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GameHaunt - Game of the Year

GameHaunt – Game of the Year

After 5 years of waiting after GTA IV, the Grand Theft Franchise is finally back! What's most surprising in GTA V was the introduction of not just one protagonist but three. Michael, Franklin and Trevor has surprisingly complemented each other's character and Rockstar definitely did a very good job on the execution of these characters as they played along very well in the story. Switching to every character in a mission adds an incredible twist to the gameplay and it all depends on the player's preference.

The introduction of heists in the game is one of the major highlights and it's been very awesome. You have to do certain missions to gather necessary equipments and hire either the most practical or most skilled team member for a much larger mission. You will also be given a series of choices on how to execute the heist so you can surely do it on your own style.

GTA V has a massive world to discover that comes with a well written story and you will surely take some time to check out the side events available in the game. You'll also encounter some random Strangers and Freaks that will give you chain missions and tells another story as well in which some are tied to a specific character. The game also have its local and online stock market in which the local one is moving along as you progress on the story and how you interact with the other characters. The online stock market on the other hand is influenced on how other players plays the game.

One will surely have some good time playing GTA V as you will have so much to do, not to mention that there are random events throughout the world that will definitely get your attention for a while. Hobbies and Pastimes is something that you may also want to check out though they are not directly connected to the story but it has something to do with the character's physical capabilities. It even made us feel that Rockstar integrated other games into their game and who would imagine having sports game or a racing game in a GTA title?

Arknights: Endfield

The announcement of GTA Online brought up an incredible hype. Though it had some delay and a rough launch, Rockstar was able to work on the issues immediately. GTA Online is something I looked forward to around a decade ago when I first played GTA Vice City, an open world modern settings in an online game. Overall, GTA V still boasts to have one of the most successful launch this year and with all the innovation Grand Theft Auto V is definitely worth the GameHaunt's Game of the Year title.

A veteran voice in video game journalism, Excelle Escalada has been writing and creating content for the gaming industry since 2008. His journey began at the heart of the gaming community as a founder and administrator for Exitializ, a competitive gaming guild established in 2008. Specializing in popular MMORPGs like CABAL, Guild Wars 2, and Dragon Nest, Exitializ grew from a passionate guild into a multi-channel gaming platform under his community leadership.   This deep, firsthand experience with player communities and complex game systems provided the perfect foundation for a career in games journalism. Transitioning his passion into a profession, Excelle has brought his unique, community-first perspective to his role at GameHaunt.