A reader reveals how the wait for GTA 6 led him to buy GTA 5 for the PS5, as he insists the 12-year-old game is still the best entry in the series so far.
I love Grand Theft Auto. I’m in my fifties now and I don’t often play video games anymore. If I have any spare time, I prefer to watch decent films or well scripted television series, like Succession. Video games require effort and physical interaction and I’m not really up for that after a week at work.
Up until this year, due to my overall gaming lapse, I’d resisted upgrading to the current generation of consoles, but I’ve now purchased a PlayStation 5 for one reason alone. I have to play Grand Theft Auto 6. It’s like an overpowering urge akin to when you’re ravenous and you see a big tasty-looking cake. You want that cake. There’s no debate in your head. That cake must find its way into your mouth. That’s how I feel about Grand Theft Auto 6.
When the new Grand Theft Auto game was delayed until next year I was utterly heartbroken, especially since I bought a new console for the sole purpose of playing it. The current instalment in the franchise, Grand Theft Auto 5, is relatively cheap at the moment (about 15 quid) and the old/current game began to look quite appealing to me as a stopgap until I could play the new game, but I held back from buying GTA 5 because I already own two copies on other formats.
How could I possibly justify buying and playing Grand Theft Auto 5 again?
Years ago, I bought and played GTA 5 extensively on the PlayStation 3. I purchased the game a second time on the Xbox One. In that enhanced version of the game there were notable improvements. Mainly, I’m thinking about first person view being an option in every vehicle.
Grand Theft Auto 5 on PlayStation 5 seemed so unnecessary to me. Apparently the PlayStation 5 version wasn’t much of an improvement, and wouldn’t it be better and more adventurous to branch out and play something else? But then, as I’ve mentioned above, GTA 6 got delayed and I needed to satisfy my hunger for the franchise, and so I found myself buying the same game a third time. After this purchase I rather regretted surrendering to my urges, that is until I installed Grand Theft Auto 5 and actually started playing it.
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From my hands-on experience of the PlayStation 5 version, I have to say that Grand Theft Auto 5 is still a right laugh and in many respects I think it might be the best entry in the series.
The missions in 5 are a major improvement on the previous games, in that they’re fun and often spectacular. All too often in the other games, some of the missions regressed into becoming a major chore. That remote control helicopter mission in the multi-story carpark in Vice City sticks in my head as a serious blight in an otherwise enjoyable experience. Grand Theft Auto 5 is far more accommodating. If you keep failing the game offers you a chance to skip a mission, which is probably sacrilege to hardcore gamers but I think a bit of all-abilities inclusion is an excellent idea.
I’m still barely into my latest playthrough and already rescuing Michael’s son from his hijacked boat was/is so cool. You’re chasing down a stolen yacht that’s being towed in a trailer. Franklin jumps onto the yacht while it’s in motion and you have to then catch him and Michael’s dangling son. Brilliant stuff. I can’t immediately remember missions with that kind of scope in the earlier games.
I also love the random incidents that occur throughout the map while you play. After you’ve darted over to intervene in a theft, in true Grand Theft Auto style you can either give the money back to its rightful owner or keep it for yourself.
The Strangers and Freaks side missions are a great addition too. Grand Theft Auto 5 offers a multitude of tempting distractions, other than simply running amok until the police take you down, which although fun can become a rather aimless and morally troubling activity.
On this latest playthrough of GTA 5 I’ve only noticed a couple of downsides. I’ve been forced to remember how much I hated Franklin’s mate Lamar. Just a horrible, moaning character with dialogue that’s littered with offensive expletives. I punched Lamar and ran him over and that provided marginal relief but, yes, I still hate him.
And the character models in general look a bit crusty and old, which is perfectly understandable given the age of the game itself. And if I’m honest the only improvement in the PlayStation 5 version is that the game loads slightly faster and maybe the environments look marginally better… so was it worth buying the game yet again?
I have to say yes. Playing Grand Theft Auto 5 is still a joy and I’d recommend readers giving the game another go given its cheap price. In my opinion, no other game offers such a multifaceted and amusingly detailed experience. Listening to Cara Delevingne on Non-Stop-Pop FM. Stealing a flashy sports car and then gunning it for miles across the brilliantly realised map. Grand Theft Auto 5 really is the gift that keeps on giving, that is until Grand Theft Auto 6 finally comes out.
By reader Michael Veal (@msv858)
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