A rich white man, a gangster and a crazy person walk into a bar and raise it.
Los Santos. A sprawling metropolis just South of Blaine County, a vast desert home to the creepiest of meth dealers and craziest of abductees. We are back in San Andreas once more, but some things have changed. Granted, many things have remained, Grove Street being the highlight, but we now have Rockford Hills, home to the stars, and the suburbs of Davis and Rancho. If there’s anything that is not up for debate, it’s that this city is one of the most beautiful gameworlds ever created – and it’s all ours to enjoy.
Armed with a magnificent array of radio adverts and billboards that take the piss out of this overly Capitalist world. Popular coffee shops litter the streets that house every snapback wearer in Los Santos, whilst perfume adverts challenge you to “smell like a bitch”. Many have come out against this world, calling it racist, misogynistic and degrading to women, something that really irritates me (this is when people start a backlash against me…again). The world of Grand Theft Auto is not a serious one. Nor is it a realistic one. It is a satire. The whole game plays around the idea that it is a satire of the real world. It is one giant piss take. All it does is highlight problems with the real world and exaggerates them. If you have a problem with the sexism and racism in GTA, you actually have a problem with the sexism of our society. Just because GTA and Rockstar is brave enough to point out these failings and ideas, doesn’t mean we should be criticising them, we should be praising them and acting on it.
Anyway, as we are plunged straight into the story mode (no GTA Online from release date, or at all for many) we get a glimpse of Los Santos through Franklin’s eyes, one of the three protagonists/antagonists. Battling to earn a living and move away from his annoying as hell Aunt in the slums, Franklin eventually runs into Michael, our second of the trio. As the pair become friendlier, the heists begin to flow, until Trevor turns up.
Michael’s former partner in literal crime, Trevor, is the most volatile and insane of the three, if not of any video game character ever. His mind is like some cocktail of Vic Vega from Reservoir Dogs and our little droogie Alex DeLarge from A Clockwork Orange. When we’re first introduced to him, he’s difficult to play as, as everything we do has no justification. We’re simply causing chaos for no reason. But after a few killing sprees and a couple of hissyfits, we begin to understand Trevor as he shows his human side. All we have to go on is that his “Dad wasn’t there” and “he had a difficult childhood.” When we accept Trevor as a corrupted soul, we find it easier to murder all those innocent bikers and steal nuclear weapons from the Japanese, and that is when the story becomes as invigorating as any other.
The main story missions begin in true GTA style, steal a car this, murder a low-value target that; until we plan our first heist. The new system of choice opens up a whole new world of fun. Do you want a better getaway driver in return for a lower cut, is the hacker more important than the gunman to you, and do you want to go in all guns blazing or silent and deadly? While the choices aren’t exactly endless, it’s nice for there to be a choice at all.
Spiralling into a world of corruption, agency wars and the movie-making business, the main story becomes so rich and full of excitement that it’s hard not to take a break. However, taking a break is not necessarily difficult, and certainly not boring. The new Stranger and Freaks feature allows your characters to meet, well, strangers and freaks. One of the first that becomes available is one that concerns Michael, and it’s not only him that it concerns. Taking a hit from a campaigners joint, Michael takes a little trip, shall we say. Suddenly armed with a minigun, Michael is attacked from all sides by aliens that attempt to kill and abduct him. As fucked up and ridiculous as it was, it was so magnificent and fun that you don’t question it. You just keep mowing down the aliens. Just a sidenote, if you return to the site as Trevor or Franklin, different outcomes occur, so it’s definitely worth a revisit.
Aside from Strangers and Freaks there are hundreds of collectibles to keep you busy. From spaceship parts, originally activated by an S&F mission, to stunt jumps and letters that reveal a secret, there is so much to do. While these are all fixed in that they don’t move and are always there to enjoy, there are spontaneous missions that present themselves when you least expect it. You can rob a security truck or help out a fellow crook in a shootout with the police. There is so much to do in the world of GTA V it’s impossible to get bored or find nothing to do. Rockstar have truly shone in creating a world on an enormous scale.
In addition to having things to actively pursue and enjoy, there are loads of new additions that are sometimes overlooked. For example, the Liberty City Stock Exchange is perhaps the most impressive. If played right, players can make millions, even billions. It all reacts to how you play your game. So if you destroy one coffee shop, another coffee shop’s stocks rise. It is one of the most impressive things I have ever come across in a game. As well as this there is the social network, Lifeinvader. Yet another satirical inclusion (I mean, it’s called Lifeinvader for God’s sake), it is a hilarious spin on today’s social networks. While not many people have actually been on it, it offers up some gems. Michael’s son rants regularly, and Franklin’s ex-wife often messages to let you know how well she’s doing, which is both amusing and tragic.
If your preference to playing is to relax and enjoy the scenery, the addition of planes is sure to appease you. Despite being difficult to control at first, landing in particular, the genius inclusion of a flying school will help you own the skies like a true pilot. Away from the air to the ground, there are lots of new cars to enjoy, from fast to slow, big to small and on-road to off-road, whilst the sea can be wrested through the submarine that becomes available about halfway through the story. The variety is fantastic, but sometimes to the point where it becomes overwhelming. Sometimes sticking with a helicopter rather than a plane is easier and a whole lot more chaotic.
Musically, GTA V had a lot to live up to. Vice City in particular was amazing in terms of the soundtrack. While there are some tracks that are perfect for the game, some just don’t feel right. “Gimme More” by Britney Spears just makes my skin crawl any time it comes on the Pop Station, and the same can be said for 99% of the rap/hip-hop tracks. The top three stations on the selection wheel offer up the best songs, from golden oldies like “West End Girls” by Pet Shop Boys to Indie-Punk tracks like “Cocaine” by FIDLAR, there is definitely something for everyone.
The whole “something for everyone” idea is a magnificent way to sum up the world of Grand Theft Auto V. A brilliant storyline, a gorgeous world and fun and interesting activities make it the most interactive and expansive GTA, if not game, of all time.
Verdict
If the gripping storyline isn’t enough to keep your interest, the endless side-missions and beautiful landscape is. Forget Game of the Year, this could be Game of the Decade.
Prepare to be Bloggled! 