Grand Theft Auto V Review

An event that brings happiness to a person and another event that causes anxiety can happen at the same time. Sometimes, a single event can bring both happiness and hours full of thoughts. GTA is that “event” in my life. Being someone who has written hundreds of reviews means nothing when the subject is the GTA series. Your fingers stop, your brain slows down, you cannot write, even though there are tons of things to write about. Just as I flew with happiness when GTA IV was released while the issue of writing the review caused anxiety, I am experiencing the same thing for the fifth game, even more intensely. However, excuse me, this time I will try to keep the writing short and go enjoy the game. Oh Rockstar, oh… you’ve done it again. You’ve stolen my hours, my days, my mind, all my interest again, oh Rockstar oh!

💡 Who is the owner of Rockstar Games?

Despite the optimization problems on PC, GTA IV, which I played with great pleasure and which took place in Liberty City (New York City), became one of the most criticized games of the series due to the map being small compared to San Andreas, technical problems, and the freedom restricted by the realistic gameplay offered. Taking the criticisms, complaints, and requests into consideration, Rockstar Games decided to return to Los Santos (Los Angeles), where there are once again vast terrains and endless highways. It is truly difficult to describe how large the map is, but those much-desired intercity journeys have taken their place in the series again.

Looking at the history of the series, we come across iconic characters such as Tommy Vercetti, Carl Johnson, and Niko Bellic. There was always one main character and lives shaped around them. However, this time we have more than one playable protagonist. And although each of their lives intersects in the main lines, they progress separately from each other. Michael De Santa, formerly known as Michael Townley, is the first of these characters. He is experienced in the criminal world and lives with his family in a beautiful villa in a good neighborhood of Los Santos, thanks to the robberies he committed in the past. However, money has not brought peace; his problems with his family and his own psychological problems involve him in the game again. Trevor Phillips, who has a past with Michael (I won’t go into details so as not to spoil the story), is the most striking character, perhaps the most extreme character in GTA history. I truly hate him; I hate a virtual character. This even proves what a perfect job Rockstar has done. Trevor is a psychopath, unstable, and ruthless. He is a character who blurs the line between courage and stupidity. Even if you play with him for hours, it is very difficult to predict his reactions. Franklin Clinton is the youngest member of the group. While trying to get away from his friends who are chasing outdated gangster and gang activities around him, he meets Michael and finds himself in a completely different purpose. He is after making good money and leading a comfortable life. Sometimes in missions, we also get to play our dog friend named Chop (Lamar’s dog).

In the heist sections that form the main lines of the scenario, the stories of these three characters intersect. At the same time, they all have their own main missions and side missions. As I said, they actually have independent lives and completely different family-friend relationships. In fact, when switching between characters, you don’t find the character you took control of as you left them. For example, if you last left Michael at his house, you might see him smoking a cigar on the beach the next time you come. Trevor, on the other hand, is usually watching TV at home. Character transitions take place during missions without breaking the action flow. In normal situations, the satellite image comes into play and the transition process takes about 10 seconds. These types of images have added a bit of a Jason Bourne atmosphere to the game. At the beginning of the game, all three characters come across as talented in different subjects. Michael is a good marksman, Franklin is a master driver, and Trevor is physically strong. However, depending on the activities you do with the characters, you can focus on their other features during the development process. If you constantly go to the firing range with Franklin and practice with weapons, you can increase his aiming skills. Or, if you constantly drive and do sports with Michael, you can both improve his driving characteristics and increase his physical endurance.

Of course, it’s not just the main characters who shape this world. There are also striking and effective side characters. Franklin’s friend Lamar, who never stops talking and misses the good old days when gangsters and gangs clashed, is one of them. Michael’s son Jimmy, who does no work and has hit the bottom of laziness, is also one of the special characters. And of course, as we finish the missions one by one and progress, new characters enter our lives.

The city of Los Santos never stops, just like the real Los Angeles. And it shows you how high-level wealth and extreme poverty live together. You see homeless people living in the back streets right next to skyscrapers, which are among the most important symbols of capitalism. Some of them light a fire to keep warm. In the elite neighborhood where celebrities and high-income groups live near the Vinewood hills, after watching the magnificent city view in enormous villas, you can enter the neighborhoods called slums without even traveling a kilometer. The city reveals the income inequality and reflects the two different faces of the American Dream very well.

Everyone seems to be going on with their lives. In fact, if you were to pick an ordinary person and follow them all day, you would probably see that they are actually doing nothing. Because the game constantly draws you in, you don’t think of doing this. You just pass by people. That’s when you think everyone is going on with their lives. Someone is rummaging through the trash, maybe to find food, or maybe a coat thrown away to avoid being cold at night. Some groups of friends are chatting on their feet, coffees in their hands. There are also employees on cigarette breaks in the streets. People waiting at bus stops and people trying to go home on the bus are also in Los Santos. The public transportation system is not very developed; the traffic is not very heavy compared to a city where almost every house has at least one car. Sometimes there is congestion on the ring road, but of course, we don’t encounter the kind of situations we are used to in Istanbul.

In the main missions, which sometimes take the scenario to completely different points and sometimes surprise us, the main goal is usually to earn big money or to pave the way (by helping someone) to earn big money. In GTA IV, the money earned didn’t mean much because there was no chance to invest. The situation is very different in Los Santos. Millions of “greens” are needed to be able to buy houses in good parts of the city, to order special luxury vehicles, and to buy airstrips, helicopters, and film studios. You can also multiply your wealth by using your money in the stock market. However, when buying stocks, you also take on the risk of losing. In addition, you can take time for yourself and go to strip clubs, or visit tennis or golf facilities.

When Grand Theft Auto is mentioned, one of the first things that comes to mind is undoubtedly the police. Michael, Trevor, and Franklin will suffer a lot from the police, and of course, the police will suffer from them. They now drive better vehicles and corner you much better. Instead of just firing, helicopters help their teammates below tremendously in location detection and tracking. However, there is now an element that makes escaping easier. A circle no longer forms on the map as it used to. When you get out of the sight or angles of the police chasing you, they cannot detect your location immediately. They search around for a while, look at places where you can hide, and if they can’t find you, they give up. The map on the bottom left also shows where the units can see.

GTA V has many features to be praised, but unfortunately, it has one or two minor shortcomings. The “Spawn” issue is the part that caught my eye the most; a vehicle that was right behind you can disappear the moment you look ahead for a second. Or, while your front is empty for at least 100 meters, if you look behind for a moment, you may find yourself colliding with a vehicle that “spawned” later when you turn forward. Unfortunately, the reactions of the artificial intelligence in traffic accidents have become much simpler compared to the previous game. They generally continue on their way as if nothing happened. Rarely do they make a gesture or stop for a while.

Conclusion

You have heard the concept of “life simulation” a lot, and as long as GTA exists, you will continue to hear it. Unfortunately, it is a cliché sentence now, but it is not possible to explain GTA in any other way; it is much more than a game. With its successful vehicle driving, quite large map, massive living city of Los Santos, and dozens of activities to do, GTA V reveals how much more a series that is already magnificent can raise the bar.

During the quite long gameplay period, there will be scenes that make you laugh when the time comes, and make you sad when the time comes. Be prepared for everything here, this place is like nowhere else. Los Santos swallowed many brave ones, and sent many away empty-handed. Oh Rockstar, oh… you’ve done it again!