Our thoughts on GTA 5’s gameplay video

Finally! Rockstar earlier this week released a video detailing the gameplay for Grand Theft Auto 5. Sure, we've seen trailers comprised of in-game footage before, but this week's video finally explained things to us — showed us everything a lot you can do, how switching between characters will work, and even a brief glimpse at Grand Theft Auto Online.

It was basically everything we were hoping for, or was it? GTA 5 is one of the most highly anticipated games of 2013, so Rockstar certainly has a lot to live up to with this game. This week's gameplay video was just a start, but was it a good one?

What were your initial impressions to the Grand Theft Auto 5 gameplay?

Lance Liebl Follow on Twitter

Lance Liebl

It's going to be one of the best sports games I've ever played. It has tennis, base jumping, racing, cycling and oh so much more.

In all honesty, the size of the world amazes me, and Rockstar constantly one-ups themselves. But the gameplay doesn't have me excited at all. I can't get the bad taste from Grand Theft Auto 4 out of my mouth, and in the time since that game, Saints Row has captured my attention. I look at GTA 5 and I think “Yea, amazingly huge world with a ton of depth, but more of the same, tired combat, more characters I probably won't like, more of the same driving missions – I feel like I've just done it all before. The three playable characters is cool, but it's not a game feature that makes me soooo excited to buy this game.

Am I going play GTA 5? Of course I am. I don't think you could work in the gaming industry and not play it. How long will I play it? As long as it holds my attention. If that's anything like GTA 4, then it'll only be a matter of about seven to eight hours.

Okay, that's enough from me. I'm gonna go stress myself out by imagining the chaos of multiplayer Grand Theft Auto Online. It'll probably just be like APB

Verdict: Best sports game of 2013.

Matt Liebl Follow on Twitter

matt liebl pictureI don't know if I've ever seen a game with as much hype as Grand Theft Auto 5, but Rockstar is certainly owning up to the challenge. It wasn't the most exciting trailer I've seen — I preferred the more cinematic ones from earlier in the year — but the purpose of this was to finally explain to us the complex nature of controlling three characters at once. And it certainly did so efficiently and effectively.

Switching between characters on-the-fly, during missions is an interesting aspect that adds some innovation to the long-standing franchise. This is the type of fresh gameplay that you need in a series as old as this one. I better not have to sit through that satellite zooming in every time I switch characters, though.

It just seems like the game is massive — like, really massive. We knew it would be, but seeing it in action was mind blowing. Flying, playing a round of golf, customizing your cars, day-trading, it looks like you can do just about anything in this game. And best of all, it looks like Rockstar has put some major thought into every single aspect of the game. I just can't get over how polished everything looks.

BioShock Infinite and The Last of Us may be the early favorites for game of the year, but let's not count GTA 5 out yet. The trailer itself might not have been the action-packed and exciting as I hoped, but it got the point across. This game looks incredible.

Verdict: Efficient and effective.

Max Baehr Follow on Twitter

Max Baehr

So remember when we played Fuse, and we were all like, “Wow, this character-swapping thing would be really cool if the game had any palpable depth or a unique story?” Looks like GTA 5 pulls that off with hot-swappable, in-mission  character dynamics. Or, remember back you played FFVII, and burned like, 100 hour in the Golden Saucer racing Chocobos and snowboarding? Looks like GTA 5’s obscenely huge open-world is going to trump that.

Wait, there’s a stock market? And a real estate component? HANG ON, DID ANYONE NOTICE THE SUBMARINE? DID YOU?! THERE’S A SUBMARINE.

Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you, Second Life: Criminal Add-On, Burnout: Shooting People Edition, Virtua Tennis: Violence Cup, and Stock Market Tycoon: Sniper DLC. This game looks ridiculous. Simply put, it looms like a life-eater, a job-destroyer, a relationship-jeopardizer.

It’s also worth noting, just, oh-by-the-way, the graphics look like the absolute pinnacle of the current gen. Normally, you’d expect a closing generation to softly make way for its new, shiny brethren, but in GTA 5, Rockstar have provided more than life support for the PS3 and 360 — it looks like they’ve drummed up a twilight killer app so enticing that it’s all but overshadowed next-gen hype. Also, submarine.

Verdict: Looks like the absolute pinnacle of the current gen.

Mike Splechta Follow on Twitter

Mike Splechta

My first reaction had to be "about damn time!" Now, I understand that Rockstar is known for not releasing actual gameplay videos to their GTA titles prior to launch (those smug bastards) but given how different this one is with three main characters being played at the same time, I think they owed it to the fans to show just how this whole system works.

It wasn't overly long and didn't showcase too much, but it showed exactly what it needed to, and left me entirely impressed. For a franchise where 90% of the game relied on completing random tasks, it looks like Rockstar has put some huge effort into the storyline, with not only incorporating three separate protagonists, but various heists that require careful planning and execution.

The end of the trailer also showed off a tiny glimpse at their new Online mode. For me, it is absolutely irrelevant; GTA is a single player game at heart. What I've seen during the initial gameplay trailer was more than enough to get me pumped for the game's release.

Verdict: About damn time.

Andrew Clouther Follow on Twitter

Andrew Clouther

The GTA 5 gameplay video showed potential. Upgraded graphics aren’t nearly enough to win me over. The issue with a franchise in its 5th game, is that you need to find a blend of giving fans what they expect while offering new types of content. Rockstar’s new trailer did just this. I saw a fair share of typical GTA antics along with gameplay features unfamiliar to the GTA franchise.

Playing as three characters quasi-simultaneously and the fact that you get to organize how specific heists go down are some aspects that really stuck out to me. The very idea of having someone fly a helicopter, having someone repel in, and then having someone else sniping from a distant building – yet you control all at once is pretty rad. And you get to actually plan that heist? Mind blown. I’m liking what GTA 5 has shown me thus far, the hype is powerful though and expectations are high. 

Verdict: Definitely showed potential.

Tatiana Morris Follow on Twitter

Tatiana Morris

Rockstar is taking their well-known franchise to the next level with Grand Theft Auto 5, and I couldn't be more thrilled.

It's evident that Rockstar's pedigree for lifelike movements has certainly never looked better. It's nice to see that even small gestures like hand movement was given the proper attention. GTA 5 might not look incredible when compared to next-gen graphics, but if there's anything that Rockstar is known for, it's the quality of their overall product.

The very end gives us a short glimpse of Grand Theft Auto Online. Not much is known about it, but it does seem like up to 20 people can play together. Will you be able to recruit people online to be a part of your crew and help you commit crime for cash? That would be pretty legit. Oh, and yeah, that was a motherf*cking jet that flew by that building at the very end. Sweet!

Oh, and those fish! Did I see those swim away from the player when he got close? That's some next-gen AI!

Verdict: Takes it to the next level.

What did you think of the Grand Theft Auto 5 gameplay video? Let us know in the comments below or on Twitter: @GameZoneOnline.