliad. Of course the amount of extra activities you can do as well if outstanding, going from a drug pick up, to running a triathlon, then winding down by picking up taxi fares are all in a average day if that’s what you want.
The gun play in this game has been improved dramatically as well, those fans who are coming straight from Grand theft auto 4? Big improvements. First one that used to bug me, you can hold multiple guns of different type, so you can have all 4 different pistols in your inventory and switch between them freely, it’s a nice change from only having one. On the subject of the guns, god damn this game has a lot of guns, when you first go into Ammunition, there is a whole wall full of them, not including the ones found in the glass cabinet at the front, plus there are some more “fun” weapons this time around, including the grenade launcher, and everyone’s favourite, Minigun. This added with the fact you can now customise each gun with new attachments or paint colons gives each weapon a use, if you’re in a dark area a flash-light is a must, stealth kills are done with suppressors, and extra ammo via extended magazines.
Not only that but firing from behind cover has improved, shooting blind now has slightly better accuracy so it can be used to force the gang or police you have chosen to fight back into cover, you can also zoom in a slight amount by pressing R3 which is a nice when you don’t have a scope. Also when you kill someone you get a slight effect telling you that they are down for good, this can be helpful because police are now much more fierce and an actual threat to your players life.
Special abilities make their first début, and at first I didn’t think I would like them, but once you get into them, I could not go back to how it was before, each character has a different power that fits there person and . Franklin can slow down time when in a car, and take turns much faster and sharper than you could usually, Michael can slow down time whilst shooting, this is basically bullet time, and Trevor goes into a rage dramatically increasing firearm damage, but increases damage taken. You can refill your special bar in different ways, Franklin is by driving dangerously, Michael head shots, and Trevor by being damaged. Each specified ability has its place, and can quickly get you out of more tricky situations, Franklin’s make most street races a cake walk, and Michaels and Trevor’s can both make light work of enemies especially inside buildings in close quarters.
Missions here are just as varied as they can be within the game world, you will be going from carjacking to bank heists, and the different character interactions and switching between each of the characters makes each mission feel great to play,. One thing that may surprise older fans is the amount of money you get with each mission, and how easy it is to actually acquire money, this was of course until I saw how much it costs to buy buildings throughout the city and how much weapons and medical bills cost.
Another massive feature that has been shown is Grand Theft Auto Online, a 16 player GTA online experience, which allows you do missions and free roam around with your friends, also including all the activities you can do solo such as sports and racing. What the game hub actually is a 16player death match, with each player trying to kill everyone senselessly, when you do get into a mission it breaks down into more of the same grieving, making it difficult to get the missions done? C4’s are found at most exits of auto shops, especially if you get a car that another player wanted, of course all these “complaints” are what most already expected, that is what basically makes Grand Theft Auto, Grand Theft Auto. Level up however you want, grab a good weapon and you can unleash some massive carnage online.
Grand Theft Auto 5 is again, one of the most hyped games of this year, and possibly one of the greatest ways to end this 8 year console generation, sure there will be Call of Duty and other “big name” games released, but Grand Theft Auto stands out from the others. As with every other title, it brings new ideas and the large game world is lovingly crafted, pushes what each console can physically do, and one of the best sound tracks to come out, probably ever. Sure the game has some bad game play every now and then, some annoying AI and lack of fore sight in the online department, but it doesn’t take away that the whole package. This is a game that will still be fun even after the next generation is out, Grand Theft Auto 5 gets a 5/5 for a fantastically crafted game.
Disclaimer:All scores given within our reviews are based on the artist’s personal opinion; this should in no way impede your decision to purchase the game.
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