[I'd written a really detailed review and then lost it by clicking "check our guidelines" below, and don't feel like re-writing the whole thing.] The game is fun, but the glitches are real and ever present. Game systems also show clear indications of rushed development and cut features. Crafting is easily abused, hacking is brain dead boring, and the UI/controls break frequently. I lose the ability to sprint at random, and occasionally find the camera locked into a not-quite first person and not-at-all third person view when driving. The biggest issue for me: NPCs can't drive. Not that they are bad it, they entirely lack the ability to drive. At present, traffic seems to follow set patterns with no ability to deviate. This issue leads to police/gangs being unable to chase the player. Need to get away? Just drive a block down the road! Done! I really appreciate the solid world building of games from Rockstar now. This world is more like the beautiful yet entirely lifeless city from Mafia 2. I'd hoped for, and believe the marketing described, something more than that. With the game systems in their current condition, the game's structure feels distinctly dated, especially in contrast to the next generation visuals. On the visuals: This is a beautiful game which takes great advantage of high end PC hardware. However, the visuals are quite uneven. Depending on the scene, you will occasionally see glaring issues with shadow casting, ambient occlusion, and materials/textures. It seems that there was a crunch even in the art department, and some assets just couldn't get the same level of polish as others.
