If the review scores are to be believed, Grand Theft Auto V is a pretty awesome game. So awesome in fact, that it is on track to be the highest-rated game of all time.
GTA V has received outstanding scores across the board, including 37 perfect scores, and is looking to take down the current record holder – Grand Theft Auto IV (which holds a Metacritic score of 98 and 97 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 respectively). The GTA series has been one of the most popular and highly regarded series of the last decade, and Rockstar’s latest release is not slowing down. With intense action, tight writing, superb graphics (though they are definitely “current gen”), and incredibly fun gameplay mechanics, GTA V will likely be atop many “Best of 2013” lists at the end of the year.
Grand Theft Auto IV holds the distinction of the highest-rated game of all-time, even ranked higher than Super Mario Galaxy, Super Mario Galaxy 2, and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3, all of which earned a score of 97. Half-Life 2, BioShock, Uncharted 2, Batman: Arkham City, Mass Effect 3, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and Resident Evil 4 are not far behind at 96, so for two Rockstar titles to be in the running for the top spot with that company is pretty impressive.
What Does It Mean?
While the opinions of journalists don’t really matter in terms of how much fun individual gamers find particular games to be, earning such high praise certainly can’t hurt sales. AAA titles like Grand Theft Auto typically enjoy good reviews and good sales if the game is truly great, but for something like GTA, this one game could set up Rockstar to be successful for the next five years.
With all the news of game developers being put out of work in the last year, it has to be encouraging for a company to sit back and just know that their game is going to sell like gangbusters. It is perhaps the last great massive success before the next generation launches, and that has to feel good. But it makes you wonder, what will they have in store for us in the next generation?
While I doubt we’ll see GTA V brought to the Xbox One or PlayStation 4, I am eagerly awaiting whatever they come up with next. Yes, I know, Grand Theft Auto V has only been out for 24 hours, so I should probably just enjoy it for a while before I start talking about the next game. But as I drive around the massive, seamless, open world Rockstar has created, I simply can’t comprehend what they’ll do in the next generation.
Sure the graphics will be better, but how can they top this world? This map seems like it may be bigger than Skyrim, and it certainly has more to do. I have to sit back in astonishment that I just got done playing a nine-hole round of golf, hopped in my car, drove a couple miles down the road, hopped in a blimp, flew across the map over to Mount Chiliad (the highest location on the map), stole a car, pretty much rolled all the way down the mountain, and then topped all of that off with a drink at a bar. I simply can’t believe this was possible in the current generation.
And I can’t wait to see what’s next.
