TL;DR-
Gameplay: 9.5/10
Story & Characters: 10/10
Writing & Dialogue: 10/10
Graphics: 9/10
Music & Sound: 10/10
Length: 9/10
Replayability: 7/10(I’m not reviewing the online game, quit complaining)
An open world game I want to play more than Cyberpunk 2077: Undying Legacy/10

-REVIEW-

It was game of the year when it came out! What else do I need to say?

Ok, fine, I’ll keep going.

I’m actually not very familiar with the GTA series as a whole. Aside from this title, I only played GTA 3, Vice City, Vice City Stories, and a little bit of Liberty City Stories. Among those, I only beat Vice City Stories. GTA games in general were iffy for me in terms of quality(on that note, I’m not talking about the “definitive editions.” I only played the real deals.); I enjoyed the stories and various characters, I loved the driving, and I had fun with the various ways of making money. On the flip side, the shooting mechanics were something I struggled to get used to, the fact that you were always kind of fragile health-wise made certain moments difficult, and while I get that they’re old, I wasn’t too crazy about the graphics.

All that said, I was proud of myself for beating one GTA game(even if it was on the PSP), and I wanted to go after another one. Why not go after the one that’s one of the best selling titles in all of video game history?

Is it as phenomenal as they say? YES! Did I enjoy every moment? ABSOLUTELY! Is it perfect? DARN NEAR! Yeah, it does have some rough moments here and there, and I saw a few things that made me think of it as “overrated,” but as far as I’m concerned, anyone who’s a gamer should definitely play this game.
Let’s start with the story, which is honestly one of the best I’ve seen in any game period. You kick things off as Michael Tow-er, De Santa, Trevor Philips, and a two legged plot device trying to pull off a bank heist in Ludendorff, North Yankton. The heist fails, and everyone goes their separate ways. Nine years later, a new(sort of, really just one) trio of heroes forms: Michael Tow-dangit, De Santa, a husband and father of two, pulled back into the world of crime after misjudging a slight against his wife, while dealing with anger management and his strained relationship with his family; Trevor Philips, CEO of…erm…Trevor Philips Industries, whose adventures range from dealing with various clientele for his arms deals to dealing with a biker gang single handedly to solving a mystery behind that fateful robbery; and Franklin Clinton, who must deal with his idiot best friend, his anti-patriarchal aunt, his drug huffing girlfriend, and trying to keep Trevor and Michael from killing each other, all while trying to make it to the big time. The main plot itself is essentially a collection of (mis)adventures between these three new “best friends” that culminates in a showdown with three hated villains. It’s really just three down-on-their-luck fellows trying to survive a world filled with hper-realistic examples of crime.

That said, these three protags, along with other characters here and there, are what sold me on the game. Their personalities are lively and vibrant, and yet don’t feel over the top; I mean, maybe people in general don’t behave like Trevor, but I would totally believe anyone who says they know someone like him. The writing is also as well done as it is unapologetic, taking pot shots at so many things in life, including police corruption, the seedy side of movie business, anti-patriarchal feminism, and even the trials of raising a family, among other things. Yeah, I know, it can be offensive to some people, but the impression it left on me was that the game as a whole wasn’t really meant to be taken seriously. It’s not as outlandish as the later Saint’s Row games, but the hyper-realistic style of story telling and the abridged realities of gameplay(get busted for, well, GTA, get released the next day or so) wasn’t meant to be some super serious introspection. It’s a game, it’s meant to be fun, and it’s all meant to be laughed at(well, aside from one moment where you return to North Yankton). The game succeeds on almost every level story-wise; a heist that wound up being pointless, a general lack of heists, and the option C mission series feeling a bit rushed in terms of dealing with the bad guys were my only real complaints.

Gameplay is another shining feature of this game, though just a little less brightly. Good ol’ fashioned 3rd person gameplay rules the streets: grab a weapon and shoot the bad guys, then steal a car from a not so bad guy and cruise the streets. It’s a pretty simple system to figure out, and it’s easy to see how fun it is as a whole. In fact, one thing I remember about the older GTA games is that character movement felt kinda janky, like people didn’t naturally reposition themselves while they were, say, needing to turn to take on a foe from another direction. GTA 5 feels a lot smoother in this regard. In addition, each protag gets a special ability to help them in certain situations. They’re fun to play with, sure, but I rarely ever felt like I needed them. If anything, I needed to use the cover system more whenever I ate concrete, which is another thing I enjoyed. Plus, the driving. CHEF’S KISS! The driving feels phenomenal, and even a bit realistic. For example, cars that feel like ferraris will absolutely tear through the city with ease, but their lack of offroad tires will make going down certain rough roads more difficult. It encouraged me to nab a few rides and throw them in my garages. I gotta say, for a game franchise named after a real life type of vehicular crime, this title lives up to it’s name and makes it fun.

All that said, there are two things I’m not crazy about. First, the fact that you switch between three protagonists. Except for a few different powers and stats, it doesn’t add anything except needless micromanagement over money and inventories. Second…*shudders* the F**KING STOCK MARKET. I don’t care what anyone else says, it’s NOT FUN. Remember when I said there wasn’t many heists in the game? There really isn’t, and aside from those and some missions, there’s no real consistent way to make money quickly, aside from perusing the web to see which companies are opposed to each other, then ripping one apart and investing in the other. If I want to manage money that badly, I’ll monitor my accounts IRL. This is a video game. I want to profit from BLOWING CRAP UP!

Aesthetic wise…ok, gonna say something controversial: GTA 6…really doesn’t need a huge boost in graphics. I mean, add in whatever details you like, but considering it’s almost 10 years old, GTA 5 looks just fine! The expansive city, the characters with expressions, the explosions…I never got tired of just looking at everything; it really is a city come to life in terms of visuals. Audio is that much better still: incredible voice acting through the entire game, satisfying and impactful sound effects from gun shots to car crashes, and, of course, tons of tunes on the radio for your listening pleasure. I didn’t find the actual in game soundtrack bits quite as memorable, but they didn’t detract from anything.

The only reason it took me over 9 years to finally get this title under my belt is because it took me forever to get a PC that could actually play it without chugging like a train. I’m not a die hard GTA in any fan, but between playing some past GTA games and beating almost all of the Saint’s Row franchise, I could easily see what makes GTA 5 so fun, and I’m pleased to know I can say I crossed it off my bucket list. It’s not perfect, but for those who love virtual destruction playgrounds, you’ll not find a better title out there. Thanks for reading!