assorted thoughts...
16 May 2024I've been a computer nerd since I was a kid, but I've never been super into gaming. When I do play something it's usually from over twenty years ago, but this morning I had a little bit of free time and decided to revisit Grand Theft Auto V. This game is a looker and a technical marvel, especially considering it was made to run on hardware from 2005. Texture quality, lighting, shadows, and reflections are all superb. But as the looks wore off and I continued to roam around sun-soaked San Andreas, I couldn't believe the thought that was forming in my head. This game sucks. I know, what an original opinion. It's a decade-old game and nearly all games that are critically acclaimed at launch tend to be brutally reanalyzed ten or so years down the line. It's the popular thing to do. But I couldn't think of a single thing that GTA V did better than GTA San Andreas, besides the graphics. The controls felt sluggish; moving my character around felt like dragging a puppet by its strings. I got into a little encounter with RoboCop. He was knocked down by a nearby explosion and immediately proceeded to get up and run (laterally, no less) while firing his shotgun at me. The missions felt overly scripted and lifeless – that sense of spontaneity and arcadey freedom inherited from GTA 3 and San Andreas completely absent. Not to mention the yoga mission. This game is full of yoga missions – missions that exist strictly for plot purposes and not for good gameplay, missions that leave you wondering, "Is this really the best use of my time?"
No one builds virtual worlds the way Rockstar Games does, and I could still see the glimmers of genius that high school me found so appealing in this game. But people waited five years for this game, and people have been waiting more than ten years for the sequel. I'll play Grand Theft Auto VI when it comes out, but if this is the future of gaming, then I think I'll pass.
go back home...