What I want to see in Grand Theft Auto V

With the Grand Theft Auto V release date not far around the corner I have recently been replaying number four to get back into the swing of things.  Whilst playing I have noticed there are a few minor things that I'm hoping will be fixed/removed in GTA V.  There are probably a whole tonne of things that I could pick apart about the game because in all honesty it's pretty pants when you get down to it.  Obviously the game was never going to be perfect or match San Andreas because this it was very much a return to the days of GTA 3.  The game world is back in Liberty City, it's the first game on the then new console and Rockstar didn't quite know the full extent of the system and how to work with it.  GTA 3 was an awesome game but as the PS2's life cycle went on Rockstar figured out the full potential of the console and thus after Vice City, San Andreas was born and was subsequently huge in comparison.

I'm rambling now and should get back to point with the post, so without further ado here are 3 things that I would like to see fixed or removed in Grand Theft Auto V.


#1 - Jumping

Now I'm not saying jumping should be removed but the jumping in GTA IV was so slow,  vaulting an object seemed to take ages and hampered some chase sequences in my opinion.  I'm not saying that I want to see Trevor, Michael and Franklin free-running around the place because that would be ridiculous.  All I want to see is a more fluid jumping/vaulting animation to make chase sequences flow a bit more.


#2 - Taxi's

Next up is Taxi's.  When I first played GTA IV I thought the ability to hail a cab and take a ride anywhere was a good idea, I have however since changed my mind.  I understand why a fast travel option was put in the game and I'm not going to lie I use it alot, not just in GTA but in games like Skyrim.  My reason for not liking it is that it takes away from all the details and little bits that you miss when you fast travel.  It's a be lazy option and I'm just as guilty for using it but with the sheer size and scope of the detail in the GTA V world, we could do without it.  As an example in Vice City I knew all the roads, where they went and the quickest routes to almost anything whereas in number IV I know nothing due to being lazy and abusing the Taxi's.


#3 - Vehicle Spawning

This next one is the bane of my Grand Theft Auto life and has plagued me ever since the days of Grand Theft Auto 3 and even though I'd love to see it fixed I have a feeling that it will haunt me forever.  Basically it's when you are driving along and there is nothing in-front of you, you have a quick check behind and suddenly a huge dump-truck, a police car or even a massive queue of traffic has spawned in-front of you.  I don't think I can recall a single thing about a game that has irritated and enraged me more than this over the course of my gaming years.  I'm not even sure if this can be fixed in the confines of how the game engine/spawn system works but I surely hope it can be.  I know some people will be thinking; "don't look behind you and the problem is fixed".  This however is easier said than done because during a chase I will look behind me to see where people are and how close they are, and this is something I have done ever since I started playing racing games.  It serves me well in racing games but in Grand Theft Auto is screws me so badly that I need soothing ointment and a weeks bed-rest.

If Rockstar can change/fix one thing then I hope it's the vehicle spawns because as much as I'd like to see the others changed I could live with them if it meant that everytime I checked my rear-view mirror I wasn't greeted by a massive car pile-up or my head through the windscreen when I look back in-front.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Review

Today saw the release of the next instalment in the Elder Scrolls series of games, Skyrim.  The Elder Scrolls series of games are considerably popular but are often considered to be for 'nerdy' types who play World of Warcraft, have no normal friends and spend there free time dressing up as Orcs and Elves.  While a select few do fall into this stereotype, most are not like this and more likely are serious gamers who treat fantasy games as guilty pleasures.  Oblivion managed to persuade many gamers that the Elder Scrolls games were awesome games and put the series on the commercial map, with the anticipation of Skyrim appealing to an even wider audience. This, I believe is because I am confident that every man has a deep childhood love for Dragons and the wish that they could fight them.  It was this and the much improved graphics, gameplay, animation and a host of new features that has lead to Skyrim being a hugely anticipated game.

The opening sequence/tutorial mission where you are a prisoner and escape is a staple of the series.  Morrowind had you on a prison boat, Oblivion had you in the Imperial Prison escaping through the sewers/secret tunnels under the city.  Skyrim has taken this staple and revved it up with more action, more detail and given it a feel very close to cinematic feel.  Having played the openings of all three games, the Skyrim opening beats the other two hands down.  I'm not going to tell you what you have to do because this is really something you need experience and go through yourself.  Once this quest is finished you are left looking out into the pure beauty of the land of Skyrim.

The level of detail and realism in the environments is verging on ridiculous, with everything from grass, trees, mountains, changing weather, rivers and creatures that inhabit the land, nothing has been left out or been given a below par look.  The pure beauty and the feeling that you're in a world that feels alive and real is what makes you lose yourself in this hugely immersive world and to say the world is huge is a massive understatement.  Skyrim has over 350 primary locations which is over twice as many as Fallout 3, and over 200 secondary locations which won't show on the in-game map.  The amount of towns, caves, dungeons and outside places you can explore will keep you exploring the land for months to come, if not years.

Exploration isn't the only thing to do to pass your time in the game, there's cooking, blacksmithing, tanning, smelting, reading books, get married or the usual fighting any creature or person you so happen to come across.  Although some of these new features might not have been considered as needed, they are a very welcome addition to the game.  These features allow for an even greater level of immersion into the world letting you make your own armour or jewellery to keep or sell off, or cooking foods to create food that give a greater benefit to you compared to if the food was raw.  Another new feature has been the changes in the combat system.

I will admit that as exciting as the new dual wielding combat system was, I was unsure if it would be as good as it appeared.  Even with a world as big and detailed as this, a rubbish fighting system is all that's needed to drag a game down from good to terrible.  I can happily tell you that the new system works and brings a greater level of satisfaction when you kill something.  If you want to be a true mage of the realm then you can dual wield the same spell to make it stronger or a fire spell in one hand and a shock spell in the other for example.  If you want to be a crazed warrior then you can dual wield swords, axe's or even a sword and an axe but it comes at the price of being unable to block.  The combat system takes a little getting used to at first but once you get the hang of it you'll find the set up that works best for you and you will be on your way to becoming the most dangerous person in the whole world.

I could spend an age writing about Skyrim and all the new features but I think it's best if you find out about them on your own esteem, because it feels so much better when you discover something for yourself.  I will however say that if you are looking for a truly magical, diverse, immersive videogame experience where you get to fight creatures, people & dragons with swords, arrows or magic then this is the game for you.  Be aware that if you do venture into the land of Skyrim then you can kiss goodbye to many months of your life and more over, your social life.

One last goodbye to Cyrodiil

With the release of The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim less than a few days away, I thought it only fitting that I take one last trip into the lands of Cyrodiil and Oblivion and charted my goings on in this blog.  To set the picture for you all I normally play Oblivion as the good guy, the hero of the land but we all know that a blog about that would be a tad boring.  So with that in mind I will be logging my exploits as 'Skullcrusher' the most feared fighter in the Arena, and his fall from grace into total bloodthirsty madness.  So what are we waiting for, let's begin with the awakening of a new day in Anvil.

It's 6:05 am on Loredas and the day that would mark the end of Skullcrusher and a very black day for the whole of Cyrodiil.  Fully laden with my Armour and Weapons of Madness I set off to Harcane Grove to begin my murderous rampage by killing the purest of creatures, a Unicorn.  After nearly a days ride I found the grove, where the Unicorn was being protected by 3 Minotaur's wielding War Hammers.  After a 3 on 1 Handicap match I stood victorious and was left with just me & the Unicorn.  It was at this point that I'd decided that the Unicorn would meet it's death at the hand of my enchanted Warhammer 'Nerveshatter'.  A few heavy swings later, a bloodied Unicorn lay dead with a head resembling some kind of Red Skull looking horse.  It was getting late so I decided it was time to wipe out the residents of Leyawiin as they slept, but Bravil was on the way so I would visit the Tavern for a celebratory drink.



Once in Bravil I entered 'Silverhome on the Water' in the hope of alcohol but the inn keeper had none for sale, which only fuelled my blood lust because I could see loads on the shelf behind him.  In my rage I shot the inn keeper dead in the face with an arrow and he fell, his blood splattered on the wall behind him.  The patrons of the inn didn't take to kindly to my act of violence and decided they should take me down, this decision resulting in 3 more bodies accumulating on the Inn floor and a further spraying of red that added a bit of colour to the dingy cesspool.  Whilst studying the wine on offer a guard entered the Inn and studied the latest victim.  Noticing that the body was still warm, he announced "there's a killer on the loose" before running off to check another victim at which point he deduced that I (the only person in the Inn), was the killer.  Foolishly he tried to arrest me but only succeeded in increasing the body count on the Inn floor.

After enjoying a bottle of Ale it was time to move on, leaving the Inn to face the wrath of the city guards who wanted my head.  Countless Guards and townsfolk fell to my Madness blade but I had to flee the city after meeting my match with a villager who couldn't be killed and possessed weapons far greater than myself.  I left the city with Leyawiin in my sights but not before killing another guard and a horse on my exit from town. Damn I hate those Paint Horses.  On the way I found Water's Edge a small settlement that was soon to become another crime scene.  Once the residents were dispatched I continued South and to Leyawiin, where it seemed news of my crimes had travelled because I was accosted by the guards as soon as I entered town.

After killing all that came near me and taking my body-count to about 40, I quickly become bored.  There was only one place to go, one place to re-invigorate my blood lust and that was the Imperial City Palace, home of the Elder Council and my last stop where I would fight to my death.  I dispatched 5 guards outside the palace, repaired my armour and healed myself up ready for my last big hurrah into the history books of Tamriel as one of the most prolific serial killers in the land.  Before I entered it was time to dispatch of my Adoring Fan, the man who'd followed me throughout my rampage, like my Apprentice in the ways of the Sith.  He tried to run but my arrow was much quicker than him and he fell, face first onto the stone stairs leading down from the palace.

Upon entering I encountered heavy opposition against some of the lands best Guards, killing around 7 before attacking High Chancellor Ocato and making my way up to the next level where with little health and help from conjured creatures I managed to hold out for another 5 minutes before falling to my death.  My reign of terror and fear was not a long one but caused enough Bloodshed to put a bounty on my head even I couldn't pay.  The people of Cyrodiil & even Tamriel will be talking for years about Skullcrusher & how the People's Champion of the Arena descended into madness and rage, talking over 50 innocent lives with him.  Well all innocent except one, who was a Mythic Dawn Agent so she got what she deserved, the stupid wench.

Skyrim News

The wait is almost over and we are only a little over a week away from the release of one of the most anticipated games of the year.  I will be posting a review of the Skyrim a day or two after it's release but until then check out these links with the latest news and previews.

http://www.elderscrolls.com/skyrim/ - The Official Skyrim page with all the latest news and updates

http://www.gametrailers.com/episode/gametrailers-tv/137?ch=1 - The Skyrim Special Episode of GTTV

http://www.oxm.co.uk/ - A very good and funny preview of Skyrim detailing an alternative playthrough of Skyrim.

http://www.facebook.com/TheElderScrolls - Finally if you are on Facebook then this is a page you should like.  They post the latest news & items of interest.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion 5th Anniversary Edition

Unless you have been living under a rock for the past few months then you will be more than aware that The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is very close to release.  It has been a little over 5 years since the release of it's predecessor The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, so with that in mind Bethesda studios has recently released a 5th Year Anniversary edition of Oblivion, but is it worth the money?

Oblivion is a brilliant game set in the huge & expansive land of Cyrodiil (A province of Tamriel).  Even though looking at the screenshots and videos of Skyrim make Oblivion look dated graphics wise, it is still one of the best looking games around considering the size of the game itself and how much the game has to load.  I still highly recommend it to anyone who hasn't played it but if you are a fan of the game like myself, chances are you have already played it/owned it.  So what makes the anniversary edition so special compared to the other versions already out there?  The honest answer being a DVD with behind the scenes footage & bonus material.

The anniversary edition comes with the main game on one disc and the Shivering Isles and Knights of the Nine downloadable content on another disc.  The game also comes with a full map of Cyrodiil and the Shivering Isles.  This content minus the DVD is exactly the same content that comes with the Game of the Year Edition that was released in September 2007.  So as the Making of Oblivion DVD is the only new thing in this package (except the new grey cover), what is on the DVD.

Well you have the obligatory trailers, one for Oblivion and one for Skyrim.  You also have a few galleries showing some concept art and design drawings of the world, the Armour, the creatures and so on.  The galleries themselves don't consist of that many pictures which I felt was a bit of a disappointment as I expected a lot more.  So onto the actual making of Oblivion film which also, for me, is a bit of a let down.  The film is 40 minutes long and follows the Bethesda Softworks efforts in getting the game made/ready to demo and unveil at the 2005 E3 convention.  Although you get to see how certain elements of the game are made, the production process and some of the people who make the game it doesn't feel like the complete making of documentary that you'd expect to be included in an anniversary special edition.

Overall I felt that The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion 5th Anniversary Edition was a rush job, released at the right time before Skyrim to fully attain the most amount of last ditch revenue before Oblivion is fully cast into the land of memories.  If you have never played Oblivion before and want to know why there is so much hype around the release of Skyrim then I recommend buying this release of the game.  If on the other hand you are a fan of series and are tempted by this I would honestly recommend you give it a miss and hold out until Skyrim's release.

Picture via Bethesda Softworks