GTA 5 is almost in stores, and the initial reviews have already started to appear online. We'll be taking our time with it, as it's practically impossible to see San Andreas in its entirety with only a week or two of advance play, but in the meantime we've rounded up opinions from around the web to give you an idea what to expect once the postman delivers your copy from Amazon.
NATIONAL NEWSPAPERS
The Telegraph knows what gamers were expecting and makes it painfully obvious in the opening paragraph:
"Given the pedigree and almost brutish levels of hype surrounding Grand Theft Auto V, it would have been a surprise if this wasn't the five-star humdinger that you expected. But here we are: Grand Theft Auto V is the pinnacle of open-world video game design and a colossal feat of technical engineering".
Despite a plot that "can be grim and heavy-handed", the heist missions that form critical moments in the campaign become "the major set-pieces of GTA V and the game’s undoubted peaks", making the game as a whole "a bold and scintillating full-stop to an explosive generation of video games."
The score: 5/5
The first, but certainly not the last review to draw attention to GTA 5's questionable torture mission, The Mirror called By The Book "supremely unsettling" and likely to go down in history as "one of this most controversial of series’ most controversial moments yet". However, it's still a small blip on the radar in terms of scale.
"You’re pretty much deposited in downtown Los Santos with the keys to the city jangling in the pocket of your low slung jeans, there’s so much ground to cover you fear you’ll never fit everything in".
This is especially true now you can dive between the three main characters. Swapping from "Michael’s dysfunctional family life, Franklin’s turf wars and Trevor’s trailer park empire eliminates the element of grind that occasionally prolonged progression in past GTAs".
The score: 5/5
The Guardian argues that the Grand Theft Auto series has just as much influence over popular culture as box-set TV shows.
"Unlike the vast swathe of wondrous entertainment the video game industry produces, this series cannot be safely pigeon-holed or ignored by non-players. For the last decade, Rockstar has wielded a sledgehammer over public perceptions of what video games are or can be; now it has struck with merciless force".
That sledgehammer blow includes "a freewheeling joyride through genre cinema and literature", taking in "psychotic mafia bosses, insane motorcycle gangs, xenophobically sketched triads, corrupt secret agents and cynical movie producers". It can all get a little much at times, but also "daftly compelling, and the influence of multi-strand dramas such as The Wire is obvious".
The score: 5/5
MAJOR GAMING SITES
Eurogamer kicked off its review reminding everyone that the previous entry in the series wasn't perfect - despite receiving near universal praise on release (sound familiar?).
"Liberty City was an incredible place, cramming as much character into one city block as most open worlds manage in a thousand, but once Niko settled his last score, there wasn't much to do but cruise around waiting for the DLC"
GTA 5 remedies this as "the first game in the series where you feel as though you can strike out in any direction and find something entertaining to do", even if it "may not be the Hollywood-beating crime story it wants to be".
The score: 9/10
Kotaku, meanwhile, got straight to the point with its comparisons to the previous game.
"far better-looking even though it is running on the same hardware, has a more interesting and varied world, has better average mission quality, is longer, is better-engineered, is less serious, but lacks a lead character as compelling as Niko Bellic. Also, V has planes. And tanks"
The sheer scale on display is evident in the fact that "even with the major side missions done, the game will only take you to Blaine County's sprawling wind farm once, will never take you to its prison and will ignore the game's stadiums and speedway". There's a huge amount of content here, which you won't get to see unless you head off the beaten path.
The score: YES (you should buy it)
It was the little things that stood out for IGN, with two highlights picked out in the opening paragraph.
"Another time, whilst driving around in an off-road buggy, I got distracted by something that looked like a path up one of the San Andreas mountains. Turns out it was a path, and I spent 15 minutes following to the summit"
In the end, the story won over aimless exploration, making GTA 5 "not only a preposterously enjoyable video game, but also an intelligent and sharp-tongued satire of contemporary America".
The score: 10/10
Joystiq wasn't totally praising, pointing out the flaws in GTA 5's three-character storyline.
"your time is split, and the narrative isn't given enough room to resonate. Peripheral characters suffer as well, with each protagonist being designated specific individuals throughout the story. You spend less time getting to know the people that make up the craziest parts of the world"
Despite this, it's "the world of San Andreas that is the main attraction, and it does not disappoint", with "dozens of discoveries to be made". Many will involve stepping back from the scripted story and "the best moments will be the ones you create yourself".
The score: 4.5/5
But what about our review? It will be arriving soon, once we're happy we've seen at least half of what San Andreas has to offer
Andoid Games
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