Before GTA V: 10 Greatest Acts Of Insanity In The Series

4. Unleashing The Jetpack

Gta Jetpack I hate police helicopters. Obviously, I don't hate them in real life €“ they help solve all sorts of crimes, from burglary to sheep-rustling (again, village). But in GTA, on foot, they're a bloody nuisance. There's nothing more frustrating than winning a gun battle with on-foot policemen, only to find yourself thwarted by a helicopter's pot-shots. And that, people, is why god invented the jet pack. Simply put, there was something so delightfully obtuse about flipping a police helicopter the bird and proving their air advantage meant precisely diddly squat. There are no words to describe the catharsis you can achieve by propelling yourself face-to-face with the gunman who's been needling you and perforating him with an uzi, and this was a catharsis sadly taken from us in the super-serious GTA IV. Granted, I'm sure airborne fury would've looked sadly out of place in GTA's urban parable on the futility of revenge, but no we've returned to the Western seaboard, I'm daring to dream again. I don't think I'm over-elaborating when I say that the jetpack provided some of the most gloriously perverse fun you could have in Carl Johnson's misadventures in San Andreas, providing a whole new bizarre dimension to anything and everything. Frankly, it'd be worth another infuriating military base assault to actually acquire the thing €“ that's how much I value the chance to become the airborne god of slaughter all over again.
Contributor
Contributor

Durham University graduate and qualified sports journalist. Very good at sitting down and watching things. Can multi-task this with playing computer games. Football Manager addict who has taken Shrewsbury Town to the summit of the Premier League. You can follow me at @Ed_OwenUK, if you like ramblings about Newcastle United and A Place in the Sun. If you don't, I don't know what I can do for you.