4. Drug Trip Mini-Games
GTA IV was heavily criticised for being
too gritty and serious, in light of the more free-wheeling tone of the previous games. Some even went as far to argue that the Saints Row games, which take absurdity to a whole new level, have become the new GTA (an opinion that I patently disagree with). Nevertheless, Rockstar has clearly taken the complaints to heart, for GTA V is not without its own share of barmy, surreal sequences. The first that I encountered occurs when Michael's son, Jimmy, hands him a (drugged) alcoholic beverage while he's driving, which causes him to see visions of a gang of monkeys, before he is "abducted" by "aliens" (which curiously resemble the Xenomorphs from the Alien franchise), and eventually returned to Earth. Upon coming out of his stupor, Michael finds himself wandering around Los Santos in his underwear, and after returning home, finds that his wife Amanda has taken off, sick of his "irresponsible" behaviour. Later in the game, there is also a mini-game where Michael has to shoot a ray gun at a seemingly interminable flock of martians, which turn out to be the product of a weed-induced hallucination. Though these mini-games don't tear down the wall of realism, they are a great compromise for those gamers who want an occasional dose of wackiness.