The continually renovated downtown adjacent to the garment district is distinct from Vinewood, as is the Bakersfield-like desert area are dingy and run-down, as are the barred windows in the Crenshaw-like areas.
It’s a condensed version of the city, but the accuracy or its representation and curves of the road are so accurate, I’ve used real-world awareness to escape chases or navigate shortcuts effectively. The afternoons are a gray and orange haze as the smog captures the long sunsets in the city and the long purple twilights. This is all big sky, neon lights (or complete dark in the vast wilderness in the game), short buildings except for downtown. That was often drab and grey, surrounded by high tall buildings, except when you got into the other boroughs or Central Park. It’s immediately apparent how different this game looks from GTA IV…set in “Liberty City” the analogue to New York. It is HUGE…one of the biggest games ever.
(The creative team behind GTA V is mostly British, and located far from LA at Rockstar North in Edinburgh, Scotland the Art director is Aaron Garbut, interviewed about the recreation of Los Angeles in this Buzzfeed article). I could bring in the giant map that comes with the game. So have I explored as much of “Los Santos” as others – no, but I have yet to find something un-authentic to Los Angeles. Rockstar has taken everything they learned from it and their subsequent franchises (the well-received “Red Dead Redemption” amongst others) and distilled all of it into the amazing execution.Īgain I’ve barely scratched the surface in only six or seven hours of gameplay so far. Unfortunately, there was a muddling of the fun – disconnects between the dour nature of the story, the morality of the protagonist you played, versus the murderous or bloody carnage you could commit, and the mechanics and repetitive aspects of an “open-world” game more in name than in actuality. That was introduced at the beginning of this console generation, and the technological advancements made everyone thrilled and excited at possibilities. In many ways it’s getting the attention that it is because it is delivering on the “promise” of the GTA brand following the hopes that were letdown in GTA IV. I have BARELY scratched the surface of the game…being busy at work and the drive – trying to get one or two hours in at 1 or 2AM the night I picked it up – I effortlessly melted away two hours until 3:30 am…and am just barely getting into the world - so I’ll just leave it at – it’s HUGE and awesome. This really is a technical and aesthetic marvel. Like the aforementioned oft-bored writers – I LOVE it.
I was there for one of the midnight releases and even got one of the limited collector’s edition – that I over-played and will have little use for its collectibles. In a world of cynical game journalists, tired and unimpressed by much, I haven’t heard or read this kind of sheer giddiness, fun, and wonder from commentators in a very long time. Unaware people think of Grand Theft Auto as, “Ugh…sign of our times. This game sells so well because you can do all that shooting and stealing cars and shooting prostitutes.” Really though, while its prurient delights and freedom are part of the fun, that’s hardly what drives so much of the enthusiasm and interest this time out. Here’s his take on the mechanics and the visuals: Between adult responsibilities he’s managed to fit in a few hours of playing the new Grand Theft Auto V and he is reeling from this experience. Brent Gordon is a research immunologist, he’s a friend of KCRW (volunteering during our current pledge drive), and he’s an avid gamer who DnA relies on for insights about video game artistry.