Now that the GTA V hype is gone...

[stroopwafel]

I'd say definitely! The game is amazingly fun and Los Santos is gorgeously realized. Not only very pretty but the attention to detail is staggering. So much care and attention has been put into almost any element of this game that it wouldn't even look out of place as a next-gen game. Rockstar is really at the top of their game with this. Many are offended and/or dislike the characters and I can see why. However clever writing in their dialogues shows they are mostly self-referential parodies. With Rockstars trademark biting cynicism no less.

 

[WhyWasThat]

Not worth ?60. Wait until it drops down to about ?40. Though you could be waiting a while.

 

[Aphex Demon]

I'd say no. The game isn't good enough to warrant a "You must play this ASAP!" I'd hold off until it is a fair bit cheaper.

I can't stop watching your avatar...

 

[Something Amyss]

What bugs me is that there isn't a filter on the races. I quit after a while because I needed 27 races in the muscle class to make the dominator worth driving, and not only do you have to find a race in the muscle class, you have to win it.

If it helps any, motorcycle wins seems to count for all classes of cars. My friends and I love to race motorcycles and we got a ton of unlocks for the other vehicles. I can feel your pain, though. There really should be a filter. Or several. It could be better organised.

But I heard that your stats get lowered if you don't play for a while, like they just deteriorate. That might not be the case but I figured I should mention it.

One of the loading screens confirms this. Unfortunately, nobody seems to know how long it takes. My stats are unharmed so far, after about a week without playing. Between Thanksgiving with family and getting Saints Row IV in a sale, I hadn't played since probably last Wednesday without state degradation.

So yeah. It's real (according to the game itself), but who knows how anal it is?

[You can get inside of a truck (break the back doors and hop in) and start a shootout from inside that moving truck (the character wont slip out of it like in a lot of games), that itself could have been an activity but it isnt and if you never do it by yourself then you wont ever do it.

A slightly different way to shoot could have been an activity. I'm not seeing the argument here. Especially since it's not particularly a feature.

You can also turn your headlights off and drive around. I mean, so what?

Well, there's utterly no point in arguing with you then. I thought I was being reasonable but you're quite firm in your believe that GTA is shit.

Saying that I firmly believe it's shit is making up an excuse to say it's pointless to argue with me. There's no grounds to say it's true. Would you...I don't know...Would you like to see my play time on GTA V/Online? Claiming I think the game is shit is unreasonable.

Funny because I think Saints Row is shit, yet have not had any trouble enjoying ANY GTA game.

Opinions... how do they work?

That's supposed to be rhetorical, but you don't seem to understand how they work. You seem to have followed a process of:

-I like GTA
-Someone disagrees with me on points regarding GTA
-Therefore, that person must hate the game entirely.

I mean, honestly, what would make you think someone who said this freely:

But Los Santos is still a fun sandbox.

Was shit?

but how do opinions work? I'm free to state mine and you're free to disagree. You're free to state yours and I'm free to disagree.

I was trying to find a middle ground that we could both go "you know, maybe that's why we disagree"... but you don't want to look at it like that.

Well, no, I'm really not particularly seeking that, no. I can inherently see why people might disagree with my summation of the two. That doesn't mean I won't argue my own opinion (which is apparently all it takes to think a game is 'shit') or let lines I think are just poorly argued.

I mean, you talk about driving, and despite the 'realism' argument I would much rather drive around Los Santos than SR 3 or 4. I think that is probably enough to demonstrate the baseless nature, but I went further and all I got back was "you think the game is shit."

 

[nokori3byo]

Weirdly, GTA 5 had me riveted while I was playing the sp campaign, but I haven't thought of it since it left my console in late October. The heists were well thought out and fun, but the story is kind of a non-entity. Actually, the story that you could infer from watching the trailers is more interesting than what wound up in the game. With no likeable characters and no memorable antagonist (save perhaps for one of the player characters), it falls flat.

I couldn't get into the multiplayer either, partly because all my friends seemed to be playing on other consoles.

 

[Dark Knifer]

I haven't played online but I enjoyed the single player immensely. It's ridiculous plot and characters made for a fun ride and I found the missions rather diverse and the dialogue interesting.

 

[Kingjackl]

Yeah, it's pretty good. Maybe not so much for the Online mode, that was terrible, but the single-player campaign was great.

 

[II2]

I had an absolute blast with it, but I'll try and keep academic.

If you have an 360 or PS3, it's just about the only must have AAA game left to get (assuming you've been keeping up with your hobby). Technically, it's astonishing in its scope and ambition - despite the old hardware and resulting 'seams' in the rendering, the environmental design, art, animation & physics engine, motion capture / body scan actor performances and the staggering variety of unique art, sound, 3d and mechanical assets is unprecedented, in a single game.

That said, the technical triumph of an army of teams that the longest credit roll I've ever seen (about 35 minutes), isn't necessarily going to mean you'll like it... Subjective taste and all.

Most people's problems with the game stems from the writing, characters and narrative dialogue, as opposed to the gameplay:

This might sound odd to say of a Grand Theft Auto title, but the game is VERY mean spirited and unrelentingly cynical, even compared to the other installments of the franchise. As other people have addressed, the satire / parody / legal-smoke-screen vision of modern America and it's many facets that the series is known for has drifted from the 'tee-hee' darkly absurd humor of previous titles and, instead, jackhammers venomous cultural criticism and contempt into every possible nook of its society. In my opinion, there is an interesting dynamic to be seen in the uneasy, friendship of the three leads, but aside from one or two fleeting exceptions in the whole game, every single supporting character is unsatisfied / unhappy and every interaction they share with others is negative.

Those vibes from the narrative sunk in mostly after the fact since I was swept up having way too much fun to be analytical about things while playing, but I think they're beneath the story disconnect dissatisfied players felt. However, for myself, I found it got the most hilarious and engaging as they pushed the pitch black 'psychotic sit com' feel to 11 with the introduction and following focuses on Trevor Philips (particularly his first 5 character 'intro' missions). As much as I adore the Trevor as a character, I'm not sure if it could carry a game on it's own, or even plausibly exist without the other two protagonists acting as reference points to contrast just how over the top and gonzo he is.

---

I suppose that considering I had this much to think and say about it (and could easily keep going), three months after it came out and just about the single player, my vote is simply "get it".

 

[Chaos Isaac]

If you're getting it for the multiplayer, nope.
If you're getting it for the story or characters, nope.
If you're getting it for the heists, nope.
If you're getting it for the shenanigans, eh, not really.
If you're getting it for general GTA hooliganism, yeah.

The game is good, no doubt about it, and it starts pretty well. But everything hits a bump and goes downhill hard once Trevor is introduced. That's the point when your characters stop going from their own men to stupid yes men hench men running about doing things.

Multiplayer, while it can be oodles of fun, also just has put in little things here and there that halter the efforts to just have fun. Not to mention one of the worst unlocking systems i've ever seen.

But, all in all, it's a lot in a small package, even with it's problems, it is worth the asking price.

 

[lacktheknack]

I'd at LEAST wait for Christmas sales, but it looks like a lot of fun if you like sandbox.

(Take my opinion with a grain of salt, I've only played it for... like... twenty minutes.)

 

[GonzoGamer]

Yes.
It's not as long as your usual GTA game but the online mode has a lot of content on its own. The story missions in the online mode aren't quite as slick as the ones in the story mode but more like missions from last gen GTA games; still, a lot of fun.
It is one of the biggest (if not the biggest) and most impressive games of this generation. And this is coming from someone who wasn't very impressed with GTA4.

 

[StormDragonZ]

I've never played a single GTA game.

Am I missing out?

 

[mokes310]

The gameplay and physics are fine and the story is kind of alright sometimes. But the satire is really where it falls flat. Look up any list of LA stereotypes and you now don't need to listen to any piece of GTA V satire.

I miss Pressing Issues with Maurice Chavez. That show was actually funny.

Yes and no, with regards to the stereotypes. Much of the humor is lost on a great many people because it's very, very specific for those who have or currently live in LA.

OT: I'd say the game is 100% worth it. I've spent countless hours (too lazy to add) playing the single player, and am now going through it again. I've spent maybe 15min in GTA Online, and that to me, is about as boring as peeling potatoes.

 

[Vic 2.0]

- Cops are overpowered and psychic, making gunfights and pedestrian crime something to avoid, rather than a way to have fun like they used to be.
- Tank is way too easy to destroy = fun lost.
- You can't aim before shooting while driving, you have to start shooting first and then try to line up your shot.
- You can't crouch without being stuck to an object, in cover.
- You can't do police missions.
- You can't do ambulance missions.
- You can't do fire fighter missions.
- Helicopter controls have gotten worse.
- No gang wars/acquisition of territories.
- No nitrous in vehicles.
- No hydraulics on vehicles.
- No buyable safe houses.
- Few enterable buildings. Can't even enter businesses you own.
- Melee is still awful, and lacking (though I may be spoiled on Sleeping Dogs)
- Parkour still sucks (though, again, I may be comparing it to SD)
- Still can't destroy the train. In fact, you can't even steal it now.
- Soundtrack isn't near as good as it should've been.
- You get practically no reward for finding all those damned collectibles.
- Story sucks, mostly because I had to play as three pathetic little losers who don't know who they want to be in life. And gawd are they fugly, with the exception of maybe Franklin. Why anyone would want to play a loser in their GTA game is beyond me.
- Far too few heists, and too little freedom given to the player in how they want to COMPLETE said heists.
- Can't set default radio stations, outfits, or vehicles for any character.
- No gambling in or even SEEING a beautiful casino.
- Vehicle damage sucks, both aesthetically and functionally (several head-on collisions should total your ride).
- Can't make your guy muscular or anything.
- Can't go on dates, dance, or grab a bite to eat.
- And still no jet pack!? Seriously.

All of this (and probably more that I've overlooked) has been taken out or otherwise gone unimproved to make room for mostly boring side missions/mini-games and graphic detail/presentation (the only truly good thing about this game, IMO). That's why so many people are saying they're already bored with the game. In theory, GTA 5 Online should give people reason to keep playing. But from what I've read online, it's an even bigger mess than single player.

So, in summary, yes GTA 5 is VASTLY overrated. San Andreas was better by far.

 

[chuckman1]

The game is great I really enjoyed it.
But there is no replay value and the multiplayer is tacked on.
But i still liked it.