GTA V soon Bitches

[Caliga]

It's not a rumor!

I knew there was a good reason we kept you around.

[derspiess]

Ordered my $33 copy from Best Buy yesterday and it looks like it will arrive today.  Plan on firing up the Xbox tonight if I don't go out.

[derspiess]

Finally started playing it.  Played a lot of the side missions and have progressed to the beginning of what I guess is the final job.  My thoughts:

1)  HOLY CRAP, WHY DID NOBODY TELL ME JESCO WHITE IS IN THIS???  He's not only the Rebel Radio DJ, but you can find him dancing & singing on the north/west shore of the lake in Sandy Shores.  Complete awesomeness.  As a bonus, they have a Hasil Adkins song on Rebel Radio.  Lincoln County, WV FTW.

2)  It does have a certain Red Dead Redemption vibe to it.  I swear sometimes when I finish a mission or challenge and I am on foot my first thought is to call my horse.  Thankfully when you hunt, you only have to take pictures of the animal rather than skinning it.  Skinning animals in RDR accumulated some painful downtime after a while.

3)  I hated Trevor at first but he's sort of growing on me now.  And his mutual attraction to Mrs. Martinez was hilarious.  And his insecurity over being Canadian makes for some good recurring humor.

4)  Everyone in the game talks about how old, fat, and run-down Michael is.  He looks pretty normal to me

5)  Bootsy is a DJ on one of the other stations, which is almost as awesome as having Jesco in the game.  But overall the music is a bit weak.  Possibly the weakest since they started having "real" music.  As much as I hate paying for add-ons, I'd buy more songs to add to the existing lineup.  I saw a list of songs that were cut from the game and think they erred on cutting many/most of them.

6)  Takes a little time to get used to switching between 3 characters.  But I like the way they do the transitions.

7)  Seems easier to get killed unless you're lucky enough to find cover and aren't surrounded.  Also harder to get rid of the cops sometimes if you have 3 cars right on your ass.  But it's a bit easier to avoid cops & lose your wanted level if you hadn't been spotted yet.

8)  I suck at investing in the stock market.  IF I invest correctly before/after an assassination or whatever, I forget to sell when the share price peaks.

9)  No Vegas?  Boo.

10)  Seems to be less focus on racing, also none of that dating shit, thank God. 


Overall I'd put it above San Andreas & GTA3.  Not sure yet if it tops GTA4, and I don't think they'll ever top Vice City.

[Caliga]

When is this thing coming out for PC?

[derspiess]

Oh, also-- I know I'm getting old, but I could have done without the torture part of one mission.  I guess Rockstar was trying to make a statement about torture, but they totally botched it. 

[garbon]

Oh, also-- I know I'm getting old, but I could have done without the torture part of one mission.  I guess Rockstar was trying to make a statement about torture, but they totally botched it. 

No, I agree. Scene was drawn out and unnecessary. I came away from it only with the thought of - damn, why'd Rockstar make me waste time doing that.

[derspiess]

Oh, also-- I know I'm getting old, but I could have done without the torture part of one mission.  I guess Rockstar was trying to make a statement about torture, but they totally botched it. 

No, I agree. Scene was drawn out and unnecessary. I came away from it only with the thought of - damn, why'd Rockstar make me waste time doing that.

They could have left it ambiguous or given you the option to bypass it-- or I could have just roughed him up a little to get the info (like in the Godfather games).  But no-- I had to move the right analog stick back & forth in the correct pattern in order to rip out the dude's tooth. 

[FunkMonk]

Oh, also-- I know I'm getting old, but I could have done without the torture part of one mission.  I guess Rockstar was trying to make a statement about torture, but they totally botched it.

I guess I can appreciate what they're trying to go for, but most of the time when I play video games I just want to have fun. Torturing someone honestly isn't very fun for me.

[garbon]

I'm still confused on what was the point of the therapy sessions...

[FunkMonk]

I'm still confused on what was the point of the therapy sessions...

I found them amusing, but then again Michael was my favorite character. I just took them as humorous cutscenes in between missions.

I would have liked therapy sessions with the other characters, especially Trevor. 

[derspiess]

I'm still confused on what was the point of the therapy sessions...

Uh, yeah.  I was thinking maybe they'd give it some purpose.  Like increasing certain stats or somehow being tied in with actual missions or jobs.  Haven't done them all, yet.

Totally unrelated, helicopters are easy as hell to neutralize or bring down in this game.  Kind of helps me hold out longer during my impromptu police shootouts.

[Caliga]

Oh, also-- I know I'm getting old, but I could have done without the torture part of one mission.  I guess Rockstar was trying to make a statement about torture, but they totally botched it.

I did that mission earlier tonight on my PS4.  It was fun. 

[Rex Francorum]

Can't wait for the PC version...Early 2015, it is what Steam says.

[Syt]

http://www.cnet.com/news/gta-v-pulled-from-target-australia-for-depictions-of-violence-against-women/

GTA V pulled from Target Australia for depictions of violence against women

After pressure from an online petition, Target Australia agrees to stop selling Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto V.

Department store Target Australia will no longer sell Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto V, the retailer announced Wednesday. The move comes in response to "community pressure" in the form of a Change.org petition that condemned the video game's depictions of violence against women.

The petition -- which at time of writing had collected over 42,000 signatures -- was created by three women who are survivors of sexual violence.

"We have firsthand experience of this kind of sexual violence," the petition reads. "To see this violence that we lived through turned into a form of entertainments is sickening and causes us great pain and harm."

"This game spreads the idea that certain women exist as scapegoats for male violence. It shows hatred and contempt for women in the sex industry and puts them at greater risk. ... Games like this are grooming yet another generation of boys to tolerate violence against women."

GTA V was released in September last year for Sony's PlayStation 3 and Microsoft's Xbox 360 and reached an astounding $1 billion in retail sales only three day after its launch. Last month, the game was released for the PS4 and Xbox One with a new first-person mode.

The video game, which has an R18+ rating in Australia, allows players a number of interactions with prostitutes, who will restore health in the form of sex acts. Prostitutes in the game can also be violently beaten and killed, which allows the player to recover their money from her corpse.

"We've been speaking to many customers over recent days about the game, and there is a significant level of concern about the game's content," said Target General Manager Corporate Affairs Jim Cooper. "We've also had customer feedback in support of us selling the game, and we respect their perspective on the issue. However, we feel the decision to stop selling GTA5 is in line with the majority view of our customers."

Rockstar parent company Take Two expressed that it was "disappointed" in Target's move.

"We are disappointed that an Australian retailer has chosen no longer to sell Grand Theft Auto V -- a title that has won extraordinary critical acclaim and has been enjoyed by tens of millions of consumers around the world," said Take Two chairman and CEO Strauss Zelnick in a statement.

"Grand Theft Auto V explores mature themes and content similar to those found in many other popular and groundbreaking entertainment properties. Interactive entertainment is today's most compelling art form and shares the same creative freedom as books, television, and movies. I stand behind our products, the people who create them, and the consumers who play them."

Target is not the first store to remove the game from its shelves. Last month, New Zealand's largest retailer, The Warehouse Group, agreed to stop selling the game under pressure from sex worker advocacy group Stop Demand.

"GTA has always been a deeply misogynistic, hyper-masculine game that reduces women largely to strippers and prostitutes," Stop Demand founder Denise Ritchie said. "However, the new first person interactive mode released globally last week significantly ratchets up gamers' experiences."

Target Australia said that it would continue to sell other R18+ material.

"While these products often contain imagery that some customers find offensive, in the vast majority of cases, we believe they are appropriate products for us to sell to adult customers," Cooper said. "However, in the case of GTA5, we have listened to the strong feedback from customers that this is not a product they want us to sell."

Update December 4 1.23 pm AEDT: Kmart Australia has reportedly followed suit. The department store confirmed to Kotaku Australia that it, too, would no longer be selling GTA V, or any GTA title at all, effective immediately. Kmart and Target are both owned by the same parent company, Wesfarmers.

Update December 4 2.19 pm AEDT: Added comment from Take Two CEO and chairman Strauss Zelnick.

Australia - if you want xenophobia, nanny state and surveillance, we've got you covered!

[Duque de Bragança]

http://www.cnet.com/news/gta-v-pulled-from-target-australia-for-depictions-of-violence-against-women/

GTA V pulled from Target Australia for depictions of violence against women

After pressure from an online petition, Target Australia agrees to stop selling Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto V.

Department store Target Australia will no longer sell Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto V, the retailer announced Wednesday. The move comes in response to "community pressure" in the form of a Change.org petition that condemned the video game's depictions of violence against women.

The petition -- which at time of writing had collected over 42,000 signatures -- was created by three women who are survivors of sexual violence.

"We have firsthand experience of this kind of sexual violence," the petition reads. "To see this violence that we lived through turned into a form of entertainments is sickening and causes us great pain and harm."

"This game spreads the idea that certain women exist as scapegoats for male violence. It shows hatred and contempt for women in the sex industry and puts them at greater risk. ... Games like this are grooming yet another generation of boys to tolerate violence against women."

GTA V was released in September last year for Sony's PlayStation 3 and Microsoft's Xbox 360 and reached an astounding $1 billion in retail sales only three day after its launch. Last month, the game was released for the PS4 and Xbox One with a new first-person mode.

The video game, which has an R18+ rating in Australia, allows players a number of interactions with prostitutes, who will restore health in the form of sex acts. Prostitutes in the game can also be violently beaten and killed, which allows the player to recover their money from her corpse.

"We've been speaking to many customers over recent days about the game, and there is a significant level of concern about the game's content," said Target General Manager Corporate Affairs Jim Cooper. "We've also had customer feedback in support of us selling the game, and we respect their perspective on the issue. However, we feel the decision to stop selling GTA5 is in line with the majority view of our customers."

Rockstar parent company Take Two expressed that it was "disappointed" in Target's move.

"We are disappointed that an Australian retailer has chosen no longer to sell Grand Theft Auto V -- a title that has won extraordinary critical acclaim and has been enjoyed by tens of millions of consumers around the world," said Take Two chairman and CEO Strauss Zelnick in a statement.

"Grand Theft Auto V explores mature themes and content similar to those found in many other popular and groundbreaking entertainment properties. Interactive entertainment is today's most compelling art form and shares the same creative freedom as books, television, and movies. I stand behind our products, the people who create them, and the consumers who play them."

Target is not the first store to remove the game from its shelves. Last month, New Zealand's largest retailer, The Warehouse Group, agreed to stop selling the game under pressure from sex worker advocacy group Stop Demand.

"GTA has always been a deeply misogynistic, hyper-masculine game that reduces women largely to strippers and prostitutes," Stop Demand founder Denise Ritchie said. "However, the new first person interactive mode released globally last week significantly ratchets up gamers' experiences."

Target Australia said that it would continue to sell other R18+ material.

"While these products often contain imagery that some customers find offensive, in the vast majority of cases, we believe they are appropriate products for us to sell to adult customers," Cooper said. "However, in the case of GTA5, we have listened to the strong feedback from customers that this is not a product they want us to sell."

Update December 4 1.23 pm AEDT: Kmart Australia has reportedly followed suit. The department store confirmed to Kotaku Australia that it, too, would no longer be selling GTA V, or any GTA title at all, effective immediately. Kmart and Target are both owned by the same parent company, Wesfarmers.

Update December 4 2.19 pm AEDT: Added comment from Take Two CEO and chairman Strauss Zelnick.

Australia - The only western country possibly worse than Germany for videogames

Fixed!