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Grand Theft Auto V is an action-adventure video game developed by Rockstar North and published Grand Theft Auto series since 2008's Grand Theft Auto IV. Set within the fictional state of San Andreas, based on Southern California, the single-player story follows three criminals and their efforts to commit heists while under pressure from a government agency. The open worlddesign lets players freely roam San Andreas' open countryside and the fictional city of Los Santos, based on Los Angeles.
by Rockstar Games. It was released on 17 September 2013 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, on 18 November 2014 for thePlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and on 14 April 2015 for Microsoft Windows. It is the first main entry in the
The game is played from either a first-person or third-person view and its world is navigated on foot or by vehicle. Players control the three lead protagonists throughout single-player and switch between them both during and outside of missions. The story is centred on the heist sequences, and many missions involve shooting and driving gameplay. A "wanted" system governs the aggression of law enforcement response to players who commit crimes. Grand Theft Auto Online, the online multiplayer mode, lets up to 30 players explore the open world and engage in cooperative or competitive game matches.
Development began soon after Grand Theft Auto IV's release and was shared between many of Rockstar's studios worldwide. The development team drew influence from many of their previous projects such as Red Dead Redemptionand Max Payne 3, and designed the game around three lead protagonists to innovate on the core structure of its predecessors. Much of the development work constituted the open world's creation, and several team members conducted field research around California to capture footage for the design team. The game's soundtrack features an original score composed by a team of producers who collaborated over several years.
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Extensively marketed and widely anticipated, the game broke industry sales records and became the fastest-selling entertainment product in history, earning US $800 million in its first day and US $1 billion in its first three days. It received widespread critical acclaim, with praise directed at its multiple protagonist design, open world, presentation and gameplay. It caused controversies related to its depiction of women and a mission featuring torture during a hostage interrogation. Considered one of seventh generation console gaming's most significant titles and among the best games ever made, it won year-end accolades including Game of the Year awards from several gaming publications. It has shipped over 75 million copies and is one of the best-selling video games of all time.
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Grand Theft Auto V is an action-adventure game[2] played from either a first-person[3][b] or third-person view.[4] Players complete missions—linear scenarios with set objectives—to progress through the story.[5] Outside of missions, players mayfreely roam the open world. Composed of the San Andreas open countryside area and the fictional city of Los Santos, the world is much larger in area than earlier entries in the series.[6][c] It may be fully explored after the game's beginning without restriction, although story progress unlocks more gameplay content.[8]
Players use melee attacks, firearms and explosives to fight enemies,[d] and may run, jump, swim or use vehicles to navigate the world.[e] To accommodate the map's size, the game introduces vehicle types absent in its predecessorGrand Theft Auto IV, such as fixed-wing aircraft.[11] In combat, auto-aim and acover system may be used as assistance against enemies.[12] Should players take damage, their health meter will gradually regenerate to its halfway point.[f] Players respawn at hospitals when their health depletes.[10] If players commit crimes, law enforcement agencies may respond as indicated by a "wanted" meter in the head-up display (HUD).[13] Stars displayed on the meter indicate the current wanted level (for example, at the maximum five-star level, police helicopters and SWAT teams swarm to lethally dispatch players).[14][g]Law enforcement officers will search for players who leave the wanted vicinity. The meter enters a cooldown mode and eventually recedes when players are hidden from the officers' line of sight that displays on the mini-map.[16][h]
The single-player mode lets players control three characters: Michael De Santa, Trevor Philips and Franklin Clinton—criminals whose stories interconnect as they complete missions. Some missions are completed with only one character and others feature two or three.[18] Outside of missions, players may switch between characters at will by means of a directional compass on the HUD. The game may switch characters automatically during missions to complete certain objectives. A character's compass avatar will flash red if he is in danger and needs help, and flash white if he has a strategic advantage.[19] Though players complete missions as any of the three protagonists, the more difficult heist missions require aid from AI-controlled accomplices with unique skill sets like computer hacking and driving. If an accomplice survives a successful heist, they take a cut from the cash reward[20] and may be available for later missions with improvements to their unique skills.[21] Differentiation in heist mission strategies is encouraged; in a holdup mission, players may either stealthily subdue civilians with an incapacitating agent or conspicuously storm the venue with guns drawn.[22]
Each character has a set of eight skills that represent their ability in certain areas such as shooting and driving. Though skills improve through play, each character has a skill with expertise by default (i.e. Trevor's flying skill).[23] The eighth "special" skill determines the effectiveness in performing an ability that is unique to each respective character. Michael enters bullet time in combat, Franklin slows down time while driving, and Trevor deals twice as much damage to enemies while taking half as much in combat.[24] A meter on each character's HUD depletes when an ability is being used and regenerates when players perform skilful actions (for example, drifting in vehicles as Franklin or performing headshots as Michael).[25]
While free roaming the game world, players may engage in context-specific activities such as scuba diving underwater orBASE jumping via parachute. Each character has a smartphone for contacting friends, starting activities and accessing an in-game Internet.[26] The Internet lets players trade in stocks via a stock market.[27] Players may purchase properties such as garages and businesses, upgrade the weapons and vehicles in each character's arsenal, and customise their appearance by purchasing outfits, haircuts and tattoos.[28]
Plot
See also: List of Grand Theft Auto V characters
Michael Townley, Trevor Philips, and Brad Snider partake in a botched robbery in Ludendorff, North Yankton. Nine years later, Michael is living under witness protection with his family in Los Santos, under the alias Michael De Santa. Across town, gangbanger Franklin Clinton is working for a corrupt Armenian car salesman and meets Michael while attempting to fraudulently repossess his son's car; the two later become friends. When Michael finds his wife Amanda sleeping with her tennis coach, he and Franklin chase the coach to a mansion, which Michael destroys in anger. The owner turns out to be the girlfriend of Martin Madrazo, a Mexican drug lord who demands compensation to avoid further violence. Michael returns to a life of crime to obtain the money, enlisting Franklin as an accomplice. With the help of Michael's old friend Lester, a crippled hacker, they perform a jewellery shop heist to pay off the debt. Trevor, who now lives in a trailer park on the outskirts of Los Santos and believes Michael was killed in their failed robbery, hears of the heist and realises that it was Michael's handiwork; Trevor surprises Micheal and reunites with him after tracking down his home.
The personal lives of the protagonists begin to spiral out of control. Michael's increasingly erratic behaviour prompts his family to leave him, and his attempts to make something of himself bring him into conflict with Devin Weston, a self-made billionaire venture capitalist and corporate raider who develops a grudge against him. Devin vows revenge after his lawyer dies in an accident, for which he blames Michael. Franklin rescues his friend Lamar Davis from gangster and former friend Harold "Stretch" Joseph, who repeatedly attempts to kill Lamar to prove himself to his new brethren. Trevor's reckless efforts to consolidate his control over various black markets in Blaine County see him waging war against The Lost outlaw motorcycle club in San Andreas, several Latin American street gangs, rival meth dealers, hillbillies, government-sponsored mercenaries, and Chinese Triad kingpin Wei Cheng.
Federal Investigation Bureau (FIB) agents Dave Norton and Steve Haines contact Michael and demand that he perform a series of operations to undermine a rival agency, the International Affairs Agency (IAA).[i] Under Steve's direction and with Lester's help, they attack an armoured convoy carrying funds intended for the IAA and raid a bank containing the payroll for all corrupt police and public officials in Los Santos. As Steve comes under increasing scrutiny, he forces Franklin and Michael to erase any evidence being used against him from the FIB servers. Michael takes the opportunity to wipe the data on his own activities, destroying Steve's leverage over him. Michael, Trevor, Franklin, and Lester start planning their most daring feat ever: raiding the Union Depository's gold bullion reserve.
Michael reconciles with his family. However, Trevor discovers that Brad was not imprisoned as led to believe, but killed during the heist and buried in the grave marked for Michael. Trevor's feelings of betrayal cause friction within the group and threaten to undermine their Union Depository plans. When Michael and Dave are betrayed by Steve and become caught in a Mexican standoff between the FIB, IAA, and private security firm Merryweather, Trevor, feeling that he is the only one that has the right to kill Michael, comes to their aid. Despite not forgiving Michael, Trevor agrees to perform the Union Depository heist and part ways with him afterwards.
The heist is completed successfully, but Franklin is then approached separately by Steve and Dave, who contend that Trevor is a liability, and Devin, who wants retribution for Michael's betrayal. Franklin has three choices: kill Trevor, kill Michael, or attempt to save both in a suicide mission. Should Franklin choose to kill either Michael or Trevor, he ceases contact with the survivor and returns to his old life.[30][31] Otherwise, the trio withstand an onslaught from the FIB and Merryweather before going on to kill Steve, Stretch, Wei, and Devin. Michael and Trevor reconcile, and the three cease working together but remain friends.[32]
Development
Main article: Development of Grand Theft Auto V
Rockstar North began to develop Grand Theft Auto V in 2009, following Grand Theft Auto IV's release.[33] Development was conducted by a team of more than 1,000 people, including Rockstar North's core team and staff from parent companyRockstar Games's studios around the world.[34] The proprietary Rockstar Advanced Game Engine (RAGE) was overhauled for the game to improve its draw distance rendering capabilities.[35] The Euphoria and Bullet software handle additional animation and rendering tasks.[36] Having become familiar with the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 hardware over time, Rockstar found they were able to push the consoles' graphical capabilities further than in previous games.[37] Analyst estimations place the game's combined development and marketing budget at more than £170 million (US $265 million), which would make it the most expensive game ever made at that time.[38][j]
The open world was modelled on Southern California and Los Angeles,[40] and its design and in-game render constituted much of the game's early work.[41] Key members of the game world production team took field research trips throughout the region and documented their research with photo and video footage.[37] Google Maps projections of Los Angeles were used by the team to help design Los Santos' road networks.[42][43] To reflect and reproduce Los Angeles' demographic spread, the developers studied census data and watched documentaries about the city.[35] The team considered creating the open world the most technically demanding aspect of the game's production.[33]
A fundamental design goal from the outset was to innovate on the series core structure by giving players control of three lead protagonists instead of one.[41] The idea was first raised during Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas's development, but contemporaneous hardware restrictions made it infeasible.[44] Having developed two Grand Theft Auto IV episodic expansion packs featuring new protagonists in 2009, the team wanted to base Grand Theft Auto V around three simultaneously controlled protagonists.[11] The team viewed it as a spiritual successor to many of their previous games (such as Grand Theft Auto IV, Red Dead Redemption and Max Payne 3), and designed it to improve upon their gameplay mechanics.[19][45] They sought to improve the action gameplay by refining the shooting mechanics and cover system,[46] and reworked the driving mechanics to correct Grand Theft Auto IV's difficult vehicle controls.[47]
After an audition process, Ned Luke, Shawn Fonteno and Steven Ogg were selected to portray Michael, Franklin and Trevor, respectively.[48] Their performances were mostly recorded using motion capture technology,[49] but dialogue for scenes with characters seated in vehicles was recorded in studios instead.[50] The game is the first in its series to feature an original score, composed by a team of producers collaborating with each other over several years.[51] Licensed music provided by an in-game radio is also used.[52] The team licensed more than 241 tracks shared between fifteen radio stations, with an additional two stations providing talk radio.[k] Some of the tracks were written specifically for the game, such as rapper and producer Flying Lotus's original work composed for the FlyLo FM radio station he hosts.[54]
The game was first announced by Rockstar Games on 25 October 2011.[55] They released its debut trailer one week later,[56] with an official press release acknowledging its setting.[57] Journalists noted that the announcement ignited widespread anticipation within the gaming industry, which they owed to the cultural significance of the series.[58][59][60] The game missed its original projected Q2 2013 release date, pushed back to 17 September to allow for further polishing.[61] To spur pre-order game sales, Rockstar collaborated with several retail outlets to make a special edition with extra in-game features.[62] They ran a viral marketing strategy with a website for a fictional religious cult, "The Epsilon Program", that offered users the chance to feature in the game as members of the cult.[63]
A re-release of the game was announced for Microsoft Windows (PC), PlayStation 4and Xbox One at E3 2014. This enhanced version features an increased draw distance, finer texture details, denser traffic, upgraded weather effects, and new wildlife and vegetation.[64] It includes a new on-foot first-person view option, which required the development team to overhaul the animation system to accommodate first-person gameplay.[3] The PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions were released on 18 November 2014.[65] The PC version, initially scheduled for simultaneous release with the console versions,[64] was delayed until 14 April 2015.[66] According to Rockstar, it required extra development time for "polish".[67] The PC version is capable of 60 frames per second gameplay at 4K resolution, and the Rockstar Editor lets players capture and edit gameplay videos.[68]
Critical reception
Initial release
Grand Theft Auto V was released to critical acclaim.[80] Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating in the 0–100 range, calculated an average score of 97 out of 100 based on 50 reviews for the PlayStation 3 version[69] and 58 reviews for the Xbox 360 version.[70] The game is Metacritic's fifth-highest rated, tied with a number of others.[l] Reviewers liked the multiple lead character formula,[82][73][76] heist mission design[83][84][85] and presentation,[16][78][86] but some did not agree on the quality of the story and characters.[72][77][79][87] IGN's Keza MacDonald called Grand Theft Auto V "one of the very best video games ever made",[76] and Play considered it "generation-defining" and "exceptional".[78] Edge wrote that it is a "remarkable achievement" in open world design and storytelling,[88] while The Daily Telegraph's Tom Hoggins declared it a "colossal feat of technical engineering".[89]
CNET's Jeff Bakalar felt that the game encouraged players to engage with all three characters.[90] Edge found that switching players was helpful for avoiding long travel times to mission start points.[82] Because of the switching mechanic, Game Informer's Matt Bertz noted that players are kept "in the thick of the action" during shootouts.[73] Eurogamer's Tom Bramwell wrote that switching added a tactical element to shootouts as characters set up in strategic outposts would cause fewer "shooting gallery" situations than previous instalments.[72] IGN's MacDonald felt the switching feature gave players more choice in their approach and made missions less predictable.[76]
Giant Bomb's Jeff Gerstmann considered the heist missions a welcome deviation from series typical mission structure.[83]Eurogamer's Bramwell likened them to "blockbuster set-pieces"[72] and GameSpot's Carolyn Petit cited the 1995 film Heat as a stylistic influence on their design.[74] Joystiq's Xav de Matos felt creativity and methodical approaches were encouraged.[77]Polygon's Chris Plante likened rapid character switching during heist missions to "film editing, with the player serving as editor, switching rapidly to the most interesting perspective for any moment".[84] Computer and Video Games' Andy Kelly felt that overall mission design was more diverse than and lacked the escort errands of its predecessors.[85]Edge praised the game's graphical fidelity and absence of load screens.[82] Playcomplimented the draw distances and weather and lighting systems.[78] Eurogamer's Bramwell considered the lighting system to be the game's biggest advancement.[72]Official Xbox Magazine (OXM)'s Mikel Reparaz thought that the game was "probably the Xbox 360's greatest technical achievement", and was surprised that the open world could render on the console.[87] Reviewers lauded the open world's design, some further complimenting the game for streamlining Los Angeles' geography into a well-designed city space.[16][72] GameTrailers's Brandon Jones considered the Los Angeles emulation authentic and the open world "full of voice and personality".[91]IGN and PlayStation Official Magazine (OPM) made favourable comparisons between Los Santos and Grand Theft Auto IV's Liberty City.[76][86] OXM's Reparez felt Los Santos surpassed the "grey and gritty" Liberty City.[87] Reviewers praised the world's satire of contemporary American culture—OPM's Joel Gregory opined that "the scathing social commentary is, of course, present and correct".
Destructoid's Jim Sterling called the sound design "impeccable" and praised the actors' performances, original soundtrack and licensed music use. IGN and Giant Bomb commended the music selection and felt that the original score enhanced dramatic tension during missions. GameSpot's Petit wrote that the score "lends missions more cinematic flavour".Edge said that the licensed music enhanced the city's "already remarkable sense of space" and that the original score improved the atmosphere of the gameplay. They summarised the game as "a compendium of everything Rockstar has learnt about the power of game music in the past decade".
Many reviewers found the land-based vehicles more responsive and easier to control than in previous games.Game Informer's Bertz explained that "cars have a proper sense of weight, while retaining the agility necessary for navigating through traffic at high speeds".[73] In addition to the vehicle handling, most reviewers noted the shooting mechanics were tighter than they had been in previous games,[73][74][76] but Destructoid's Sterling felt that in spite of the improvements, auto-aim was "twitchy and unreliable" and cover mechanics "still come off as dated and unwieldy".[16] Some reviewers felt the game solved a continual problem by adding mid-mission checkpoints.[72][76][89]
The story and characters—particularly Trevor—polarised reviewers. Some felt that the narrative was not as well written as previous Rockstar games and cited Grand Theft Auto IV and Red Dead Redemption's plot strengths.[72][73][77][87] Others felt that the protagonists' contrasting personalities gave the narrative tighter pacing.[16][82][76][84] GamesRadar's Hollander Cooper thought the game negated inconsistencies in the story of previous entries, whose single lead protagonists had muddled morality.[75] GameSpot's Petit considered Trevor in particular a "truly horrible, terrifying, psychotic human being—and a terrific character".[74] Eurogamer's Bramwell found Trevor "shallow and unconvincing", and felt that his eccentricities hurt the narrative and overshadowed Michael and Franklin's character development.[72] Joystiq's de Matos faulted the protagonists' lack of likability for him, and found the ambivalence between Michael and Trevor a tired plot device as their conflict grew into a "seemingly endless cycle".[77] The Escapist's Greg Tito had difficulty connecting with the characters' emotions since they acted out of greed with no sense of morality and thus gave players little reason to support them.[79]
Re-release
Grand Theft Auto V's re-release, similarly, received critical acclaim. Metacritic calculated an average score of 97 out of 100 based on 66 reviews for the PlayStation 4 version[94] and 14 reviews for the Xbox One version,[95] and 96 out of 100 based on 48 reviews for the PC version.[93]Game Informer's Andrew Reiner considered the addition of first-person "another significant breakthrough for the series" in the vein of Grand Theft Auto III's shift to third-person from Grand Theft Auto's bird's-eye view.[97]GameSpot's Mark Walton found that playing in first-person heightened the impact of Grand Theft Auto V's violence, which made him reflect on morality and character motivation more than before.[96] VideoGamer.com opined that players feel like inhabitants of the world, rather than "guns attached to a floating camera".[101] IGN's Dan Stapleton found the game more immersive in first-person, creating a "surprisingly different experience".[98] VideoGamer.com praised the "finer details" in first-person animations like camera lean when players take corners on motorcycles, or the navigational instruments in plane cockpits.[101] Reviewers found playing the game more difficult in first-person,[96][98] but Game Informer's Reiner preferred the challenge.[97]
GameSpot's Walton thought the graphics improvements made the open world "even more spectacular", especially because of improved spatial anti-aliasing. Of the first-person view, he said that "at ground level everything looks bigger and more imposing" because of the improved graphics.[96] IGN's Stapleton favoured the PlayStation 4 version's graphics over the Xbox One, but thought both consoles rendered the game well and maintained mostly consistent frame rates.[98] He praised the increased frame rate and graphics options offered in the PC version.[103] VideoGamer.com called the console version's frame rate so consistent it was "scarcely believable",[101] although GameSpot's Walton cited occasional frame rate dips.[96]GameSpot's Peter Brown opined that the PC version let players "witness the full extent of Rockstar's admirable handiwork", but noted that it "retains evidence of its last-gen roots ... with simple geometry".[96] VideoGamer.com praised the Rockstar Editor's accessibility on PC but criticised some of its limitations, such as camera angle restrictions.[102] IGN's Stapleton appreciated the PC version's customisable controls,[103] and GameSpot's Brown felt that constant switching between the mouse and keyboard and a gamepad was necessary for "the best experience".[96] PC Gamer's Chris Thursten called the game "the most beautiful, expansive and generous" of the series.[100]
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On the game's multiplayer, IGN's Stapleton reported low player counts in matches, long wait times in lobbies, server disconnection and occasional crashes. "Because of that," he wrote, "I can't strongly recommend ... the multiplayer experience alone".[98] VideoGamer.com found online character progression streamlined by comparison with the original version. According to them, the "grind of just doing PvP until co-op Jobs arrive with regularity"[101] was lost, and newcomers would likely find multiplayer enjoyable and balanced. However, they wrote of frequent server disconnection, especially during load screens.[101] GameSpot's Walton thought that Grand Theft Auto Online "still suffers from a lack of direction" for its open-ended and frenetic gameplay, but still is fun.[96] Game Informer's Reiner reported "minimal lag or issues in the expanded firefights and races".[97]
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