Rockstar North carries a storied tradition of putting stagnant ideas under the knife, and bears the standard for innovation in open-world games.
With the Spring 2013 release of GTA V, the developer looks to push that legacy forward, fueled by the introduction of a dynamic character swapping feature that reportedly provides players surprising avenues for to express their creativity.
The setting, Los Santos, covers five times the area of GTA IV and hosts three protagonist: Trevor, Franklin, and Michael.
"An on-screen menu displays which characters are available (one might not be, especially if you're in-mission) - select one and the camera pulls out and shoots skywards to show a bird's-eye view of the map, before panning to the next location and zooming back towards the ground to plant you inside the brain of your chosen character," writes IGN editor Alex Simmons.
Rockstar promises that each character will have their own perks and drawbacks, and hopes to encourage players to change their perspectives regularly. In a preview of the first mission, IGN explains that each character plays a different role. One character pilots a helicopter, another rides along and provides covering fire, and the third snipes from a faraway rooftop.When the player swaps characters, the others continue to carry out their mission as AI partners. As a result, each mission unfolds fluidly rather than playing out in fits and starts.
Simmons notes that the dynamic events of Red Dead Redemption will make a return in GTA V. "These aren't side missions per se - although GTAV is packed with these too, such as assassination missions - but procedural moments that you either get involved with or ignore."
Check out the new trailer below.
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