To fans of the Grand Theft Auto fans around the world, we say: the wait is over! The fifth installment of the series that needs no introduction was just released by Rockstar Studios, for the current-gen Xbox and PlayStation consoles which it really pushes in terms of hardware capability. One wonders how they are still able to run it as well as the reviews say they do, given their age and obvious technical limitations. However, despite still being responsive on the same two rigs as its five year-old predecessor, it looks better and more polished, with even more detail and expansiveness built in – a much better optimization job than before, perhaps?

There is so much to talk about when it comes to GTA5, that I honestly don’t know where to start. A good place would be the players’ choice of three characters to play, though unlike other games, you don’t just select one then have to contend with him (no female characters to play, though) for the rest of the game. Here, you can seamlessly shift from one to the other, and this is a major game mechanic as most of the major story missions are carried out by the unlikely trio.

The voice acting is good, the satire is as edgy as ever, and there’s plenty of might. Moreover, just like its predecessors, you have ultimate freedom to do whatever you want, however you want, and noticeably scripted moments are reportedly few and far between – one review noted this as a bad mark, but it does nothing to spoil the massive appeal of the game.

Physics-wise, I always thought that GTA4 got the formula just right, with its overly-floaty yet grippy driving style, and absurd yet believable ragdoll behavior, while this new one just looks a little bit toned down and more realistic – it may just look that way, though. Thankfully, all accounts indicate that the car-handling model is solid and diversified, but we can’t state that for sure, until we’ve had a chance to try it out for ourselves.

Below you will find several video reviews of the new open world game, as well as the first hour of gameplay if like me you’re a PC user and are feeling a bit left out when a new GTA game comes out – it isn’t the first time, nor the last, and just like with the 4th installment, it will be the PC version (and next-gen console versions) that will really show the developers’ vision in full, especially from a graphics point of view.

Be warned, though; the lengthiest of the posted videos is, of course, full of spoilers so it’s up to you if you want to watch it or not. It’s the last one down, preceded by a (shorter) drive of the entire world, but just do a search on YouTube and you will be rewarded because it seems that everybody is playing this game just as it came out.

By Andrei Nedelea

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