While I typically don’t judge a book by its cover, this is definitely one I wanna read!
As each week passes, we get closer and closer to the next-gen debut of GTA V for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The closer we get to its release date, the more obvious it becomes this is not just going to be a simple cash-in port. In addition to the huge leap in visual fidelity (that drops us into a world far more beautiful than anything we’ve seen in the past), we’ve also seen how Rockstar is working to expand the previous iteration in every conceivable way. Their strides at making GTA V as unique as possible for 2014 are certainly evident.
But what we heard about today goes way beyond just extra missions and a few million bucks in pre-order cash.
GTA V will receive an all new first-person mode that will completely change the way gamers play. At a press of a button, players can toggle from their classic over-the-shoulder camera view to a sweet new POV (that looks like it was ripped right from Call of Duty or some other such shooter). Before we get into the nuts and bolts of how this will turn traditional GTA conventions on their ear, let’s hear what Animation Director Rob Nelson had to say regarding Rockstars’ attempt at bringing something truly innovative to their latest update. During a recent interview, Nelson touted, “It’s a very intense, in-your-face experience… literally. Obviously, we felt like one of the most compelling things you could do to make an experience people have had before feel different was the new first-person mode. We’ve always been in interested in it, but it’s never really been an option for us. I don’t think we could’ve put it in the last-gen version…we were too busy working on our third-person controls and the missions. We were out of memory on the old consoles for animations. We were constantly fighting about what we could have…so we could’ve added all the atoms to make a first-person mode to the level we wanted. We weren’t sure the world would have held up the way we would’ve wanted it to.”
Now, I’ve covered why picking up a next-gen copy of GTA V is a good idea in the past, as even without this latest bombshell, it’s still worth a look (especially if you’ve yet to play the previous edition). But now, with the advent of first-person… HOLY SMOKES people! This one announcement just took the revamped GTA from a “probably play” to an absolute “ have to ” play for this journalist. I’ve yearned for something like this for years and have felt it was literally the one thing missing from Rockstar’s arsenal. I never quite understood why the designers crafted these huge sandbox worlds for us to play in, but always kept us at arm’s length via the 3 rd person perspective. Granted, Mr. Nelson goes a long way in pulling back the development curtain in that regard, as I can now see how a lack of hardware resources would prevent them from implementing dual-views. However, those days are long gone, as I can guarantee no future GTA will ship that doesn’t sport this feature. Think of it: imagine coupling this concept with the upcoming Project Morpheus 3D headset that Sony is working on. As far as immersive environments go, I’m not sure you can get much more epic than this + VR!
For me, this was the missing piece of the GTA puzzle. At this point, I think Rockstar might as well call their next game GTA: A License to Print Money . And don’t assume this is just a tacked-on mode either, as all-new targeting systems and animation sets have been created to make this a true first-person experience (and not just a clunky gimmick). From what we’re seeing, I would liken things to a GTA expansion/DLC pack for a game like Far Cry . It’s that smooth and polished. While this may not be everyone’s cup of tea, I imagine most feel as I do, in seeing this as kind of a game changer.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go count up my sick days. I think I’m taking GTA V ’s launch week completely off!