Day 26: Grand Theft Auto V
To kick off the second half of this marathon, I'd like to talk about one of the best sandbox games in recent years, Grand Theft Auto V.
This story follows three people, Franklin Clinton, Michael De Santa (Real last name is Townley), and Trevor Philips, as they try to pull off a series of heists to make some cash. However, these heists begin to have an effect on the three men's personal lives, with Michael having loads of issues with his family, Franklin and his best friend Lamar's friendship going through all sorts of trials and tribulations, and Trevor just having a knack for pissing every one off (especially if they're a gang/rival criminals/the security firm Merryweather). On top of that, the government gets involved, and need Franklin, Michael, and Trevor's help to stick it to a rival agency.
As you can see this game has lots of plots and subplots that it can be a little difficult to keep up. But like most games with a complex plot, our attention is drawn to the gameplay, and since Grand Theft Auto V is a sandbox game you bet it delivers a lot of content to keep you from getting bored. There's tons of missions, both story and side, for you to do that are pretty fun. The story missions especially are really fun as they can range from epic chases, action packed shootouts, sometimes both. The heist missions are especially fun to go through, and a few missions are dedicated to the intricate preparation of them.
On top of fun missions, the three playable characters, Franklin, Michael, and Trevor, have different abilities that make them feel different from each other.
Franklin can slow time down while driving, making each turn more accurate.
Michael can also slow down time, but only while shooting, making it easier to damage enemies before they can do any damage to you.
And Trevor can take out anyone in one shot with whatever weapon he has at his disposal. This is especially fun, and a key point, in Trevor's Rage Missions where you have to kill as many as you can within a given time limit.
The Side Missions are usually more mellow and involve things like helping someone impound cars, be a Paparazzo, raid cash trucks, catch bail jumpers, and even being a good Samaritan by stopping a potential crime, driving a taxi, or picking up some hitchhikers…where you can either take them to the location requested or a cult of cannibals for some money…Ah, it's Grand Theft Auto, what did I expect?
And since this is a sandbox game, GTA V gives you tons of things to do beyond that like pulling off crazy jumps with makeshift ramps, car and character customization, and if you're feeling really adventurous…kill everything and everyone in sight with a vast variety of weapons.
Or you could play Grand Theft Auto Online where you can do more heist missions, compete in other game modes, and interact with other players while simultaneously screwing over those you don't know. I never really was that big on online games, with one exception that will come later, but if you are then GTA V should take care of you just fine.
With all that there is to do and see in the game, Grand Theft Auto V is a sublime experience that might not be my favorite Sandbox game, but it's definitely in my Top 3 of the genre and my favorite Grand Theft Auto game released so far. Hopefully if Rockstar decides to release Grand Theft Auto VI, it'll be even better than this game.
