Grand Theft Auto V (PC version)

What can Rockstar’s latest murder sim do to impress us?

Grand Theft Auto V is a bad game. Yes, I did just write that. But before any fanboys recover from this shock and return to bust some caps, let me clarify.

No, I’m not saying that the gameplay isn’t entertaining or that the controls don’t work. I’m not suggesting that the acting isn’t top-notch or that the story isn't well paced. I’m not even putting forward the notion that it’s overpriced. What I mean when I say it’s bad is that it’s morally reprehensible, violent, irresponsible, sexist, vulgar and perpetuates negative racial stereotypes.

So, essentially, it’s business as usual for the latest installment of this infamous series from developer Rockstar. It’s taken a long time for this game to reach the PC, having been released on consoles in September 2013, but as always, it’s all about climbing to the top of the criminal hierarchy, racking up money almost as quickly as you accumulate dead bodies. And, as you’d expect, there are plenty of missions and side missions to complete, but if you’d rather not focus on those, you can simply go on a rampage, running down virtual pedestrians or shooting them as they go about their business. This can be hugely entertaining, but it’s still hard to shake off the feeling that there are probably millions of people playing this game who really shouldn’t be.

Let’s put such worries aside for a moment, though, and focus on the gameplay and what’s new this time around.

Undoubtedly, the biggest difference in GTA V compared to its predecessors is the multiplayer mode, which has been expanded massively. Running separately from the story mode, it involves creating a custom character, choosing their name, appearance and attire. You then enter the fictional city of Los Santos (in none other than San Andreas), where you can run around randomly, causing the same kind of random chaos you would in any other GTA game. The key difference, though, is that there are other players doing exactly the same thing as you, and you can also attack each other.

However, as much fun as that can be, it alone would get dull fairly quickly. Thankfully, GTA V offers you the chance to complete ‘Jobs’, which basically translates as multiplayer modes. There are loads of these, ranging from straightforward races to on-foot deathmatches and co-op missions, and the more you complete, the more money you earn to spend on weapons, cars and so on. More importantly, though, you earn reputation points, and it’s these that enable you to level up your character, unlocking new missions, weapons and nonplayable characters along the way.

Of course, this being an online game, if you have voice chat enabled, which it is by default, then before long you’ll experience the joy of hearing some random person screaming into his or her microphone, something along the lines of “Fudge you, you fudging muddy funster. Fudge you in your ash grove!”, but with infinitely less PG-friendly words, of course. Thankfully, you can turn off voice chat to silence this, because clearly some people have never heard the expression ‘It’s only a game’. You can also choose to play the game in Passive Mode, which means you can’t kill other players or be killed by them while walking around the city, but you can still take part in the Jobs.

With the game set up like that, it’s not difficult to have an absolute blast in the multiplayer, but what about the campaign mode? It is, after all, still the core reason anyone buys these games. They want to ride around town, doing missions, following the latest rags-to-riches narrative created by Rockstar’s script writers, and they want to feel like top dog. What they probably don’t want is other players constantly reminding them they suck at videogames. I certainly know I don’t.

Naturally, the game’s story doesn’t stray far from the series’ overarching theme of glorifying criminality and gang violence, but it does present things in a refreshing new way. Rather than sticking with one protagonist, GTA V offers you three: Michael, Trevor and Franklin. Michael is a retired criminal, living comfortably after making a deal with the FIB (no, that’s not a typo); Trevor is his close friend and a man he used to rob banks with, but who now lives in a trailer and smokes meth amphetamine; while Franklin is a petty criminal, who approaches Michael for work after they meet through unexpected circumstances involving the legal repossession of a car sold by Franklin’s boss.

Throughout the game, you’ll find missions that involve one, two or all three of them, and for multiple-character missions, you can switch between each of them, with the others being controlled by AI. That means you can focus on the shooting, while your partner in crime drives the getaway vehicle. That said, you’ll most likely find that your buddy isn’t particularly handy behind the wheel, and you’ll end up switching between the two so you can actually complete the missions.

The driving is pretty much the same as every other GTA game, and as with the rest of the series, I found it far easier to control the cars with an Xbox controller than a mouse and keyboard. The shooting sections, though, are more enjoyable with a mouse, because it’s an extremely frustrating experience trying to aim with a controller. Personally, I found myself switching between the two systems, which is not ideal, but most players online seem to stick with the mouse and keyboard only, so clearly it's not a problem many other people experience.

Anyway, also new is the inclusion of a first-person mode, which is available for both in-car and on-foot sections. It’s an intriguing idea, certainly, and Rockstar very nearly managed to pull it off – but not quite, sadly. Recent titles like Dying Light and Far Cry 4 show how to produce an engaging first-person experience, as well as illustrating the importance of a parkour system to make running and leaping over obstacles fluid and enjoyable. In comparison, GTA V’s first-person mode is clunky and ultimately a wasted opportunity.

Nevertheless, Grand Theft Auto V offers so much else, it’s hard to criticise it. Put aside its violence for a moment and disregard the fact that the F-word and N-word are uttered in its dialogue seemingly every five seconds. We’re talking about a game where you can rock up to a tennis court and play a reasonably accomplished simulation of the sport, not far off from Virtua Tennis. Not to mention the wealth of extra content to discover, including genuinely funny material, like fake websites accessed via your in-game smartphone.

Like all GTA titles, though, it’s also massively overrated, and it’s also disappointing that iFruit, the companion app for mobile devices, isn’t yet compatible with the PC version – in spite of being referenced numerous times by the game’s on-screen tips.

In spite of such problems, though, it’s hard to deny that Grand Theft Auto V is a wellcrafted game, which should offer you many hours of enjoyment – just as long as you can stomach its content. Anthony Enticknap

It’s business as usual, but this time bring your friends.