First Two Hours of GTA V

Well, the first few hours of a game can be very, very crucial. Especially, for a game as anticipated as GTA V, these initial levels can set the tone for the rest of the game. In contrast with earlier titles in the series, or at least the last one, I almost immediately found myself inside the game with one of the three characters, yielding a gun. 

Things looked familiar, but not everything was exactly like there were in GTA IV. The crosshair was too small for me, and I haven't yet found a way to change it. But then again, I haven't been exposed to much gun play either. 

The scene unfolded inside a bank. My character was part of a heist job, and things seemed to go really smooth. I was slowly being introduced to gameplay basics and controls, and it felt like a good old tutorial level. But suddenly things got chaotic, and after some adrenaline high minutes, I found my character alone; all his buddies have died and apparently he was getting caught by the law enforcers. 

Suddenly, I was taken elsewhere, credits rolled in, and I was now controlling another character. The gorgeous graphics was showcased for a while, and Los Santos never looked better. Yet, flashes of GTA San Andreas came back to my mind. Saw some bicycles, homes designed like CJ would come out of them any moment. 

I wasn't allowed to do much with the first character, which I came to know (not from the game) as Trevor, but this new character was duly introduced. He is an African American person named Franklin, and he works in a automobile sales store. I was introduced to a number of supporting characters over the next one hour, and I was also introduced to Franklin's special skill. In true GTA style, I completed a few driving missions. 

I wouldn't get much in to the mission details, but from the 2 hours I've managed to play, I felt happy and contented. When I come back to play the new episode of a long running franchise, honestly speaking, I don't want a hell lot of innovation. I do want to have some new things, but the core gameplay should stay true to the series's theme. 

I liked the fact that police is still vigilante. It's not really possible to hijack a car in broad day light and get away with the theft without alerting the authorities. Also, GTA is still not carmageddon. Killing off innocent bystanders and ramming on to other vehicles has dire consequences, and they can be adequate to cause the failure of your mission. 

After completing a mission, I was walking in the streets and suddenly I saw a tram. I just hopped inside without thinking much, and nothing really happened. I saw some guys chatting away, and after 30 seconds, a cut scene started playing. After a while, I was dropped in a station closed to my next mission (it was the only available mission at that moment). I was actually impressed. I don't know why. This doesn't seem to be a technological marvel, but I didn't have to select my destination, pay any money or do anything other than hopping in. It just felt good.

Hijacking cars is easy as always, and there are ample ammunation shops for grabbing those ever useful sources of firepower.

The game looks and plays a lot like GTA IV, but the graphics has been vastly improved and there are a number of subtle improvements.

But world interaction still stays limited; considering the vast opportunities that lie around.

More to come...