Quick Look: GTA Online

A bumpy start, but a photo finish

It's a common, in the current games industry, for a AAA title to release a multiplayer portion. This decision is usually made regardless of whether the game could actually translate well to multiplayer or not, and the result varies widely. Some games, like Mass Effect 3 or The Last of Us, made a phenomenal multiplayer mode out of a game that seemed most suited to single-player. Others, like Tomb Raider or Spec Ops: The Line, had rather forgettable and unnecessary multiplayer attachments. With one of the biggest franchises in the world launching a quite ambitious online mode, all eyes were on Rockstar to see if they could pull off another win. October 1st has rolled around, and what is the general opinion?

 Co-op heists are a big selling point for GTA Online.

Well, first thing's first: Rockstar was massively unprepared for launch day. While it's hard to anticipate every major bug or crash, there were a multitude of problems, with even a reported problem of online corrupting single-player game saves. For most of the early morning and afternoon, gamers were greeted by frozen screens, wiped characters and many notifications of "Waiting for other players..."

Once I managed to get in, create a character and complete the (mandatory) opening missions, however, the world opened up as much as in the single-player campaign. Every location is still explorable, the world is still lively, and though it lacks in mandatory motivation for players, there is absolutely no shortage of things to do.

The first and foremost piece of knowledge about of GTA Online I have to share with you: cash is king. Weapons, upgrades and vehicle accessories are behind both a level wall and a large cash wall, much greater than in the campaign. The game drives you to make your own fortune; if you feel outgunned, then you need to find a way to get some money and XP to afford superior firepower. There are a lot of ways to acquire cash too, with deathmatch modes, heists or just stealing someone's wallet. 

 Rockstar-style artwork for GTA Online.

The best part of this game, however, is that it feels organic. In my own opinion, for a multiplayer game to survive, the "moments" must be able to happen with little to no intervention by the developers. Only a few hours in, I had several memorable moments: "bullfighting" with an ammo-less player attempting to run me over with a Mustang, going on a hold-up spree across Los Santos, and killing an entire enemy team by myself in Last Team Standing. These moments happen purely because the players make them happen, and the environment facilitates them instead of forcing them, a very welcome and pleasing experience for anyone tired of scripted gameplay.

The verdict? If you own GTA V, you're going to be playing this. You probably already are. And if you don't own GTA V, that's another discussion entirely. This multiplayer does not disappoint in any way, and will likely only grow as Rockstar continues to tune it up and add to it over the next few months (there's already an entire empty shelf at the Ammu-nation shops for future weapons). This is definitely an online experience you don't want to miss.