I have no been playing the game since launch day, and i don't hate it as much as I originally thought. It goes without saying that the graphics are awesome. The gameplay, however, is a step backwards from THQ. Nevertheless, I am having fun with it. Fingers crossed for next iteration.

Why haven't reviews been posted yet?? This makes me very suspicious of the actual game. I suspect it sucks.

I think the comments have gotten a little off topic from my original post, so I will attempt to reign it in.

1. Insulting Carolyn's gender is stupid, unhelpful and misses the larger point. 

2. My issue with her review is not that misogyny bothers Carolyn (as it rightfully should, along with racism, sexism, etc.) but that it negatively impacted her evaluation of the game. Why should it? Exaggerated stereotypes of all kinds exist within the GTA universe and they exist for a point. These things DO happen in the real world, and GTA uses the videogame as a platform for parody, satire and entertainment.

Ultimately, every single human being brings along with them their own lifetime worth of baggage in every encounter we have. What separates a professional critic from a fan is the ability to compartmentalize one's feelings inorder to evaluate the art for what it is on its own terms. Carolyn let her feelings get in the way.

I am happy to see that people are responding to my post. And to clear some things up, I never said that social issues and political opinions don't matter, I just do not believe that they matter within the context of the GTAV universe. As someone else picked up on, this game reinforces racial stereotypes far more than it does gender stereotypes, but Carolyn doesn't seem to have issue with that. Her attention on misogyny goes beyond artistic criticism and falls into the realm of overt personal bias. That is not what it means to be a professional critic. She should know better.

The point is that that the misogynistic themes are in perfect keeping with the zeitgeist of the GTA universe and, therefore, acceptable and, dare I say, necessary.

After playing over the course of the weekend, I can say, unabashedly, that the game is an unparalleled technical and artistic acheivement. GTAV has improved upon its predecessors (and open world gaming) in every imaginable way. It is one of the best games that has ever been created; a watershed moment.

On to Carolyn's review: Her perspective on the technical merits of GTAV are spot on, so I will not bore you with agreement. On the other hand, from what I can gather, she gives the game a 9.0 (instead of the 10 it derserves) due to the overt misogyny and inconsisten story line.

I believe her position on these points are irrelevant to the score of the game. Her personal gender history might make her more sensitive to misogyny as a social issue, but that should not impact her ability to objectively review a game. The question she should ask her self is whether or not these themes are in keeping with the GTA universe and overall social critique. If the answer is yes, then her personal opinion on the matter is unimportant. She could have easily taken issue with how many times the word -n * gger- is used in this game. However, I imagine that she excuses it because it is in keeping with the GTA universe and exaggerated stereo types (and she is not personally sensitive to that word in the way she is gender stereotypes). 

In terms of an inconsistent story line .... you are grasping at straws on this one. I just don't see it.

The game is brilliant.

You are wrong. The game was quite good. The only issues were slightly repetitive gameplay. What people like you don't understand is that the story is similar to the classic comics. team up with the other guys, fight off tons of guys, beat the bad guy and his final army. So stop ripping on this game, and research before you hate. The graphics were fine for Pete's sake. COD's graphics are FAR WORSE but you don;'t give a shit! Stop hating on a game you can't fully understand. And yes, I've played it through TWICE.LOCKJAWVENOM

You have embarrasingly low standards and, I would imagine, an even lower IQ.

1-One hit head kills with every gun

2-No bullet drop

3-Real world gun imbalance but award more XP for kills with inferior guns

4-Add popular guns like Sig 226, USP, Desert Eagle, Minigun

5-Dual wield pistols (with accuracy penalties)

I think these changes would make the game more fun regardless of increasing or decreasing realism.:)

Gorkface

no bullet drop? The real physics is one of the major points that makes Battlefield superior to COD.

[QUOTE="dirtyjersey13"]

Personally, I didn't pay anything for it. Lets just say I have a preview copy.

elmerohueso2

I am not complaining that the game was created. Its existence does not bother me. But having now almost completed the campaign, I can unabashedly confirm that its quality is bad. This is a critique of the game as it exists -- not its existence.

why?

rashonplantyn

Personally, I didn't pay anything for it. Lets just say I have a preview copy. And if this is what you find enjoyable, you have low expectations.