@jellyman68 @Doolz2024 Not really. This is the first Souls game I have put a decent amount of time into. I barely played Demon's Souls (I think maybe 10 hours) and skipped Dark Souls entirely. I don't find this game to be tedious or a grind, nor did I struggle to understand the most basic of things as this reviewer did.
In short, your point is invalid. Not everyone needs their hand held and being told exactly what to do 99% of the time to enjoy a game, nor do they need prior experience (or in my case, substantial) to enjoy and appreciate a game like this.
@Daelusca @Doolz2024 His "observation" also includes ignorant and flat out false statements throughout the whiny rant.
No one is trying to act superior because they think these games are good. My issue with this review is that the guy has no clue what he is talking about, yet GameSpot allows an ill-informed opinion to be posted as a legitimate review.
So to summarize, the game is mediocre because it can't be picked up and played casually, because it does not hold your hand and point out everything for you, and because you only have a couple of hours per night to play.
Okay, now go back to CoD and Skyrim and bask in all of the hand holding, casual glory on offer in those games, and never, ever play another Souls game. Or at the very least, never write another whiny blog post about one and call it a review.
(TL;DR - GTAV is a rather poor GTA game and it's the antithesis of most things that made past GTAs fun)
I still think this is a good game overall, but it's a pretty bad GTA game when compared to the others.
I find that it's nearly impossible to just go around and have the type of random, crazy fun you could have in the III era games, and even GTAIV. Yeah, GTAIV is a much better GTA than GTAV. It's more fun to rampage, it's more fun to troll pedestrians by bumping them with your car or knocking them over on foot. If you get into it with the cops, it's still entirely possible to escape even at 5 or 6 stars because the cops do not have cheating rubberband AI and superhuman aimbot ability. Your health/armor is also not drained as quickly even when you do take damage, unlike in GTAV. Combine the lower damage taken with more health and you've got the recipe for fun rampages and epic gun battles in the streets with 2 dozen cops shooting at you. Why? Because unless you're standing right in front of them their accuracy is not that high. Now let's try that in GTAV. Basic street cops can easily hit you from considerable distance with their pistols at will, irrespective of if you're just standing there, running and weaving, rolling, jumping or what have you. I can understand better trained SWAT having higher accuracy with their assault rifles and SMGs, but even then their accuracy is too high as well.
It seems to me that R* couldn't figure out what they wanted GTAV to be. It's like some wanted a pseudo-life simulation with a little humor thrown in, while others wanted a more traditional GTA experience that has a good mix of over the top fun with plenty of silly humor. In the end it's evident the former is more prevalent in GTAV, though there are still elements of the latter, though nowhere near enough. It's like R* couldn't fully agree on what GTAV should be, so the end result is a mixed bag that's mostly filled with tedium and monotony. The game inhibits fun by making encounters with police and any enemy NPC in general an exercise in frustration. Combine that with the superficial world that does not feel lived in like GTAIV's Liberty City, the monotonous side activities, the mind-numbingly boring property missions and the inherent limitations on the chaos and mayhem that was a staple of this series to more grounded engagements that are over almost as quickly as they begin thanks to the aforementioned cheap AI whom you more often than not stand little chance against.
GTAV goes against everything that's ever been fun about GTA in favor of trying to create a believable world in far too many ways, and the end result is a game that isn't much fun to play, save for the majority of the story missions which are the game's only saving grace. When customizing cars then just driving around obeying laws, and walking around taking in the game's scenery are the most fun things you can do, and when you feel like you are being actively discouraged from wreaking havoc in a GTA game, you know there's something amiss about it. This game falls flat of its face and completely fails at being what all GTAs before it have ultimately been: fun to play. In short, GTAV actively discourages committing crimes and causing chaos, and encourages you to play golf, go to the movies, do yoga, or watch TV instead. I sincerely hope this is not the future of this series, and that R* goes back to putting fun first, and everything else second.
GTAO has been awful from the start. Surprised you considered it "good" originally.
Also, reading the entirety of this review a 6 seems rather generous. It read like something that got a 4 or 5. You have almost no praise for it.
Oh, and you forgot to mention the fact that heists are STILL NOT in the game. It was touted by R* in the pre-release GTAO video as one of the most prominent and best features, yet here we are over 7 months later and they are still absent.
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