Review: Grand Theft Auto V

Ah, video game logic. If one tries to go into the fray with common knowledge and reason, they can very well get themselves lost in this one. As realistic as games are trying to be right now, they wouldn’t be all that fun if everything was exactly as it was in the real world. Sure, there’s something to be said about attaining a certain level of realism, but at the end of the day, games are fun because they’re so unreal. This is just hilarious though. It’s something we’ve all probably seen before, but finding yourself a hairdresser and coming out of the place with longer hair than you went in with is something about GTA V that makes us all chuc


When Sony unveiled they would not be bringing the UMDPassport Program , which would allow Vita owners to turn their physical PSP games into digital versions for a nominal fee, to the U.S. it was a chance to let out a collective sigh of relief, but also left gamers extremely disappointed. The inconsistencies between prices for UMD transference were so huge that this was a PR nightmare waiting to happen; yet the program's cancellation doesn't instill any faith in f


There are plenty of things you can do in GTA V that might throw people off. Rampaging is pretty common if you have nothing better to do and while it’s just mindless carnage, it can still be pretty fun. But one of the most common acts of violence in the entire series happens too often as a simple traffic accident. The driving controls in Gta 5 new radio Stations V are great, but that doesn’t make you a master driver. More often than not, if you’re going really fast, you’re going to hit something. It often ends up being innocent pedestrians, crossing the street just as you’re gunning it – completely ignoring the red light. It may sometimes be intentional, but more often than not these end up being genuine accide

Of course, the biggest question on many's mind is whether or not this is a mere gimmick. With the amount of work and customization Rockstar clearly put into it, it's far from a throwaway feature. Those who tailor the settings to their likings will realistically find a whole new way to experience the title. Some may even prefer many aspects of first-person mode. While I found it agreeable, I still prefer to experience the entire game in third-person, but there's no denying that gunplay can be more smooth and precise in first-person. However gamers decide to experience it, though, they can be assured it will be in a beautiful setting.

Rockstar remains one of the classic innovators of gaming, letting loose an expansive, free-form-mission mentality that would pioneer the success of the "open-world" genre. Grand Theft Auto is the crown jewel of that kingdom. It’s an international phenomenon and one of the most important game series of all time. With Grand Theft Auto V , Rockstar made the biggest open world of its kind, but despite its commercial success, the developer is simply giving into its own very hazardous addiction. Grand Theft Auto V simply exacerbated the recurring issue that has been plaguing the series since Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas , an issue that is continuing to drain the studio’s credibility in making top-shelf open world games.

The most notable addition to current-gen GTAV is the all-new first-person mode. For the first time ever, players can now choose to experience a Grand Theft Auto from the eyes of the protagonist (or in this case protagonists). Instead of being a mere gimmick, Rockstar made multiple changes to accommodate the new perspective including a first person cover system, a new control scheme, a different targeting system and thousands of new animations. As it's hard to create a first-person experience that caters to everybody's preferences, multiple optional settings have been added including the ability to change control schemes, alter ragdoll perspectives and rolls and even turn off head bobbing. I wasn't a fan of how the game controlled in first-person by default, but was easily able to tweak it to a point where it felt like a standard FPS. Turning up the sensitivity and any auto-locking off is key to this. Commendably, Rockstar has even allowed the option to mix and match when first-person comes into play, permitting players to drive in first-person and shoot in first-person and vice versa. Allowing the former is a huge addition as it allows those who dislike first-person driving to still experience combat in first-person without having to continually swap modes or commit to one.

Of course, one of the aspects this series is most renowned for is its music. Vice City sparked a minor resurgence in New Wave, while Grand Theft Auto IV perfectly captured the burgeoning indie scene in Brooklyn at the time. Building off of the presentation and quality of the latter’s soundtrack, V boasts one of the series’ best collections of music. For indie lovers, Radio Broker is replaced by Radio Mirror Park, which features tracks from Twin Shadow, Yeasayer, Health, Neon Indian, The Chain Gang of 1974 and more. The incredible thing is that all of the aforementioned artists are contributing new music to the game and the fact that there’s so many critically revered artists with new music on one channel is astounding. For electronic lovers, there’s Soulwax FM, named after and featuring many remixes from electronic band Soulwax. On the pop side of things, there’s Non-Stop Pop FM which features an excellent blend between current top ten artists like Rhianna, lesser-known ones like Robyn and classic acts like Hall & Oats. Of course, there’s something for everyone with other stations focusing on rap, country, classic rock and more. The amount of care put into curating this soundtrack that could have simply been a collection of random songs is more evidence of how much work goes into even the smallest features of the game.