The Magic of Grand Theft Auto

While I await the upcoming release of Mass Effect:  Andromeda, I have decided to revisit another of my favorite gaming environments--the wonderful world of Los Santos.  There is so much to do in Los Santos...I almost forgot!  But now that I'm back I've decided that it's time to enjoy the lighter side of life--the non-criminal aspects of Grand Theft Auto V that I largely neglected the first time around.

A little post-heist yoga will do the trick.

Of all the activities in GTAV that I initially scoffed at, yoga was probably at the top of the list.  It just seemed really silly to have one of our three badass protagonists stretching, breathing, and just generally being completely un-criminal-like.  I decided to give yoga a chance and I have found that it is oddly peaceful to walk Michael through the poses and breathing.  It's also one of the best ways to boost his stamina and prepare for criminal activities.  I wish he could learn a wider variety of poses though...

Besides yoga, Michael can also play tennis against a number of different challengers at the various courts around Los Santos.  I haven't quite mastered all the spins and lob shots but can usually eke out a win.  There's also golf, but I haven't made it that far yet.  I will probably give it a spin.

By far my favorite activities in Los Santos revolve around racing.  Whether it's tearing up the streets as Franklin or offroading with Travis, there's something highly enjoyable about the variety of races in GTAV.  I'm not a big fan of street races featuring motorcycles--I would rather skip those, but they always have to throw one in.  Those races usually end in someone getting forcefully and painfully ejected from the bike onto their skull--which, I have to admit, is a little hilarious.

I jumped out of a moving tow truck to steal this beauty.

I've also made a much more concerted effort to "pimp" some rides and have to say that I have at least one car that I feel somewhat proud of.  I have no idea if it's even a very good type of car, but I have enjoyed racing it.

In my last Los Santos adventure I found myself easily frustrated with the daredevil activities--the stunt jumps and the parachuting.  Parachuting takes a few tries to really get the hang of and if you don't get a feel for it then the frustration starts to mount.  This time I made myself be more patient and I've actually wound up being able to stick most landings at 90% and above.  Let me tell you about the fun I had trying to find a dang helicopter to finish up a Dom quest...I easily spent an hour and there were none spawned.  It was really weird, but in the end I did manage to find one and finish the mission to jump off the Maze Bank and land on a truck.

Trevor can enjoy some quality time in nature.  By "quality time," I mean slaying nature.  Hunting is not an extremely profitable activity but it is fun.  Stalking and killing boars, elk, coyotes, and the occasional mountain lion can provide a nice distraction.

Flying has always been challenging for me, so I think I might skip out on the stunt flying events.  There are a variety of airplane and helicopter courses to help you master the skills required to become a truly proficient flyer.  My first playthrough I worked hard at trying to complete all of them.  I'm just not feeling it this time around.

There are still numerous collectibles, stunt jumps, and other moneymaking enterprises to pursue.  It has been awhile since I last played GTAV and I am now remembering how much time someone could spend just messing around in the story mode doing all the assorted stuff.  I've always felt a little weird about liking GTA, there's something screwy about the cutting and frequently immature cultural commentary.  But I like it and it's a lot of fun, so I will keep playing them if they keep making them.

Here's to GTAVI!