GTA Online Review

After a rough launch, GTA Online is finally running smoothly, at least for some people. While the single-player told a tale of three equally troubled criminals attempting to survive in an imperfect world with separate motivations, GTA Online is all about crafting your own identity in Los Santos.

San Andreas may be the same, but the calamity you create is different because now you can bring your friends along for the ride as you steal drugs, cause riots, and become a wealthy professional criminal. 

The week following GTA Online's launch on October 1 was a disaster. I was dropped frequently, and my character was deleted unexpectedly. It was clear that GTA Online was not ready for public use, and perhaps an open beta would've anticipated Rockstar for the coming vexation that followed.

Despite the rough start, GTA Online turned out to be an excellent addition to the already fantastic game. It allowed me to travel through Los Santos without being burdened with loading screens and bring some company to aid in my quest. 

Without a clear past or motive for the future, my character arrived in Los Santos, stepped off his plane, and began thinking about all the possibilities that awaited him. The second I saw Franklin's best friend, Lamar, it was clear that my avatar was slipping into the criminal world, filled with illegal drugs and bloody bodies.

Now access to a car and a pistol, his journey to the top began. Like the single-player, the more missions you undertake, the more money is added to your bank account, allowing you to purchase new guns, vehicles, and housing, as well as gain prestige. 

Lamar isn't the only GTA V character you'll encounter throughout GTA Online. Although their appearances are limited, seeing them outside the single-player adds more weight to GTA Online. Seeing Trevor provide a new mission to my character made me feel like I was part of his journey.

After a lengthy tutorial, explaining everything you learn from the single-player in addition to relevant multiplayer information, you eventually fade from the scripted gameplay and gain more freedom to undertake your jobs or do whatever you want.

Your character is mute and only communicates through gestures and body movements, similar to Claude from GTA III. This becomes more apparent when around notorious characters such as Lester and Trevor. Your character's appearance is based on a genetic formula that you choose from a heredity system.

Choosing who your parents are alters the appearance of your character, and then you can proceed to change smaller features such as hair, skin color, and eyes. If you truly want to distinguish yourself, a wide range of clothing becomes available as you level up. But he or she is still a lifeless enigma whose goal is only to respond to your commands.

Missions throughout GTA Online come in a variety of options that are tailored to specific tastes. You can indulge in racing, deathmatches, and cooperative missions. These cooperative missions are definitely the highlight, allowing you and other players to tackle objectives similar to the campaign, minus the entertaining cutscenes.

Rockstar plans to add Heists later, which is disappointing, seeing that those missions were my favorite part of the single-player campaign. Those expecting elaborate missions similar to the single-player campaign will be disappointed since missions either end quickly or follow the same layout.

Shooting and racing were still handled well, but after a couple of hours, I felt like I was simply repeating the process to gain a higher rank. However, enough diverse missions keep the gameplay from getting stale at the beginning.

Competitive matches like Deathmatch focus more on hiding than shooting, especially since GTA V's auto-aiming function immediately ensures that anyone who sees you will most likely kill you.

Strangely,t Rockstar didn't include a free aiming mode for those looking for a challenge. The maps are pieces of Los Santos and Blaine Country that those who played the campaign will instantly recognize, remodeled for multiplayer use.

The races are predictable and fun. Like the deathmatch arenas, these are pieces of Los Santos that have been refitted for racing. Races can be altered to support weapons, certain vehicles, or other modifications.

These random elements make the races feel like a combination of Mario Kart and Burnout, ensuring that players are always aware of their environment. Dropping from games is still frequent and can occur at any time; if it happens enough times, you'll be placed with other jerks. 

The open world is still extraordinary, but it's as entertaining as the people in it. I've caused unbelievable amounts of havoc in my online world, such as being pursued by ambitious cops for causing unspeakable damage, blowing up cars on the side of the road, or simply crashing a speed boat into a tanker.

The map has been changed for Online play, such as easy access to the airport or military base. Those seeking an aircraft will have to become creative in locating one. 

Ranking up is necessary for unlocking the best weapons, vehicles, and missions. Once unlocked, you must then purchase these items using in-game cash that can be earned by playing GTA Online or purchased using real-world money.

Those hoping to cause large amounts of chaos or have access to higher-quality items will have to grind on lower-end missions before graduating to the more entertaining portions of GTA Online.

Don't be worried about being matched up with superiorly equipped players. Rockstar's matchmaking system ensures that players are matched with their skill and rank level, and you will rarely be placed in a game with someone capable of dominating the game.

Once you earn enough money, you can buy and customize your commodities. Get your dream car or decide to buy your favorite weapon with all the attachments; it's up to you. 

When entering GTA Online, you're dumped into an open session or in a private one with just your crew or friends and choose what tasks you want to undertake. If the people within the session are antagonistic, you can invest $100 in the Passive mode, which makes you immune to damage and cannot inflict damage on other players.

It's a feature that should be free, especially if aggressive players are continuously targeting you. However, it's the open world of GTA Online that made the difficult start worthwhile. It may not be the best sport, shooting, or racing game, but none of these choices are terrible since each activity is controlled well. 

Many of GTA Online's technical issues have faded away, revealing an almost terrific online experience. Texture issues are apparent, and other technical hiccups occur more frequently than they should.

For now, GTA Online is a standard array of casual cooperative missions and standard competitive challenges; however, the freedom to do whatever you want overshadows most of these problems. GTA Online will probably be fantastic when everything comes together in the future, but for now, it's only good.