- 34,949
- Indian Falls, NY
- slashfan7964
[MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!]
Read at your own risk!
First off, I want to start by saying this review is entirely my own, all based on my opinion and my views of the game. This review is not to spoil anything, but for me to reflect on Grand Theft Auto V and offer some views to those who may not have bought the game yet and are wondering how it is. What you are about to read will be extremely long, in depth, and I will try to cover as much of the game as I possibly can.
Alrighty, lets go. Where to start, where to start. Lets start on the standard open world gameplay before I start to dig into the story. I will be doing some editing here and there, so this review probably won't be done right away. Now then, lets carry on.
~Driving/Cars in General
~Driving Physics
This is a big one. There is just so much to say about cars in general in this game, but lets start lightly and dig into the actual driving physics. Remember, this is how I view the game and is not necessarily equal to how others view it. I'll do my best to try and describe it here.
In short, if you've played L.A. Noire, the driving physics are nothing short of a carbon copy. But like GTA IV, each car has something different to offer. Each car has a different weight. Old station wagons are slow and heavy for example, but when you slap the emergency brake and turn the wheel, watch out because the back end of that thing is going to slide out. This makes it very fun offroad, especially trying to drift down a trail on a mountain side, if you don't get stuck going up a hill, mind you.
Low speed physics are simply ok at best. It really depends where on the map you are, like on or off road. Cars will jerk with torque if you rev them up, and dumping the emergency break can break the tires loose, but generally not too long. Cars do still have a tendency to bog down when you have spun out and put it to the floor immediately after, but definitely not to the extent of GTA IV. Depending on the vehicle you are in, this can change because of the cars power output. High powered Cheetah's and the like won't do it as much as say a Bobcat pickup truck. Steering is jerky at low speeds. You have to be carful to make a smooth turn. Too much and you will whip the front end of the car to the side. This holds true with every GTA though, so nothing new here.
High speed physics are tight. I mean that in the sense that they are very similar Midnight Club: Los Angeles. This is not a bad thing though, as they have become very refined in these last few years. Yes, cars feel like they were designed to be woven in and out of traffic on a highway, but it is very easy to get used to, and at least once I did, I find them to be some of the very best driving physics to touch a GTA game. There is still room for improvement though. Cars will easily slide the back end out but drifting on pavement has proven to be a bit tough. Overall, cars feel very, very planted and if you aren't a fan of this style physics, then you probably won't like it. I assure you though, it is definitely NOT arcade like. It is easy to spin a car out should you push it a bit too far, but as I said, cars feel pretty solid and planted. It really depends on the car you are driving as physics change for each. Regardless, the physics are decent and for a GTA game, probably the best in the series.
Ragdoll physics have been nerfed heavily. They don't nearly show up as much as GTA IV. It is very tough to get your guy to fly through the windshield, but it can be done.
Offroad, it seems some cars have a bit too much grip. Heavy, low powered cars should not be up to race up the side of a cliff. You can get used to it, but I can't help but noticed that. On trails, they feel decent, but rock crawling, mudding, and hill climbing just offer way too much grip. This applies to ATV's and dirt bikes like the Sanchez as well. Those are very jerky and proved way too much grip with minimal slippage. Riding ATV's is controllable at speed but feel a bit funky with all it's grip, that's the best way I can put it. I can't really describe it. The best way to know is to play it. Besides the sliding on trails, the offroad physics are anything but realistic, so if you were expecting them to be, you will be disappointed.
Water travel is ok, but again it is vehicle dependant. Jet skis get around ok, but they top out quickly. Boats that are mid sized feel a bit clunky but in general are a bit more refined than GTA IV, and still really similar. So if you liked GTA IV's water travel, it's not too different overall here. The submarines are bulky and slow and the water is murky and hard to see down below, so be careful. Overall they are pretty average I'd say.
Flying is definitely interesting. If you have a low flight skill, wich you should if you've just started, you will have a tough time controlling an aircraft. I say this because Rockstar has implemented turbulence. Pay attention because your plane or helicopter can bounce around in the air. This decreases as your skill increases, as the character seems to compensate. Flying has a bit clunky controls until you get used to them, but they aren't too bad. I'd much prefer Grand Theft Auto: San Andrea's flying controls.
~Car Modifying
Ah, don't you just love to supe up a car? Personally, I like to take an old clunker and build it into a sleeper. Grand Theft Auto V allows you to do just that.
Modifying cars can range from outstanding to crap. It depends on the vehicle. Like the original Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, some cars have more mods than others. For example, a Banshee might have a hood scoop mod and a bunch of other goodies, whereas a run down, beater only has a standard set that is common among most cars. Another example is that something like a Vigero, that can have a drag racing style wheelie bar added on (though pointless as you can't pop a wheelie. It's just a visual). Just about every vehicle is modifiable, with the exception of a few. Those mainly are special vehicles like ATV's. Motorcyles are also modifiable.
One of my complaints in this department is the price for a part (though, if you purchase Los Santos Customs in the desert with Franklin, every part for him at that exclusive location is free). Once you complete the story, money won't be an object for a very long time. However, until then, it can be very hard to customize that Bullet GT over there. Some parts will cost you over $25,000 to install, and a fully customized car can cost well over $100,000.
Another complaint, is the inability to increase the top speed of the car. You can only increase the acceleration trait, since there is going gearing mod. The transmission mods only increase acceleration.
The biggest issue with car modding is the fact that if you install some parts, other parts become useless. For example, an engine mod and transmission mod can max out your acceleration stat, making the option of a turbo pointless. You have to watch how you install things though, because certain combinations are cheaper than going with one mod that will yield the same results. Rockstar thought they could be sly here.
There are some useful mods though. Car armor can be bought in multiple stages, bullet proof tires can be bought. There are also pointless ones, like drag racing radials, wheelie bars, roll bars, bumpers, headlights, and colored tire smoke. It does make a nice touch to the game though, and gives you a level of customization not seen in most open world games, especially one as large as this with as much resources as it takes up. I was a bit disappointed that you have to purchase lifted trucks though (or steal them!), as lift kits and big tires aren't offered as we originally believed.
I also have noticed that location and condition of the vehicle with change what mods are available to you. I took a beat up '57 Chevy lookalike to a shop in the desert, and was only offered basic upgrades. I took a nicer, cleaner version to a shop in the city and I had the option to install a blower, side exhaust pipes and bumpers. So it depends on where you go as to what mods you are offered. Different mods at different shops.
~Damage
This is a big one. I've seen a few posts on the boards here about damage. TiZzla and Jay hit the nail on the head with this one.
Damage is good and bad. Really, it is. It has been improved significantly, but it still has flaws. Some are rather large.
Car against car collisions have been nerfed so that your car will last longer overall. That way, every time you hit something, your car won't be damaged beyond usability. I think this is awesome. While some more damage would have been nice, this is definitely a +1 in my book. Engines no longer catch on fire after a few large hits either. They will catch fire, but it is definitely not too easy and will take a lot of abuse. You have more of a chance blowing it up and killing yourself from hitting something at speed (provided you don't ragdoll out the window), then actually setting it on fire from constant crashing. Again, TiZzla hit this one perfect when he said:
TiZzla
I totally agree with this.
For sake of typing it out, I'll quote his post. You can pretty much nail down the damage to this:
TiZzla
A very good roll will cause doors to go flying, the hood to come off, windows to break etc. I love how windows break, because the glass around the edge will stay on the car and the center will go. Definitely an improvement there. Jay also made a good point about rollovers not crushing the roof on a large ground impact. That is one of the biggest issues with the damage physics. Getting hit by a train should totally wreck a car, but sometimes it doesn't. It depends on how you line up on the tracks.
Also pointed out above, is the fact that old cars are tougher than modern cars. I thought that was a neat touch. That would probably be overlooked by most people, but it really gives you a good idea to how much detail Rockstar really does pay attention to. It blows my mind. Absolutely floored.
One other small feature, if you can call it that, is when you crash into another car at a decent speed, you can actually kill the driver. Insane.
Overall, with some flaws, they have been improved over GTA IV tenfold. I am impressed with this. A couple patches could fix it, but personally I believe Rockstar will just leave it alone.
~Car Sounds/Miscellaneous
This is a big one, at least for me. Cars sound astoundingly better than they did in GTA IV, or any other GTA for that matter. Most sound similar to Midnight Club: Los Angeles, but then they changed up the samples a bit so they weren't recycled. There are recycled sounds from other games though in general, like animals from Red Dead Redemption, but that's for later.
For the most part, big V8 cars sound beefy and gurgly, I4 cars sound like real life, revving to the sky for the most part. Big diesel trucks are recycled from GTA IV. It's neat though, because a car might have the same style engine, but has an exhaust note unique to the car. This has been implemented before, but not as intense as this. A Coquette has a high revving American V8, and a station wagon has a low revving one with a buttload of torque for example. A lot of stuff was carried over from that game. You'd be surprised just how more immersive it really makes the game though. Great addition in my opinion.
Tire screeching and squeals are carried over and changed up a bit. When heavy cars slide, you can hear the rubber ripping off the tires and shredding them. Popping tires is a bit difficult though. It takes some time, unlike GTA IV, when doing a brakestand, to pop them. Exhaust backfires are also back, and they change in sound and size depending on the car and the exhaust system you have installed as a mod. Offroad sounds are more in depth than GTA IV, and you can hear rocks popping out from underneath a tire, dirt being ripped up, etc. It really does sound awesome and it's all HD audio.
Another small but neat feature is the ability to raise and lower the top on a convertible car. Is it needed? No. Is it awesome? Hell yes. Again, just goes to show all the little things Rockstar pays attention to.
The four wheel drive systems on trucks and SUV's vary greatly depending on the one you choose. Some have open differentials, others have LSD's, so offroading is always going to be special. You never know what you are getting. I also rather like revving my engine and spinning four tires from a stoplight, just to show off.
There was something else that caught my attention that most people probably won't notice, but it is street light drag racing. Nothing comes up on the screen...you simply just pull up, rev your engine, and see if the guy next to you will to. When the light turns green, race to the next light.
__________________________________
So far, I think I've covered most driving related stuff. If I think of more, I will definitely at it in.
There will be more later. This is just part one. Part II will follow soon, though I'm not sure what I want to cover next. Suggestions are welcome.. Also, I'm thinking that anyone who wants to contribute, can. It will be easier on me (I'll add stuff in as needed etc)and it will be more community oriented. Just PM me with your additions, and when added in I'll make a credits list at the bottom of this post.
CREDITS
Thanks to those who have contributed to this review.
Slashfan
TiZzla
Jay
TheKitten
TiZzla
Jay
TheKitten
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