Game review: Grand Theft Auto V

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26 Nov, 2014 06:30 PM3 mins to read

A scene from Grand Theft Auto V.

Grand Theft Auto V's been rebooted for next-gen consoles - complete with a first-person mode. Is it any good? Chris Schulz goes on a rampage...

I am a bad crook. Terrible, actually. Maybe I'm not cut out for this criminal lark after all.

Let me explain: I was boosting down a freeway in a stolen car with three police cars tailing me when I saw something that took my breath away.

With boats bobbing on the water and waves lapping at the sand, the sun was setting over the beachside suburb of Del Perro in Los Santos, infusing everything with a beautifully serene orange glow.

It was so astounding, I couldn't help but slam on the brakes, leap from my car and snap a few photos.

Video: Grand Theft Auto V PS3 to PS4 comparison:

What I forgot is that bad guys shouldn't stop to take in the scenery when they're on the run. It meant police had time to regroup, surround me, shoot me in the shoulder, knock me to the ground, and arrest me. All because I shot at the police during a heist and accidentally ran over some pedestrians during the getaway.

Whatever. It was all worth it - it might have been the grandest sunset I've ever seen.

It's moments like that that make Grand Theft Auto V's next-gen reboot worth every single cent of its purchase price.

Yes, it's depressing to think that last year's best game might be this year's best game too - but that's just how good this generation-defining effort is.

Unlike The Last of Us and Tomb Raider, GTA V isn't any old upgrade with improved graphics, photo sharing options, extra tunes and a few bonus missions chucked in.

They're all there, but thanks to the inclusion of a first-person perspective mode, this is an entire reimagining of the GTA franchise. Now you can enjoy your criminal enterprises - fist fights, car thefts, muggings and sniper murders - as up close and personal as you want to.

Because you're so much closer to the action, it lends a certain intimacy to proceedings. When GTA V involves so much violent, sexual and definitely R18 behaviour, things can get a little squeamish.

It's also not a perfect addition: in FPP, driving becomes more difficult, and gun fights from cover positions harder. But integration is seamless, with a simple button push allowing players to cycle between viewing options.

Besides, it's the game's quieter moments that you'll want to use FPP mode for: diving underwater, taking in shipwrecks and sea life, going for joyrides through the mountainside, or watching a simple fender bender turn into full-scale traffic carnage in front of your eyes.

All that and we haven't even discussed GTA V's characters, intertwined storylines, hilarious digs at modern life, upgraded missions and GTA Online, which has been boosted from 16 players to 30.

Do yourself a favour and get involved immediately, because GTA V's ambition is to be better than life itself. The scary thing is, it's almost succeeded.

GRAND THEFT AUTO V