Quote:A whole boatload of Grand Theft Auto V news has appeared across the net, offering the first real juicy details on the open-world crime caper’s gameplay. The avalanche of info heralds the return of San Andreas’ skill system and Vice City’s property buying, as well as new details on side-missions, mini-games, map size, special character abilities and more.

Let’s start with those special abilities. Each of the main protagonists has a unique skill, which they are capable of using only when they have filled a special meter. So for example, Michael, the rich but dissatisfied ex-bank robber, is capable of slowing down time during gunfights, in a similar manner to John Marston in Red Dead Redemption.

Meanwhile, Franklin, the gangsta’ repo man, can pull off a similar trick while driving, allowing players to swerve out of the way of oncoming traffic. And last up, Trevor, the follically-challenged hillbilly nut job, is a bit of a tank, capable of dishing out twice the damage, receiving half as much as the other characters while in a kind of berserker rage.

Players are able to jump between controlling these three characters at will, whenever they like. In some sequences the game will shift perspective for you, but for the most part you’re free to choose. A side-bonus of this approach allows players to effectively fast-travel across the game’s map.

This transition is handled via a quick zoom out to a Google Earth-style view of the area, then a zoom back down to the location of the newly selected character. When Franklin, Michael and Trevor are all in the same location, however, the shift is instantaneous.

So, just how big is that map? Well, according to Rockstar, including the underwater areas, it’s five times the size of Red Dead Redemption’s world and it’s all accessible from the outset. There’s none of that gating business employed by Grand Theft Auto IV.

GTA V also marks the return of a couple of game mechanics from previous Grand Theft Auto games. Amongst these is the return of San Andreas’ skill system. It hasn’t been fully detailed yet, but expect your character’s abilities to scale up according to how much you engage in a particular activity.

The skill sets are; Stamina, Shooting, Strength, Stealth, Flying, Driving, Mechanic and Lung Capacity. Stealth is of particular interest, as it suggests there will be alternative ways to complete missions, rather than just going in blasting.

Details are similarly light on the return of Vice City’s property acquisition. However, we do know that players will be allowed to buy everything from garages to businesses, night clubs, marinas and houses in an effort to raise more cash.

Characters can be personalised too, thanks to a set of customisation tools. You can give the three protagonists makeovers with haircuts, tattoos and clothing changes. The same can be said of the game’s weapons and cars too. The former can be augmented with equipment like scopes and silencers, while you can alter the latter at Pay ‘n Sprays with new grills, spoilers and the like.

Away from the main story, there’s plenty of activities to take part in too. You can pick up hitchhikers, base-jump, hunt, go off-road racing, play golf, hijack security vans, go bike racing, take part in ATM robberies, play tennis, go diving and a bunch else besides.

Apparently, the game’s underwater areas are teeming with fish, sharks and treasure. It doesn’t look like we’re going to want to things to do in Los Santos and the surrounding areas.

The city itself features fives times the amount of NPCs as GTA IV and boasts an impressive level of detail. As ever there as many gags on popular culture, including piss-takes of Master Chief (Space Ranger) and Superman (Impotent Rage). You can also take a coach tour of celebrity neighborhoods.

Last up, Rockstar has gone to great efforts to improve the quality of the combat too, with a wider field of vision, the ability to run and gun and the introduction of a combat roll to dive in and out of cover. Phew.

So GTA V has a hell of a lot going on then, and we’re expecting a whole load more to be revealed before the game launches on September 17th. Make no mistake about it, this is the most-anticipated game of the year and quite possibly the most exciting of this generation. We’re hyped.

(05-07-2013, 12:31 AM)Skarro Wrote: Any DRM facts/rumors?