Opinion: Grand Theft Auto V – The Most Highly Anticipated Game Of All Time?
At the time of writing there have been so many reports of people already getting their hands on this true definition of an AAA title. Whether they were journalists, game testers, vagabonds or even lucky consumers who were shipped the game a few days early, each report of someone new playing it fills me, and possibly even you, with envy. This leads me to ask one question: Is Grand Theft Auto V the most highly anticipated game of all time? Well yes, I believe it is.
Whilst a large proportion of modern gamers are used to the yearly, yet waning tradition of buying the latest Call of Duty game, there has been a large fan-base that’s been lying dormant since its last trip to Liberty City in 2008. If, like me, you bought into the Grand Theft Auto series at an early age, then you may have a greater sense of what this game means in comparison to the likes of supposed ‘AAA experiences’ like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, a game which took me only 6 hours to complete. Call of Duty provides a short, linear single player experience in a vastly repetitive and oversaturated market, leading people like me to question if it offers more harm than good to the longevity of the first person shooter genre. Grand Theft Auto however, provides an open world that people can immerse themselves in, offering gamers far more than simply the desire to bring pain and heartache to non-player characters and ‘noobs’ online. Simply put; I do believe that GTA V is going to be the full gaming experience.
GTA has jumped leaps and bounds since its inception in 1997. The birds-eye view gave way to the 3D sandbox, only for that to become a platform for various forms of satirical media within an entertainment medium – quite the post-modern twist when phrased that way, don’t you think? It’s a franchise which only needs to release its instalments on a casual basis in order to placate fans, and at the same time get them to crave more; the long term benefits of which will keep the brand intact and profitable for years to come.
Yes, we’d all love to see GTA games released more often, but I do believe that the majority of the fan-base understands that these games cannot be made without the careful attention to detail that developer and publisher Rockstar are now famous for. After all, this is their flagship title and this year they’ve even added the extra bonus of ridiculously exciting online multiplayer to a game that we were already bouncing off the walls about – the most likely explanation for the release date being pushed back from the original ‘Spring 2013’.
It’d be bias to herald the release of GTA V without just a pinch of negativity, and that’s where the lengthy and painful pre-release process comes in. We’ve seen hundreds of screenshots, dozens of videos and been subjected to roughly 23 months of ‘I want GTA V’ agony along the way, but now it will all end with the UK midnight launches tonight. I get the feeling that it’ll all be worth it too.
We all know that Rockstar are vying for the record-breaking “crown” that is currently held by Call of Duty: Black Ops. With 1.4 million sold on its first day in the UK alone and 7 million altogether worldwide, Rockstar and GTA V’s task isn’t going to be easy, but is arguably more deserving of the accolade. If GTA is like a fine wine, producing a finer yield when given the time to do so, then Call of Duty is not too dissimilar to Smirnoff Ice. Hopefully the masses of gamers queuing up tonight can help to push this new, generation defining title over the finish line and into the record books. It’s the least it deserves, right guys?
Grand Theft Auto V will be released worldwide for Xbox 360 and PlayStation on September 17th. If you’re reading this and it’s either the 17th or beyond, turn your laptop, PC or phone off and put GTA V on. You know it makes sense.