Grand Theft Auto V: Still Stomping the Gas Pedal
Navigating the perennial chaos of Los Santos has never looked so good.
last updated Dec 11, 2023
After circling the sun many times over, Grand Theft Auto V refuses to hit the brakes, maintaining its status as a cultural juggernaut.
Life in the Fast Lane
Buckle up, buttercup, because Grand Theft Auto V is still tearing up the streets with the reckless abandon of a sugared-up kid in a candy store. Whether you're a grizzled vet or a wide-eyed noob, the single-player mode offers a narrative punch as impactful as your first failed attempt at parallel parking in downtown Los Santos. With the option to mod the story mode, players can throw in their own spicy twist to the chaos, though the vanilla experience itself is still a wild ride rivaling Mr. Toad's. GTA Online, on the other hand, is the digital equivalent of a Las Vegas buffet: a smorgasbord of activities that range from exhilarating to downright bizarre. While hackers can be a tackle box of annoyance, it's the price to pay for the dizzying highs of heists and hijinks.
Orchestras of Anarchy
What would a high-speed car chase be without the proper tunes to back it up? As heart-racing as a snail race? Fear not, Grand Theft Auto V doesn't just deliver; it throws the whole kitchen sink, dishwasher included, at you. The score is as iconic as a precautionary tale about the dangers of loaning money to Michael. The radio stations are a delectable mix-tape of auditory pleasure that'll have your nostalgic heart and eardrums tapping in joy. Plus, they drown out the screams of the pavement as you fashionably forget what red lights mean - convenient, right? Amidst the chaos, the sound effects ring true: every bullet, engine roar, and reveller's cheer at the Vanilla Unicorn collaboratively pulling you deeper into the world.
Aesthetic Larceny
The road to graphical contentment within Grand Theft Auto V is smoother than Trevor's head post-shave. The 4k textures are sharper than a switchblade in a knife fight, painting Los Santos in a light so real, you'll be squinting from the virtual sun. Performance-wise, if you've got a rig that can handle it, the 60 FPS flow is as silky as Michael's therapist's persuasion skills. That being said, complaints of the Steam and Rockstar integration have popped up, like finding a fly in your soup – both irritating and enough to put a damper on the feast. But if your machine can hit the high notes of the required specs, the virtual sunsets are worth every graphic-tuned penny.
STEAM RATING
Developer
Rockstar North
Publisher
Rockstar Games
Release Date
April 13, 2015
The Final Verdict
After circling the sun many times over, Grand Theft Auto V refuses to hit the brakes, maintaining its status as a cultural juggernaut. With an engaging single-player story, impressive modding possibilities, and a multiplayer experience that still sparks joy and fury alike, GTA V remains a masterpiece of the open-world genre. Despite its aging framework and some hiccups with game launchers, the sheer allure of Los Santos keeps players coming back for just one more ride.
