GTA V - First thoughts *No Spoilers*

Last night I finally got the time to take GTA V for a spin and had a few people ask me today "What's it like?" So here is my quick rundown on a review in progress.

A few things to note right off the bat. The game is beautiful... It uses the RAGE engine to render the game world in bright and vibrant colors while running at a silky smooth framerate.

The characters are interesting, they have flaws and seem "real."

The world is huge... like 10 time the amount of GTA 4. I have logged about 4 hours and haven't left the city yet.

The missions are varied and exciting. Stealth missions are a blast as they aren't punishing if you mess up, other missions are action packed.

Controls and gunplay are tight. Gunfights are more intense and the reworked cover system is fantastic.

The city is well designed too. It's not as easy to outrun cops and many times I found myself having to fight my way out of a dead end alley.

Car handling is reworked so they don't feel like wheels are butter. A few gamers have complained about it but once you get used to it, it makes for more exciting chase scenes.

The game is very impressive. I wasn't' a huge fan of the GTA PS2 games but am finding GTA V to be shaping up to be one of my favorites. A few downsides are racial stereotyping and excessive language but nothing on the level of Saints Row.

GTA V is almost certainly a must buy game even for people who haven't enjoyed the previous titles. The rich narrative, engaging missions and numerous non criminal activities keep me wanting to jump into the world of Los Santos time and time again.

-Sarge out!