GTA V review: New Grand Theft Auto triples the intensity

I had such a fun weekend.

After seeing a movie, I went down to the beach to ride the roller coaster on the pier and go jet skiing in the ocean. Afterward, I got a haircut and bought a new suit, and then I returned home to unwind with some fresh juice and a yoga session in my backyard. Later, I met up with one of my friends for drinks at a downtown watering hole.

I live in Los Angeles, but I didn't do any of that stuff there. Nah, it all happened over the past 48 hours while visiting Los Santos, the virtual seaside metropolis cunningly depicted in "Grand Theft Auto V" (Rockstar Games, for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, $59.99). Oh, did I mention I also committed dozens of felonies?

For the most part, it's illegal business as usual in the latest edition of "Grand Theft Auto." There are vehicles to swipe, schemes to plan and banks to rob. Unlike previous installments in the wildly successful - and violent - M-rated series, "GTA V" centers not just on one but three criminal protagonists: former partners Michael and Trevor, and their new protege, Franklin.

Nearly a decade after their last heist went terribly wrong, middle-aged Michael is living comfortably bored in witness protection in a ritzy Los Santos mansion, while the unhinged Trevor is dealing meth and smuggling guns on the outskirts of town in Blaine County. Meanwhile, Franklin is hustling on the streets as a repo man for an unsavory car dealership owner.

The three men and their double- and triple-crossing ventures are ingeniously interwoven in both the narrative and gameplay of "GTA V," which allows players to almost seamlessly switch among Michael, Trevor and Franklin throughout the proceedings. With the tap of a few buttons, "GTA V" briskly sweeps across Los Santos from one anti-hero to another.

During missions involving all three dudes, the flip-flopping is key to avoid getting wasted by the Los Santo Police. For instance, one particularly high-pressured holdup of an armored car involves swapping between Michael and Franklin blasting at waves of cops on the ground, and Trevor picking them off with a sniper rifle from a rooftop.

It's not so much a gimmick as it is a flawless innovation on the established "GTA" formula.

Besides the usual felonious shenanigans, there are leisurely diversions spread across Los Santos, including customizing rides, investing in the stock market, racing jet skis, watching TV, surfing spoof sites online, playing tennis and patronizing strip clubs.

With an obsessive attention to detail, the city of Los Santos - last visited in 2004's "GTA: San Andreas" - and its outlying areas feel more alive than any virtual world I've ever visited. Rockstar Games has masterfully crafted a stunning make-believe take on modern Southern California that rivals the dragon-infested realm from "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim."

However, this Los Santos is not a perfect clone of L.A.

The urban areas don't feel quite dense enough when compared with Liberty City from 2008's "GTA IV." And the rendition of Beverly Hills is basically across the street from downtown. Also, a few tired L.A. cliches - plastic surgery, seeking fame - are referenced so frequently the game almost veers into goofy "Saint's Row" territory.

Fortunately, any shortcomings with "GTA V" feel about as important as a random stranger crossing the street in Los Santos. Rockstar Games has created such a fascinating place for Michael, Trevor and Franklin to explore and wreak havoc, I think you'll want to visit for more than a weekend. I know I do. Four stars out of four.

GTA V pre-order delivery 'delayed' on Flipkart

Flipkart's customers who pre-ordered GTA V, and were expecting their copies to arrive on launch day Tuesday, September 17, will be bitterly disappointed, as the Indian online retailer has informed them by email that the games will be only shipped from Mumbai on September 16 night, and take 1-2 days to reach them, depending on their location.

GTA V is one of the most anticipated game releases of 2013, and is widely expected to be Rockstar Games' biggest cash cow yet. The game, which will initially only be released for the Sony PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Xbox 360, is priced at Rs. 2,999, with fans having to dish out Rs. 3,999 for the special edition. Those who pre-ordered were offered freebies to sweeten the deal - including a GTA Double-Sided Poster, Metallic V Locket and Atomic Blimp DLC.

Flipkart's email reads: "Please note that due to publisher regulations we are not permitted to start shipping before the evening of September 16th and since we are going to ship the preorders from Mumbai, you will receive the game along with the freebies that were a part of your order - GTA Double-Sided Poster, Metallic V Locket and Atomic Blimp DLC within 1-2 business days post shipping, depending on your geographical location."

The 'delay' of the pre-order GTA V copies by Flipkart has angered a lot of customers, who were hoping to play the game on release day. Many have vowed to stop using Flipkart for pre-ordering games in the future, finding visiting brick and mortar stores to be more advantageous. Some even mentioned that the news has made them cancel all of their other pre-orders from the Indian online retail site. The reactions have also been noted by BGR.in and other media outlets.

The concept of a retail copy pre-order does imply delivery that is before what regular buyers receive, and not much else. Sure, many retailers across the world go out of their way to ensure pre-order customers receive their copies on launch day, especially in the case of high-profile launches, such as GTA V.

To be fair, we can assume that in the case of the Flipkart GTA V pre-order debacle, pre-order buyers will indeed receive their copies ahead of those who order the game on launch day. Of course, those who line-up outside brick and mortar stores for midnight and regular launches, with the requisite time, effort and transportation costs that entails, will end up receiving their copies first, but usually with no freebies. To be noted also is that Flipkart on its game pre-order pages lists the items as 'forthcoming,' and doesn't highlight the precise delivery/shipping date.

Flipkart's cash on delivery option is (quite contradictorily) also extended to pre-orders, almost nullifying the whole pre-order concept of paying for the game in advance. The only disadvantage for pre-order buyers on Flipkart seems to be that they cannot read reviews of the game before making their purchase decision, something that pre-order customers the world over forego. In Flipkart's case, customers are also enticed to pre-order by free DLC and goodies bundled with the game.

India is also not a priority market for game publishers, especially for console games, with the rampant piracy in the market, and the relatively small volumes compared to the US and Europe. However, it's big enough that in most cases nowadays, games are released in the country alongside their global launches, something virtually unheard of in the past, unless one downloaded digital copies from global stores.