What's All the Fuss About Skyrim?

If you haven’t already guessed by the title, prepare yourself for some heretical words; I don’t really care for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

Trust me; I’m as surprised as you are. Since its release back in 2011, I’ve heard nothing but praise from the huge following who adore the game, through the numerous Game of the Year awards, critical acclaim, or tales told by friends when they’ve installed new mods.

Above is one of many glowing reviews for Skyrim, this particular one by IGN. It's safe to say, while it does mention some flaws, the majority of the review is droning on about the beauty and creativity behind the game. It's something I'm still not sure about, even after a few years. 

I’m fairly certain I stand alone on this matter. Surely, countless reviewers, fans and gamers in general can’t be wrong, but I’ve tried time and time again to enjoy this game, but to no avail. So, here’s why I’m not too keen on the arguably overrated pinnacle of the action-RPG genre.

The Beginning                               

I understand that this is a running convention in Elder Scrolls games, but the inception of my grand adventure in the land of Skyrim really didn’t compel me. Being a prisoner in a horse-drawn cart and forced to listen to the info-dump taking place around me? Not my idea of fun.

The rail section has you simply sat around doing nothing with only the ability to move your head. And while it’s hardly the worst opening to a game, there’s so much wasted opportunity in this introduction. Instead of the expansive vistas of the snow-frosted region, you get a few trees, dull rock faces and enough grey to give Cormac McCarthy’s The Road a good run for its money. For a game which relies on your desire to explore, the opening conveys the exact opposite.

The opening does little to immerse or involve you in the world of Skyrim, something which isn’t aided by exposition dump taking which completely locks out noobs like me. While the lexis of ‘Savvengard’ and ‘Hammerfell’ is great for fans of the series who know about the lore of The Elder Scrolls series, it does nothing but make me lose interest. People filter jargon like that, and I’m no exception.

If you compare it to a similar opening, such as that in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Skyrim’s introduction is travelling at a snail’s pace. In Modern Warfare, no specific terminology is used, and the setting nails the feeling of being in a foreign place on the brink of change. Even little things, such as having to turn to face fellow prisoners in Skyrim’s intro, are enough to partially alienate you from the clunky expositional conversations.

All this led to a sub-par first impression of Skyrim, and that may have been why I didn’t like it; it set the mood to one of disinterest. If it were a person, for me, Skyrim would have been one of the most uninteresting people out there.

The Combat

The reason I’m so surprised that I didn’t enjoy Skyrim was that it appeared that Bethesda broke down a lot of traditional RPG game elements in order to appeal to the masses. But despite their efforts, I still don’t really care for the game. 

While I could blame my displeasure on the questing system or the copious amounts of lore within the game, I'd have to say that it was the combat which hammered one of the bigger nails into Skyrim's coffin for me...

Noobs and pros alike simply tend to stick to one or two of the skill trees, rendering their new approach somewhat useless. What's the point of all these options and tiny upgrades when the majority of them won't be used?

The combat was almost as clunky as the initial exposition dump. Sure, it was fun to swing a sword and shoot fire out of your hands, but when it becomes commonplace, there’s just no more fun to be had. 

Granted, it is notoriously difficult to make a competent, and even enjoyable first person melee combat system but with such a budget and experienced development team behind it, everyone realistically expected a little bit more from Bethesda when it came to punching glitching mammoths all day long.

The Characters

This is another Bethesda thing which isn’t just restricted to Skyrim. Maybe it’s because I can’t involve myself in the virtual wonderland of the latest Elder Scrolls game, but the characters and NPCs do very little to add to the immersion of the world. Basic and unfortunately underdeveloped fetch quests do very little to increase interest of characters, just as with the Fallout series.

The emotionless and restricted conversations only add to the issue, but this is a flaw which is out of any developer’s control. Any multiple choice discussion with an NPC will feel a bit false, but for a game which was so heavily promoted before its release, people expected Bethesda to at very least have a go at the issue.

There's only so much modding you can do to fix such issues, and a game shouldn't really it's fans to fix it. You're there for a reason, developers. It's a tad scary that videos like the one below are needed for games like this. 

If the blank residents of Skyrim aren’t an issue for you, have you seen their hair? Luckily for us, helmets exist.

The Gameplay Issues

The critically acclaimed game of 2011 is burdened with seemingly countless glitches, bugs and other programming mishaps.

The aforementioned mammoths have a tendency of spawning in mid-air and immediately falling to their deaths, your horse can climb almost vertical surfaces, and some areas of the lovingly crafted world simply get you stuck with no chance of escape. In my experience, these glitches and occasionally game-breaking issues were very rare, but the fact that they exist is still a bit dodgy for a game on such a big budget. And scarily, there are still a worryingly large amount of issues which still remain unpatched and open for exploitation.

If one of these problematic (but mostly hilarious) bugs doesn’t get you, the excessive amount of loading screens and lag probably will. With large save files, the PS3 version of the came becomes almost unplayable, as you encounter frequent moments when the gameplay drops to a minimal frame rate. Unavoidable fantasy and action RPG tropes are understandable, but elementary gameplay and mechanical issues are not.

For me, Skyrim did nothing to invite me into the supposedly epic world that everyone loves, and even when I tried to enjoy it, the bugs, barebones gameplay and generic characters made it impossibility. I can appreciate it for what it is, but I can’t help but feel like Skyrim is a tiny bit overrated.

But after all, that’s just an opinion. If you enjoy a game, then enjoy it regardless of what others think. I didn’t mean to sound like I was simply slating an award-winning game, but imagine how good it could be if these issues were resolved. 

Then we’d have a game that everyone can get into. 

Album Review: Rival Sons - Great Western Valkyrie

Blues rock is a genre which is mostly filled with uncertainty and a lack of mainstream attention, and while the likes of Jack White may be able to open his form of rock with a hint of country lap steel to the attention of the global music scene, very few other artists have done this. 

Seemingly unintentionally, Rival Sons have made their iteration of blues rock more accessible through catchy, melodic riffs and a refined sound which is a definite innovation from their earlier work.

At a glance, or listen, Rival Sons emit a sound which sounds like the best thing from American rock since the Black Keys, and while they’re not the first to the more classic rock orientated revival scene, they could easily represent it.

The opener to the album, ‘Electric Man’ is an example of what is to come. A song which opens with razing riffs, quieter verses and well-executed choruses, and best displays the unrestricted, widely appreciated style of rock which all can enjoy. Little is held back in the album, and when the band isn’t going all out, the separation and limitation of instruments is a welcome break, rather than feeling like the album is deprived of energy. 

As a whole, ‘Great Western Valkyrie’ is brilliantly paced; while the guitar of Scott Holiday may sound a tad overpowering at times, you can usually hear the arsenal of drum and bass too, from Miley and Beste respectively. The resulting sound is one that invites comparisons to early rock legends, and is nostalgic without growing tiresome. You’d be forgiven for thinking that any song on ‘Great Western Valkyrie’ is a future classic.

Speaking of classics, for me, ‘Belle Starr’ manages to nail the varying tempo rock song, especially in its latter half. The simple notes and screaming vocals nicely compliment the plodding pace, and show how a rock song can end slowly without the need for dramatic, quick endings, and Holiday’s outro riff to the song proves it can be done. 

‘Destination on Course’ however, is the most emotive and dramatic track on the album, and a fitting finisher. Fly through the choir vocals and unhinged build up, and if you’re not sold on the album, the upcoming instrumental will. In the song, everything clicks together. Jay’s vocals and the angelic choir which supports them, the classic solo section from Scott, and in the end Miley and Beste’s performances nicely tie up the song with one or two tiny piano sections in their for good measure. It’s a great attempt of a song which shows the enthusiasm of the band, and just double checks that you can appreciate the effort put into the album before you must part ways.

The album, the fourth offering from the band, isn’t restricted to class rock. While still heavy, songs such as ‘Rich and The Poor’ hold more country-like elements, with a quiet guitar humming along to Jay Buchanan’s vocals, which wouldn’t sound out of place in a classic action film, or alternatively, your own choice of Tarintino film. The combination of slower verses and more emotive chorus sections are again present, but rather than becoming a repetitive predictability, it adds consistency to the band, and solidifies their position in the rock genre, and justifies frequent comparisons with icons such as Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple.

With the likes of Rival Sons, Royal Blood and Radkey blowing up in recent months, its set to be a great year for rock in all its forms, with blues, industrial and punk elements of the genre all exploding in popularity. ‘Great Western Valkyrie’ best shows how accessible rock is, and how it has been dearly missed, but much more importantly, it is a great album in its own right. 

Put frankly, if you don’t engage in the message of the album or the lyrics, there’s still plenty to enjoy in the form of the catchy guitar riffs and excellent vocals of Rival Sons in what is arguably their most refined and progressive work to date. It’s simple rock, and it’s enjoyable for all. 

Breaking Bad: A Year Later...

Warning: Potential spoilers and all that…

While still a prominent pop-culture icon, the success and excitement of Vince Gilligan’s Breaking Bad is slowly fading away. Despite the rise of new critically acclaimed TV shows, take any of Netflix’s originals as an example, Breaking Bad still remains a great TV series which is arguably unique, and has yet to be matched. Here are a few reasons as to why it remains one of the great TV shows of our generation, and how it became so successful.

1. Netflix

Remember when Netflix was a physical disc based rental firm? Probably not, but when the streaming of shows became a feature in 2007, Breaking Bad was one of few shows to jump at the chance to archive its episodes in this way.

The 2008 inception of the show was pretty well-timed with this change of business model, and more importantly, it allowed something which we are all guilty of. As the cinematographer of Breaking Bad, Michael Slovis puts it, the ability to “binge view and catch up”, making interest in the show more focused around long-term marketing and spontaneous recommendations.

We’ve all recommended the show, or accordingly become enraged when we know someone who hasn’t watched it, so we all played our part into fitting into the marketing model for the show. With all episodes readily available on the format, Breaking Bad wasn’t restricted to AMC’s reach. And, it was in Netflix’s own interest to promote the show, bringing in more subscriptions and allowing the firm to expand. So next time you watch a series for 7 hours straight, you just might be making the next TV sensation.

2. The Pacing

When Breaking Bad snagged your attention, it made sure you were kept interested. After being nagged by everyone you knew, the show always ensured that some form of plot progression took place every episode. New and instantly notable characters were introduced on a steady rotation, bringing new issues with them to make sure the life of Walter White never became too leisurely.

While the entire pink teddy bear foreshadowing fiasco of season two may have been a little long-winded, it did build up to a fairly dramatic event which effected a lot of characters, as seen in the episode ‘ABQ’. Gilligan seemed to have nailed the perfect combination of suspense-inducing cliff-hangers and appropriately necessary concluded episodes, meaning that regardless of what happened in a certain episode, you always left satisfied and in anticipation of the next one.

3. The Actors

Before Gilligan’s TV sensation, what was Bryan Cranston known for? Being an inept and caring father in Malcolm in the Middle? Pretty much, and it seems that Breaking Bad was a huge break for actors who previously were confined to the likes of TV films and daytime sitcoms.

Take a look at Aaron Paul’s filmography, which went from occasional TV appearances and supporting roles for generic action films, to a variety of roles in films such as Need for Speed and Helion, mostly due to their exposure from Breaking Bad.

Even actors such as Dean Norris, who had appeared in well-known films from Terminator 2 and Evan Almighty, and equally marketed TV shows (CSI, True Blood…) , are still best known for their performances in more recent crime drama shows.

Gilligan gave previously unknown actors a chance to shine, and in doing so, cemented the success of the show, as seen through the excessive amount of nominations and awards the show, and its actors, have received, which stands at 101 at the time of writing.

4. The Concept

Unlike the Zombie sub-genre which has been done to death in recent years, or the excess of mystery/drama shows which preceded it, the genre in which Breaking Bad is situated managed to become a new and interesting premise without straying too far from the status quo to seem inaccessible to its audience. AMC’s finest series is a mash-up of genres, most notably including elements from Western flicks, Crime dramas and good old thrillers, and this creates a show which can take the best bits from each, with few consequences. I mean, when was the last time we had a contemporary western TV show?

The tension from episode to episode, the looming overtones of foreshadowing and the ever-present cliff-hangers were mostly typical of more traditional crime dramas, such as any variant of CSI, The Wire and Dexter, but the Western elements of the show were suitably utilised near the end of the season five, as the need for revenge and redemption became arguably the key plot point of the show.

This combination of elements was new, refreshing and most importantly, relatively original, and because of this, Breaking Bad succeeded in using appropriate genre tropes where it saw fit, entertaining millions in the process.

5. The Conclusion

Many shows leave the airwaves with an uncertain ending which is open to interpretation. Countless TV shows, films and games have done this, simply to keep their respective fan-bases going in an array of conspiracy theories and fan-fiction. Again, Breaking Bad broke the mould, and tied up all the loose ends in a manner which was fitting of the crime drama/western genre. While the ending left some critics relatively unsatisfied, the majority of people at very least respected the decision to finish the series where it did.

Of course we all want more, but that branch of the Walter White story has come to an appropriate end, and of course, there’s still more to come in the form of Better Call Saul, a spin-off focusing around the antics of the small time lawyer Saul Goodman, and featuring characters from the original series. The new show focusing on comedy rather than crime will hopefully be a new step which will be brilliantly executed, and ideally won’t aim to stay in the shadow of Breaking Bad.

Is the show one of the classics of our generation? Arguably yes. I hate to go with the flow, but when tourism in Albuquerque skyrocketed after the finale of season five, it’s hard to argue that show hasn’t had a huge impact on a global level. We still see people of all ages donning Heisenberg shirts, stationary and socks, and until we wait for new dramas such as Orange is the New Black to die down, we’ll have to wait and see if Breaking Bad was all we made it out to be.

Only time will tell.

Game Review: Luftrausers

I've never really been a prominent 2D shooter fan, and the aptly named 'bullet genre' has done little to drag me into such games. But due to some freak change, a mind control event, or an act of God, I decided to give Luftrausers a go. And for less than £7, I'm glad I did.

So what is it? 

Luftrausers is a 2D bullet-hell dog-fighting game, set in a seemingly random alternate WW2 setting and is highly styled and notably arcade-ish in nature. Hiding behind the retro look is essentially an insane arcade shooter, which is incredibly accessible and re-playable. The game is controlled by five mere buttons, those being the arrow keys to manoeuvre, and the 'x' key to fire. If you manage to stop shooting for a fraction of a second, your 'rauser' repairs, and if you release the 'raus' key, you can pull off stall turns and temporarily plunge into the ocean, (if that's your thing). 

If you thought that smashing your plane into other planes was an nonviable method of aerial combat, then you would be wrongly mistaken, and nothing is more satisfying than building up a combo through smashing into ships and planes alike. There's even a body based around the idea, so if you want to nose-dive into warships and frigates, go ahead. Luftrausers does everything it can to make you feel like a truly bad-ass pilot, and it’s very easy to get into, thanks to its simple controls and non-existent loading between games. If you do die, you'll be back playing again before you can figure out how to pronounce the title. 

Between these games, you can customise your aircraft with different engines, body sections and weapons. It’s all very simple, but there’s plenty of unlocks to keep you going if the gameplay fails to do so. Arguably, the best thing about Luftrausers is that it never feels like a huge grind-fest, as other games can (I'm looking at you, Payday 2). The small challenges are enough to keep you going, and the customisable pieces ensure that you feel sufficiently rewarded for your efforts. 

You feel badass most of the time, and the game is fair, mostly. When you inevitably die, you can easily understand why, as a stray bullet clips you, or you stall into the ocean for just a fraction too long. Luftrausers is great fun, and definitely worth the price. I mean, it's also got a cracking soundtrack which fits the game really rather well.

Devolver Digital seem determined to solidify their image as one of the best indie game developers out there, and adding Luftrausers to an existing portfolio of Hotline Miami and Broforce is another leap towards that title. It's an enjoyable combination of fun gameplay and excessive amounts of projectiles which is accessible to all.

That, and it's only like £7. So if you want an addictive side-wards shooter which excels in short bursts, look no further. 

The Recent Rise of E-sports

E-sports are great. They're like playing games normally, except you're not good enough. Although video games have been played competitively since their conception, only recently have they become commonplace among gamers and slowly seeping into society as a regular form of sport. Without the physical exercise, of course.

They've have become more popular than ever, since their rapid growth in the early 1990s. At the time, these competitions were of a much smaller scale than they are now, and they tended to focus around console games. Take the 1990 Nintendo World Championships. This tournament toured across 29 US cities and used the SNES, along with Super Mario Brothers, Tetris and Rad Racer as the virtual arenas in which contenders fought with their thumbs and fingers, hammering at controls rather than keyboards.

In comparison to these much simpler times, E-Sports are now held in huge event halls and arenas, with ridiculous amounts of money up for grabs. Instead of genre-defining First Person Shooters such as Doom and Quake, Action RTS and MOBA games such as StarCraft 2 and DoTA 2 have become the proven base of E-Sports.

These games and their contests are also no longer the exclusive activity of American enthusiasts. Thanks to the explosive expansion of the sport, competitiors come from all corners of the globe. Even the home of E-Sports has changed, with the concept now intertwining itself into the youth culture of South Korea. The foundations for this degree of popularity have been in place for decades in South Korea, and this has certainly helped games like StarCraft 2 essentially become a national pastime.


The original StarCraft was a hit in countries like these due its fairly low system requirements and free online play at the time. The high rates of broadband connectivity and accessibility for online games such as StarCraft meant that its predecessor was set to become a game which integrates itself into a nation. The lack of sports dominating culture and desire to avoid inevitable military conscription, on top of endorsement from large companies like Samsung, meant that children in South Korea are essentially driven towards the idea of video games. Because of all the build-up over previous years, games like StarCraft 2 and the E-Sports they are involved in have accordingly boomed in popularity.


The influence of the gaming culture in these countries is easily shown if you look at the standings of the World Championship Series for StarCraft 2; currently, out of the top 16 players in the world, 12 of them are South Korean. Instead of being live-streamed, E-Sports in South Korea are broadcast on national television, just as most Western sports are. 

The scary thing about all this, on top of South Korean dominance when it comes to strategy games, is how quickly E-Sports have spread as a legitimate and serious form of competition. Huge endorsements and celebrity treatment for players is now essentially commonplace.

Around 18 months ago, few actual gamers had even heard of E-Sports, never mind watch them. I was part of the majority who were unaware of its existence. And now, these events are incredibly accessible and entertaining, through a vast array of video sites or live streaming. 

Although some will ask "Why bother watching a game when you could play it yourself?", I can assure you that the levels of skill and effort put into some of these matches are unparalleled. It’s like football or any other physical sport; you could do it yourself, or you could watch someone else do it far better than you. I mean, it is easy to sit in front of a TV and proclaim "I could do that." 

Across the world, TV stations are slowly covering E-Sports as their popularity continues to grow. Sponsorship deals and prize money are becoming huge factors, just as with any other sport. In a fairly recent DoTA 2 event, the largest prize pool in E-Sports history was created, at $2.8 million. With such large amounts of money on the line, it’s fair to say that companies have begun taking virtual sports rather seriously when the rest of the world has not.

Some people love these events simply due to the difference from what’s always been on offer. Instead of the boiling feuds between teams in football matches, some would say that E-Sports are a lot calmer, yet simultaneously more energetic. Some also love it for the skills and according atmosphere. Competitors need to know everything about a game, down to the last smallest detail. For the audience, events such as these give a live buzz like attending any sporting event, with the intellectual reward of studying a game like chess. It’s a unique combination which is refreshingly new, and one of which we are unlikely to see anything similar to in the near future.

Despite all this, I can hardly imagine the day when fathers in America ask their sons to practice League of Legends rather than baseball. However, the groundwork for E-Sports is most certainly in place, it's now just up to gamers, and the wider world, to begin taking it seriously. 

Gaming as an Art Form

Most people would agree that something which is classed as a piece of art needs to be composed by an artist and ideally convey emotions or messages to the audience. These ideas are all readily applied to Film, Music, Literature and Painting, but why not the newly developed medium of Gaming?

Just as this article may cause you to create or modify your existing opinions on this matter, games may point out aspects of society which make you feel differently, or notice how clear some social undertones are from a different perspective. What I’m trying to say is that when you analyse a book or film, usually you discover that there are hidden messages which are running themes throughout the story. One example of this would be the recent film release, The Great Gatsby.

While it received fairly average reviews, I thought that the constant tension caused by the deception between the love triangle of Jay Gatsby, Daisy and Tom was the main reason why I didn’t fall asleep halfway through the film. The love triangle and the spectacularly colourful 1920s setting, of course. If you were to ask a film critique whether they thought this film was a piece of art, just like any other romantic drama, they would unarguably say ‘yes’. But what about a game?

Some games cause the player to experience an emotional rollercoaster which is just as immersive as any 2013 blockbuster, if not more. Take developer Naughty Dog’s latest offering, the critically acclaimed The Last of Us. Then compare it to any half-decent film or piece of visual media. The story in this game is absolutely stellar, and the way it is presented is far better than any recent narrative. The main character that you play as, Joel initially appears to be your stereotypical grizzled protagonist who wouldn’t show any emotion even if his life depended on it. To the player, he is a blank slate which they can project themselves on to. Suddenly, you’re burdened with a girl to take across the ravaged remains of the United States, and because you don’t know this person, Joel and the player feel exactly the same.

Throughout the story, you get to watch as the relationship between Joel and Ellie goes from two people being forced together into an almost father-daughter connection. As the story develops, your emotions almost mimic the on-screen actions perfectly. Did feel as much emotion in Man of Steel as I did in The Last of Us? Certainly not, because in the superhero action film, the only time you feel anything is during the destructive battles, and even then, it’s a case of, ‘wow, I bet it cost a lot for all the CGI stuff’.

While the narrative of The Last of Us nearly caused me to cry, the setting which the story is based in is equally amazing. The colours go from vibrant and eye-catching in the outside areas, to murky and rotten on the ruined indoor areas. Have a look at some of the concept drawings for this game, and I would definitely argue that video games such as this are essentially art.

Video games are also a new opportunity for artists. Whereas with music, the composer is limited to audio messages, and painters are limited to eye-catching visuals, games allow for pretty much all aspects of art. It is entirely possible for a game to have a stunning visual background, like Crysis 3 for example, while having an immersive story and an addictive and catchy soundtrack behind it all, like Hotline Miami. Games like the recently released Bioshock Infinite also allow for social undertones to eventually become evident to the player, making them realise the flaws of their own society, despite the game being set in an alternate 1912 universe.

Also, surely gaming would worthwhile art form in comparison to film, simply for the hopeful future it has. While the film and gaming industry are equally costly, films tend to stick to pre-defined and proven genres, as film producers would much rather make a film which they know will be a worthwhile investment. Because of this, the film market tends to be oversaturated with action films overflowing with explosions. In comparison, games tend to innovate. More innovation results in the production of better games.

Granted, there has been an outpour of ‘first person shooters’ over recent years, so it is arguable that the game industry suffers from some of the same issues. On top of this, critics are probably wary of considering games as art due to the old stereotypes attached to it. The idea of college nerds gazing into a computer screen for hours on end is probably a daunting idea for sophisticated reviewers to accept. Similarly, it may be hard for them to see acne-riddled programmers as artists. 

However, gaming has matured extensively over its roughly 30-year lifespan. And just with any new idea, anyone with an ounce of maturity will be able to understand that society is wary of things which are new to it. Hopefully one day, people will take gaming seriously as a dedicated form of art. In my opinion, it isn’t a case of why society should do so, rather a case of why not? Surely it's time for games to be taken seriously...

Some First Impressions of GTA V

After finishing probably the most highly anticipated game of the current generation, I've had some time to pick my brains up from off of the floor and collect some thoughts on Rockstar's latest offering.

First and foremost, I hate to go with the flow, but this game is great. There's unfortunately little you can do to deny it, apart from a few features.

To start with, there's the performance. On near ancient systems, Rockstar have done a great job getting GTA V up to scratch, and it is a technical milestone for this generation of consoles. However, the frame rate of this game (for me at least), varies around 20 to 27, or in layman's terms, almost unbearable and hardly acceptable. That was a constant flaw that unfortunately most people will have to put up with, until a PC or next-gen release.

I would go into how the three lead characters are all really awful people, but the game understands this, and they even point this fact out occasionally. However, adding depth to your characters is all well and good, just like making them come from all walks of life lets you explore different lifestyles, but at the end of the day, this is GTA, and the first thing on everyone's list is to go on a machine-gun rampage, get in a huge police chase, and steal a fighter jet. What's the point of serious characterisation when these kinds of activities are inevitably the first things players will do?

I did really enjoy the story when it got all serious, and the three different characters allows for some great opportunities that couldn't have been done before. The variety of things to do, whether in mission or out of it is great, but I can't help but feel that some of the mechanics featured in these activities could have been a bit more refined. Take shooting, arguable one of the most important features of the game; when you choose a gun from the convenient radial menu and are desperate to fire it, I genuinely lost the reticule several times. It's a tiny dot in the middle of a screen layered with colour, and usually, explosions. Also, the guns feel solid, but aiming them is clunky in comparison with the slick UI and cover mechanics. How hard would it have been to put a standard reticule and smooth up the controls?

The thing is, Rockstar have made third-person shooters before, and their fairly recent Max Payne 3 had solid and smooth controls. While Rockstar have clearly taken some inspiration from their other games, they missed out on the opportunity to make their flagship game the benchmark for third-person shooting mechanics.

But I suppose these are all small faults in a massive game, and in a world with so much to do, these little issues are easily overshadowed. The missions are great, the driving and flying is great, customisation is immense and the soundtrack is superb. You've got tiny details too; in tunnels or certain parts of the map, certain radio stations will be unavailable. If you run into someone or honk at a stationary vehicle, you'll get the according abuse, rude gestures and even the odd person who gets out demanding a fight. And this is only half of the game. Now that the highly anticipated online portion of the game is out, people have been striving to get online to be part of the inevitable madness and multiplayer anarchy.

And so far, we've learnt that Rockstar need to invest more of their money into servers and maintenance, as people have found it notoriously difficult to get online, or either lack a constant character due to the short term inability to save online or occasionally getting kicked off for seemingly no reason. This is understandable when you've got potentially hundreds of thousands of people trying to get on at once, but as Rockstar made over $1 Billion in the first 3 days of GTA V's release, it's not like they're short of cash.

Unfortunately for me, whenever I attempt to get into the online mode and partake in the array of multiplayer activities that Rockstar have prepared, such as fleeing from fighter jets, racing, shooting or even just good old fashioned robbery, the courteous and respectful community proceed to either shoot my car tires, or my face. It's a great concept, but it is best played with friends.

It's certainly a ground-breaking game that will nicely see off this console generation, and for its technical faults, I certainly hope it'll be coming to the likes of the Xbox One and PS4. We all expected it to be an astonishing game, but for me it's slightly less great than I anticipated. In the same way that a few hundred thousand pounds are slightly disappointing in comparison to a whole million.

I'll be right back; I'm going to steal a plane or two.