GTA V version for PC review

Finally,after days,weeks and months of delaying,GTA V arrived on screens of PC’s across the world of gamers.To remind you GTA V for consoles,actually for PS4 has been released in september 2013.So,year and a half took to create version for PC,but its a crazy ride with this one.

trailer:

Ever since Grand Theft Auto V’s initial release back in September 2013 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, PC gamers have been eagerly waiting for Rockstar Games to bring title to the PC. 18 months later, and the long-awaited game has finally been released. Unfortunately, while RockstarGames is known for releasing some top-notch titles, its track record with porting its games to PC hasn’t been stellar.

When Grand Theft Auto IV came out for the PC platform back in 2008, about eight months after the console version, it was criticized as a poor port at the time. Suffering from performance issues and requiring users to be signed in to Windows Live to save their progress, it frustrated many users in many ways that its console counterparts did not. Though, the PC version has some superior aspects as well. The same can be said about Grand Theft Auto V to some extent.

But we’ll get to that later on in the review.

Since its initial release on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation back in 2013, Rockstar Games has developed the game even further for current consoles and especially for the PC platform. More radio stations have been added, a robust selection of configurable settings for the game is available for PC users, support for mouse and keyboard controls, and even extra things such as a slider for increasing or decreasing the amount of pedestrian and car traffic so that mainstream GPUs will not be overly taxed. As with each successive installment in the GTA franchise, Rockstar Games has increased the scope in many ways. Grand Theft Auto V is another open world, action-adventure game that allows players to explore the city of Los Santos and the countryside of Blaine County. Not only are the locations bigger and more engrossing in GTA V, but players will switch between the game’s three playable leads and experience an interwoven story that, in previous installments, only focused on a single main character. But the fun doesn’t stop there.Yet Rockstar wasn’t done adding in all the bells and whistles for the latest iteration of the game. They have optimized the PC version for 4K resolution, and the developer went even further by adding in a first-person mode for the game.Unlike previous installments of the GTA franchise, which revolved around a single main character, GTA V has three playable leads. Experiencing the main story from three different perspectives is quite enjoyable, though it can be frustrating at times. We found ourselves becoming engrossed in one line of the story, whether from the point of Michael, Franklin, or Trevor, only to switch to one of the other leads in order to continue the main story. While this switching can be somewhat jarring, Rockstar has done a pretty good job of breaking up the story amongst the three protagonists.

Thankfully, we were not forced to follow the story at a certain pace. Being able to explore the open world and do whatever you want is still the main staple of the game. Whether you want to hijack an armored car, rob a convenience store, mow down pedestrians, or simply drive around, you can do it all.

I may, or may not, have run over that pedestrian…

All of this can be done from a third-person perspective with the option for PC users to utilize the mouse and keyboard control scheme or a controller. Because of this, owners of the PC edition can swap between the different control schemes for varying aspects of the game. For example, you can use the mouse and keyboard for when you are in a firefight with law enforcement and then switch to a controller for getting out of that situation in your getaway car, plane, boat, or submersible. Even then, we found the mouse and keyboard combo perfectly fine for all aspects of the game though it took us a little while to get used to flying.
As always, money is the name of the game. It is what drives all three protagonists and it is what will drive you to perform acts of crime, perform certain tasks, or even play the stock market. There are multiple avenues to earn money, some that are easier than others, with the big windfalls coming your when when the protagonists perform heists (as part of the main storyline). In these heists, you will have to choose your crew, sometimes collect certain items, and plan the heist.

Once completed, you can invest your money into acquiring certain businesses that will generate money for you automatically or you can personally take part in to generate some extra revenue for your character. There is also the option to invest in the stock market that can, just like in real life, be rather dicey. That is, unless you decide to take a hand in personally affecting the market such as investing in a particular car company and then performing certain actions that will raise the value of its stocks.

Because GTA V has three leads in it, we found ourselves juggling three different bank accounts which is quite the experience.
I see Franklin (left) and Michael (right), but where is Trevor?

But it’s not just about the money. Simply driving around in Los Santos is a fun experience. The various make and models of vehicles vary in speed, performance, and traction that we needed to get a feel for in order to successfully traverse the streets of Los Santos. Failure to do so will leave you slipping and careening into vehicles, objects, and pedestrians while destroying your vehicle in the process.
The shooting mechanics in GTA V are another aspect of the game that holds up well and is greatly improved by giving players the option to switch into first-person mode (we preferred conducting shootouts in FPS mode). For those that prefer first-person for any kind of shooter, this is a welcome addition and one that we hope Rockstar will continue to implement in future installments.

GTA V Graphics Engine and Benchmarks

Another area that Rockstar Games wanted to make sure it didn’t drop the ball on was graphics. Lately, the PC platform has seen a few ports where the games weren’t properly optimized or the graphics updated to take advantage of a user’s system resources. With Grand Theft Auto V, Rockstar assured PC gamers that the game can be played in resolutions up to 4K and even higher, while maintaining good frame rates.

So what are the results? First, let’s look at the visuals.

Individual objects and structures looked great as well. The various vehicles in the game are impressive and show various degrees of damage or wear quite nicely. We noticed that garments and different flora would sway in the wind and the water effects were nicely done, with reasonably natural looking flow.

From a graphics standpoint, GTA V looks great. From its massive skyscrapers of Los Santos, to the open landscape of Blaine County, it all just looks fantastic. We were especially impressed at the panoramic views we saw of Los Santos at sunset, sunrise, and at night. The scenery is rich, vibrant, and expansive.

To put it simply, GTA V is visually appealing and impressive given the scope of the game. It might not be quite “cutting-edge,” but it’s certainly not too shabby at all.

Characters and Storylines:

There is Michael, who we were first introduced to, was a criminal who faked his own death to live a life of luxury though he has to deal with a very dysfunctional family. Franklin comes in later and is a young man looking to create a better life for himself. Finally, there is Trevor, who comes in later, a former associate of Michael who is deranged beyond measure. All three characters, and the way they interact with each other, ensure a very entertaining story line for the game, a wide range of options for the gamer and good re-playability.

One other thing that is still a problem, even as this review goes live, is that the game tends to freeze while playing on our mid-range rig and with both AMD and NVIDIA GPUs. Sometimes 15-30 minutes into the game, or after two hours straight, the game will suddenly freeze and we’d have to alt-tab out and close it down. Despite these issues, the PC version of Grand Theft Auto V is the definitive version to own and play, in our humble opinion. Not only does it look a lot better than its console counterpart, but it plays much better as well, occasional glitches notwithstanding. Over the next few weeks the experience should only improve.