THE STORY
- Three characters form an unlikely alliance to pull off a series of elaborate bank heists.
- The "strongest plotted game" Rockstar have ever created.
THE CHARACTERS
- Three playable characters; Michael, a retired bank robber in witness protection and suffering from a quickly draining bank account (thanks to his over-exuberant wife); Trevor, a desert-dwelling, sociopathic former war veteran; and Franklin, an up-and-coming gangster with a taste for the high-life.
- Freely switch between them at any time when not on a mission.
- When you're not playing as them, they live out their own lives; when you return to them you will find them performing random actions that fit their personalities (e.g.: Michael will be with his family, Trevor will be terrorising locals in the country, and Franklin will be driving along Vespucci Beach).
- Each character has been carefully created; they are their own individual with very different outlooks on life and the events that happen in the game.
- They each come from different walks of life and you will find them living in different parts of the city (Michael in his lavish mansion, Trevor in a trailer in the desert, and Franklin in beach-side accomodation).
- Each character has their own unique story arc, which intersect at key moments.
THE SETTING
- The game will take place in Los Santos (the GTA universe's answer to Los Angeles) and the surrounding countryside.
- The largest open world Rockstar has ever created; including both interior and exterior locations the game world is bigger than those of Red Dead Redemption, San Andreas and GTA IV combined.
- The expansive world includes beachfronts, wine country, a large wilderness area surrounding a fully climbable mountain, a Salton Sea region and a military base, as well as the diverse cityscape of Los Santos.
- Small towns will also populate the rural areas of the game.
- You better bring your scuba gear too; the ocean is fully explorable, and fully detailed.
- The return to Los Santos was because Rockstar felt they had not fully explored the potential of the city in the "sketch-like" iteration in 2004's San Andreas.
- West Coast culture and its potential for GTA-style satire was a big part in deciding on the location.
- The bustling metropolis and its surrounding countryside promises to mesh the best features of the settings of Grand Theft Auto IV and Red Dead Redemption.
THE GAMEPLAY
- Rockstar has rebuilt most of the game's mechanics from the ground up.
- Driving has been designed with racing games in mind; emphasis on physics and how the cars hold to the ground.
- Apart from the hundreds of cars, motorbikes, trucks and boats, other vehicles include BMX bikes, mountain bikes, road bikes, helicopters, planes, ATVs and jet skis.
- You don't need to wait until the end-game to take to the skies (Trevor, as a war veteran, even has a pilot's licence).
- Shooting and melee combat has been refined a great deal, though Rockstar are keeping quiet on those subjects for now.
- Ammu-Nation has made a return, replacing the back alley gun stores seen in GTA IV.
- Weapons are now even more varied. One new addition is a gasoline canister you can dowse any target in. Either throw a match or leave a gasoline trail to ignite the target from a safe distance.
- Numerous bank heist missions occur throughout the storyline.
- Rockstar wanted to focus on mission variety; more elaborate missions (think IV's "Three Leaf Clover") will occur more often, replacing the often menial "A-to-B & kill something" mission structure seen in previous games.
- Different missions will see the three protagonists acting alone, in pairs or all together.
- A mission showcased to Game Informer saw the three anti-heroes storming a skyscraper in an attempt to kidnap a target. Michael rappelled down from the side of the building from a helicopter piloted by Trevor, while Franklin provided sniper fire from a neighbouring rooftop. At any moment in the mission, the player is free to switch between the characters. Want to storm the building yourself? Stay as Michael. Want to provide cover fire for Michael as he storms the building? Switch to Franklin. Ready for your escape? Fly the helicopter as Trevor or fire at your pursuers as one of the other characters.
- Switching between characters is done via a radial menu. The transitions are quick and smooth.
- For the first time in the series, the game features a dynamic musical score. Previous instalments have only featured a main theme.
