Grand Theft Auto V represents the manifestation of all the experiences and skills Rockstar have compiled over the years. It’s an amazing, well-constructed game, and after playing it for many hours straight I sincerely believe that it will be my game of the year.
But I am not writing here to exuberantly praise the game – there are plenty of reviews which do that already. Rather, I want to dedicate this review to all the flaws this game has, which most reviewers seem to skip over as they gush about the game. If you want a happy, positive review of the game, look anywhere else on the internet. But right now, there are several problems which hadn’t really been addressed by most other news sources.
Firstly, there is no option to instantly appear near mission givers. While the massive, vibrant world is a joy to explore, it soon became a hindrance. Every time I needed to go to a mission, I needed to drive for 5-10 minutes just to get there, then perhaps a further 5-10 minutes to get to the mission’s objective.
Secondly, there is no GTA Online at launch day. I am aware that they had problems with the online portion before release, so they decided to delay it to improve the service. However, I find it unacceptable that they have developed a game for five years with the biggest budget in video gaming history, yet they can’t give their consumers the full product on release day. No matter which way you look at it, it’s a case of poor planning. No-one should accept this as being fine and normal, especially when most people are paying full price.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the gunplay is average at best. Most of the time you will be bracing against some sort of cover, then popping up like a jack-in-a-box to kill any enemy senseless enough to poke their head out from cover. The guns also lack any great impact, feeling more like pea shooters at the best of times. While Rockstar had added more variety to their missions, you are still expected to hold a gun in most cases, and they are an absolute bore to use. Give Infinity Ward some credit; while they get bashed for repetitive gameplay, at least they designed their gunplay much better than Rockstar over the years.
Please understand that I absolutely adore this game. I could have rattled down all the amazing experiences I had with my flatmate as we explored the world, and you would have walked away satisfied. But most reviewers seem to skim over these important flaws, and I feel that it is vitally important for you all to hear about its virtues as well as its vices before you purchase it. I can only hope that future reviewers will do the same.
Tom Ffiske
exeposedev 