Grand Theft Auto V

CT Phipps

CT Phipps

Carbon Dated and Proud
It is, for the time being, the biggest game ever (probably until the next one) so let's discuss the video game and what you loved as well as what you didn't like. As a technical achievement, it's absolutely amazing and easily one of the most--okay, flat out is, the best accomplishment in terms of creating a vibrant gameable world they've done yet. It's an irony in a industry where you can create virtually any new fantastical world, the single biggest job they've ever done is recreate Los Angeles--which a lot of people can actually visit in the real world.

Despite this, I have only one real problem with the game and that's the fact I have often loved and loathed characters but I've rarely just not wanted to spend any particular time with these assholes. Protagonists or Antagonists.

Michael and Franklin remain two of my least favorite Grand Theft Auto protagonists. It's strange because I really was all set to enjoy Michael's storyline but it not only failed to soar but never took off. It's similar to Franklin in that he basically seems like someone took C.J. and said, "You really shouldn't find CJ cool and here's why?" Except CJ comes off as a thousand times more likable and enjoyable than Franklin.

Trevor? Trevor was awesome and bizarrely so given he truly is the most reprehensible of GTA protagonists.

I think it fundamentally all boils down to the fact Michael and Franklin are incapable of going five minutes in the game without pissing and moaning about their circumstances. This is especially noticeable given Michael and Franklin are for the majority of the game both millionaires living in Los Angeles' nicer neighborhoods with their only major problems being families who loathe them and who would probably better off them but who THEY don't particularly like.

So why should we care?

Trevor is a monster but actually seems capable of having friendships and camraderie.

The antagonists have the same flaw with the fact none of them have an ounce of menace. It says something about the game that doing the optional Scientology spoof, I actually felt the cult leader seemed like he had more of an eye on the ball than Devin Westin, the ostensible Big Bad of the game.

Yeesh.

Despite this, I had an amazing amount of time with the game but still can't shake the feeling I'd have had a lot more fun with just about anyone else in the game.

I mean Tommy Vercetti had FUN.

And Nico I actually gave a shit about.
 
Trevor was awesome. He was an irredeemable monster But... one you wouldn't mind spending the day with.

Micheal: I get him. I get where he's coming from with his family. Shame They never followed through with that plot thread.

Franklin: the "anti-CJ" is a cool idea. Lamar was a better character though tbh.

Story: okay Wtf is going on with this games story? Characters are brought up as a big part of a characters life and never brought up but like one more time. Gotta be the FIB's bitch but also let's steal some cars for this guy... Oh shit he's with the FIB or... Something? Now people want all my friends dead what do I do?

This games story was fun at the time but in retrospect... Its an irredeemable mess that should probably rewritten completely.

Gameplay: God-tier as per usual.

All in all... I feel the game was worth my time.
 
R.Graves said:
Trevor was awesome. He was an irredeemable monster But... one you wouldn't mind spending the day with.
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Trevor is the only one who actually believes the others are his friends. It's just he's wrong for 90% of the game.

Micheal: I get him. I get where he's coming from with his family. Shame They never followed through with that plot thread.
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Ultimately, for me, the problem is it seems to be telling a aesop which isn't really either very Grand Theft Auto or well justified in the game. Michael has an enormously shit family who doesn't respect him or support him just like he doesn't do the same for them. The game wants to teach a kind of schmaltzy, "Oh, they really DO love each other" message except I didn't buy that for a second.

It strikes me that it would have been far more GTA if instead of trying to convince us the De Santas should be together that they should:

1. Have Michael be left by his family and his life actually improve along with theirs.
2. Have Michael do a lot of mayhem to win them back.
3. Do the Nico Bellic thing where he's lost his family because of his actions and it's actually irrepairable.

The existing plot didn't work out at all.

Franklin: the "anti-CJ" is a cool idea. Lamar was a better character though tbh.
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I don't mind the fact GTA 5 put down the "gang lifestyle" and there was actually something touching about how Lamar put down "killing Ballers" (which we've all done in San Andreas by the dozens) as killing Black men just like Franklin and Lamar. I mean, Lamar is a screw up but he has some basic human decency and Franklin rides the coattails of everyone else.

He also has about a tenth of the personality.

Story: okay Wtf is going on with this games story? Characters are brought up as a big part of a characters life and never brought up but like one more time. Gotta be the FIB's bitch but also let's steal some cars for this guy... Oh shit he's with the FIB or... Something? Now people want all my friends dead what do I do?
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I think the game would have benefited if the Mexican Cartel leader had been played straight rather than as a joke or if Devin Westin actually was more than a yuppie putz. I mean there's a nuclear bomb the character's steal at one point and a biological weapon.

I feel like the game's plot is ALL OF THE IDEAS they had versus one.

This games story was fun at the time but in retrospect... Its an irredeemable mess that should probably rewritten completely.
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Ditto.

Gameplay: God-tier as per usual.

All in all... I feel the game was worth my time.
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I had a lot of fun with it. It really was an excuse plot, though.
 
I haven't played it yet but liked San Andreas. My problem with it was that the game was way too arcade for my liking and maybe too difficult in many parts. They went through the trouble of creating a huge game area but not a particularlily engaging story or good quests. I wonder if V has better story & quests etc.
 
Ninja said:
Yeah? Okay? I never said CJ was better. Hell, I like Lamar more than Franklin, who has the personality of an empty box of Corn Flakes. But that doesn't mean he has "basic human decency".
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He has SOME of it in that he seems capable of caring about people. Franklin...doesn't.
 
69 missions did not seem long enough for the type of story Rockstar wanted to tell.

Like what was said previously, characters are introduced and then dropped. Stretch being the worst, he's a "main" antagonist who shows up a whopping two times barring the ending and his plan involves killing Lamar because... Lamar's stupid. No shit Stretch, but besides the crappy reasoning, couldn't you of killed Lamar in a less elaborate way like when he's wasted or something?

Never mind Stretch was with the Families since Lamar was a kid but he's just going to switch sides and throw all that loyalty away because a friend of his isn't the smartest cookie in the cookie jar. This is like Bethesda nonsense almost.
 
A wild bump has appeared.

I was wondering about what people think about the OpenIV debacle.

Long story short, OpenIV is a modding program that's been in use since 2008 for both GTA IV and GTA V. It was widely used by the GTA modding community and was the go to modding tool for both games. The devs of the tool made the point that it would not affect GTA Online in any way, the programs' code, and modders can apparently attest to that. Malicous scriptkiddies who wreck Online are said to use scripthooks of which OpenIV does not have.

A little while ago however, Take-Two sent a C&D to the tools' creator and they are now cracking down on all the modding tools for GTAV out there. They say this is because OpenIV threatens Online in the form of modders who cause problems (which OpenIV does not do according to those familiar with the program). The community is not happy to say the least as currently GTA V has a "mixed" rating on Steam when it was "very positive" a week ago. There's a petition towards T2 that's already received 50,000 signatures complaining about the decision.

So what do you think about this? I personally think this is on par with paid mods in terms of terribleness.
 
Fuck Rockstar and their masters.

GTAV is shittier than IV in gameplay mechanics, and now they dare to remove modding?

They can go eat a bag of dicks.

Fuck, half of GTAV's content is locked in singleplayer anyway, only usable in multiplayer.

Fuck them.
 
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