It has been a long wait for PC gamers but now they will finally have the opportunity to experience the masterpiece that did to video games what The Wire did for television drama: raise the bar to an unbelievable height.
When Grand Theft Auto V was first released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, it was universally praised for its multi-character story along with being one of the most visually stunning titles ever. During the three days after its release, it generated over $1 billion in revenue while becoming the first media property to hit the $2 billion mark by the end of December.
This success was followed a year later when Rockstar Games brought the gaming icon to the Next-Gen consoles. Taking advantage of the new hardware, Grand Theft Auto V once again impressed the gaming world. Yet all of this was achieved while PC gamers had to wait on the sidelines while console gamers enjoyed this marvelous achievement.
The long wait was worth it as the result is a PC game so magnificent and so advanced that it may replace Crysis as the Litmus test in determining the power of your hardware.
A Tale Of The American Dream
To recap the story; it follows the journey of three different characters seeking the American Dream in a post-2008 crash society. Michael Townley is a former bank robber turned informant living a life of depressing luxury in Los Santos. However when Townley’s anger puts him in debt with a drug lord, he is forced to pull one more robbery with the help of Frank Clinton. This gets the attention of his handlers in the FIB (based on the FBI) along with his former partner, Trevor Philips. After all three characters are united, they are used as pawns by a corrupt agent in his petty feud with the IAA (based on the CIA).
Compared to past titles in the series, Grand Theft Auto V has one of the most thought-provoking stories that tries to examine the American Dream in a critical manner that is on par with The Great Gatsby. Gamers explore a society that embraces vanity and the value of self-importance as everyone tries to claw their way to the top. Meanwhile, our heroes are on an odyssey to achieve their personal independence, a journey that pays homage to the works of Jack Kerouac and Hunter S. Thompson. It’s more than a story of three criminals but an examination of how our morals and culture has morphed in the aftermath of the 2008 Financial Crash.
The World Of San Andreas
While the story is one of the best in gaming, the gameplay mechanism has been altered just right to function for a PC gamer.
Everything gamers loved about Grand Theft Auto V is still available only with a few minor tweaks that improve the overall experience. It’s the same open world adventure that has impressed a gaming icon while having raised the bar for the industry. Several new features and content have been added that enrich the gameplay even more.
Grand Theft Auto V was a flawless title on the consoles, and yet Rockstar has found a way to make the PC version a superior game. While the Next-Gen version was an achievement on its own merit, it pales to what the PC version has achieved.
While both games are on equal merit regarding the gameplay, it’s the attention to visual details that sets them apart. The Next-Gen version was already well-known for its stunning visuals that allowed the world of San Andreas to come to life. The PC version improves on that by creating a world so vivid in the visual details that gamers may need to update their system just to truly appreciate it.
The Future Is Unwritten
The yet games biggest advantage over console versions is not what it offers now but what it could offer due to the creativity and freedom of the PC gaming community. Grand Theft Auto V is a modders dream title as gamers could expect to see customized content made by the community within a few months. Who knows what a devoted fan could make a year from now, maybe new weapon packs or special gear? It’s won’t be a surprise if several devoted fans even tried to remake the 3D era using the RAGE software.
By itself, Grand Theft Auto V is a game that has so much to offer the player but the imagination of the PC community will support the game years after Rockstar has moved on. If a gamer has both a console and a PC, then they are better going with this version of the game.
In the end, Rockstar turned their greatest masterpiece and made it better than before. Grand Theft Auto V is the crowning achievement of the gaming industry while the PC version is truly the superior rendition of this iconic title.
Published: Apr 13, 2015 10:06 pm