'Grand Theft Auto V' Next-Gen Review Roundup: Improving A Masterpiece

The original Grand Theft Auto V on Xbox 360 and PlayStation released more than a year ago to critical acclaim. It currently holds a ridiculously high score of 97 out of 100 on review aggregating site Metacritic, an achievement few games ever come close to achieving.

The question then becomes this: How do you improve on near perfection? Developer Rockstar Games delivers several answers in their new and improved next-gen version of GTA V for Xbox One and PlayStation 4, and it looks like critics can't get enough of the game the second time around.

For starters, the game looks stunning. GTA V was already an excellent looking game, but with the power of new hardware it looks even better. Better framerate, higher quality textures and improved draw distance make for an even more life-like Los Santos and will be a welcome improvement for fans. IGN's review in progress of the game has this to say about the graphical upgrade:

"Certainly there are a few textures that could have used a little extra love (like the rocks behind Michaels head as he lounges by the pool when Franklin approaches him, for example) but by and large it's an extremely impressive piece of work. Especially when it rains, and the many lights of the city reflect off the glistening wet roads and lightning splits the sky, GTA 5 is easily one of the best-looking games I've seen on the PlayStation 4 or Xbox One to date."

And then there is the real game-changer -- first-person mode. It is still strange to see GTA in this new light, but it truly does change the entire game experience. Everything that was once old becomes new from this added perspective. Critic Mark Walton talks at length about the game's new feature and how it changes everything in his 9.0 out of 10 review on Gamespot:

"First-person mode fundamentally changes not only how you view GTA V's world. It has the power to make you stop and think about your actions, and to deeply question a character's motivations. And in a series that has long been criticized for glorifying a life of crime, rather than questioning it, this is no bad thing."

Improvements are coming to GTA V's multiplayer as well, with the max number of players for GTA Online increased to 30 and an enhanced character creator. These are all welcome additions to an already fantastic game and should prove more than enough incentive for players who have already purchased the older version of the game to do so again. Here are what the critics on Twitter are saying about GTA V, and be sure the check out the game's launch trailer below.

Photo: Rockstar Games