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!

Grand Theft Auto V Story Winding Down

(Spoilers ahead about Grand Theft Auto V)

I feel like I'm close to the end of Grand Theft Auto V.  My menagerie of misfits has just pulled off an extremely huge heist that netted them a combined $200 million payoff.  The Union Depository job was one that I managed to pull off despite some mistakes.  For this job I opted for a more confrontational approach rather than the typical "subtle" approach.  As a result of this choice I was faced with a fierce gun battle between various law enforcement officials and Merryweather Security forces.  I frantically tried to navigate Franklin and Michael through the gauntlet of angry police officers and helicopters to the location of the getaway vehicle in the parking garage.

The getaway vehicle almost turned into a total fiasco.  I had taken it to Los Santos Customs and souped it up but had forgotten one key feature....bulletproof tires.  While locked down in the middle of an intense gun battle in the basement of the parking garage, I switched from Franklin to Michael and was dismayed to find that Michael was taking cover behind said vehicle.  I watched helplessly as bullets pinged off the beautiful SUV I stole from a parking lot and then lovingly fitted with armor and turbo chargers.  Then I heard that sound I was dreading...the pop and hiss of a tire being shot out.  So now my getaway car had a flat tire and I had a five star wanted level.

At this point my getaway was looking questionable at best.  My three-wheeled SUV comfortably sat all three robbers, but was extremely sketchy on sharp turns.  After a few failed turns, I decided to settle on a straight getaway path.  I maneuvered my damaged Canis Seminole into an alley and hoped for the best.  The seconds ticked by as I watched the flashing dots patrolling the main roads.  Don't turn down the alley....but there's always that one stupid cop who does, so it was off to the races again.

It's here that I made a choice that could have turned out ver poorly.  I steered my SUV up a hill toward a giant outdoor amphitheater.  This venue only had one way in and out so if the police caught up my escape could be pretty hairy.  I drove up the road and reached the end...but rather than stopping I decided to keep going and park directly in front of the stage--not technically in an alley, but also not right on a road.  I watched again as the police searched the mains roads leading up to the amphitheater.  Fortunately, the police have higher standards and wouldn't drive right through the middle of a major venue.  Five star wanted level evaded.

Now all my characters are $28 million richer.  I have a feeling things aren't going to work out well.  Here are the scenarios I'd like to see:

--Michael and his family work through their issues and are happy.  Michael starts working for Solomon Richards at the studio and eventually takes over.

--Franklin and Tenesha re-unite. Franklin gets out of the crime game and lives a normal life off his share of the cut.

--Trevor kills Medrazo and rescues Patricia.  Even though I think the Trevor/Patricia thing is kind of weird, it's also kind of cute.  Trevor would continue to be pursued by Mexican gangsters, but he is happy that way.  He spends his cut ferrying Patricia around from place to place as they evade those angry gangsters.

Here's what I think will actually happen:

--Franklin has been told by the FIB that he needs to "take care of" Trevor.  I think Franklin will go to do this, but will be stopped by Michael.  I think Michael and Trevor will fight, but that they will reconcile and eventually go off on their own ways.

--more likely they will all end up killing each other.

Of all the characters, I want things to work out for Franklin the most.  He's the uoungest and seems like a decent guy.

I will soon get to see how it all ends and if any of my predictions are true.  I've really enjoyed this GTA game and have felt very entertained.  The story has been fun and quirky in just the right GTA style.

Grand Theft Auto Mod--Play as an Animal

I'm not much of a mod person.  I'm sure I'm missing out on a whole world of magic that allows you to alter your gameplay experience in any number of ways.  I've been playing a lot of Grand Theft Auto V lately and generally keep my eyeballs peeled for any interesting news.  One mod that caught my eye allows players to play as any animal in the game.  Finally, you can play as a deer and get revenge for all those roadkill fatalities inflicted by players.  Alternatively, you could play as a mountain lion and go on a killing spree.  My favorite animal mayhem came in the form of this awkward video of a cat going on a killing spree using molotov cocktails.  I always knew cats had it out for the police....

16 days until The Witcher 3!

The iFruit App for Grand Theft Auto V

After some Googling I learned that the iFruit app is, in fact, an actual app for various devices.  It was referred to several time in the game so I decided to check it out.  I downloaded it on my iPad and so far it's pretty lackluster.  Unless you have a great desire to alter your in-game vehicles or teach Chop some new tricks....it's  nothing more than another link to your Rockstar Social Club account.

I am a little confounded by the Los Santos Customs part of the app.  It allows players to alter the main player vehicles for any of the three main characters.  I guess it's kind of neat that you can make the default vehicle unique.  I would rather spend my credits souping up the unique vehicles that I have started hoarding.  It does make more sense to spend money making a vehicle that will continue to respawn even better.  Maybe I'll check that app out some more later on.

One other unique feature of the app is the ability to take care of Franklin's dog Chop.  Within the "Chop the Dog" app players have to feed, water, and entertain Chop in order to keep him happy.  There is also a series of mini-games that allow players to earn points by controlling Chop and helping him to keep other dogs away from his "bitch" or to chase off Ballers who are trying to break-in to Franklin's car.  This helps keep Chop happy as it serves as some sort of dog walking equivalent.  You randomly accumulate credits from these mini-games and can use the credits to buy a nicer collar for Chop or to train him to do tricks.  There are some in-game benefits to using this app if you're interested in having Chop look cooler or be able to sit on command.

The app also provides a link to different features of the Rockstar Social Club like in-game photographs taken on Snapmatic or videos created with the video editor.  Here's a funny video someone made.:

If your goal was to create a random character decked out in a matching turquoise outfit who appears to have a great desire to take people out while riding a BMX bike....goal accomplished.

Things I Miss

Overall, I think Grand Theft Auto V is a great game.  I haven't quite finished story mode, but I have had a blast playing as all three of the main characters.  GTA V took the formula from previous games and greatly improved upon it.  There are a few things from previous games I miss.

I am probably weird, but I always enjoyed the missions where you would receive a list of unique cars to steal.  First you had to locate them and then you had to steal them and get them back to some central location.  You were paid based on the condition of the vehicle so you had to be careful.  There was something really satisfying about completing those lists.

One feature that also seems to have disappeared in this new game is dating.  Sure, Michael is supposed to be married but his marriage is obviously a disaster.  Why can't Franklin and Trevor play the field and meet some lovely Los Santos ladies?  I guess dating was something Rockstar felt we could all do without.

Hanging out with your contacts also has become optional.  In GTA IV your friends would occasionally call you up with a request to participate in some sort of fun activity.  If they liked you enough they would offer you some sort of special perk like getting rid of two stars on a wanted level or providing free cab rides.  In GTA V hanging out is optional.  I tried it once and ended up playing as Franklin and hanging out with Lamar at some weird foreign film.

Besides all the things I miss there is one feature I can live without--strippers.  Last night I decided I should check out the local strip club to see what had changed from previous games.  Now, as you watch the pole dancers you can choose to give them a small tip or "make it rain."  Each stripper has a "like" bar that rises as you lavish her with cash and flirtations.  If you're feeling bold you can pay a stripper $40 to get a private dance--a topless private dance.  Once inside the private room there is a sort of mini-game where players are challenged to flirt with and touch the dancer in order to make the "like" bar rise.  You can't get caught touching the dancer or the bouncer will throw you out.

Even though I hate the strip club, I had to check it out.  It's sort of like a car accident...you don't want to look, but you kinda do.  Thanks Rockstar for taking something kind of gross and turning it into something really gross.  My characters will be avoiding the strip clubs from now on.

Still Rockin' in Los Santos.

I tried to squeeze in a few hours of Grand Theft Auto V last night, but my cat had other ideas.  She parked her furry little cat face right in front of my monitor in protest of her recent neglect due to gaming (in her cat mind she's neglected--in real life she's spoiled rotten).  I managed to entertain her long enough so that she would leave me along and plunged back into the sprawling world of GTA V.

Trevor meets the Thornhill's.

Trevor is a pretty interesting character.  I am enjoying his very psychopathic side and willingness to engage with the wide variety of weirdo's scattered throughout Los Santos.  My personal favorite whack jobs are the Thornhills.  I never expected that part of my GTA experience would be helping some crazy old people stalk celebrities.  As Trevor careened through the city killing bodyguards and stealing underwear all I could do was laugh as the chaos unfolded.  The Thornhill missions culminated last night with a mission to help them kidnap a famous actor so they could "just sit and talk."  Then I had to figure out if I wanted to "get rid" of him or release him into the wild.....a few thousand bucks richer.  I let the poor guy go...he may be a celebrity idiot, but he doesn't deserve to get smashed by a train.  Plus I made $5000 from the deal.

I spent most of my non-cat intruded time playing as Trevor.  Trevor and his meth-head lackeys are in the process of scouting out a mysterious cargo ship that is docked in the Los Santos harbor.  It's heavily guarded so it has to contain something valuable.  The plan involves using a helicopter and a submersible to steal whatever is currently hidden below decks.  Stealing the helicopter was an adventure.  I had Trevor ram his way through the front gate of the military base and speed to the landing pad.  As I tried to navigate him away from the legion of soldiers trying to prevent him from stealing the cargo helicopter from directly off the landing pad I watched helplessly as Trevor became a bullet magnet.  I managed to get the helicopter off the ground and evade the angry military helicopter that chased me for some distance.  Then I headed off to the docks to steal a submarine.

I'm curious to see how this crazy heist turns out,  A helicopter, submarine, and a psychopath...it's going to be magic.

More Grand Theft Auto V Talk.

I am extremely excited every night after work to log onto Grand Theft Auto V and see what it has to offer.  The last couple of nights I have spent time doing a variety of activities.  There are so many things to do and so many people to inadvertently run over.

The new challenge modes offer a fun way to increase the skills of your current character and to test your meddle.  The shooting range offered up the opportunity to pop off a few rounds and improve my accuracy with a variety of weapons.  A few nights ago I decided to try a different set of challenges and drove Trevor to the airport to start flight school.  The first few challenges were easy and I had no trouble completing them.  It wasn't until I got to the stunt challenges that things got much more complicated.  Which way do I tilt my rudder to keep from crashing into the ground while I'm "knifing?"  Ooooh....not that one.  Time to start over.  Eventually I figured it out, but several of the challenges took me an embarrassing number of tries.

Let me just state something else here.  I hate helicopters.  They are the worst!  One of the flight school challenges involved an obstacle course testing both your ability to fly accurately and quickly.  I am pretty sure I spent almost an hour trying to simply complete that one. I finally managed to do it with mere seconds to spare.  Helicopters.  Are.  The.  Worst.

I've also managed to scrape together enough cash so that my characters can start investing in businesses.  Trevor is now the proud owner of an airstrip that delivers mysterious packages to Mexican gangsters.  Franklin invested wisely in a cab company.  This means that he is periodically called to help out.  Last night I completed a mission that involved delivering a thief to a jewelry store and then being his getaway driver.  I got away...but he didn't tip.  Cheapskate.

Michael is introduced to the health benefits of yoga.

Oh and there was yoga.  Yup, I guided Michael through a fancy yoga routine in an effort to placate his wife.  It was....strange, but oddly satisfying.  There needs to be more yoga in video games.

Grand Theft Auto V is Filled with Great Characters.

Michael, Franklin, and Trevor.

I've finally had time to dedicate more time to discovering the magic of Grand Theft Auto V.  After playing for a few hours yesterday I feel like I can estimate where the story is headed.  I am really enjoying the branching storyline with Franklin, Michael, and now Trevor.  I forsee the three of them combining forces to wreak some serious havoc on the city of Los Santos.

Yesterday I was introduced to the third of the three main characters, Trevor.  Trevor lives in the desert outside of Los Santos with the rest of his meth addled friends.  Within the first few minutes of Trevor making his grand entrance he was kicking a member of a motorcycle gang to death.  Yeah, he's kind of a psycho.  I proceeded to follow Trevor's storyline and learn more about him.  Trevor runs a meth cooking and distributing facility and is looking to branch out.  He was a former airforce pilot who was kicked out of the military for failing a psych evaluation.  He likes to shoot people.  Trevor also revealed some important clues into Michael's story.  Apparently Michael faked his own death and has been living under a false identity with his ill-begotten bank robbery money.  It's all coming together!

Within Trevor's storyline I also got to experience some unique vehicular experiences.  It turns out I am fairly good at navigating on a four-wheeler.  I managed to win a racing event very easily.  I also got to experience Trevor's unique flying ability.  Flying airplanes in GTA V is much simpler than in previous games and could possibly be enjoyable.  However, it does make me feel like I am going to throw up.  I spent much of the time on the flying missions feeling nauseous.  I didn't have the stomach to tackle the stunt competition.

I plan to spend more time today discovering how all three of these interesting characters come together.  It's going to be epic.

More GTA V Discoveries

In the last few days I've managed to squeeze a little more time into my new adventures in Grand Theft Auto V.   I think I've gotten a better feel for driving and have figured out which radio stations I should listen to (I weirdly opt for the rap channels even though I am not a big rap fan in real-life.  There's something about GTA that brings out my inner gangster...if that's even a thing).  There are some really great new features that I am enjoying and that have made this newest GTA much more expansive.

Franklin and Chop.

One new thing I'm excited about is the addition of animals.  Franklin is tasked with caring for Chop, a huge rottweiler who is adept at detecting and chasing down the bad guys.  I finished a mission where I could switch between Franklin and Chop and it was kind of cool to see things from the perspective of a dog.  I haven't figured out how to train Chop, but I keep getting messages that I can download the "iFruit" app and learn how to teach him tricks.  I'm going to have to do some Googling to figure that out.

I advanced the storyline far enough that I have unlocked another of the main characters.  I'm still trying to fully figure him out, but he seems interesting.  Michael lives a privileged life that seems pretty mainstream, but you know there is something big and criminal in his background.  What did he do to before he became the dad in a dysfunctional nuclear family?  I'm betting he was some sort of hitman.  He seems cool and collected...and maybe a little deadly.  I'm not quite sure what his special ability is but I think it has to do with shooting.

I decided to have Franklin check out the local Ammu-Nation store to see what weapons were available.  There is a much wider variety of weapons to choose from as well as different types of armor.  One of the stores I visited even had a shooting range that offered shooting challenges.  I attempted to earn a gold medal in as many as I could and had mixed success.  I think I need a better mouse....  I managed to boost Franklin's shooting abilities a little bit.

I'm going to spend this weekend exploring more of the world in GTA V.  It's an exciting time!

GTA V, Finally!

Firstly, I would like to express my sympathy for all the PC gamers who were unable to play GTA V on release day due to the special characters in your username issue.  That really sucks.  I am pouring out a fictional 40 for you in my head.  I hope they get that problem resolved quickly.  Secondly, know that it rocks.  Everything is so big, so beautiful and seems super realistic.  I only got to play for about an hour, but I am hoping to really dive in this weekend.

The introduction was intense and I really liked how they used a bank robbery for the tutorial.  I was reintroduced to the basic controls in a cool way.  Then I got to shoot a lot of cops.  (I have the utmost respect for police officers in real life.  In GTA life....they best stay out of my way.)  It was way too fun.  I sort of got the hang of the whole character switching scenario which is an interesting new addition.

The character divergence and branching storyline is seems pretty awesome.  I got to play as some white guy with a mullet and then as Franklin who, at this early point in the game, just seems confused.  The Franklin scenario introduced me to driving in GTA V.  It feels similar to driving in the other games, but I felt like I had more control  At one point I accepted a random mission to drive a tow truck and tow cars with some former lady friend.  I expected the drive to be slow and difficult, but it was actually pretty smooth.  So far, the driving seems more realistic--which has proven to make it somewhat difficult.  In the initial race sequence I managed to almost completely trashed the sports car that I was supposed to get to the dealership without a scratch.  Running over pedestrians leaves unwanted bloodstains on your car.

I am looking forward to getting some time to truly experience GTA V.  It seems like the type of GTA that has been made into the "ultimate" version.  Finally!

New GTA V Release Date for PC. To Pre-Order or not to Pre-Order?

PC gamers have been waiting patiently (or not so patiently) for the release of the next episode in the Grand Theft Auto series.  The PC release was originally scheduled for January 27th but was bumped back.  The new official release date is now March 24th.  Mark your calendars!

Free copy with Steam Pre-Order

I'm a big pre-orderer even though I know that it's generally not recommended.  If you pre-order GTA:  V on Steam before February 1st you get $1,000,000 in game cash with the promise of an additional $300,000 (I don't understand why they're separating them) as well as a free copy of Grand Theft Auto:  San Andreas.  I thoroughly enjoyed San Andreas but it has been years since I've played it.  I would recommend playing it to anyone who hasn't.  The setting is great, fake Los Angeles in the early 1990's with all it's gang warfare.  This game featured some unique ideas that have since been dropped--your character had to work out or else they'd get fat and you could send him to the tattoo parlor to get inked with some cool....or completely uncool tattoos.

I think I'll hold off on pre-ordering.  It's been ages since it originally came out on consoles and the PC release is obviously not a huge priority.  I wouldn't be surprised if the release date is pushed back yet again.  Maybe I'll even wait till the summer sale and hope it ends up as one of the great deals.