I get that feeling too, when I visit Bathurst and Albert Park and Philip Island.
I get that feeling too, when I visit Bathurst and Albert Park and Philip Island.
Actually this is incorrect, it's more like 1/24th of the size. I actually looked it up like a nerd. Los Santos - 21 square miles. Los Angeles (city) - 502 square miles...which is quite huge. Literally exactly twice the size of Toronto. When you get into the numbers for the metro and greater areas, it becomes quite astounding and mind-blowing just how enormous the LA area is.
Anyway back to GTA V...this game is actually the first GTA game I've really played. About a decade ago I bought GTA III and San Andreas at the same time for the old PS2. Played III all night the same night I bought it, then never played again. Didn't even open San Andreas. Several years later my son found the games and started playing, (without my permission). He was probably 11 or so at the time. He played a bit of both games until I told him to stop. Then when he was 14 we got our first GTA V for PS3.
This game is so addictive I find myself thinking about it during the day at work. You almost get lost in that world when you're playing.
It does have that magic formula. Just enough agency that you feel powerful, but not so much that you feel like an unstoppable force.
I was addicted to it for a while, but kind of accidentally broke it for myself when I started playing a pirated PC copy (don’t judge - I had already bought it twice for consoles!) and was experimenting with mods. I saw behind the curtain and witnessed how canned some of the physics were, and did turn myself into that god-like force.
It’s a good lesson on game design and how Rockstar absolutely nailed it.
50% through my new game. Speeding through it. Skipping the cut-scenes and shit. It's frustrating that some of the Strangers and Freaks missions have no financial payoff. Just time wasters. I did save a guy's bicycle with Trevor once, and he later rewarded him with a stock investment that was in excess of $100K. I do love those Lester assassination missions for Franklin. Easy money.
Finished the game, but at 74% so there's still stuff to do. Acquire businesses, etc. I have to say the union depository heist was a bit anticlimactic. It was built up so much to be this grand heist, but was so easy. The jewelry store heist will always be my favorite.
Ended up killing Trevor, but I saved right before making the decision so today I'll kill Michael. After seeing that then of course I'm going to do the deathwish. Feels really wrong for Franklin to kill either of them. He's the hero of the game. I actually felt bad for Trevor when confronting him.
Yeah even on my second or third playthrough (platinumed the PS3 version and was on my way to doing the same to the PS4 version) i still felt bad about killing Trev and Michael, but i saved it and reloaded so i could see each endgame.
So I guess I’m done. Chose the deathwish option and wiped out al of the enemies. Now stuck at 76%. I was reading that there are stil minor things left to do, but no more major missions or heists. No reason left for the characters to interact with one another. So I think I’ll put the controller down.
Overall a very excellent game, and thoroughly enjoyable experience. A+
Maybe one day I’ll do GTA Online. Right now however, I’m burnt out of all things GTA. Now I can go back to watching TV. Movies, basketball, etc.
funny, I chose not to kill Trevor or Michael during the first playthrough and it was a long time before I watched those endings. Trevor could have deserved it, but Michael definitely not
Wow I guess you ploughed right through it!
I savoured it like fine champagne.
No wonder you’re burned out.
Yup. At least six hours a day, (but not every single day). I was zoned in. Immersed to the fullest. Now it’s over and I actually feel relieved.
I have to say I was really impressed with the driving experience in this game. The sensation of speed is so realistic. More so than any GT game I’ve ever played. Loved the Porsche, (or the car that was that universe’s equivalent of a Porsche), it was blazing fast!