What is GTA V?

Grand Theft Auto V (also known as Grand Theft Auto Five, GTA 5 or GTA V) is a video game developed by Rockstar North. It is the fifteenth instalment in the Grand Theft Autoseries and the successor of Grand Theft Auto IV. The original edition was released on September 17th, 2013 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The Xbox One and PlayStation 4versions were released on November 18th, 2014, and was later released on April 14th, 2015 for the PC.

The original edition was announced on October 25th, 2011; the game's first trailer[2] was released on November 2nd, 2011, at 4:00 PM GMT. The game was initially slated for a Spring 2013 release and there were even posters printed saying this but was delayed until September 17th the same year. Then, on July 15th, 2013, Rockstar announced the Japanese release date for the game: October 10th, 2013, almost a month after it was released in the Western world.[3] The enhanced edition was announced on June 9th, 2014, with pre-orders made available on June 10.

Grand Theft Auto V is set circa 2013 in the city of Los Santosand its surrounding areas and tells the stories of three protagonists: Michael De Santa, Franklin Clinton, and Trevor Philips. It takes place about five years after the events of Grand Theft Auto IV, and four years after the events of Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars.

As one of the most awaited video game titles to be released in 2013, the game was widely anticipated prior to its release. Grand Theft Auto V was released to universal acclaim, holding scores of 96 and above on MetaCritic and GameRankings, as well as receiving perfect scores from over 30 reviewers. The game sold 11,210,000 copies and grossed $800,000,000 on its first day of release, setting many records, and eventually making $1,000,000,000 within 3 days of the game's release.

Gameplay

The Weapon Wheel, an entirely new mechanism appearing in GTA V, serving as a quicker alternative to cycle through weapons.

Grand Theft Auto V evolves nearly every mechanic that was in the previous Grand Theft Auto games. As far as driving goes, the vehicles have been greatly improved, with Rockstar running more complex physics on them. The cars can even hold to the ground slightly better. The driving mechanics feel more like a racing game, particularly the Midnight Club series, compared to Grand Theft Auto IV's rocky, boat-like handling system. The shooting mechanics are better in terms of the feel of the mechanics and larger compared to the melee mechanics in the game, but that doesn't mean that the melee combat won't be fun, as it has been improved over the previous titles as well. Weapon selection has now also been changed. Instead of the old way of selecting through all the weapons, there is now a Weapon Wheel, which is similar to the one featured in Red Dead Redemption, another game made by Rockstar Games. Grand Theft Auto Vdraws inspirations from many different Rockstar titles in the past, including Max Payne 3, Midnight Club, Manhunt, and Red Dead Redemption.

Switch Scene cutscene. Each of the three protagonists are living their own lives while the player acts the part of another.

There are many unique features in the game; one of those features is that when the players are playing as one of three protagonists in the game, the other two are living their independent daily lives, and you will be surprised by what you find the characters doing when you switch back into them. Another unique feature is that the character swapping feature is executed in a Google Earth-styled manner and was displayed during a Game Informer demo, which was shown to have run smoothly and without lag. The PC, PS4 and Xbox One versions present an exclusive feature, the first-person mode, where the whole game can be played through the eyes of the protagonist. This gameplay mode presents a whole new way to play the game. Cars have detailed interiors different from one another, shooting is like that of an FPS game.

Yoga, a new activity appearing in GTA V.

New activities have been added, such as yoga, triathlons, jet skiing, parachuting, tennis, golf, and scuba diving. Random events have also been added to the game and can appear anytime, while the player is exploring the map. The mobile phone has returned from Grand Theft Auto IV but is now only used for calling the player's contacts, surfing the web, and quick saving. Giving people the middle finger is another new feature the player can use while in a vehicle (which Rockstar recommended you do in various locations around Los Santos to see the outcome of this effect, depending on where the player is at, they will get different reactions from pedestrians).

Rockstar has also made changes to the pedestrian mechanics; some pedestrians can be seen at the bus stops in East Los Santos, and the same people can reappear in Rockford Hills working in the gardens of the opulent mansions. Some minor mechanics that help convey the environment and appearance of Los Santos occur at certain times of day, such as a sprinkler system being turned on in the morning in wealthy areas like Morningwood.

The map is larger than Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Grand Theft Auto IV, and Red Dead Redemption combined. After some calculations by members of GawdAlmighty.com, that would equal to around 27.5 square miles/71.2 km² when land and sea are combined. [3]

Vehicles

Grand Theft Auto V has the widest range of super cars to date, as well as the most amount of vehicles, in the entire GTA series. The Cheetah is one of the few vehicles to appear in the majority of GTA games.

Grand Theft Auto V has more vehicles than in any other Grand Theft Auto game to date, with a variety of vehicles, including aeroplanes, helicopters, cars, utility vehicles, emergency service vehicles, motorcycles, and jet skis. Players are able to fly planes, which was a cut feature from Grand Theft Auto IV because of the limited size of the map, but the feature is now available in Grand Theft Auto Vbecause of the much larger, open world map. There are also submarines that players are able to use to explore the depths of the Pacific Ocean. The Rhino from previous GTA titles has returned, including a new complex aiming system and a realistic depiction of a tank. A new feature also allows the player to roll-over a vehicle when the car is flipped upside down.

An NPC Boxville pulling out of an alleyway.

Like all previous games, a wide array of vehicles spawn driving around the map that can be stolen. To give the game a sense of realism and make the map feel more alive, various vehicles (as well as pedestrians) spawn in scenarios to make them more interactive with the map, such as delivery vans pulling out of alleyways, emergency vehicles responding, or vehicles pulling in and out of driveways. This behaviour was present in GTA IV to a lesser extent and is revamped in GTA V, even more so with the enhanced release of the game, where modified vehicles can spawn driving around, as well as the presence of the fully-controllable Jet, among other planes flying high above San Andreas.

Businesses

Businesses from Grand Theft Auto IV re-appear. New businesses also appear, such as the Bugstars pest control company, who specialise in fumigation and the fast-food restaurant, Up-n-Atom Burger. The option to eat takeaway food from outlets such as Burger Shot is no longer available. Instead, the player can only buy drinks from the various Vending Machines across the map.

Weapons

The weapon wall at Ammu-Nation, home to 66 individual weapons, and 87 in GTA Online.

The game features a large variety of weapons, like the Norinco Type 56-2 assault rifles with sound suppressors, mounted flashlights, olive drab polymer furniture, and side-folding stocks. There is now the option to mount attachments onto various different guns, each one affecting the performance. Melee weapons like the nightstick and the golf club that weren't present in Grand Theft Auto IV have also been introduced to Grand Theft Auto V.

Character Customization

Clothing can be changed at a range of different clothes stores.

In the game, the player has the option to customize the three protagonists' wardrobe and appearance. There is less customisation available compared to that of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (e.g. changing the body mass of the 3 characters isn't available as it was with Carl Johnson in San Andreas). The availability of tattoo parlours, barber shops and the ability to apply and remove facial hair has returned from GTASan Andreas after being missing from previous titles in the HD universe.

Multiplayer

Grand Theft Auto V expands the multiplayer feature that was present in Grand Theft Auto IV. The multiplayer is treated as an additional title and is known as Grand Theft Auto Online. In GTA Online, multiplayer crews from Max Payne 3 can be carried over to Grand Theft Auto V. Grand Theft Auto V has multiplayer features linked to Rockstar's Social Club. 

Multiplayer holds up to sixteen people on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and thirty players in Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC versions.

Synopsis

Characters and Premise

A screenshot featuring the game's playable characters.

From left to right: Franklin, Trevor and Michael.

Grand Theft Auto V features three playable protagonists: Michael, Trevor and Franklin.

Michael is a retired professional bank robber, who after making a sweet deal with the FIB, returned to the life of crime. Trevor is the loose cannon in this story and is also a long time best friend of Michael's and a hothead psychopath as well. Last but certainly not least, we have Franklin, a young and grim repossession agent who has a large amount of experience behind the wheel, but no real experience with a crime until he meets Michael while he was trying to hustle.

Other main characters include Amanda, Michael's wife; Jimmy and Tracey, Michael's two grown-up children; Lamar, Franklin's closest friend; Ron, Trevor's paranoid friend; and Lester, a long-time associate of Michael and Trevor. 

Timeframe

Although it is not specifically stated when exactly in 2013 the game takes place, the following evidence suggests August - October 2013:

§  There's an advertisement on the side of a strip mall in Davis stating that it's having a "Summer Sale on flat-screen TVs".

§  The calendar in Trevor's trailer is open on the month of August.

§  When Michael meets Lester to come out of retirement, the calendar in Lester's House shows September.

§  After Franklin moves into 3671 Whispymound Drive, a bank statement is opened on his entry sideboard. Close inspection in the enhanced version reveals it is his September statement for transactions in August.

§  During the mission "Cleaning out the Bureau", a calendar briefly seen in Harvey Molina's apartment is also open on the month of September.

§  Towards the end/completion of the storyline, one of the barbers in Sandy Shores might comment on how it is "October already". 

§  Some houses have pumpkins on their front porches. Pumpkins are rarely seen at any time of the year other than autumn.

§  In the enhanced edition of the game, the text message that the creators of Space Monkey 3D send the player after completing Monkey Mosaics state that the film would be coming out in the holiday season, this again suggests that the story would take place in late-summer to fall.

Unique Features

§  The map is now one entire landmass, rather than several islands. Also, the entire map is unlocked from the beginning of the game, unlike previous games where sections of the map were unlocked as the player gradually progressed through the game, reasons in those games given for this was "terrorist threat" or "earthquake".

§  Players can ragdoll by pressing X/Square/SPACE (Xbox/PlayStation/PC) then B/Circle/R (Xbox/Playstation/PC).

§  Players can play as animals (enhanced version), unlike in any other GTA game.