Grand Theft Auto V

Does GTAV live up to one of the pedigree of one of the best franchises gaming? There's no doubt for me that it does, and a few minor issues here and there don't get in the way of this game delivering such a lively and large world to explore or from presenting such an entertaining way to do dozens of activities - and I love that for the first time for GTA in nearly a decade, the developers aren't relying so heavily on mind-numbing, straightforward gunfights with thugs and cops.

This year isn’t over yet – let alone the generation – so it’d be foolish and premature for us to throw acronyms like ‘GOTY’ or ‘GOTG’ at you just yet. Even still, we simply cannot see anything out on that horizon which looks like it’s up to the task of toppling this titan – and we don’t say such things lightly. Acquire this game at all costs. Thieve it in a heist if you have to. [November 2013, p74]

Grand Theft Auto V is the rare entertainment experience that simply won’t let you down.

Instead reading or talking about GTA V, you simply need to play it. I'm going to stay in Los Santos for a while longer, because I still have lots of things to do and see. GTA V is a better version of GTA IV - and is better in almost every way. Rockstar did it again - the game has class, is smart and is constantly entertaining and amazing. It's like a little universe at your fingertips - you have to come and visit. Yeah.. the race for the Game of the Year title is pretty much over.

A remarkable gaming achievement.

Marrying gameplay brilliance to compelling characters and a world matched only in size by the number of things you can do in it, Grand Theft Auto V is a masterpiece--one of the greatest games ever made.

The gameplay is flawless as are the graphics which creates one of the finest games of 2013 and will be a contender for Game of the Year. It's easy to see why this is the most expensive game ever created and will be the most psychological game that you have ever played!

Grand Theft Auto V is everything you’d expect in a Rockstar product and once again, they have managed to significantly outdo themselves.

It isn’t a game that will appeal to everyone, as it is an open world, violent game without a moral compass. But boy can you have fun without worrying about morals.

Without question, the most involving, top-to-bottom, start-to-finish, out-of-body experience ever presented in a video game.

Grand Theft Auto V is the best the series has ever been, and that’s a compliment that speaks volumes.

GTA5 does much more than repeat the San Andreas model, introducing many new features in the franchise. From those, the one that adds a whole new dimension to the game is the fact that for the first time we have three main characters instead of one. GTA is the king of controversy... long live the king.

Grand Theft Auto V is not just the best sandbox game there is. It's not just one of the best 3rd-person shooters ever. It's not just a great action game, a great driving game, and a great piloting or sports game. It's not just the biggest audiovisual spectacle in the last few years. Grand Theft Auto V is the best game in the current console generation, period.

What genius. Rockstar Games are still at the top level of open world videogames and they want everybody to know it, especially the rival titles. They will need a lot of creativity and great ingenuity to take the crown from the grip of the king GTA 5. No matter what happens next, a video game has never reached such depth in its gameplay. Gunfights from Max Payne 3, the exploration system from Red Dead Redemption, the driving system from Midnight Club: simply the best from the best. Simply perfect.

GTA V is in line with our expectations. It offers what we expected: a beautiful and gigantic world, hours and hours of play... but it does it better than ever. GTA V also adds the ability to switch between three different characters, which is really interesting and fun during hold-up sequences. This is a must-have, obviously.

Three incredible characters in a well-driven storyline, a ton of things to do and a ton of fun. GTA 5 is simply the best game of this generation.

It is engaging, compelling, interesting, clever, funny and packed with things to do and see. It’s a personal story, or several personal stories, set in a magnificent world that ebbs and flows with thousands of people who all seem to be living their own personal stories. It’s a genuine landmark event in the history of videogames.

Pull out the clichés and superlatives, because they’re all applicable. GTA 5 is the ultimate milestone for the series, as well as for gaming as a whole. When it comes to scale, detail, character, freedom and spectacle this generation of consoles has reached its absolute peak. It doesn’t trump The Last of Us or BioShock: Infinite in the form of emotional impact, but there’s no other game out there that does this much this well.

It's the best and the biggest sandbox ever made. The story and how it's told, the deep world around us where there's always something happening, and the amount of content and things to do, make it the perfect closure for this generation.

Part of what makes the game so generally appealing is that, for the most part, it drops the nagging feeling of “good for an open world game."...Grand Theft Auto V is a good shooter and a good driving game with responsive character control. While some of the extras might be spread a little thin, there are no compromises with these central mechanics, which is a feat for a game of this breadth.

If a picture is worth a thousand words then the game itself is a novel every city block and every dusty trail. It’s the million dollar fireworks display at the end of the current generation cycle of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 – handing out free beer and barbeque chicken wings.

If anyone is still wondering if GTA has lost its ability to take on the politically correct about ‘appropriate’ content, do not fear, as it is full of violence, social commentary and explicit nature that is sure to aggravate someone with too much time on their hands.

There’s simply more here than in any game before, and yet quality is never sacrificed for quantity. Personal favourites will persist, but it’s hard to put anything else on top of the pile. Everything you’ve ever wanted a GTA game to be, and a whole lot more. Consistently hilarious, constantly compelling and combining never-before-seen scale and ambition. This is going to make next-gen look bad for a long time to come.

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.

Rockstar shows one more time how to build a masterpiece. GTA V is not perfect but has everything you'll ever dream in a sandbox game. San Andreas is gorgeous and full of life, Trevor, Michael and Franklin are a trio full of charisma and the game simply raises the bar in so many aspects you won't believe that it runs on an eight years old hardware. It's worth your money, it's worth you time.

With a swan song to the aging console generation Rockstar once again shows us what Open World really means. The Developer takes a sandbox, blows it up to the size of a football field, fills it with the most beautiful sand and all the toys we really want to play with.

GTA IV was extraordinarily good, but it took itself a little bit too seriously. GTA V outdoes even San Andreas when it comes to changing up standard shootouts with more wacky, explosive and memorable missions. [October 2013 p.56]

Grand Theft Auto V is the magnum opus of the current generation. It has an amazing game world filled with loads of content and the feeling that you can do literally anything you want. Add three fantastic main characters to it, with their flaws and virtues and you have the recipe for this magnificent game. Nothing less than a masterpiece.

Grand Theft Auto V is nothing short of perfection. It has a bit of everything for everyone in terms of gameplay. A good story mixed with intense action sequences and a large scope to set all of it up in. If this was going to be the last big title from Rockstar on this generation, what a helluva way to go out.

Editing the GTA formula has been done with love and care. Playing with no less than three main characters works well in every thinkable way, and after finishing the compelling and sharply written story, there’s enough to do in the wide world of Los Santos and environment. GTA 5 simply offers an ambitious, successful experience of a rare quality level.

San Andreas is vast and sprawling and so much fun to explore. There are thousands of things to do and hundreds of missions, so this will not be a quick playthrough.

Rockstar Games deserves credit for pushing the boundaries of its flagship franchise yet again with improved controls, great mission variety, and the most jam-packed open world I've ever visited.

Gigantic and stupidly detailed, GTA V is everything we hoped it would be. Individual components could be a touch better, but when a game does literally everything, nobody can expect perfection across the board. That it even comes close is incredible. [Issue#236, p.62]

An absolute masterpiece that you can't miss: this is a perfect sequel in the GTA series.

The long-awaited fifth episode in Rockstar's extremely popular franchise delivers on all fronts. It's one of those rare games that does everything absolutely right and therefore a purchase is definitely in order. What are you waiting for?

Don't let the missing half-point fool you, Grand Theft Auto V is as good of a retail release you'll find this generation and an excellent coda to this generation for Rockstar.

Grand Theft Auto V is a gargantuan accomplishment, with an emphasis on the word “gargantuan.” It may still have an assortment of inconsistencies, idiosyncrasies and eccentricities, but one could argue that such missteps still give this franchise a singular character.

Time just melted away as I lived a second, third, and fourth life in GTA V. The experience consists of more than just crimes. I played tennis, enrolled in a flight school, captured fugitives, watched movies, and towed cars. A lot of that doesn’t sound fun on paper, but they bring some semblance of real life to a world that otherwise runs on its own bizarre rules.

Whether you were burned by GTA 4 or not, GTA 5 remembers what the series is all about: emergent sandbox fun and a helluva a lot of murder. You need to play it.

These characters are voice-acted so annoyingly well that you almost wish the character would never speak again, just like some of the main characters. The music and talk shows are also great to listen to as you are traveling around. All in all, the sound department is not lacking in GTA V.

Grand Theft Auto V is a remarkable achievement. Fun, challenging, satisfying and morally complex, it’s also proof of the ability of games to tackle mature subjects while still being enjoyable diversions, all in service to great characters and a gritty story.

All in all, Grand Theft Auto V is one of those majorly hyped titles that actually delivers.

The best way to bid farewell to the retiring consoles is to spend dozens of hours having fun in Los Santos: robbing, abusing illegal substances, breaking all laws and enjoying everything else that GTA V has to offer. And after we finish the game, we should all say loudly: ‘okay, Rockstar girls and boys, it’s high time to make a truly new GTA, not just a gigantic DLC’. [12/2013, p.36]

Rockstar put tons of time and effort into polishing its winning formula. It isn't a dramatic change for the series, but it's a more polished, and very enjoyable, addition to the franchise.

A compelling culmination of exact care and attention, Grand Theft Auto V's obsessive attention to detail is matched only by its gripping mission design and clever caricature cast.

If you’re absolutely opposed to torture, or you need a positive woman character in your game, Grand Theft Auto V is a complete non-starter...Despite my feelings about those things, however, I still found myself having fun outside of them. The rest of the game is good enough that I was up until 3:00 am one night playing mission after mission.

GTA5 may not be the Hollywood-beating crime story it wants to be, then, but it's the best video game it's ever been, and I'll take that.

GTA V is an imperfect yet astounding game that has great characters and an innovative and exciting narrative structure, even if the story it uses that structure to tell is hobbled at times by inconsistent character behavior, muddled political messages and rampant misogyny. It also raises the bar for open-world mission design in a big way and has one of the most beautiful, lively, diverse and stimulating worlds ever seen in a game.