While I’ve never been the biggest fan of driving in the series — I often felt like speeds got so excessive that it became almost impossible to do more than hope you don’t have to change direction or avoid anything during high-speed chases — I have to say that this the best work Rockstar has done in that department. Cars seem to respond more favourably to subtle adjustments, and as a result I was able to pursue vehicles effectively whilst weaving through traffic. Vehicles also feel very different, and the ability to customize their attributes and boost your characters’ driving skill is a nice touch.

There’s a rhythm to the combat that takes time to develop, especially since most early fights can be won by spamming the two attack buttons. Once you start facing more and tougher foes it becomes necessary to mix up your basic strikes while monitoring your enemies, who won’t stand idly by while you beat their buddies to a pulp. As you get more comfortable and unlock additional moves, battles can turn into fluid encounters in which you’re seamlessly combining attack and defense.

Pressing one of the face buttons enables “Battle Focus,” which slows time to a near standstill and allows you to issue orders to your teammates and/or employ your own allotment of abilities. Both are done via a radial menu, which you navigate with the left stick. While this system is completely functional, it does have a pair of issues that are worth mentioning.