GTA Online launches October 1, 16-players confirmed, trailer here
Grand Theft Auto Online will launch October 1st and will ship with GTA 5 on PS3 and Xbox 360. get the first details and trailer here.
What Rockstar Games says...
Rockstar gave a detailed overview of what exactly GTA Online involves over on the GTA 5 site. it goes as follows:
"Grand Theft Auto Online is a dynamic and persistent online world for 16 players that begins by sharing gameplay features, geography and mechanics with Grand Theft Auto 5, but will continue to expand and evolve after its launch with new content created by Rockstar Games and the grand theft auto community. Grand Theft Auto Online takes the fundamental grand theft auto concepts of freedom, ambient activity and mission-based gameplay and makes them available to multiple players in an incredibly detailed and responsive online world.
"In Grand Theft Auto Online, players have the freedom to explore alone or with friends, work cooperatively to complete missions, band together to participate in activities and ambient events, or compete in traditional game modes with the entire community, all with the personality and refined mechanics of Grand Theft Auto 5.
"Players can invest in their character through customizing their appearance, improving their stats, owning customized vehicles, purchasing personal property, and taking part in missions, jobs and activities to earn reputation and cash to open up new opportunities to rise through the criminal ranks. The world of grand theft auto online will constantly grow and change as new content is added, creating the first ever persistent and dynamic grand theft auto game world.
Access to Grand Theft Auto Online is free with every retail copy of Grand Theft Auto 5 and launches on October 1st.
What the press says...
GTA Online previews have started sprouting up everywhere, and Gamespot tells of a well-planned heist between four players which involves stealing a truck full of goods. Once two players steal the truck a police chase begins, taking the crew from Los Santos to Blaine county. The other two robbers provide covering gunfire for the truck from their sports car the whole way. It seems like it was a true teamwork effort.
While GTA 5 and GTA Online are named separately the narrative of the former bleeds into multiplayer, and some characters are shared between both modes of play. You can hop into GTA Online by selecting your custom avatar, much in the same way you can cycle between Trevor, Franklin and Michael in the single-player.
Your online avatar gains progression while engaging in multiplayer too, and jumping into GTA Online match-makes you automatically with 16 other players. There's no need for lobbies or any of that junk it seems. When connected, you can create custom races between two points with players, rob stores, plan heists and more. If you're double-crossed during a job the game will add them to your list of rivals for payback later on.
People can kill you and steal your cash at any time, but you can deposit your spoils into your bank to avoid losing them all, as well as insuring your cars against malicious attacks. But if you do work together as a unit you can engage in many co-op missions across Los Santos and Blaine County to reap some big rewards. If you can't be arsed with that, just play a round of golf instead.
What do you think?
Grand Theft Auto 5 hits PS3 and Xbox 360 on September 17.