Grand in Every Sense
When we reviewed Grand Theft Auto 5 on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on September 16, 2013, it earned a score of 10 out of 10 - a masterpiece. Here’s what we said then:
Grand Theft Auto V is not only a preposterously
enjoyable video game, but also an intelligent and sharp-tongued satire
of contemporary America. It represents a refinement of everything that
GTA IV brought to the table five years ago. It’s technically more
accomplished in every conceivable way, but it’s also tremendously
ambitious in its own right. No other world in video games comes close to
this in size or scope, and there is sharp intelligence behind its sense
of humour and gift for mayhem. It tells a compelling, unpredictable,
and provocative story without ever letting it get in the way of your own
self-directed adventures through San Andreas.
It is one of the very best video games ever made.
Virtually everything in that review stands true of the 2014 version on
PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. This is the same 30-plus hours of
action-heavy story missions with the same
three satirical protagonists, and nearly limitless potential for driving, flying, boating, or biking around. Just a smattering of minor new side quests, different types of wildlife (from cats to dolphins), and collectibles top off its already enormous pile of content.
three satirical protagonists, and nearly limitless potential for driving, flying, boating, or biking around. Just a smattering of minor new side quests, different types of wildlife (from cats to dolphins), and collectibles top off its already enormous pile of content.
The key difference between GTA 5 on new-gen consoles
and last year's version is that developer Rockstar has done an
outstanding job of updating this still-amazing game so that it feels
right at home on these platforms. Everything looks strikingly better
running at full 1080p resolution, with dramatically enhanced textures,
lighting effects, and detail in general. A greatly increased draw
distance makes the vistas of the San Andreas region extremely
impressive, and I don’t know if I’ve ever seen an in-game rainstorm as
convincing as these. With this revamp, GTA 5 has reestablished itself as
the high bar for what an open-world game can be in terms of scale,
graphical quality, and density of things to do.
While the PlayStation 4 version has a slight graphical edge
over the Xbox One, featuring noticeably more grass and plants in some
areas, both generally do a good job of maintaining 30 frames per second,
with only occasional minor slowdowns that mostly kick in when
approaching busy intersections at high speed. Other than that, the only
appreciable differences I spotted were that the Xbox One’s rumble
triggers give driving a more tactile feel, and the DualShock 4 plays
cell phone conversations and beeps through the controller’s speakers,
and the light on the controller flashes red and blue when the police are
after you.
The big new feature for the new-generation consoles is the
optional first-person mode. It’s a whole new way of experiencing Grand
Theft Auto like we never have before. Rockstar has gone out of its way
to make sure everything looks great when viewing it through your
characters’ eyes instead of over their shoulders, and the controls work
pretty much the way you expect them to in a first-person shooter. An
impressive amount of control configuration options let you tailor it to
your liking, and you can even set it to automatically switch from first
to third person when you enter cover or get into a car. The different
perspective made things feel more like they were happening to me, rather
than a character I was controlling, which makes GTA a surprisingly different experience. Driving or flying is, of course, a lot tougher
with the more limited view, but still lots of fun, and the ability to
switch at will makes it a luxury.
It’s impressive how virtually no opportunity to throw in a subtle little
touch was missed. There are now first-person-specific animations for
all kinds of activities, including climbing ladders, getting yanked out
of a car you’ve just stolen and thrown to the ground, and flipping the
bird. Even in-mission events, like when Michael’s son hands him a soda
in the car, are animated – Michael’s hand reaches out, takes the drink,
and brings it up to the camera as he takes a sip.
GTA 5 for new-gen consoles also includes the still-problematic Grand
Theft Auto Online multiplayer mode. It’s absolutely great for
small-scale multiplayer antics, where you and a few friends get together
and do co-op jobs, races, death matches, vehicular combat battles, or
just sew random chaos throughout the San Andreas region. However, in a
week of trying, I’ve never been able to get into a game with more than
seven players – far short of the advertised increased limit of 30.
Worse, the wait times to get in and out of matches has been extreme, to
the point where my GTA Online experience has been roughly 60 percent
playing and 40 percent waiting to play, with frequent disconnects and
occasional crashes. Because of that, I can’t strongly recommend getting
GTA 5 based on the multiplayer experience alone.
