I’m around fifty hours in now and don’t think I’m even very close to the end of the story, looking at the number of missions I’ve got left for contacts I know about. If there are more to come I’ve got even further to go. And I’ve not been rampaging around the city, which is what I’ve always done in previous GTAs more than anything else. Unless someone really annoys me – usually be running me over – I try to avoid civilian casualties.

Things I like -

Driving around. I just really enjoying cruising around.

Getting drunk.

Shooting. For the first time in a GTA I really love the gunplay. Took me a while to get used to everything, especially the cover system, but now it’s clicked I adore it. I actually seek out huge gunfights, which is something I tried to avoid in previous GTAs. I adore it. Especially when enemies use cars for cover. Heh heh heh.

The missions. I’ve enjoyed every mission so far, I think. There’s been some frustration, but not in a bad way. A huge improvement – and keeping your weapons after a hospital visit really helps with that. Sometimes when I complete a mission I’m even slightly disappointed, because I won’t get to try again. It’s got some of the best missions in all of gaming, up there with the Dark Brotherhood in Oblivion.

The GPS system – I don’t always use it, but it’s great to have it there.

The characters. I like my friends and I love Niko. It’s a big step up. I liked CJ in San Andreas, but never felt the same connection to him and definitely not to other characters in that game. They’re mostly amazing.

The radio stations. Don’t like the jazz or hardcore stations, but all the rest are worth listening to. Current favourite is Beats 102.

Moral choices. Not even for the benefits or otherwise of making them. Just having the choices themselves is enough with characters this well drawn. I agonise over some of them.

The city. I like knowing bits of it, but having other areas I barely know or, indeed, have never seen. Makes it feel more real and bigger than it really is.

TV stations. They’re nice to have on when I’m having some food in real life, but don’t want to turn off the game.

News reports about my exploits. Especially when filtered through Weasel’s War on Terror agenda.

Getting Achievements after awesome missions. They’ve really chosen those well. Somehow they always pop up after the most amazing missions.

Euphoria. Makes bullets and explosions have far more eye-pleasing effects than in previous games.

Grenades. Best grenades in a game ever? Quite possibly.

Things I don’t like -

When people don’t answer my calls or refuse to go out with me and then five minutes later text me to tell me they don’t like me because I’ve not been in touch.

Darts. Far too easy. I still like going out and playing darts with friends, because it’s nice and quick, but it could do with being a bit harder.

Landing helicopters. By far the most difficult thing I have to do in the game.

Texture and object pop in. I’ve only hit something once before it appeared (a fence in an alley on Aldernay) but it should never, ever happen. And it’s quite ugly at times.

Not having as many moral choices as I’d like. There are several occasions where I thought I’d have a choice as to whether or not to kill someone, only to be forced to kill them.

Cars magically moving during cut scenes. The “where did the game park my car” game isn’t much fun. Especially when the game sometimes magics it away entirely.

Conclusion -

Pretty much one of the best games of all time, but there’s still room for improvement in the next version.

10/10