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So I got GTA V from the Steam Summer Sale a couple of days ago, and have sunk 13 hours into it already. One can say, I am hooked. I wanted to do a short write up a quick review of my thoughts so far. This is also a way to debut the new Reviews category of my blog.

Going to reiterate that I have not finished the game yet, these are just my thoughts so far.

Story

The story so far has captivated me. The dynamic between Franklin, Trevor, and Michael is interesting and realistic. Each character comes from a different social economic position, and have their own backstory and lives. All three of them have clear motivations and are characterized. Missions that have two or all of the characters are completed by switching back and forth between the characters to see the same events from different perspectives.

Graphics and Sound

The graphics are breath taking on PC. The cars, buildings, and people look realistic without falling into the uncanny valley. As I drive around San Andreas, I feel as if I actually were in Los Angeles. Driving towards the sunset in this game is always a treat, with the golden sky and the sunlight reflecting of the cars and buildings paint a stunning picture on my screen. The water is animated beautifully, especially when you dive under and see what is underneath the surface. 

The sound design is executed well in this game. Playing with earbuds, I can hear all the hustling of the city. The gun shots sound realistic, and satisfying when shooting. The voice acting is executed very well, from the main characters, even to the background pedestrians.

Gameplay and Mechanics

I have been playing with a Logitech Gamepad F310. The controls are tight, and well mapped on a controller. Switching between channels and weapons is comfortable, fast, and easy with the weapon and radio wheel. One gripe I have with the controls so far is a part of a mission, a Michael mission where you have to do yoga. You position the sticks, and hold down the triggers to breathe, it sounds simple, but my hand started getting cramped after a while. 

The mechanics in this game are interesting, and fresh compared to the other GTA games. With the option to switch between characters at any time, it is very hard to run out of things to do. I enjoy being able to customize the personal vehicles at the Los Santos Customs shop. Aiming weapons is slow, and sometimes difficult, this game does lack the lock on mechanic that GTA IV had. Cars, however, control far better than previous GTA games, I no longer brace for impact every time I want to make a turn or when there's stopped cars in my way, especially when playing as Franklin with his special ability. The special abilities are an interesting idea, but I find myself only really needing Franklin's, but I feel that I will probably use Micheal's and Trevor's later into the game. 

World and Level Design

The world design is exceptional in GTA V. The city is full of activities and different places to customize your character or vehicle. One very interesting aspect of the world is that there are side missions that start randomly, and can happen anywhere, An example of one is someone robbing a purse and you can retrieve it. These happen all the time, and although i usually am in a hurry and ignore them, I still think they add depth to the world. You can also buy certain properties that generate money for the character who owns it, they even sometimes have missions to do to get even more cash.

I can go on much more about this game, and I think I will once I beat the main story line, but for now, these are just a few thoughts that I have. So far, I give GTA V 4.5 stars out of 5.

José Rodriguez-Rivas