My life in Los Santos - Part 2
By Steve Smith.
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I am Michael and I am in a bank, I don't have have time to take in my surroundings as I'm subduing the hostages then herding them into another room to get them out of the way. I'm in and out of my body first seeing myself then my vision is a blur with action as I rush to take cover before a door is breached by an explosive device. Everything is going wrong as there are far too many cops and our escape is now anything but a certainty.
We finally get to our car only for the driver to be killed within seconds of our escape, I take over and race to reach the railway crossing before the train. Our car is clipped and we all have to leave it as the situation takes a turn for the worst when our escape helicopter is nowhere to be seen and one of our accomplices is taken down by a sniper, I then feel the air removed from my lungs by another sniper round as I'm trying to get Trevor to leave us and escape. He is spitting profanities as more police arrive and after many casualties he finally disappears into the distance. |
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Fade to black......
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A sprawling landscape, cities, skyscrapers, houses, motorways full of cars going to and from unknown destinations, people going about their daily routines, some rich, some destitute, all making up the blood flow of Los Santos. Michael is speaking with his shrink...my shrink? his life laid bare and not what he thought I would become...sorry he would become with a dysfunctional family with too much money and too little love for balance.
Michael leaves after his allotted time and sits on a bench outside to look out over the beach front. Thats where I really come along, say hello to Franklin and his friend/associate Lamar. Looks like I need to repossess a sports car and now I need to focus, I have made the decision to only play this game in first person mode and I have a feeling its going to be as tough as trying figure out which mood Trevor is going to be in at any given time, including the pain and frustration of getting it wrong....every time. |
Before I get a chance to smell the digital roses I need to race Lamar, who is in the other sports car to be repossessed, to a designated point and after that, evade the police to reduce my wanted level so I can get the car back to the showroom. Driving in FP can be both exhilarating and sometimes a little frustrating, for instance on the tow truck missions where vision is restricted while reversing. Using the analog stick to move my line of sight is a little rigid and robot like and this is where I feel a VR headset would benefit greatly, not so much from viewing straight behind (as there is no rear view mirror) but general looking about for normal traffic and pedestrian flow during high speed racing for example.
You can widen the field of view for FP in the settings but this still may feel a little restrictive when dealing with fast paced action. As my play time has increased this has become less of a noticeable problem but this may resurface if I play an actual FP only title and then return to GTA. The view over the handle bars of a super-bike......OMG! racing through dense traffic, well timed junction crossings and near misses make up for those times when you just can avoid that lamppost and the resulting cringe worthy, rolly-polly view of you, somersaulting and skidding along the tarmac.
You can widen the field of view for FP in the settings but this still may feel a little restrictive when dealing with fast paced action. As my play time has increased this has become less of a noticeable problem but this may resurface if I play an actual FP only title and then return to GTA. The view over the handle bars of a super-bike......OMG! racing through dense traffic, well timed junction crossings and near misses make up for those times when you just can avoid that lamppost and the resulting cringe worthy, rolly-polly view of you, somersaulting and skidding along the tarmac.
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I walk for a while soaking up the sounds of a waking city, if you're up high on a quieter hill you can hear the change in bird song as the hazy sun begins to rise, its going to be a hot one today. I walk across an unnamed bridge looking up at the large Templar Hotel signs and catch the sounds of car radios as they drive by, drivers head bobbing to the rhythm. People walking past and towards me talking into their mobile phones or drinking coffee, blissfully unaware of the arsenal of weaponry I now possess that I could use on them at a moments notice. I crouch and take cover in the middle of the bridge for people to then become suspicious and start running away. Stupid civilians, haven't you ever seen a guy with an Assault SMG? |
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Looks like its time to see Michael as I'm not getting any respect around here from the strangers, from the other people I'm doing missions for or the cats. Not making a lot of cash either and Michael seems pretty well off with a nice house, a swimming pool, tennis courts and his own yacht....oh hang on he hasn't got that anymore! Maybe after I help him pull this jewellery heist he keeps going on about I'll go on to bigger and better things because I can't live with my Aunt and her strange exercises for much longer.
