First Impressions: Grand Theft Auto V

It has been a long, long time coming but the last game that many of us will play on this current generation of consoles is here and has already made a huge impression on the gaming community. Rockstar’s “Grand Theft Auto V” hit the market Tuesday and people all around the internet have had nothing but praise for the title. Rockstar had announced that the title had made its money back in preorders alone before its release on Sept. 17 and announced that in one day of sales had passed the $800 million mark. And now, according to internal estimates by publisher Take Two Interactive, GTA V has passed $1 billion dollars in sales just three days after first going on sale. If that’s true, it would mean that GTA V reached $1 billion in sales faster than any other entertainment property, ever. Experts initially estimated GTA V would reach $1 billion in its first month on shelves, making its rise to the top of the sales charts meteoric. COD: Black Ops 2 was previous record holder, reaching $1 billion in 15 days.

I’ve been playing GTA V since Tuesday and I have to agree that its blistering sales pace is completely warranted. GTA V is not only the finest game Rockstar has ever made, but legitimately one of the finest games ever made. Between its breathtaking scenery, diverse characters, and myriad activities and missions, GTA V is a true achievement of the highest degree.

Taking place in the city of Los Santos and the surrounding counties, GTA V follows the lives of three very different characters who have similar goals – make lots and lots of money by any means necessary. You start off as Franklin, a young guy struggling to find ways to make legitimate money on the streets of Los Santos. But before long, we’re introduced to the second protagonist, Michael, an ex-bank robber living a life of luxury in a swanky mansion in the hills surrounding the city. We come to find out that Michael’s family despises him and so does his therapist and it isn’t hard to see why – he’s abrasive, controlling and a little bit nuts, but then again he makes no real effort to try and conceal these traits. Michael and Franklin eventually cross paths and decide to go into business with one another. It’s not long after this that the final protagonist is introduced – Trevor Phillips, Michael’s former partner and a complete psychopath. Having three different playable, main characters, three different perspectives, is a unique twist on the GTA formula and gives players numerous options for tackling objectives or while exploring the massive city of Los Santos and the surrounding counties.

GTA V is not only amazing because of what it presents but what it represents. Aspects of almost every other Rockstar game can be seen in GTA V. The shooting and character movement are very reminiscent of Max Payne 3 – and not just reminiscent but an improvement on. The driving mechanics have been refined over years of making GTA games and have also benefitted from Rockstar’ racing series, Midnight Club. The exquisitely detailed scenery as well as other bits like randomly occurring events and a multitude of animal life were highly touted features of Red Dead Redemption and are mere bullet points on the long list of creative features in GTA V. In short, GTA V can be seen as the culmination of almost all of the work Rockstar has done to date – and it shows. GTA V is incredible.

It’s going to be hard to hit on all of the amazing things that GTA V does in my full review so I’m just going to list some things off right now that I’ve been most impressed with:

-There is a full 18-hole golf course to visit in Los Santos as well as several tennis courts. Essentially, you get a full golf video game and tennis video game inside your copy of GTA V. (I saw a meme earlier that I can’t find but will relay the message. Paraphrasing, it said “I was gonna buy Payday 2, Tiger Woods and Need for Speed – but I decided to just get GTA V instead.”)

-The player movement, driving and shooting mechanics are outstanding. Cars feel suitably heavy and e-braking around every corner is no longer a viable option as the driving mechanics feel as close to real as they ever have. Aiming and firing weapons is steady and smooth and the soft auto-aim feature works better than ever.

-Don’t want to lie, cheat and steal (yes, that was an Eddie Guerrero reference) to make your millions? Why not play the stock market, because, oh yeah, GTA V has a full stock market that ebbs and flows with the events of the game.

-Your character’s phone is an invaluable tool. Not only do you get several notices about missions and access to the internet (where you can do your day trading) but there is also a Quick Save feature that is pure brilliance. It saves your game at your exact location so you don’t need to take a trip to a safe house if you need to finish your session. There is a camera function as well that uploads your shots to the Rockstar Social Club and even lets you take selfies. And honestly, I’ve taken way more selfies in GTA V than I ever have in real life.

-When San Andreas came out, there were rumors that you would be able to own a dog. Well, that didn’t happen in San Andreas. Or in GTA IV.  But Rockstar has been listening an in GTA V, Franklin eventually comes into ownership of an awesome Rottweiler named Chop. You can take Chop out on walks and through the use of the iFruit app (apparently an app you can get for your real smart phone) teach Chop new tricks.

-The police in GTA V are actually incredibly intimidating. No longer the incompetent oafs of previous games, cops in GTA V are serious business. I’ve seen then use all manner of tactics to bring pursuits to an end like PIT maneuvers and using teamwork to box drivers in and they have no quarrel about breaking out the firearms to take you down. Luckily, they also operate on a new “line of sight” mechanic for pursuits so if you commit a crime and escape the area quickly enough, you stand a higher chance of evasion. Some might think this makes them too easy to escape but considering how brutally effective they are otherwise, it pretty much only levels the playing field.

Keep a look out for my full review upcoming. Though it’s hard to say when that will be exactly. GTA V also promises a robust online mode, simply titled GTA Online, that promises to be bigger and better than anything an open-world, online mode has ever presented – though this mode won’t be available until October.