Rockstar’s GTA V is a tapestry of snark. Plenty of reviews have come out talking about what it’s like to play the game. Well, I’ve been watching my husband play it since it arrived on Tuesday. I made sure it was installed when he came home, with this favorite controller all charged up and ready to go. He’s pretty much been excused from all household duties, because I knew how excited he was.
Not that picking up the slack was any great strain. I still had plenty of time to watch him play. One thing I enjoy about the game are all the satirical references. The store, Suburban. The radio ads always make me snigger. The characters are a riot, and every now and, my husband drives a car down a mountain and into a fiery crash. In fact, I wouldn’t even call it driving so much as artful falling.
My favorite character thus far has been the psycho hillbilly, Trevor. He’s got a big truck and a lackey to ride around the back of it. He idly sexually harasses those around him while other times voicing opinions you might find yourself agreeing with (like torturing is done for the torturer, not to gain information). Flipping back to him, my husband has found him puttering around on a scooter behind another scooter talking about his scooter brother. Another time he was spooning a distraught Floyd. Given that his special skill is to go on a psychotic rampage, I suspect he’ll be a lot of people’s favorite character.
Best scene thus far was Michael’s drug trip. The music was perfect, as were the voices accompanying Michael’s descent. The electric city beneath him, all red and gold, left tracers of lights as you guided his fall. Both my husband and I were impressed with how they put everything together.
I have to be honest, Franklin hasn’t made much of an impression on me. I like his crazy aunt, and his dog, but I’m thinking I may have been out of the room during some of his missions.
Of course, people buy games like GTA V for more than just the missions. They like the sandbox style of it too. I like offering my husband my opinion on clothes. Trevor has the Nacho Libre tank top with matching shorts. Franklin looks cool in gray with some sweet kicks. We both agree that Michael should look like a loser and generally put him in flip-flops. The cars are sweet. My husband says the chase scenes are harder in this game. I like that things like not wearing a helmet when you’re on a motorcycle will get you killed easily in this game. There are a lot of things interact with, from strippers to warm counter beer to bongs that provide amusement (or existential crises). A lot of work went into this game and it shows. They’ve certainly earned their accolades and their money. They’ve made a game that’s both fun to play, and fun to watch. At least, I have fun watching it.