Following the release of Game Informer magazine’s 18 page blowout for its December issue, a slew of GTA V new details were revealed from the magazine which can be read by purchasing the magazine. However such is the power of the Internet, and the fellas at CVG have listed all the key points from the article.

Quote:

• GTA V “evolves nearly every mechanic, features the biggest world in series history and introduces a new technology that radically changes the way players control the game.”
• The game’s three main characters are called Michael, Trevor and Franklin
• Michael is retired, early 40s, a highly successful former bank robber. He retired in luxury after making a deal with the FIB. He’s in the witness protection program, he hates his wife who spends his money and hates him too. He doesn’t understand his two teenage kids Tracy and Jimmy, and is forced back into the game as his money is about to run out.
• Trevor is a career criminal, early 40s, drug user governed by his desires, prone to violent outbursts and destructive rampages, a loose cannon, former military pilot, used to work a bank job with Michael back in the day, always up for a heist.
• Franklin, repo man, mid 20s, a young and ambitious hustler, works for an Armenian luxury car dealership that sells cars to those who can’t afford them, and when they can’t pay up he plays repo man. He stumbles into Michael while looking for a hustle.
• A quick menu can be called up to switch characters, the camera pulls away into a Google Earth-style vantage point and then drops into wherever the chosen character is.
• Trevor is described as having a “maniacal personality”
• Trevor is in Blaine County, a barren, rundown desert region filled with bikers, meth heads and other people from the fringes of society.
• Characters can “flick off” people and people react differently depending on the area. In a rough-and-tumble neighborhood the reaction will be different from someone in a posh boutique store.
• Rockstar’s playtester pours a trail of gas away from a vehicle and drops a zippo lighter on it, the flame travels back and causes a huge explosion.
• Franklin is seen on Vespucci Beach looking for a car he’s to reposess.
• Waterfront activities include a muscle beach gym.
• Ammu-Nation is back.
• Each character has his own personality motivation and skillset.
• The three characters go about their daily business when you’re not in control, so you might find them in surprising situations when you take control of them again.
• Each character has a fleshed out story arc.
• Complicated, multitiered heist missions inspired by GTA IV’s Three Leaf Clover are “peppered” into the game. Heists are a big theme.
• Rockstar is addressing mission diversity in pairing characters. It showed off a mission involving all three characters. The trio need to perform a snatch-and-grab to get the FIB off their backs. Trevor berates the security agent guarding a chopper, Michael urges him to calm down but he keeps running his mouth. He only agreed to do the mission in exchange for help springing his friend Brad out of jail. Franklin isn’t to comfortable with Trevor.
• The three change outfits and rapell down the side of a skyscraper. When they arrive players take control of Michael rapelling down, the mechanic is reminiscent of Rainbow Six Vegas.
• The musical score seems to react to the action.
• They extract the target by holding him hostage with one arm while pointing a gun at interrogators with the other, at that point an icon appears giving the player the option to switch character.
• You can stay as Michael and try and pick off the enemies or select franklin, switch to his perspective and snipe them from afar. Transition is smooth and camera angle helps you adjust
• During the chase through Los Santos the player can switch to Trevor to pilot the getaway, snipe the other pilots as Franklin, or fire an assault rifle out the back of a chopper as Michael.
• Rockstar is leveraging cinematic tricks learned from Max Payne 3.
• Rockstar thinks GTA V is its strongest plotted game yet.
• Most of the gameplay mechanics have been built from the ground up.
• Cars “hold better to the ground”.Rockstar thought they were a bit “boat like” in GTA 4. It “feels more like a racing game”.
• Shooting has evolved “a long way” in terms of feel and mechanics.
• Melee is better; “it’s never going to be as big a deal as shooting” but Rockstar “wants to make it feel really fun and strong.”
• Sam Houser and lead artist Aaron Garbut were both really interested in doing a proper LA, which R* felt it didn’t do with San Andreas.
• The world is described as “the largest open-world playground in Rockstar history.”
• R* chose one large city over three small ones to create the best possible experience and realise its proper version of LA. The world is ‘bigger than RDR, San Andreas and GTA4 combined’.
• The ocean floor is fully detailed and can be explored
• Confirmed vehicles include BMX, mountain bikes, road bikes, dirt bikes, huge variety of cars and trucks, helicopters, planes, ATVs, Jet Skis, planes, helis.
• R* has big plans for side-activities, with sophisticated minigames in the vein of RDR’s poker planned.
• Each character will have unique hobbies only they can do.
• No RPG-style customisation as the three characters have specific skills and traits.
• No weight loss and gain as they pose a technical challenge pertaining to scale of the character. It was easer in San Andreas becasue standard def visuals were forgiving.
• Entertainment inside intertainment is back in GTAV, so expect more cartoons and other forms of in-game media.
• Outdoor activites mentioned include yoga, triathlons, Jet Skiing, base jumping, tennis, and a full golf game on a full golf course.
• Houser doesn’t think there will be romances as ‘it wouldn’t work’.
• Each protagonist has a set of friends to interact with.Familiar faces from GTAIV and Episodes from Liberty City may resurface, just not major ones like Niko or anyone from PS2 era. PS2 era characters are in their own universe, GTAV takes place in a ‘HD universe’, they don’t co-exist.
  • Lamar: Franklin’s friend, a good sort of crazy. He’s very funny.
  • Jimmy: Michael’s friend, lazy pot smoking 20 year old, they have a confused father-son relationship.
  • Ron: Trevor’s best friend, paranoiac conspiracy theorist living in a trailer.
  • Amanda: Michael’s wife, he’s been awful to her, she’s a strong personality, bound to him but they can’t stand each other
• CJ and Tommy are more like mythical characters in the GTAV world
• R* is learning from criticisms about its economy system and will have a fun, vibrant system. No properties, but lots of other stuff.
• Mobile phone concept is back, but you won’t be getting calls all the time, it’s mainly used for activities.
• Random encounters with citizens are coming back in a big way.
• The dynamic mission system is similar to that of RDR, examples given include helping broken down motorists, figuring out the cause of a pile of dead bodies, being opportunistic and ripping off cash vans, or being a nice guy and catching muggers.
• Multiplayer reveal is coming later.
• There won’t be any “major” celebrity names cast as main protagonists.