Allow me to preface this review with the following: I like this game, and it deserves a thumbs-up from a purely technical standpoint, however it loses this privilege for varying reasons I'll get to in a bit.

THE GOOD:
Grab That Auto 5 is a beautiful game. It looks stunning, the detail goes to a seriously impressive level for such a huge game. The weather affects terrain conditions, car handling, your clothes and hair can get wet. The wide variety of vehicles, weapons, and clothing numbering in the thousands of items to make your in-game character whoever you want them to be. A gangster, a rich businessperson, a military operative, just some average chump in a t-shirt and flip flops, it's all available.

The breadth of events to participate in are astounding. Character-led missions, ambitious multi-stage heists, PVP battles, vehicle races (which are the best, in my opinion, due to lack of people shooting at you and variety of sub-types), even a Mad Max style arena battle zone. There's also a single-player you can jump into, and go through an interesting but forgettable retired-heisters-go-for-one-last-score story without having to deal with the stupidity of the average gamer.

Sound design is on point, with a dozen different radio stations with a dozen songs or talk-show episodes in each. You can hear the distant explosions of somebody in an attack jet rumble over the hills, or hear the wind whipping your character's ears if you're going fast in an open-top vehicle. I like to simply stand outside when it's raining, purely because the thunder and raindrops sound so perfect it gives me chills.

THE BAD:
First off, let me get my main gripe in; This game is paywalled at the highest level. You can look up scores of Youtube videos crunching the numbers, but for the fastest, nicest cars you can get or the pub-stompiest of pub-stomping airborne vehicles, or getting maximum function out of your properties, you simply cannot play the game and save up. Millions of in-game dollars, per item, is ludicrous, especially when many of these items offer direct upgrades to their affordable counterparts - you simply cannot afford the best unless you pay real-world money for shark cards, and this feels incredibly in-your-face. Want to give the guy riding around in a Harrier jump-jet loaded with explosive homing ammo? That'll be a breezy 8 mil. It feels unfair in most situations, and the prices only rise with each update.

You "can" buy properties to unlock extra missions. A motorcycle club to do drug-runs, an underground bunker to do military hijackings, a luxury office to do car-smuggling, a nuclear facility to prevent the world being blown up. Note I put the word can in quotations. This is because while, yes, the purchases are optional and aren't necessary to get loads of enjoyment out of the game's non-purchase modes, the game will shove it down your throat that you didn't. Four or five characters will call your phone incessantly, badgering you to buy these properties because "trust me, you won't regret it..." according to one of them. I'm going out immediately and saying yes, you will regret it. These facilities cost anywhere from a couple hundred grand for the most basic ones, to upwards of ten million for a fully decked-out lair. Even if you do cave to the peer-pressure that the game puts on you (there is nothing you can do to stop the calls except pay up), the missions they offer (except, arguably, the office and nuclear facility) will not give you nearly enough revenue to justify the prices you're having to pay to access them.

Yes, the game actually tries to bully you into making a bad deal. And this is only made further annoying by...

THE UGLY:
Here's where I get less technical and more personal. I either barely tolerate or despise every single character (bar one) in this game. Grand Theft Auto has, historically, used parody of the real world to create humour in their games as far as I've seen, but 5 is the only one of the series I've played personally. The writing is so scathingly satirical and hyper-honest, that every character becomes a one-dimensional caricature except for Michael and Franklin in the main storyline, but even these two characters have little to really draw you into them or genuinely like them, besides the fact they are your avatar as the player.

Almost every NPC in GTA Online is written in a way that makes you dislike them, and they all act in mean spirit to your personal character in every mission, treating you as little more than a disposable asset they can use like toilet paper then discard when you're no longer needed. NPC citizens walking or driving around will over-react and yell slurs at you if you even think about disobeying a traffic law, and in the stereotypical Bible-belt redneck half of the island you'll be shot at if you don't toe an imaginary line. This is a world I genuinely think is an accurate representation of purgatory, because it just depresses the hell out of me.

THE KARA:
I like Kara (or Cara). She's the radio host of the Non-Stop Pop station, which I mostly use purely because she's not a stereotype or caricature or an ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥, and is just a DJ trying to play good music and help everyone have a good day. It upsets me that such a kindly character had to be stuck in a world like Los Santos.

-------------
FINAL SCORE:
8/10 game, I absolutely think you should play it. But be ready for the fact that 2K games will bully you into paying a considerable amount of money if you want the full experience. Please don't give them any more money than you paid for the base game.

Allow me to preface this review with the following: I like this game, and it deserves a thumbs-up from a purely technical standpoint, however it loses this privilege for varying reasons I'll get to in a bit. THE GOOD: Grab That Auto 5 is a beautiful game. It looks stunning, the detail goes to a seriously impressive level for such a huge game. The weather affects terrain conditions, car handling, your clothes and hair can get wet. The wide variety of vehicles, weapons, and clothing numbering in the thousands of items to make your in-game character whoever you want them to be. A gangster, a rich businessperson, a military operative, just some average chump in a t-shirt and flip flops, it's all available. The breadth of events to participate in are astounding. Character-led missions, ambitious multi-stage heists, PVP battles, vehicle races (which are the best, in my opinion, due to lack of people shooting at you and variety of sub-types), even a Mad Max style arena battle zone. There's also a single-player you can jump into, and go through an interesting but forgettable retired-heisters-go-for-one-last-score story without having to deal with the stupidity of the average gamer. Sound design is on point, with a dozen different radio stations with a dozen songs or talk-show episodes in each. You can hear the distant explosions of somebody in an attack jet rumble over the hills, or hear the wind whipping your character's ears if you're going fast in an open-top vehicle. I like to simply stand outside when it's raining, purely because the thunder and raindrops sound so perfect it gives me chills. THE BAD: First off, let me get my main gripe in; This game is paywalled at the highest level. You can look up scores of Youtube videos crunching the numbers, but for the fastest, nicest cars you can get or the pub-stompiest of pub-stomping airborne vehicles, or getting maximum function out of your properties, you simply cannot play the game and save up. Millions of in-game dollars, per item, is ludicrous, especially when many of these items offer direct upgrades to their affordable counterparts - you simply cannot afford the best unless you pay real-world money for shark cards, and this feels incredibly in-your-face. Want to give the guy riding around in a Harrier jump-jet loaded with explosive homing ammo? That'll be a breezy 8 mil. It feels unfair in most situations, and the prices only rise with each update. You "can" buy properties to unlock extra missions. A motorcycle club to do drug-runs, an underground bunker to do military hijackings, a luxury office to do car-smuggling, a nuclear facility to prevent the world being blown up. Note I put the word can in quotations. This is because while, yes, the purchases are optional and aren't necessary to get loads of enjoyment out of the game's non-purchase modes, the game will shove it down your throat that you didn't. Four or five characters will call your phone incessantly, badgering you to buy these properties because "trust me, you won't regret it..." according to one of them. I'm going out immediately and saying yes, you will regret it. These facilities cost anywhere from a couple hundred grand for the most basic ones, to upwards of ten million for a fully decked-out lair. Even if you do cave to the peer-pressure that the game puts on you (there is nothing you can do to stop the calls except pay up), the missions they offer (except, arguably, the office and nuclear facility) will not give you nearly enough revenue to justify the prices you're having to pay to access them. Yes, the game actually tries to bully you into making a bad deal. And this is only made further annoying by... THE UGLY: Here's where I get less technical and more personal. I either barely tolerate or despise every single character (bar one) in this game. Grand Theft Auto has, historically, used parody of the real world to create humour in their games as far as I've seen, but 5 is the only one of the series I've played personally. The writing is so scathingly satirical and hyper-honest, that every character becomes a one-dimensional caricature except for Michael and Franklin in the main storyline, but even these two characters have little to really draw you into them or genuinely like them, besides the fact they are your avatar as the player. Almost every NPC in GTA Online is written in a way that makes you dislike them, and they all act in mean spirit to your personal character in every mission, treating you as little more than a disposable asset they can use like toilet paper then discard when you're no longer needed. NPC citizens walking or driving around will over-react and yell slurs at you if you even think about disobeying a traffic law, and in the stereotypical Bible-belt redneck half of the island you'll be shot at if you don't toe an imaginary line. This is a world I genuinely think is an accurate representation of purgatory, because it just depresses the hell out of me. THE KARA: I like Kara (or Cara). She's the radio host of the Non-Stop Pop station, which I mostly use purely because she's not a stereotype or caricature or an asshole, and is just a DJ trying to play good music and help everyone have a good day. It upsets me that such a kindly character had to be stuck in a world like Los Santos. ------------- FINAL SCORE: 8/10 game, I absolutely think you should play it. But be ready for the fact that 2K games will bully you into paying a considerable amount of money if you want the full experience. Please don't give them any more money than you paid for the base game.