There is a magazine article with screen grabs up on this website. From there, although it’s translated, you can at least see some new locations and character that are going to be part of the Grand Theft Auto 5 game. Names include nervous Ron and Lamar.

You can put these in the rumor or unofficial category. Believe or not to believe? We wanted to add these here just in case you needed a news fix.

• The special abilities of each character can be activated with the L3.
• Franklin starts at the game restoring cars for an Armenian named Simeon Yetaria.
• ATMs can be used to check the balance of the protagonists.
• You can pick up hitchhikers on the streets and then leave them in their ideal destination.
• When playing as Michael, the ATMs can be stolen via a mini game.
• Internet cafes have been removed. Now you can navigate (even in social networks from the game) and watch videos on the mobile phone of your character.
• You will be able to drill a gas tank, drive the car into a group of enemies, then run and light the trail of gasoline to blow the car into the air.
• Hundreds of accessories available to customize your pet.
• Your dog can die or get lost. You can buy a new pet in a pet stores spread over Los Santos.
• You can hunt the animals and sell the meat to factories or farms. (Which are bought by Burger Shot)
• If you park on the street, your car can get ticked and towed. Something to consider because vehicle customization takes time and money. Why would you want to lose your vehicle? Pay your fines!
• There are underwater exploration missions.

I’m not a programmer. I do know that the new consoles are X86 architecture which is the same as for PC games. There has only been unsubstantiated rumors so far about a PC version of Grand Theft Auto V. I think it’s a pretty safe bet for more than one reason. Obviously people want a PC version first and foremost. After investing so much time in the game and with all the delays I’m sure Rockstar wants this game on every possible platform out there. Given that the PC version is coming, I’ve read an interesting interview with Mark Cerny who is the lead system architect for the Playstation 4. Here is what he says about PC games being brought over to the PS4.

I’ve been hearing 4 weeks to bring a game from PC to the PS4, which is quite fast. For some of the AAA titles I’ve been hearing 2 months, which is also quite fast

This is a key piece of information regarding how easy it would be for Rockstar to get the next generation consoles onto this game. I can easily see why they don’t want this to be discussed because it would really stunt the hype around the release on the PS3 and Xbox 360. Perhaps part of their reluctance around a PC version is because people will put 2 and 2 together. A PC version, according to the PS4 lead architect says clearly that it’s only about 2 months for a top level PC game to port onto the Playstation 4. Given that the Xbox One shares the same architecture, the same good news applies there also.

So for all GTA fans, news about a PC version would be a very very big reason to celebrate. We can all get geeked together once the PC version in announced.

[see original interview with Mark Cerny here where he discusses PC games making it onto PS4]

If you didn’t already know, Amazon Germany has just posted a pre order page for the PC version of Grand Theft Auto V. It could be a false alarm, but for the sake of hoping, I’m going with it as fact.

You might ask what the PC version has to do with a possible Xbox One and PS4 version. A lot! In programming terms, the PC shares the same architecture (x86) as the next generation consoles from Sony and Microsoft. In this situation, a PC developed game is not far off from what a Xbox One or Playstation 4 version would be. Ultimately if Rockstar has developed the PC version of the past couple of years, then it’s within logic that they have also developed the Xbox One and PS4 versions too.

Trust me when I say that you want to hope for this PC version to be true. Understand one thing. Rockstar in NO WAY wants rumors or leaks about a possible PS4 or Xbox One version. They want to have a massive amount of pre order and purchases for the consoles that are out now. They wouldn’t want gamers to wait for a next generation version. Rockstar has also said that they are focused on the consoles that are currently available. They didn’t shoot down the comment or question about having Grand Theft Auto 5 on the next gen systems, they simply answered the question in a safer way. They didn’t rule it out at all.

Here is a quick rundown of official customizations that will be available in Grand Theft Auto 5.

Weapon Customization

• extended clips that allow you to fire more ammo between reloads
• grips to improve your accuracy
• weapon tints to color your guns
• flashlights
• scopes
• suppressors
• attachments such as suppressors for stealth

Car and Bike Customization

• 1,000 modifications in total
• body kits
• paint jobs/finishes
• wheels
• exhaust tips
• window tints
• tire smoke color
• bull-bars
• extra lights
• brakes
• engine tuning
• suspension
• horns
• bulletproof tires
• panel armor
• general repair

[source: Game Informer]

There has been a lot of new information that’s come out thanks to the new trailer gameplay. The big one is the character abilities and skills. There are many activities and challenges within the game that can improve those skills. We’ve seen a target range (improve shooting skill), biking (improve lung capacity), and yoga (improve stamina and lung capacity). Those are just a few examples of skills improving that will be available. Of course there will be more.

One interesting aspect of GTA 5 is that each of the 3 main characters will have a special ability. These are:

• Trevor – melee rage
• Franklin – slo-mo driving ability
• Michael – slo-mo shooting

(adding more details about character abilities a skill improving tips coming when more news is released)

There is going to be a lot of excitement in late August for Gamescon. Afterall the PS4 and Xbox One are going to be making some type of splash in the form of an official release date. Take-Two will be attending and that’s where you can let your imagination run wild. That’s awfully close to the release date of September 17th. Why wouldn’t they really make a big push by showing of a demo for the public or something equally spectacular? I’m sure they will. Why else would they be attending that event? That’s their big game and the hype could reach a fever pitch.