GTA V: Next Gen Features that will get your taste buds quivering

Grand Theft Auto V on next ten consoles. The boys are back!

It's finally here. Grand Theft Auto V launched on next generation consoles November 18th. I own both the Playstation 3 version and now the Playstation 4 masterpiece. Did I say masterpiece? Let's back up slightly. I've heard some people state that they will not be grabbing themselves a copy of GTA V on next gen consoles. I find myself asking "Why? Have you seen the new features we are privy too?" So what are these new additions exactly and is it really worth the hype? I'm planning on doing a review for my Youtube channel this weekend but here's what's great so far.

Rockstar blew me away when I heard about the introduction of first person mode. We know that this covers in-vehicle and on-foot gameplay. The sensitivity of steering in first person was too much and when I turned it right down I still found vehicles difficult to manoeuvre. Despite this, I loved seeing the interior of the car, even down to the name of the song and artist on the radio display. It's little touches of finesse like that that made first person driving bearable. Other than that I chose to drive back in third person. On-foot is a different experience. Seeing Los Santos through the eyes of Franklin (or respective characters) felt absolutely stunning. Whether I was firing my pistol, throwing a punch or staring back at the neighbours cat, I felt completely amazed at the new GTA V experience. It doesn't end there. Note that I said 'cat'. Yes, I saw plenty of stray cats and dogs on my early travels around Los Santos which made for a more immersive experience. It truly is epic.

Grand Theft Auto V next Gen new feature - Nice phone Dawg!

Grand Theft Auto V - First Person mode. Loving the details inside of the vehicles

There are some seriously sexy graphics in the next gen port of Grand Theft Auto V. Running at a crisp 1080p 30fps on the Playstation 4, it made for some serious jaw dropping moments. Catch lights, shimmers, reflections, colour saturation and detail are vastly improved. Foliage, water and draw distance look, feel and function as I expected; it's unbelievable. The whole world feels alive and real. In addition, I've read that there are an additional 3000 animations too. For me, I absolutely love the full 3D phone as opposed to the on-screen interface along with quirky features such as a screen tint when wearing sunglasses (ahem one of my favourite little features). 

Music has always been an integral part of Grand Theft Auto game and in the Playstation 4 and Xbox One port, there is no exception. We have a massive 162 extra songs to sing, bop and cringe to. There are absorbed across the 17 radio stations we had on last generation consoles. Pretty sweet. I found myself saying "is this a new song?" as it's way too difficult to actually know. Nonetheless, I liked that the game made me guess those details because it's all part of the new experience right? 

Grand Theft Auto V has a wealth of new vehicles - Check out The Marshall Monster Truck

What would Grand Theft Auto be without cars? Err... probably completely shit! New vehicles are a definite and welcome new feature to Grand Theft Auto V. Again, I found myself asking "this is new right?" This shows just how much we are dealing with in this new port. My persistent wondering of which vehicles are new compared to old left me dumbfounded...in a good way. It removed the monotony. 

One final cool feature that blew me away in this beautiful port was the changing of the light bar on the Playstation 4 controller. Early in the game, I was being chased by the police and noticed the light flashing the same colours as the sirens! A smile erupted across my cheeks! The light bar also changes colour depending on which character is selected; green for Franklin, blue for Michael and orange when playing as Trevor. Pretty cool. 

I'm certain that there are more features and easter eggs to find in Los Santos. So far, I'd say that GTA V next gen is definitely worth picking up. See you in Los Santos!

Make sure that you catch my review on my Youtube channel this weekend. Please subscribe. Let me know about your experiences of playing Grand Theft Auto in the comments below.

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