"Come out to the coast, we'll get together, have a few laughs!"

Trevor might be my new favorite video game character.

Chris Kohler's GTA V article makes an interesting point -- each of the game's three protagonists fits a different niche in the Grand Theft Auto mythos. Franklin, the small-time crook and part-time gang-banger, fits the mold set by CJ in San Andreas: capable, and ambitious, but dragged down by his reckless and idiotic friends. Michael, the middle-aged ex-burglar with a Rockford Hills mansion, is a fascinating glimpse into the future of a GTA character: though he earned his way out of a life of crime, he's deeply unsatisfied with the boredom of retirement, and the trivialities of his family.

But it's Trevor, the psychopath kingpin, who really takes the characterization cake. Perhaps it's because he flips the spotlight back at the player: Trevor revels in crazy violence and wanton destruction, but he's also goal-oriented and highly intelligent. He runs a successful criminal enterprise, with employees, clients, and competitors; it just so happens that his employees are meth-heads, and his competitors have a habit of exploding. And as much as he enjoys stealing and killing, he still believes in friendship, family, and loyalty. To Trevor, life is one big game of Grand Theft Auto, and he's playing it like an RPG.

Underneath it all, GTA V as a game is not far from what you'd expect -- the technical mastery of Grand Theft Auto IV, in a huge and varied San Andreas-style map, plus some wilderness flair ala Red Dead Redemption. Missions are varied and exciting, and the sandbox is as fun to play around in as it's ever been. The city and its surroundings are chock full of content, from side-missions to minigames, from gun stores to purchasable properties. Perhaps the highlight is the evolution of GTA IV's "random" stranger missions, which are now more active and spontaneous -- while navigating the city, you'll just happen to stumble upon a purse snatching, or a thug in need of a getaway, or a vulnerable armored car.

Anecdote: as Trevor, I encountered a drunk couple who needed a ride home. Ordinarily I might help them, or ignore them, or steal their car -- but Trevor knows of a cult, up in the mountains, who pays good money for warm, unspoiled bodies. (They might be cannibals.)

If there's anything really disappointing about GTA V as a game, it's that I don't have superpowers. In fact, it's a bit of a shock to return to an open-world crime game where I can be killed in short order: outside of cover, enemies won't hesitate to unload their magazines, and some even know how to aim for my head. Luckily the cover mechanics work pretty well this time around.

Well... I should say that my other, real disappointment, is technological. Not to diminish the accomplishment of this massive, stunning game world, but the mandatory 8GB install, the intense character-switch load times, and the significant pop-in, just make me yearn for a PC version all the more. Even the pause/map screen has a brief loading time. Blech.

At any rate, organizing heists, exploring the backstories of the game's protagonists, and causing general mayhem throughout Los Santos, are just as much of a blast as one could hope for. And if vehicular manslaughter isn't really your thing, there's always the stock market.

Progress: lifted some jewels, blew up a meth lab, stole a submarine, broke into a government agency building.