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8.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 4181 Ratings

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  1. Sep 18, 2013
    7
    This game makes you feel miniscule. There is so much to do and even though you have the option to do it or not...you are left with a feeling of missing out. It's depressing. A game should be enjoyable.

    I do appreciate the incredible detail and technology that went into this game to make it possible...but its really just too much. Its more like a Life Simulation than a game and while its
    This game makes you feel miniscule. There is so much to do and even though you have the option to do it or not...you are left with a feeling of missing out. It's depressing. A game should be enjoyable.

    I do appreciate the incredible detail and technology that went into this game to make it possible...but its really just too much. Its more like a Life Simulation than a game and while its enjoyable for the most part: In the long run, it will be depressing to even say you play it.

    GTA Online will be interesting to see, but if the single player makes you feel this way... I don't think Online will be any sort of redeeming quality. Sure it will be fun with friends to joke around and maybe role play...but really, its too much and just sad. There is no real pride in saying you play GTAV.

    Don't get me wrong! It's fantastically made. There is so much of everything and it's really pushing the limits of what you can do...but really its TOO MUCH. Makes you really miss games that actually were games.
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  2. Sep 19, 2013
    7
    It's a little unfair to rate this game considering the most exciting feature, the multiplayer, is yet to be released. That said, the base game is a treat to play, with the character swap being the trump card.
    If it seems that it is more of the same it is. And that's a GOOD thing. We have a brand new city to play in, new ways to create mischief and more activities and things to do than
    It's a little unfair to rate this game considering the most exciting feature, the multiplayer, is yet to be released. That said, the base game is a treat to play, with the character swap being the trump card.
    If it seems that it is more of the same it is. And that's a GOOD thing. We have a brand new city to play in, new ways to create mischief and more activities and things to do than you can shake a submarine at.
    Sure the iffy controls are still there, personally I'll never understand why they persist in forcing that pov, or why the gun mechanics are the way they are. Or why driving sometimes feels like you're driving with slick tyres.... on an oil slick. Mastering them, remembering all the controls all takes time and is not intuitive as I could wish.
    The game is pretty, it has to be said, but like GTA IV it would look much better on next gen hardware. Pop-ups, glitches and field distance can take you out of the game-world that Rockstar have made, while frame-rate slowdowns can break it.
    The story is what made it for me. The character switch and how they integrate it (not a gimmick) is genius. My only problem was at times the dialogue. I don't mind swearing, in fact I rather enjoy swearing, but holy crepe, can we tone down the expletives? Sometimes they sound like mindless baboons screeching at one another. And it has to be said that much of the dialogue is GTA cliche.
    None of that gets in the way though. The story itself, the heists.... oh man. Cinematic. Just, SO much fun.
    If you like playing gta, you will like this one. You will play for hours. Doing just random stuff. I spent an hour with tennis, just to see how difficult it was to play against the AI.
    The only serious flaw I had with this game is the dis-jointed feel between the story and just messing around. Feels like two different games, where in one it's a tight, tense story driven bonanza, and the other gives you so much freedom you're not sure what to do.
    Anyways, I'll be waiting for multiplayer with baited breath, but for now, I'm off skydiving.

    TOR's Score: 7.5
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  3. Sep 19, 2013
    7
    At the end of the day it's just the same as always (poor plot and funny open-world freedom) but with plenty plenty new cool features and improved graphics. The thing is that it will happen as with most of GTA games: people won't really end the game or enjoy the story itself. Anyway it is a great game with lots of cool features and possibilities. The best GTA until the date, probably. ButAt the end of the day it's just the same as always (poor plot and funny open-world freedom) but with plenty plenty new cool features and improved graphics. The thing is that it will happen as with most of GTA games: people won't really end the game or enjoy the story itself. Anyway it is a great game with lots of cool features and possibilities. The best GTA until the date, probably. But that doesn't make it a perfect game. Expand
  4. Sep 20, 2013
    7
    While GTA V may have raised the bar in several areas as compared to GTA IV, in one crucial area it has dropped the ball.

    The huge open world looks beautiful and is highly detailed, the shooting mechanics have been fine-tuned, and the story is great. All of these help to immerse you into the world. However, the immersion, in my opinion, ends the second you step foot into a vehicle.
    While GTA V may have raised the bar in several areas as compared to GTA IV, in one crucial area it has dropped the ball.

    The huge open world looks beautiful and is highly detailed, the shooting mechanics have been fine-tuned, and the story is great.

    All of these help to immerse you into the world. However, the immersion, in my opinion, ends the second you step foot into a vehicle. This is where my biggest issue with the game begins.

    In short, it feels like Rockstar have stripped away any personality that the vehicles had in the previous game. Instead, the vehicle handling has been homogenized to appeal to the lowest common denominator. Rather than make a driving system that is rewarding and based more on skill and a small investment of time, it has been simplified to the most basic levels, making it a breeze for anyone to pick up and play instantly. As a result, it has become boring.

    The vehicles are now merely an appliance used to get from point A to point B, rather than an experience of getting from point A to point B. Gone are power slides around corners, and having to constantly be aware of the way your car was behaving. Instead, you can't break traction at all, cars self correct when drifting using the handbrake, turn on a dime, and come to a complete stop in 50 feet from any speed. An SUV handles like a supercar, and a supercar handles like a go-kart.

    What is even more perplexing are the vehicle upgrades. When the cars can perform like they do in their stock form, what is the point of the upgrade system?

    In a day when everyone wants instant gratification, it appears that GTA has finally succumbed in the driving arena. For a game with the word "Auto" in its' title, this aspect of the game is a huge disappointment.
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  5. Sep 20, 2013
    7
    *IMO* Rockstar focused too much on World design and not enough on game play. The weapons have no feel to them, The next unlocked tier of weapons is clearly better than the last, this coupled with the same mods copy and pasted to each weapon leaves a complete lack of tactical choice. There is a clear lack of diversity in the radio stations with pretty mediocre songs. You are also forced*IMO* Rockstar focused too much on World design and not enough on game play. The weapons have no feel to them, The next unlocked tier of weapons is clearly better than the last, this coupled with the same mods copy and pasted to each weapon leaves a complete lack of tactical choice. There is a clear lack of diversity in the radio stations with pretty mediocre songs. You are also forced into missions without any prep time, possibly leaving you at a disadvantage. I lost a highly customized banshee due to this lack of thought in mission design. However, overall the Classic GTA fun is till there. Expand
  6. Sep 20, 2013
    7
    Its a good game, but why the hell would rockstar thing i would want to spend a mission doing yoga? Some of its pretty glitchy too (some ladders for example) and the switching between characters can get annoying. The popups in the corner telling me to download the app to teach the dog new tricks are ridiculous.
  7. Oct 27, 2013
    7
    This game is good and bad in some ways. The map is very well made and has many areas to explore. The characters are also amazing and are different in millions of ways. I really enjoy the guns, as well as the neat explosions. The graphics are okay, but they should be better. What sucks about it is the missions, and especially online. Most of the missions on single player have no shooting orThis game is good and bad in some ways. The map is very well made and has many areas to explore. The characters are also amazing and are different in millions of ways. I really enjoy the guns, as well as the neat explosions. The graphics are okay, but they should be better. What sucks about it is the missions, and especially online. Most of the missions on single player have no shooting or action and are just plain boring. All you do on gta online is steal cars and deliver them which is a The game is sooo repetitive. It also really doesn't feel like gta. It feels like I'm playing an entirely different game. This game doesn't deserve all around 10's, it's actually not so much of a good game. This game is just as overhyped as heck and it sucks but at the same time its kind of fun. Expand
  8. Sep 27, 2013
    7
    Its the same of all time, but its ok. By the way, the online has not released yet, but I think it will be very similar with GTA IV, just as I say it, the same of all time.
  9. Oct 4, 2013
    7
    This game is Great! Why only a seven out of ten? Because a seven out of ten is good! This game achieves many things. The easiest way to explain it is like this. Imagine San Andreas had a child with GTA 4, it took the mother's eyes, and personality, but the father's loves,and passions. This is what GTA 5 is, i mix between the best of GTA San Andreas and GTA 4 to make a behemoth of a game.This game is Great! Why only a seven out of ten? Because a seven out of ten is good! This game achieves many things. The easiest way to explain it is like this. Imagine San Andreas had a child with GTA 4, it took the mother's eyes, and personality, but the father's loves,and passions. This is what GTA 5 is, i mix between the best of GTA San Andreas and GTA 4 to make a behemoth of a game. But, and this is a stinky but. The script, and characterization are total crap! GTA 4 was witty, cynical, and interesting, meanwhile GTA 5 is filled with toilet humor. Apart from the the game isn't very creative, and does little to change the formula. Sure i can play as three different characters, but when does character's scripts are no more complex than And their arcs are more like angles it makes little difference. It's fun in gameplay to switch between people, but it's not different enough to be praised as much as it is. And after 7 games in the same series, all just being slight upgrades of the others, i would have expected perfection by now. If this was a new IP I would praise it and tell them to keep going and try to improve. But considering this how old this series now is i just want to say one thing to Rockstar. Maybe you guys should stop beating this horse, because you have almost killed, but time after time you fail to finish it off. Buy a new horse and maybe with the experience you got from the old one you can kill this one quickly. Expand
  10. Oct 3, 2013
    7
    The overall experience in the in-game economics, and also potential gun play missions attracted me to this game. For one, almost nowhere is off-limits if you don't get caught, and weapons can be customized. I enjoy the fact that you are able to switch between characters. The citizens is also not just walking aimlessly around, and seems to have a personality. These are all the good points,The overall experience in the in-game economics, and also potential gun play missions attracted me to this game. For one, almost nowhere is off-limits if you don't get caught, and weapons can be customized. I enjoy the fact that you are able to switch between characters. The citizens is also not just walking aimlessly around, and seems to have a personality. These are all the good points, and the parts that makes it enjoyable for me. A lot of work were put in with the world itself.

    Some people might call this blasphemy, but GTA V is not what I expected. As an adult, who used to mingle in circles with biker gangs and miners, I can honestly say the amount of using "f$%" in one minute is completely out of the acceptable level. Yes, as an adult you don't let kids play this, but, they can still hear. I play games with proper sound on to enjoy it. Also have a job and don't play much during the week, so on weekends I have to play this on near mute

    The sex scenes is also completely unnecessary. It felt to me the script and story were written by young virgins. There is a fine line between controversial and just plain trashy. A great game does not need this kind of content to make it sell. See my first paragraph. If it was left as side missions, where it's up to the player to discover, it's ok but making it part of the main plot is, well, losing the plot.

    Last complaint, the battle mechanics is really not up to scratch as with other 3rd player games. Yes, people use the term "But it's open world". Look at Infamous and Batman for comparison. Not to mention the upcoming Watchdogs. This part I felt was neglected.

    I won't comment on the driving. For me it's ok, since I don't really do driving games. If I can avoid it I use the taxi or aircraft. But this is a matter of taste, and I am sure most people play this game just for this part.

    Overall I think the hype sold it. It has a huge fanbase, but this is definitely not for everyone.
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  11. Oct 18, 2013
    7
    I wish they had tested the game before release and fixed everything that they raped GTA IV for, Physics (crash off of a bike going 200 and land two feet in front of it), Health (trip over a curb and break you neck) Somethings gotta give with the cops either have us be tougher or have them not have flawless accuracy and redeculously sensative wanted system I help them catch a guy they areI wish they had tested the game before release and fixed everything that they raped GTA IV for, Physics (crash off of a bike going 200 and land two feet in front of it), Health (trip over a curb and break you neck) Somethings gotta give with the cops either have us be tougher or have them not have flawless accuracy and redeculously sensative wanted system I help them catch a guy they are already chasing and they don't even want him anymore they kill me. So often I'm just trying to get somewhere and suddenly i have stars and im dead and I don't even realize what happened one star and they act like I shot the president GTA cops are supposed to be incompetent fools that are crazy and ruthless but these are super cops crash into any other whip and destroy it and kill the driver instantly crash into a cop and they take no damage they and their whips are damn near indestructible yet if you even bump into a guard rail your one tire will cripple you. Cars explode easier than unstable nitro if you get em more than ten feet off the ground and yet in simple crashes your fender doesn't even dent. You can't rob stores properly, can't customize vehicle properly, purchasing anything in the game is pointless because of glitches and bugs and I feel like they aren't even bugs it's how they intended the game to be... lame as which is soo unfortunate because they did progress a lot from IV but they digressed in some of the most detrimental areas took away the heart of what makes GTA games... replay value what do I do when I'm sick of GTA V's immaturity but go back to IV and have some real fun Expand
  12. Oct 10, 2013
    7
    Grand Theft Auto V is an amazingly beautiful game, but fails to capture me in the story and character development. If this game wasn't a sandbox, Id rate it even lower.
  13. Ogr
    Oct 14, 2013
    7
    GTA V is a huge open-world-game filled with tons of stuff to do. Everything about this game is already said, so to cut a long story short: GTA V makes fun, it makes fun to cruise around and switch from one character to another etc., but I must admit that I don't like the story oft GTA V and all in all it's "just" another Grand Theft Auto. There are some new things of course, but they don'tGTA V is a huge open-world-game filled with tons of stuff to do. Everything about this game is already said, so to cut a long story short: GTA V makes fun, it makes fun to cruise around and switch from one character to another etc., but I must admit that I don't like the story oft GTA V and all in all it's "just" another Grand Theft Auto. There are some new things of course, but they don't give me a feeling of playing a new game. After playing GTA III, Vice City, San Andreas, GTA IV this game gives me not much except doing everything I already knew from the older games very well.
    So GTA V plays very well, but still I hope for more innovation for the next Rockstar game.
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  14. Nov 18, 2013
    7
    After 209 hours of playing this game I've had time to look at the good and the bad. Lets start with the good.

    Awesome graphics. So far I've not been stopped in my tracks by more than a couple things that stood out as messed up or odd. Gun work is pretty fun. I've been enjoying the combat quite a bit. It's fast and effective. The cars are awesome. Flight in the game feels really well
    After 209 hours of playing this game I've had time to look at the good and the bad. Lets start with the good.

    Awesome graphics. So far I've not been stopped in my tracks by more than a couple things that stood out as messed up or odd.
    Gun work is pretty fun. I've been enjoying the combat quite a bit. It's fast and effective.
    The cars are awesome.
    Flight in the game feels really well done for planes, they did it right for the most part. Planes respond well and can do a great many things including some crazy aerobatics if you know what you're doing.
    Helicopters are still a bit jerky making the combat choppers impractical for many situations but they are generally fast and GREAT for rapid escapes.
    A good (if short) story. I've really enjoyed playing through story mode, missions feel fun and crazy meaning. I love how certain characters develop over time even though for other parts it does happen too fast.
    The game definitely has a sense of humor again.
    The city is full of life and feels like it's the sunny summer city it is. It's nice to not have that dark and bland environment with a dark and bland story and a dark and bland populace like Liberty City had.
    Insurance in GTAO. It's so freakin nice to not have to worry about my car exploding and being gone forever. I can always get it back no matter what happens to it.
    There are some seriously fun missions in GTAO. Many are simply kill X and steal Y but they're set up in such a way as to give you near total freedom to do as you please for execution of the mission.
    Lots of easter eggs and references to past games.
    CHEATS! Today not many games come with cheats anymore, even though the selection was notably small compared to past games at least they are there.

    Now lets hit the negatives.

    The "Bad Sport" system in GTAO. This has got to be the worst implemented punishment system I've seen in a while. It punishes you for destroying people's cars in a game where you are pretty much told to go destroy everything and then throws you into a punishment lobby for days (or weeks) when you blow up other player's cars enough. Worst part is you cannot play with anyone who is not a "bad sport" for however long that time is (1 day, 4 days, 16 days, etc etc etc). This badly breaks bounty hunting and makes it nearly impossible to assist your friends against other players from the air or with anything explosive. It has no place in Freeplay mode when the games insurance system makes it trivial to have your car explode.
    Low detail buildings for long distance are REALLY low detail. If the textures were better for them this wouldn't be all that bad.
    Rockstar seems to be bent on making GTAO a tedious grindfest. They've reduced the payouts on many missions and halved them for repeats (some missions can actually cost more to run than they give), they've cut the replay button from many of them making you call X to get a random mission instead of just letting you replay the ones you like, and EVERYTHING costs an arm and a leg.
    Scuba gear has been cut from GTAO completely as far as I've seen.
    Cops are WAAAY too reactive and effective. You can kill two people ANYWHERE on the map even using suppressed weapons or beating them up and suddenly the police are called and have cruisers withing the minimap range when there were no witnesses. They can ever spawn on top of mountains to find you. Suppressors are nearly worthless because they immediately know exactly where you are. If you escape them they also tend to walk right to you even if they'd have no clue where you went. I've had cops walk single file directly to my hiding place before when I was easily a few hundred feet in the opposite direction of where the last dispatcher report said I was or was going. I've also had them chase me up buildings when they didn't see me go up them several times.
    NPCs will actually call the cops on you for walking in the same direction they are or standing next to them for too long. They will also call the cops on you in places where "Snitches get stitches" would still be a rule.
    The selection of cheats is somewhat small, they're a pain to enter, and all the most fun ones are severely limited. Invincibility only gives 5 minutes of it, spawning helicopters or planes pretty much requires you to be in a big open field, no more sudden planes in traffic.
    No LOCK wanted level cheat. So many things become impossible when the police show up at the drop of a hat.
    No wildlife in GTAO. If you can include peds and cars you should be able to include deer and mountain lions.
    Not enough weapons. I know this is being changed via DLC but still, variety is a great thing.
    Not enough costume type outfits in GTAO. Personally I'd LOVE for such things as a combat uniform and Michael's tactical setup to be added.
    Uniform and notably short max range for all weapons but the snipers, rocket/GL and stun gun.

    If they can fix the biggest I'd easily give GTA V a 9-10/10 depending on how well they fixed it.
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  15. Nov 20, 2013
    7
    A brilliantly designed map, visually stunning, for the scale of it, but the same problem, for me, as all other GTAs: the world is far too empty. Not enough shops, buy-able properties so on so forth everything with this game is outside. The characters are amazing, in the three protagonists at least, and the story is actually pretty good. A good, solid, fun, exciting, serious storyA brilliantly designed map, visually stunning, for the scale of it, but the same problem, for me, as all other GTAs: the world is far too empty. Not enough shops, buy-able properties so on so forth everything with this game is outside. The characters are amazing, in the three protagonists at least, and the story is actually pretty good. A good, solid, fun, exciting, serious story containing missions bringing out all of these aspects. However, not much has really changed. It's kind of like GTA IV.2, brighter, better looking, but so similar in all other aspects. Expand
  16. Nov 27, 2013
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Okay, so people will disagree vocally, but I feel they will partly do so because they can't accept it is mostly true.

    I can't sit and name all good and bad points, because this game is so diverse and has so many different features it. However I'm going to write this review as my points come, so it may well be very unorganized.

    First part being, this game was over-hyped. Please don't confuse that with over-rated (which ironically I feel it was a little of that too, but that isn't relevant). This game received so much hype before it even came out that I knew before I got it, it would not lead up to that. So it was off on a bad foot from the off.

    Considering I didn't enjoy GTA IV and never got round to finishing it, I found it that boring. However, coming from RDR to GTA V, I had high expectations for the storyline. And to say I was disappointed was an understatement. The campaign really didn't have much of a story. I mean, two of the three characters had an underlying secret which you find out the answer to near the very beginning of the game, yet this is being dragged throughout the entire game as one of the key turning points. The ending was absolutely abysmal, and I am referring to it being multiple choice. If you were to go by Franklin's personality, who comes across as loyal and hard working, always earning his keep. There is no way that the first two choices would exist and they were two of the laziest endings I've ever seen. As for the "true" ending. Honestly, for the "story" of the game, the missions and all things related to the Story itself, I'd rate it about 5.5/10. I honestly enjoyed the Call of Duty ghosts campaign more. And I haven't like that since the first Modern Warfare.

    Now to move onto the gameplay aspect. Well, this is where the game is totally redeemed. The first GTA game to finally utilize the weapon wheel as out-dated as that feature is, was an incredible edition adding to the seamless flowing gameplay this one seems to have. No more shuffling through all my weapons to find the right one.

    The control scheme is exactly as I wanted it to be. However it is incredibly infuriating that there was no "crouch" feature. Something key in this game I felt. Especially since there was a new "stealth mode" that replaced crouching to a more, "hunching" stance but leaves you just as open to enemy fire as possible.

    Cover system worked great, not much else to say on it other than it works well.

    Now for the biggest issue of the game. The map size. Yes, the map is massive, as big as GTA IV and RDR put together and more. BUT that was redundant by the fact that nearly 66% of the map was. well, nothing. Grass, mountains, hills, sand. Now I wouldn't find that a problem if there were entertaining enough activities sprawled across the vast nothing. But there wasn't. However like I said, the big map was impressive and does provide some nice scenery, but I'm not sight seeing. I want to blow stuff up.
    Rating of Map content wise 6/10
    Rating of Map for visual appeal 8/10

    GTA Online, well, Online was a part that many didn't get to experience for the first week AFTER the release of Online due to a high amount of bugs, crashes and glitches such as resetting of character, failing to complete the first tutorial mission due to a repeating crash issue. However it is now nearly December and most of these bugs have been fixed. But there has been no major addition to Multiplayer, which was supposed to be the best part of the game. And it has really disappointed. The activities are forgettable, play them once for the sake of trying to play it. And GTA Online has the worst community in existence. Overall Rating of Content Online 6/10.

    To be honest, overall GTA is a good game, not great, and omst certainly worth purchasing for the minority who haven't already. But don't expect anything mind blowing.

    GTA Overall 7/10
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  17. Dec 1, 2013
    7
    After excitement has waned and players moved on to other games and systems, what is left is a multiplayer experience that lacks depth, fails to meet expectations (created by the publisher and gamers alike) and feels like the only reason to get online is to grime the streets of Los Santos. Has this game compelled me want to keep playing it pass its two months released date? No. Look, itsAfter excitement has waned and players moved on to other games and systems, what is left is a multiplayer experience that lacks depth, fails to meet expectations (created by the publisher and gamers alike) and feels like the only reason to get online is to grime the streets of Los Santos. Has this game compelled me want to keep playing it pass its two months released date? No. Look, its really a great looking game, but like I said, once the excitement has waned, your eyes start wondering.
    For starters, the framerate issues and objects pop in and out happen too often to ignore. Second, in single player mode, Los Santos is a sprawling city with traffic and lots of stuff happening around, but in multiplayer mode, there are countless times when Im driving around and the streets are empty. There just isn't anything going on. Aside from that, much of the multiplayer "missions" or "jobs" are too redundant, pick up this car, escape, and turn it in. Done.The problem is 2 fold. These missions are not in session missions, with the exception of a few like gang attacks, or Simeon request car, meaning that the vast majority of the missions happen away from whats everybody else in session is doing, like in a vacuum. Second, aside from money and reputation points, there isn't a need to do them. Not to mention the inconsistency when in a mission, one is being chased by NPCs and all the sudden the NPCs just disappears. Its not challenging and or rewarding. Speaking of rewards, rewards seem uneven, because there are some jobs that are harder than others, but have a smaller pay out than those that are easier. How does that add up?
    So, multiplayer is not a consistent experience and it ironically rewards players that do jobs SOLO and don't cause too much trouble to others. Single player GTA prouds itself with being a violently over the top game. But for multiplayer, well, for example, why is it that I get penalize when I destroy somebody else's car? Huh? Isn't that the point for playing GTA? Also, why would anybody be kicked out of the session for being a "bad sport"? Isn't a "bad sport" the reason to play GTA? I think those people that go out of their way to hunt people down and destroy their cars should be awarded, not penalize by taking money away. Speaking of money, does it really matter if you have cash on you or in your bank account?

    Lastly, oh yeah, so what happened to those multiplayer heist missions again?
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  18. Jan 17, 2014
    7
    I like the story mode of this game, pretty fun. Trevor was definitely one of the more memorable characters. The online game play was pretty dull. Got bored with it after about a week of gaming. Entertaining but have played much better games.
  19. Feb 17, 2014
    7
    Grand theft Auto 5 is the latest instant hit from rock star. Following the adventures of 3 protagonists and their quest for money, well not really. Franklin and Trevor are after money, Micheal simply wants the FBI to leave him alone so he can live in peace with his family. Needless to say the games main plot is really only about Micheal while Trevor and Franklin are just along for theGrand theft Auto 5 is the latest instant hit from rock star. Following the adventures of 3 protagonists and their quest for money, well not really. Franklin and Trevor are after money, Micheal simply wants the FBI to leave him alone so he can live in peace with his family. Needless to say the games main plot is really only about Micheal while Trevor and Franklin are just along for the ride. Though I will not fail to mention that the story would not be anywhere near as good without them. It is no secret who the actual main character is. To the point of making the 3 character thing nothing more than a gimmick.
    Which is all it is. Which is unfortunate because aside from the countless additional mini games and sillier missions. Is the only difference between this and GTA 4.
    The combat is still atrocious and repetitive, aside from the better level design. And the vehicles still control more-or-less the same. It would be a waste of time to even talk about it further.

    The only positive improvement is the increased world map. Which was the main draw of this game for me. So ultimately the game still ends up in the green, the world is enormous with a lot of variety things to find and places to explore. The story is around the same level of quality as 4's was. It really isn't any better and it really isn't any worse, my biggest complaint has already been addressed. Besides that the dialogue and characters are all very well rounded and written.

    The only real downside is the plane missions. Which only rarely happen. But when they do they are one of the most frustrating experiences I have ever had. Taking off is easy, and you are quickly thrust headlong into the sky. Since there is nothing in the air, the game either does 2 things to give you some obstacle. Require you to stay low to the ground, or just through random gusts of wind at you and force you to readjust.
    Then you have to land... This is the hardest part of the game by far, and most plane missions require that you do it. Failing will set you back a long ways and force you to fly all the way through again. Even though it is normal checkpoint length it feels at least twice as long due to how boring and tedious the actual flying is.
    But again, this only happens rarely and is easily forgivable. It is just difficult to have to play through and not complain about a little bit.

    Ultimately the verdict is that this is basically the same game as GTA 4, and offers very little new. Buy it if your interested. if not, don't bother you already know what you are getting.
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  20. Mar 3, 2014
    7
    Seemed very linear compared to previous games in the series. Only one or two missions to be completed at a time and not very interesting stories outside of the main plot.
  21. Oct 3, 2014
    7
    Writing a review on this feels like writing a review on Minecraft. There probably isn't a lot you don't already know about Grand Theft Auto V that hasn't already been bellowed out from the mouths of overbearing game critics who regard this game in particular as the next bold step forward into the future of gaming. Yet this game isn't exactly free from pop-in problems and not very frequentWriting a review on this feels like writing a review on Minecraft. There probably isn't a lot you don't already know about Grand Theft Auto V that hasn't already been bellowed out from the mouths of overbearing game critics who regard this game in particular as the next bold step forward into the future of gaming. Yet this game isn't exactly free from pop-in problems and not very frequent texture bugs. Its not as though these problems aren't going to be fixed when it gets re-released on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox one and PC. Still the same question remains like the one in The Last of Us; why pay another £50 for a re-furbished and slightly bug fixed version of a game you've already got?

    Anyway the game. The gameplay fells adequate enough, but the problem is there are so many things your character can do at any one time. Whether it may be driving a car or plane or just generally walking about, there doesn't seem to be enough buttons on the game controller to fit them all and still be practical and useful enough to actually use them. I imagine this will be fixed for everyone who is anticipating this game for the PC. However the rest of us who are waiting for the game on the remaining consoles will still be stuck with the same controls. Not that this can't be fixed by memorising the controls for vehicle and on foot. Next up the characters. There are three characters you can play as and all posses a different ability and personality. Franklin is the first character you start out with but also seems to be the only one who seems to have had all noticeable traits taken away. Until he's a general straight man who will never say no to someone offering a helicopter ride to immediately parachute from. Or accept an invitation from someone to waste a few in-game months of his life to collect murder notes. Next up is Michael who has retired from bank robbing to spend more time with his family and abuse his kid's privileges. For example about quarter of the way through the game he smashes his son's TV for yelling at it a bit too loudly. Michaels key character motivation is that he is unclear if he is comfortable with the sudden bank heists he's somehow pulled into, and yet seems as equally enthusiastic as everyone else when they actually begin the actual heist. I suppose all that pretty jewellery just got to his head. Finally there's Trevor whose game trailer amusingly barely mentioned him because apparently "The less we say about him, the better." Its said that Trevor is a complete uncontrollable psychopath of the three. A general humorous air surrounds this character by making fun of his "feelings" at his expense and to no-one else. A funny acknowledgement to a mentally damaged man in the complex and cruel world he lives in. The game takes it further by having his partners and friends either be terrified of him or hate his guts or even both. The story is an extremely saving grace because it is very well plotted and given away. Although well-done at points, its sometimes kind of predictable. These tend to mostly be on the side quests which are obviously less important and can be more forgivable for this error in story telling. Having said that, despite our characters committing various and very law-breaking crimes along with their several heists, the authorities don't seem to make any differences to their security. They don't advise the public to be weary of certain people who have been terrorising the city or neighbourhood. In fact the one difference is that a news report comes on a day after your heist and is never mentioned again. I'm aware that this was the least of Rockstar's worries during development, but gameplay and story must weave with each other, not handed to the audience then immediately dropped the second the players attention is diverted to something else.

    Grand Theft Auto 5 is definitely recommended if you haven't got it yet, but its fair to assume you've got it and love it and that's fine. Overall I am looking forward to its release on the PS4 and Xbox One and so will you.
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  22. Apr 16, 2014
    7
    A very fair GTA game I suppose, but it suffers pretty roughly from boring car diversity, pretty meh characters and lots of missed opportunities.

    Boring car diversity: Well you got a zillion different vehicles and especially cars, who almost all drive the same. THE EXACT SAME, save a few tweaks. Yes of course some are faster and some are not, but it seems that the complaint about GTA
    A very fair GTA game I suppose, but it suffers pretty roughly from boring car diversity, pretty meh characters and lots of missed opportunities.

    Boring car diversity: Well you got a zillion different vehicles and especially cars, who almost all drive the same. THE EXACT SAME, save a few tweaks. Yes of course some are faster and some are not, but it seems that the complaint about GTA IV's superior driving physics being "boohoohoo too difficult" really got the Rockstar marketing in a tizzy because we get here dumbed down, almost simplistic car controls that indeed allow for good driving, but also kill any and all car diversity because for the sake of simplicity they all drive pretty much the same!
    That means that finding a Banshee, Infernus(or equivalent) doesn't have nearly the value that it had in older games. You just take any random fast car and you're good, no need to learn them all, they all drive the same! This is a perfect example of a lost opportunity too, because I bet the designers at Rockstar spent hell of a time making all these nice, beautiful, and well-crafted cars(not being ironic here), just so we could kill any random driver from any car that looks expensive, steal it, and never even care what the car's name or driving value was.

    Characters, Michael, Trevor and Franklin.
    Now I like the three of them enough. I just realise that they're kinda showing how Rockstar couldn't make one good character with a complex personality, so they split the protagonist in three, each representing one side. This doesn't feel completely like that, it's more a blurry feeling than anything, but it does feel like that a bit.
    Michael is probably the most protagonist of them all, since he's the only one with a real noteworthy arc. He's a retired criminal who got filthy rich and lives a boring life with a family he can't hold together. Pretty cool, and he is memorable and charismatic enough, but that's it. No really great wit, he whines a lot(actually a ton of people in this game whines a lot), he's almost never fun or enjoyable, he may be charismatic but that's all it is. Sometimes he has badass moments but they're the exception. Still my favorite of the three.
    Trevor: Just insane. In good and bad. Yes he can be fun. Yes he can be really annoying with having a head like a coconut. But mostly, he's just insane. Which is fine and dandy but doesn't make one a character. More than that, he doesn't have any sort of story or arc. He's the same at the end of the game as he is at the start.
    Franklin: Mr Pushover. He whines all the time, always gets stuck in stupidly bad situations by his best friend Lamar or by someone else, and he seems to always, no matter what, thoughtlessly, roll with it. Doesn't care to anger an entire crime syndicate, he just does the job even if he has no personal reason to. His personality ranges from "I'm tired of all the **** I go through" to "ok let's do this super dangerous thing I have no real personal reason to do". He'd come off as outright stupid if his main motivation wasn't wanting to get rich to impress the girl he loves. Franklin still is alright, but just having a guy that wants to get money and goes into any dangerous job for it, is way too easy a character. However to really explain him I have to talk about the side characters.

    For Franklin, the side character is Lamar. Lamar is a stupid assh*le who keeps doing the dumbest things, then gets saved by Franklin, then spits on Franklin for doing things better than him and getting richer, always complaining that F is a "lucky guy" even though F worked his way up and keeps getting in **** to save Lamar...
    For Trevor, all the side characters are idiots or weaklings, and I guess this is where a lot of the comic relief is supposed to come from, but...no. None of them are that funny and they get old or annoying really fast.
    For Michael you've got his family. Washed-out fat lowlife for a son, slutty attention whore for the daughter, cheating and agressive wife. Of course in the end you're supposed to patch up Michael with his family and I could go with it, but the fact is that I want to kill the son and possibly all of them more than I want to patch them up.
    Needless to say, considering that every arc from every character is related at least a bit to their side characters, almost every story/arc pretty much loses all interest extremely quickly. I should also point out that the writing is sub-par to the rest of the series.

    And for missed opportunities: You have heist mission-making capabilities and almost no heists to make. You have tons of sidequests, none of them using the basic gameplay and they're all gimmicky and kinda useless. You have three protagonists, but can only play one at a time and hope the AI does its job rest of the time. You have this huge city and tons of it are useless, the "too much room because Realism but nothing fun to do in it" problem we've had since the Gamecube era.

    I could go on but I made my point already.
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  23. May 6, 2014
    7
    So I've never really been a GTA fan in the past, so this one has some bias... But after playing this, I definitely enjoyed it more than the other experiences I had with older versions of the series. I still don't really enjoy this kind of genre in gaming, but despite that, this game did surprise me. Even though I'm not a fan of these kind of games, I actually had a fun time playing it dueSo I've never really been a GTA fan in the past, so this one has some bias... But after playing this, I definitely enjoyed it more than the other experiences I had with older versions of the series. I still don't really enjoy this kind of genre in gaming, but despite that, this game did surprise me. Even though I'm not a fan of these kind of games, I actually had a fun time playing it due to its atmosphere, graphics, story, and more. Even though I'm giving this a "so-and-so" score, its just because I'm actually not a fan, but this game was definitely the finest out of the GTA series. Expand
  24. Sep 7, 2014
    7
    Vice city is still the king of gta. And that's a damn fact.Thats not an opinion it's a fact people.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  25. Dec 17, 2018
    7
    GTA V provides countless hours of fun with its vast world with so many things to do and is very enjoyable with friends. However, the game can quickly become repetitive and frustrating at times and although its world is very large it is also quite shallow. Long loading times also make the game often feel like a chore to play.
  26. Jan 26, 2023
    7
    Hello, this is a default review because i'm forced to use 75 characters. I'll edit this review in the future talking about the game, don't worry ;)

    My final rate is: 7
  27. Nov 28, 2021
    7
    An overview of the game is that it was made with a more less serious tone than its predecessor GTA IV, which is not bad since it is set in the saints, and it was wanted to do with a more extravagant tone, and this as well as the missions They were incredible that they are, the robberies and their missions are quite good, although there are many ups and downs, but to tell the truth theirAn overview of the game is that it was made with a more less serious tone than its predecessor GTA IV, which is not bad since it is set in the saints, and it was wanted to do with a more extravagant tone, and this as well as the missions They were incredible that they are, the robberies and their missions are quite good, although there are many ups and downs, but to tell the truth their story is very little and thanks to the development of three characters at the same time, it sounds less deep than the previous ones, the graphics are wonderful , the most comfortable driving system, although the destruction of the vehicles too unrealistic, sometimes it is destroyed by everything and then lasts a long time, the weapons are quite comfortable to handle, good gameplay, things to do in free mode such as activities, quite repetitive and sometimes boring, moderately good side quests, good customization, quite useless stat system, crazy individual special abilities, the map is good but it is a bit of a wasted, the flight is very good although when the stars are very unrealistic, in general everything is good to move, crazy but good, vehicle customization the best of the saga, very poor final bosses and also its background of history, The Music is good, After the story becomes boring, and my personal opinion is good but the story is missing a lot, I was bored, there was not much background and it just became too repetitive and sometimes too meaningless around the Robberies. Expand
  28. Jun 25, 2022
    7
    моя первая пройденная grand theft auto. идеальная игра для школьника. куча веселья, херовый сюжет, интересный мир
  29. Aug 3, 2022
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Best GTA game, not by far. The story is decent and the online mode are very very nice. Expand
  30. Feb 1, 2023
    7
    I truly love this game, it gives me so many memories, the story is really good, the map is ICONIC.

    I just have one major complaint, after completing the story and all of the side quests (at least on console since PC has mods) there’s nothing left to do, in RDR2 you had a ton of side quests, legendary animals, treasure maps, secret encounters, it was nearly endless and I just don’t feel
    I truly love this game, it gives me so many memories, the story is really good, the map is ICONIC.

    I just have one major complaint, after completing the story and all of the side quests (at least on console since PC has mods) there’s nothing left to do, in RDR2 you had a ton of side quests, legendary animals, treasure maps, secret encounters, it was nearly endless and I just don’t feel that with GTAV.
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Metascore
97

Universal acclaim - based on 58 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 57 out of 58
  2. Negative: 0 out of 58
  1. Dec 12, 2013
    80
    Grand Theft Auto V offers one of the best sandbox experiences ever, filled to the brink with stuff to do. The vistas are magnificent and amazing stuff just seems to happen wherever you go. But at the same time the story is tired and the characters unoriginal. Your appreciation of Grand Theft Auto V will depend of what you want out of the series. The freedom and joy of discovery is hard to beat but the rest still has some ways left to go.
  2. Nov 6, 2013
    96
    GTA V continues the game series' tradition of raising the bar for open world action games.
  3. Nov 5, 2013
    95
    Tons of gameplay hours, plenty of missions and activities with an awesome collection of vehicles of various modes of transportation and a large array of firearms put the grandeur once again into Grand Theft Auto.