Grand Theft Auto 5: larger and in charge

GTA 5 previews have started to go live, and it sounds as though the game will contain more customization than previous entries, combat improvements, citizens calling the cops on you, and all sorts of recreational activities.

Gamespot notes you can do yoga, go biking, play golf and other sorts of things, whileOXM notes that the property system is back along with mini games and "endless side missions."

The game will also contain strategic and cinematic heists and will be the biggest, or largest, game in the series.

When it comes to playing as one of the three protagonists,Polygon reports that players will be able to switch between the three outside of a mission despite the fact each may be on a different side of the map.

Obviously, each protagonist will also have his own unique skills. Michael can go into a bullet time mode sort of like Max Payne, while Franklin's slow-mo ability applies to driving. Trevor, on the other hand, can go into sort of a berserk mode which allows him to rage against an opponent in close range.

Each of these specialized skills will have a meter which must fill back up in order to use it again. The more it's used, the more effective it becomes.

CVG has a nice bullet point list of personality traits and background information on each of the fellas, along with information on such things as: drop-in drop-out multiplayer, finding treasure underwater, how iFruit - the game's new phonecan take in-game pictures which can be shared through Rockstar's Social Club or other social media, and more.

The site also has a 90-minute "gameplay preview special" available.

Other previews are available on Kotaku and Destructoid.

GTA 5 will be released on PS3 and Xbox 360 September 17. New screenshots are below.