Grand Theft Auto V (PS4)

♦ Introduction ♦ Grand Theft Auto V first came out on the PS3 & Xbox 360 late 2013; it did amazingly well in sales and was a game that truly stretched the last-gen consoles to their limits. To many this was not only an absolutely stunning looking game, but a really enjoyable one to play too. During the game you get to play with three different characters: ∙ Michael: A "retired" bank robber. ∙ Franklin: Works for a luxury car dealership as a repossession guy. ∙ Trevor: A former military pilot who is a bank robber, drug/weapons dealer & stereotypical redneck; this guy is absolutely insane! Apart from times where the storyline solely concentrates on one character, you can freely switch between each character who has different skills/abilities. They might be near to the character you've recently switched from, or could be over the other side of the map! In all honesty, I really liked this aspect of the game. That all said, I wasn't quite sure if I was going to dig deep in my pockets to pay full price for a game I already own, just to have it on a different console. As the game was nearing to its release, the more I saw about the improvements which were being made to the game; it wasn't too long before I pre-ordered my copy. ♦ Box Contents & Game Information ♦ - Inside the case: GTAV game disc | Instruction manual | Game world map | $500,000 In-game credit voucher (main game & online)*. * Subject to availability: This was supposed be an incentive to pre-order the game, so depending on when you buy the game, you may not get this voucher. - Game Information: 1 Player (Main Game) | 2-30 Players (Online) | Requires a minimum of 55GB storage space | Supports remote play. - Trophies: 1 Platinum | 3 Gold | 5 Silver | 42 Bronze. ♦ What's New? ♦ ∙ Plays at 1080p at 30fps (Up from 720p which the last-gen consoles played in). ∙ First Person Mode: Play GTAV like you've never played it before! ∙ Major graphics improvement (cleaner look, more realistic, better lighting/reflections and less frame-dropping). ∙ All extra DLC that was available for the PS3/Xbox comes included on day release. ∙ 161 New songs added to the game (Now that's a big increase!). ∙ "Improved" Online performance: I can see this happening once the servers settled down, anyone remember what happened last time? The above is what I know of so far; I will update if I find out any further information. - First Person Mode - This mode is quickly activated upon pressing down the touch panel. There are a tonne of available options to cater for this new mode: ∙ First Person Control Type: Standard | Alternate | Southpaw | Alt+South | Std FPS | Alt FPS | South FPS | Alt_South FPS | + More. ∙ First Person Look-Around Sensitivity: Sensitive Bar. ∙ First Person Aiming Sensitivity: Sensitive Bar. ∙ First Person On Foot Field of View: Sensitive Bar. ∙ First Person Ragdoll: On | Off. ∙ First Person Combat Roll: On | Off. ∙ First Person Head Bobbing: On | Off. ∙ First Person Third Person Cover: On | Off. This mode may require some practice & tweaking of settings to get used to, however it may just be a love or hate option at the end of the day. - Improved Graphics - There's not really much I can say... This game looks like I would have never imagined it before because I thought it already looked great, so seeing it being improved again really is icing on the cake. Textures, lighting, overall graphics... It all looks amazing. ♦ Final Thoughts ♦ The improvements made to this game are pretty darn significant. If you thought GTAV looked out of this world on the last-gen consoles then hold on to your seat because you're about to be blown away. Now, if you've played this game on any of the last-gen consoles and didn't enjoy it, buying this game won't change your mind; sure you can appreciate how much better it looks and even smoother play, but it's highly likely you still won't enjoy the game. For those who enjoyed playing this game on either the PS3 or Xbox 360, trust me, you won't be wasting your money purchasing this game again. Would highly recommend. ► Note: I've included a little video to show off the graphics and first person mode. I kept it short as it's very hard to capture footage without having the main character or someone on the street shouting out some kind of profanity.

Grand Theft Auto 5 continues the iconic series on the next gen consoles. Some might say that this is just Rockstar trying to make extra cash as this game only came out last year on the PS3 and XBOX 360? After playing this version of the game on PS4, I can safely say it is worth every penny! GRAPHICS - Lighting effects are stunning. There is also an unbelievable amount of detail in the game. The way the sun light shimmers off of the sea. The dust that the cars gather on the paintwork if you take them off road. The water effects when it rains. The trees/bushes and grass are more detailed. The cars are more detailed. The whole uplift in graphics adds to the whole experience. SOUND - When you call someone on your mobile in the game, their voice comes through the speaker on the control pad. If you attract the attention of the police, the radio chatter also comes through the speaker on the control pad. In addition to this the light bar on the control pad flashes red and blue (a small thing but a nice touch). There are the usual radio stations to tune into whilst driving around Los Santos. I beleive there are more songs in this version. GAMEPLAY - Just as good as it's ever been. Easy to control on foot and in vehicles. The missions have just the right balance so they are not too easy to complete but at the same time don't leave you swearing at the screen. I have completed the game on the PS3, although the story is the same, I am going through it again but tackling missions I missed before. STORY - The story is superb. It is well thought out and the characters are very believable (I won't spoil it for you). The acting is very realistic and there are moments that will leave you in stiches (especially with Trevor's character). Even when the game is completed there is plenty to keep you occupied. SUMMARY - In summary this is the best game I have ever played. The sheer size of it and the attention to detail is amazing. Some people may be offended by some of the content but in my opinoin that is when you have to have a reality check and remember it's just a game. 10/10 A must have!

The game is simply excellent. The first person mode alone is worth buying this game a second time and Rockstar have been thorough in ensuring a seamless implementation. It makes the game feel even more visceral and, coupled with the upgraded graphics, more immersive and fun than ever before. The graphics are definitely more detailed and sharper in 1080p on the PS4 and the game looks stunning. So far the story is the same as it was for the first release but I have only been playing for about two hours so I can't say if there are any new sections or missions as yet. Be warned if you have not played GTA V or any of the previous GTA games before that the game is NOT politically correct and this is further heightened by the new first person mode. There are already videos online of people have sex with hookers or committing petty crime in the first person but I stress that this is a game that is strictly for adults and therefore is as it should be. In any case the, ahem, love-making is not explicit other than through the use of some language so please don't all rush to the console now to sample some er,,,physical delights. It is a pity that GTA V was released for the previous generation of consoles first as this release shows just how good the game had the potential to be and it really does justice to the notion of "next generation". Is it worth spending money on a game many have already played before, especially as there are other releases that demand your hard-earned cash? I would say "YES" as the game just feels so much better on the PS4 and, as I said in my opening remarks, the first person mode alone makes this purchase worthwhile. Diehard fans should not hesitate and all others should list this game as one of those to buy soon. I can't wait for GTA VI and I hope it won't be another 5 years before we see it. In the meantime, GTA V should do nicely.

I used to say the only game you needed in your console was GTAV, but if you play a lot, then you'll probably want to do more than just beat hookers with clubs etc. It's STILL (after how many years?) one of the best games ever made. That was until Red Dead Redemption II landed, and omg! I find myself flying through GTAV without really meaning to. Money is never an issue because I've already done the jewelry heist within about an hour, and once you've got a few hundred grand, you're all set really. This time around, I'm exploring the world a lot more. I've already found that sick Dukes car, Trevor is riding about in that. I also found the decalled bigfoot vehicle behind the where you pick that woman up whose running from her wedding. (Immediately sell her to the cult in the mountains) There's also a part where Trevor has the opportunity to help out 2 guys who just pulled a job. If you take them to the cult, then it all kicks off! You get into an epic battle, and the payoff is huge! There are cases of cash everywhere in that place. I'm not sure if you can parachute in, I've never tried it. I think you can only activate them with Trevor. Today I'll take the chopper out and look for the sea plane. I also like that cars are being returned to garages etc instead of disappearing or being impounded by the police. There's nothing worse than pimping a ride, spending a fortune on upgrades and having it disappear completely! Annoying. But I'm going to take it a lot easier this time round. I'm going to take it a bit slower instead of ragging my pimped out motor as fast as it will possibly go through a built up city teaming with innocent pedestrians. I don't play online because I hate being trolled by kids that are probably 12/13, spewing racial abuse at the other people on the game without knowing their race, but the online game looks absolutely epic! Maybe some DLCs for the game? After the many many updates online has received?

Or 4 stars if you have already played this on the Xbox 360 or PS3. GTA V on the 'last-gen' systems was an outstanding achievement. Technically it was incredible, it managed to look better than most other games, whilst creating this huge game world with an astonishing attention to detail & an amazing sense of place. There were so many things to do & the game never ceased to amaze me with its random acts. When you shared your experiences of this game with your friends, it was like we'd all played a different game-we all had different stories to tell (outside of the main missions). So why the 4 stars then? I've decided to be hyper critical with this review as a:) I've already bought the game on the PS3 & so shelling out for this version brings me scarily close to £100. And b:) with a powerful new system like the PS4, it's only natural for your expectations to go up. The positives that I've found so far are: The graphics, at times, are truly stunning. Indeed when there is a thunderstorm at night, there is no better looking game on PS4. The anti-aliasing is much improved, so now outlines are smoother & less jagged. The textures, in general are also better, & they have to be now that we have the new first-person view. Other improvements are the increased density of trees & grass, the extended draw-distance (although I'm not so quite so sure that it is x2 over the PS3 version like Rockstar have stated). Other nice visual touches include the tint of the screen changing when you don a pair of shades. The explosions are also better, with the destroyed cars really impressing here. Clothing tends to look better, as does the fur on the animals. The mirror reflections are now much much better & no longer look like a blurry, blocky mess. I could go on.... The first-person view is superb & makes it feel like a different game. This makes the world feel even larger & I like the movement too-it reminds me a little of Mirrors Edge in this area. All the cars have fully realized interiors too-you can even see the digital display on your audio player, telling you which song is playing. The details on the hands is also very good: especially Trevor's, they are dirty, covered in scabs/scars & you can see his tattoos. When you use your phone, it is now fully rendered, rather than just being a pop-up. There's now more dialogue & many more songs, well over 100 I believe. A whole host of new wildlife has been added, the highlight of which, for me, are the cats. There is also some additional content, including a new noire mission for Michael. So that's the positives out of the way. What stops me giving this 5 stars is that there is a lack of polish & consistency with this update. Earlier on, I said that the graphics can be stunning at times, & they are. But at times, the graphics can also be rough. Numerous issues tarnish the overall experience. These are: some crude shadows being drawn in around buildings, objects popping up in right in front of you or in the distance, the aliasing is still bad at times & not all of the textures are that great. When you're piloting a helicopter during the day, the city still looks crude & lacking in detail. The texture filtering is either poor or non-existent as at times the road in front of you can appear a bit blurred, lacking clarity. The mission where you attempt to rescue Michael's son highlights some of these flaws. Whilst the first-person view in the cars is welcome, it is annoying that Rockstar took away the bonnet view, which happens to be the only view that I was any good with. Why couldn't we have had both options? In the original PS4 trailer, the game showed a considerable increase with both it's vehicle & pedestrian density. To my eyes, this hasn't come to fruition with the final product. I recently revisited the PS3 version. I found that if anything, the last gen version had the busier roads. I was very disappointed by this as one of the things that you associate with LA is the gridlocked roads-I thought that the PS4 version would take us that bit closer to reality. So have Rockstar deceived us here? Is it because they thought that it would be to the detriment of the gameplay if the roads were heaving or is it a case of the PS4 struggling to handle all those extra cars? Whilst the frame-rate is much improved over the PS3 version, there is still some stuttering at slowdown at times. These are most noticeable during vehicle pursuits through busy junctions. In closing, this is a very welcome game on PS4. The number of improvements are considerable. Sadly, there are just as many flaws & the game does often show its last gen roots. Part of me wishes that R* spent more time with this new version, polishing it up even more, giving us even more missions, maybe more interiors, & superior physics etc. I guess this will come with their games that are designed from the ground up with the new systems in mind & that is a mouthwatering prospect. Hopefully they can patch the game & brush it up a bit. If you're not flush with cash & have already played this to death on the older consoles, then I'd probably give it a miss or wait until its a lot cheaper.

Grand Theft Auto 5 is actually the 7th major release in the franchise (and the 15th if you’re counting everything). The controversial nature of the series, first kicked up by the 16-bit, top-down original way back in 1997 by DMA has not been lost in this latest release. The store Target, in Australia banned it, numerous celebrities have sued it and everyone from politicians to charities have condemned it. Despite this GTA5 holds review scores of 95% or better. Within 24 hours of release, the original PS3 / Xbox 360 version had sold 11.2 million copies. Within 3 days it had made more than a billion dollars, no other game OR film has done this. Having played this game since its release on both the Xbox 360 and PS4, both offline and online, it can be comfortably said this is probably one of the greatest games ever made. The blend of characterisation, so much a hallmark of the previous titles in the series, really makes this game. Without the story-lines of the 3 protagonists you’re basically left with a fancy, HD version of Carmageddon. Perhaps the other success with GTA5 is the ongoing development by Rockstar. For the latest gen PS4 version there are (currently) 25 additional DLC packs for the online mode offering additional vehicles, level editors, player clothing, game modes and more. Not only do these regularly-released DLC packs increase the playability but THE DLC IS FREE! Could you image someone like EA doing this, offering FREE DLC? (Of course not) If you buy this you’re not just buying a game, you’re buying the constantly evolving, constantly updating environment of the State of San Andreas with all the magnificence and abomination within.

At first I was a little sceptical, kind of fell off the GTA series after San Andreas. However, intrigued that it would be remastered for the PS4, I thought I would purchase it as there aren't many games that I play anyway. During the prologue, I was still a little hesitant but the more I delved into it, boy was I wrong! To say that it is a masterpiece may be pushing it in some people's eyes, but it is pretty damn close, a truly great game. A massive step up from the San Andreas days, graphics wise, it is truly stunning, a simply beautiful game. Even the little touches I love, like, the light bar (that changes colour depending on which character you are. Another point I will get to), flashing red & blue when on the run from the cops....there is just so much to do in this game to keep you occupied, all its little quirks. Having controller of 3 main characters (lovable in their own way), I love how the game just flows, integrating between each character, how all the storyline comes together, Rockstar have worked wonders here! a simple, smart, genius touch. Can't resist coming home from work & continuing from where I left off. You will not be disappointed I can guarantee that. Fantastic game.

I don't think I really need to explain the minute details of what GTA V is about, unless you have been living under a rock for the past year you'll know what it is, the good and the controversial. Short version, you play 3 characters Michael, Trevor & Franklin as they strive to survive in the fictional American city of Los Santos, no doubt loosely based on Los Angeles. So what's new? Probably the biggest change is the new "First Person" mode. This is not a constant mode but you can choose to use it. It adds a completely new dimension to the game. ALL the vehicles have interiors you can look round whilst you are in them, (something Gran Turismo hasn't managed yet despite being a dedicated driving game). Wandering round in First Person almost makes it a completely new game, it really does change things. You are not forced into this new perspective, but it is definitely worth more than a passing glance. You can even choose to have options such as when you take cover you revert to Third Person view so you can see more, Rockstar have really thought about this one. Graphically, with the improved power of the PS4 graphically it has been polished, it was in no way shabby on the PS3 but it is better make no mistake, cactus's now have spines, the hair on both people and animals now looks more natural as opposed to a plastic hair piece, as crazy as it sounds watching the rain is amazing, you see the splashes in the puddles, the water actually pools naturally, the light reflections in the pools look amazing. People now look even more like people, people now have more natural skin tones, crows feet from hard work, it would be wrong to say it is graphically ground breaking but it is better and I think polished would be the best description, bear in mind this is still a new system as such the limits are still being explored. There are some great little features, when the mobile phones are used the sound comes out of the controllers speaker as if you were actually holding a mobile phone on speaker phone mode, when you are being chased by the Police the light bar flashes blue and red. The touch pad, which I'll admit, I thought might be a bit of a gimmick when I first got my PS4 gets plenty of use in this game which makes life easier as rather than memorizing button combo's all it takes is a quick swipe of the pad. More animals have been added, cats roam with their gangster pet attitudes, instead of just Chop the Rottwieller and the insightful Labrador Franklin meets you now have Westies, Husky's, Border Collies, as dogs wandering about, Orca's and Humpback Whales, Hammerhead Sharks, Rays, all new additions to the wildlife. New missions have been added, find the grafitti tags, wildlife photography, the peyote plants (the effects of that are fun to say the least), the murder mystery. New vehicles have been added as well as some classic vehicles from past GTA that have been polished and brought back. All in all this is an excellent addition to the GTA series, promising much for the series. I personally was very disappointed with GTA IV, I thought it was a disappointing addition to the series, with Next Gen GTA V the series is very much back in the saddle and a very worthy addition. I've already played the Single Player mode repeatedly and will gladly continue to do so, especially with these new improvements, add the Online mode, this a fantastic addition a gaming collection.