So we’re finally here; a few pretty noteworthy details and a whole bunch of screenshots have emerged on that most highly anticipated of games – Grand Theft Auto V, and my word it’s looking good.
It’s a little hard to pick the biggest reveal in GameInformer’s cover feature, though it ultimately boils down to either the news you’ll be switching between three protagonists or the sheer scale of GTA’s second iteration of a virtual LA.
The piece states that Grand Theft Auto V is the biggest open-world Rockstar has created to date; bigger than Red Dead Redepmtion, San Andreas and GTA IV combined.
It’s often estimated that Red Dead Redemption’s map is around 28 square miles while GTA IV’s is roughly 6 square miles and the San Andreas map just fewer than 14. If these estimates prove to be worth anything and Rockstar is telling the truth, we could be looking at a map at least 48 square miles big. To state the painfully obvious: that is pretty darn large.
Rockstar explained the reason it saw the need for a map of this scale was rooted in the desire to make something that truly represented LA. “We felt we hadn’t done that with San Andreas – which was these very small, sketch-like cities,” vice president of creative Dan Houser explained. “The geography you could get outside Los Angeles is spectacular.”
“The contrast between desert/rural Southern California, inland from LA and just a bit north, compared to LA, gives you a great microcosm of red state/blue state theme – different vibes culturally as much as geographically. I think that was something we really felt would be good about this location.”
The game’s protagonists are described as follows:
Michael: In his 40s, retired bank robber and resident of Rockford (Beverley) Hills, has trophy wife, annoying daughter and a 20-year-old son. It seems he’s in a witness protection scheme that allows him to live a luxurious lifestyle down to what’s described as an “unconventional deal with the FIB”. It seems the good times are coming to an end and his wallet is emptying though, and the evil temptress that is crime is beckoning once more.
Trevor: Drug addict and ex-military pilot. Angry. Lives in Blaine County, which is very much a desert and largely inhabited by bikers and meth heads. He’s an old friend of Michael’s and is joining the crew for a heist.
Franklin: A hustler, somewhere in his 20s, employee of an Armenian car dealership and the token gnarly repo man. He lives in Vespucci (Venice) Beach and is aiming to make it to the big time, gangster style. Interestingly, he first came across Michael with the intention of making him the victim of a hustle.
The game gives you the option of switching between characters at any point when not playing a mission. During missions, however, you’ll be given the choice to switch at specific points. Sounds like replay value to us.
Rockstar picked a mission to demonstrate just how the three-character system can work involves the gang rescuing a prisoner holed up in a torturous interrogation. Michael’s job is to rappel down the side of a building from a chopper being flown by Trevor while Franklin snipes from a nearby rooftop. The beginning of the mission has the player controlling Michael while he bursts through the building containing their target’s windows before grabbing a human shield. It’s at this point where the player is given the choice to carry on inside using Michael or switch to Franklin in order to assist with remote fire.
The escape from the mission involves a helicopter chase in which you’re given the choice of firing out the side as Michael or Franklin or piloting it yourself as Trevor.
It seems there won’t be any weight-gaining features a la San Andreas, nor will the girlfriends of the previous two major games be making a return. If you’re afraid the multiple protagonist system could detach you a little from the characters, you’re not alone. It’s certainly being talked about a lot on the forums and seems to be something the Rockstar team has been keeping a close eye on. “We weren’t sure it would work, and we’re doing a lots of other new stuff,” explained vice president of creative Dan Houser. “It just felt like it was going to be overly complex.”
Further on in the article Houser made mention of how Rockstar has felt the use of three characters will bring about diversity in this huge location. “That contrast between three different experiences, geographies, and vibes to everything should really be strong, and I think it’s something that gives the game a unique feeling when you’re visiting these people’s lives and seeing what they do.”
We’ll apparently be seeing a few old friends courtesy of GTA IV and Episodes From Liberty City but we won’t be catching up with CJ or anyone who appeared previous to Nico’s tale. Rockstar has implicitly stated that it treats GTA IV and anything beyond as a separate “high-definition universe”.
You’ll be able to take your frustration at NPCs driving their cars badly by flipping them the bird, which of course will cause a variety of different reactions.
There will be multiplayer, and in what could possibly be conceived as a hint at co-op, the article revealed the button to access it is found just below the character switching option.
There’s a whole load more in the GameInformer piece so make sure you grab the chance to pick it up.
