A Technical programming feat!
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OK, first things first, Dear Viewers, some people don`t like it when drm or installing procedeures are mentioned. I believe that every reviewer has a duty to review ALL aspects concerning a game if he can, this includes any troublesome (or easy) aspects of installing and DRMs. Scroll to after the asterix line if you want the main review.
The package.
Well as some have said, you get a nice, if you order a physical game , you get a nice well put together pack. There`s a huge double-sided map of the city you`re in showing a lot of detail, a wafer thin install manual (that`s all it is). I also got a `pre-order` bonus leaflet that gave added cash and stuff... er, I never preordered, but I`ll keep it it, thanks.
On install, this game appeared to be Steamed (it came up with the Steam logo), but it installed without. Weird, but I don`t like Steam, so I was pleased. however, you have to be online with the Rockstar Social Group and the game is your forever (this never happened with GTAIV), so it`s like a mini version of Steam and is a DRM.
7, yes, SEVEN discs comes in the pack. Be prepared to spend at least up to TWO hours installing. Then goes online where you have to sign up to the Rockstar social club. then it installs another 6 (SIX) gig! This took TWO HOURS and I have fast net. It must be their servers. You cannot play without this. I started at around 4pm and the game was not ready till after 8pm. This must be the longest installation in the history of gaming!
However, I had prepared my PC and myself before hand, defragging and cleaning up my files, uninstalling crap I didn`t need, so it was relatively painless. I just did my artwork during the wait. Thanks to the previous reviewers who warned of this wait. :)
By the way, I was little concerned about some of the clauses it wants you to accept (I didn`t bother reading the back until I was well into downloading the 60 gig) and it concerned me when it mentioned `periodic entitlement verification`, I doubt I would have bought the game had i known that from the start. I have not seen this `periodic entitlement verification`in action yet, but it is a worry as I play almost exclusively Offline. The game loses half a star for this crap, normally, it would be one, but I`ll explain later. Just be aware.
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THE GAME.....
You start off during a bank heist... I won`t say any more, but it`s pretty cool the way it drags you in there. It`s a little like Heat, the movie and it doesn`t spare the swearing or the killing when the cops descend on you.
Just before it got going I hit `esc` to get into the Options and you are greeted with a raft of them. I love lots of options and it is all here. I was able to set my game up almost exactly as I like it. I had everything set for 1st person view mouse and keyboard and it worked perfectly. The only thing I haven`t been able to do is set up my controller for car driving, there doesn`t seem to be a custome mode for that, so i just stuck all that on the keyboard. It worked perfectly- the buttons have been very well thought out so you can use the same buttons for different modes without confusion. Well, done Rockstar!
I had a big smile on my face as I went through the intro in First Person. I have always wanted this in a GTA game and at last it was here. My only gripe is that sometimes you are thrown into 3rd for some quick scenes and weapon ironsights are not TRUE. You don`t look right down the sights in aim. I don`t know what its like for sniper rifles, but I`ll bet you do get to look down the sites for those as you did in previous games.
The game then introduces you through the three main characters until you finally settle on the black guy. You are introduced to more controls and options to set you. Then you can start swapping between guys.
For now though I`m just on the black guy and have completed a few simple missions ranging from vehicke pickups to upsetting gang members.
Graphics are extremely good and I almost maxed everything and still had smooth gameplay.
I am somewhat awed by the technical feat of this game. You can simply grab a car or walk and just explore the city- And there`s a LOT of city to explore. It is really a simulation of reality, I have to say. Pretty much everything is there:
People, cars, aircraft, animals, the whole thing moves and works together so realistically. Except children, there are no children. I suppose the only way to express how expansive this game is, is by an example:
I took a car from the garage and decided to just have a drive around, listening to a track on the many radio stations. People of all types were walking, some on mobiles, others drunk, people doing their own thing. Driving among cars in 1st person is so much like the real thing. Obviously the car controls are simplified, but the rest is so `there`. Vehicles act like you`d expect. I sidled next to a car at a red light and looked (using mouse look-great!) and saw a pretty lady in it, she was bobbing her head to some music.
A man crosses the road a bit late and gets hooted at by a cement-mixer truck driver. the man panics, drops his ice cream and runs to the other side. We all drive on. There hundreds of little details like this.
I drove into a new area I didn`t know, certain people started looking at me. Some sounded downright angry at me. Why? I`m just driving. Then I realised I was black, and these guys were Hispanic? And they didn`t like me in their neighbourhood. I`m English, so I`m not sure, but it was such an amazing amout of realism- as well as sad to see. I didn`t get out. I drove on.
It`s getting dark, someone shouts! Their bike has been stolen. The game tells me that random stuff like this will happen and its up to me if I do anything. I chased after the cyclist thief in my car and knocked him over! he said "F**K this!" and ran off. I got the bike and brought it back to the owner, who was happy to get it. He never paid me anything though.
This is just a tiny bit to the depth of this game, I`ve been to stripper dance joints, gun shops, hair shops and watched a completely random non-scripted dynamic gun shoot out between cops and a driver who crashed into a wall. There`s also a heluva lot of satirical content regarding society, even one satirising `The Cloud` which I hate because it is not privacy and the game seems to recognise that. Maybe I`m the person being satired! LOL.
I have been at this game for about 5 hours and barely scratched the surface and totally offline (physically disconnected from the net). It`s an astonishingly ambitious and huge game and it works so far.
Issues?
Microtransactions: the game will sometimes try to get you to pay cash for extra stuff online. I`ve ignored it. It seems to happen only in shops so far, so i treat it like reality and just don`t buy. Hate microtransactions. This kind of thing and the DRM means it loses a whole Star altogether. *Edit: Well it did, but it has made up for it by its excellence in gameplay, so i`ve changed my rating.
Very brilliant game, an incredible work by who knows how many programmers. There are like a dozen game modes done better than many games that do almost ONE of these things well.
Pity about the DRMs and the `periodic Entitlement verification`, and micro transactions otherwise it would have all 5. I might update later if this is not as bad as it sounds. Apart from that, I would actually recommend this game. just make sure you have a decent internet connection for the install and give yourself the best part of a day before even playing it.
P.S Before I said the weapons in the game had no true ironsights. I was wrong, it does. All weapons have proven look along the barrel view. EXCELLENT!
P.P.S
I have played this game solidly over the weekend and you know what? I`m giving it 5 Stars. Not only is this an amazing sandbox game, but the story and characters and the whole way this thing works is very impressive.
There are dozens of things you can do like hunting, playing darts, helping people or not, customise with clothing and hairstyles (although they are bit low for some characters). There are dozens of things and places to find. Plus that you can have proper ironsights after all on weapons. It`s also a pretty bold Man`s game which I like a lot, few are brave enough to be so these days, apart from the Witcher. Respect.
Also, I am still amazed at how it all flows and works seamlessly. It`s not just about the graphics, but the Technical genius behind it. Yes, I said genius, a word I almost never use for anyone.
Despite my concerns about the DRM (which have not troubled me while I`ve been Oflline), I am ridiculously impressed. 5 STARS.
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From the manufacturer
PlayStation 4, Xbox One & PC Features
PLAYSTATION4
Experience Rockstar Games' critically acclaimed open world game, Grand Theft Auto V.
When a young street hustler, a retired bank robber and a terrifying psychopath find themselves entangled with some of the most frightening and deranged elements of the criminal underworld, the U.S. government and the entertainment industry, they must pull off a series of dangerous heists to survive in a ruthless city in which they can trust nobody, least of all each other.
Explore the stunning world of Los Santos and Blaine County in the ultimate Grand Theft Auto V experience, featuring a range of technical upgrades and enhancements for new and returning players. In addition to increased draw distances and higher resolution, players can expect a range of additions and improvements including:
New weapons, vehicles and activities
Additional wildlife
Denser traffic
New foliage system
Enhanced damage and weather effects, and much more
Grand Theft Auto V also comes with Grand Theft Auto Online, the dynamic and ever-evolving Grand Theft Auto universe with online play now for up to 30 players on PS4. All existing gameplay upgrades and Rockstar-created content released since the launch of Grand Theft Auto Online is available for the PS4 with much more to come.
SPECIAL CONTENT FOR RETURNING PLAYERS
Players returning from the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions get special access to a host of content on PS4 including rare versions of classic vehicles to collect from across the Grand Theft Auto series such as the Dukes, the Dodo Seaplane and a faster, more manoeuvrable Blimp; activities including wildlife photography and new shooting range challenges, new weapons and more.
Special access content requires Rockstar Games Social Club account. Visit rockstargames.com/v/bonuscontent for details.
XBOX ONE
Experience Rockstar Games' critically acclaimed open world game, Grand Theft Auto V.
When a young street hustler, a retired bank robber and a terrifying psychopath find themselves entangled with some of the most frightening and deranged elements of the criminal underworld, the U.S. government and the entertainment industry, they must pull off a series of dangerous heists to survive in a ruthless city in which they can trust nobody, least of all each other.
Explore the stunning world of Los Santos and Blaine County in the ultimate Grand Theft Auto V experience, featuring a range of technical upgrades and enhancements for new and returning players. In addition to increased draw distances and higher resolution, players can expect a range of additions and improvements including:
New weapons, vehicles and activities
Additional wildlife
Denser traffic
New foliage system
Enhanced damage and weather effects, and much more
Grand Theft Auto V also comes with Grand Theft Auto Online, the dynamic and ever-evolving Grand Theft Auto universe with online play now for up to 30 players on Xbox One. All existing gameplay upgrades and Rockstar-created content released since the launch of Grand Theft Auto Online is available for the Xbox One with much more to come.
SPECIAL CONTENT FOR RETURNING PLAYERS
Players returning from the PS3and Xbox 360 versions get special access to a host of content on Xbox One including rare versions of classic vehicles to collect from across the Grand Theft Auto series such as the Dukes, the Dodo Seaplane and a faster, more manoeuvrable Blimp; activities including wildlife photography and new shooting range challenges, new weapons and more.
Special access content requires Rockstar Games Social Club account. Visit rockstargames.com/v/bonuscontent for details.
PC
Experience Rockstar Games' critically acclaimed open world game, Grand Theft Auto V.
When a young street hustler, a retired bank robber and a terrifying psychopath find themselves entangled with some of the most frightening and deranged elements of the criminal underworld, the U.S. government and the entertainment industry, they must pull off a series of dangerous heists to survive in a ruthless city in which they can trust nobody, least of all each other.
Explore the stunning world of Los Santos and Blaine County in the ultimate Grand Theft Auto V experience, featuring a range of technical upgrades and enhancements for new and returning players. In addition to increased draw distances and higher resolution, players can expect a range of additions and improvements including:
New weapons, vehicles and activities
Additional wildlife
Denser traffic
New foliage system
Enhanced damage and weather effects, and much more
Grand Theft Auto V also comes with Grand Theft Auto Online, the dynamic and ever-evolving Grand Theft Auto universe with online play now for up to 30 players on PC. All existing gameplay upgrades and Rockstar-created content released since the launch of Grand Theft Auto Online is available for the PC with much more to come.
Along with the sweeping visual and technical enhancements and new content updates for all players of Grand Theft Auto V for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC, there will also be some special activities and items as a reward exclusively for veteran Los Santos and Blaine County residents.
There will also be a bounty of content for all players, new and returning, to discover - including a fleet of classic GTA vehicles and a few more surprises we've got planned that you’ll have to discover for yourself come game day.
Visit rockstargames.com/V for more information.
Exclusive Content for Returning Players
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The DodoScour the coastline to find this GTA classic seaplane |
Imponte Duke O'DeathWhen you find it, trouble follows this menacing new ride |
The Rail Gun and HatchetNew weapons and Shooting Range Challenges |
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Murder MysteryFind the clues to solve this case and unlock film noir game filters |
Stock Car RacesNew race location unlocks 4 new liveries |
Wildlife Photo ChallengeCapture photo of new animal species to unlock the new Kraken Sub |
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Monkey MosaicsFind them all to unlock monkey outfits and Monkey Blista |
Xero BlimpTake to the skies in this fast and maneuverable blimp |
Marshall Monster TruckGrind over anything in your path in this beastly new vehicle |
Great improvement on the next-gen version - No steam or download options
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 14 April 2015
I just received my copy of GTA 5 for PC - The boxed, standard edition.First things I noticed are that no, it does not come with a steam code, but rather a rockstar code. Also, you cannot download the game, you have to install it with the CDs of which there are 7 which takes around 2 hours to complete!The presentation is great. In the box you get the 7 game disks and a small folder with a map and instructions and it looks as good as some collectors editions, though I imagine the size of the box is largely down to the sheer size of the game and the need for so many disks.Also, this game is able to install on 60GB of free space, not the 65GB listed on this page and steam. It does the first 55GB on disk and the last 5GB on download, and the download has been taking a long time, most likely due to the current stress on the rockstar servers.I've played this game for a few hours now and my impressions are really good. I have the Samsung U28D590 4K monitor so I have played it on both 1080p and 4k.4K - This is the first game I've played where 4k really makes sense. The textures are incredibly detailed and it looks like it's made for 4k where as other games just look like up-scaled 1080p textures. The detail is really noticeable in things like the road, detail on the walls and in buildings. It is very graphically intensive though, and even with AA off and shadows / draw distance set to low it's a real graphics card killer. I'm running it on a GTX970 and I get around 25FPS with these settings, and it can get very choppy if I turn AA off.The graphics settings are fairly limited. You can set the DX version you want to use, v-sync, AA, shadows and draw distance, but there are no 'low, mid, high' type settings on different areas that most games would give you. V-sync does make a huge different as without it this game gets more tearing than I've seen on most others.On default settings though, it looks really amazing. In comparison to the console release this looks like it's set to high when they are on low.The story and online system, as far as I'm aware, are the same as the console release. One difficulty I've had with PC is the 'iFruit' app, which asks you to select your platform on sign in, which only lists consoles, not PC.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 14 April 2015
Images in this review
