BY IAN MCGEE
Staff Writer

With the launch of the next-generation game consoles soon approaching, out come the last few blockbuster games of the season. One of the most anticipated games of the year, Grand Theft Auto V, was released close on the heels of Saints Row IV, sparking a battle between fandoms.

The Saints Row series, the newest iteration of which was released in late August, started off as little more than a Grand Theft Auto clone in 2003. Since its start, it has developed into its own off-the-walls sandbox game. The developers at Volition have found a way to capitalize on the insane and outrageous, as the player can choose to battle police with spiked tentacle bats, or blast away enemies with a dubstep gun.

As far as gameplay, the game does a wholly good job, despite a few clunky animations, bad vehicle handling, and a few texturing issues, all of which barely detract from what the game is at its core: a generally fun experience worth the $60.

Grand Theft Auto, on the other hand, did away with the cartoony antics of its previously released titles, this time around focusing on realism in the game’s experience. Mechanically, the game does well, with improved gunplay and a more reliable cover system, cars that no longer handle like their wheels are slathered with Vaseline, and main quest line with better writing than in the previous games.

Although it has its technical issues such as slow texture pop-ins and a few broken missions, the game is near-perfect in terms of story and gameplay while still being realistic title that still appeals to such a large audience. Even without the online function at launch, the game is well worth the price for such an action-packed and downright fun game.