Grand Theft Auto V trailer reveals Los Santos revisit

The Grand Theft Auto V trailer was released yesterday, as promised by Rockstar, and what it reveals is an updated and expanded Los Santos, the city we first visited with Carl Johnson in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas six years ago.

While fellow editor Mike will be disappointed that the trailer doesn’t hint at any form of return for GTA IV’s protagonist Niko Bellic, I’m pretty excited that what has been revealed seems to deviate from the tried-and-proven plot formula used in the series’s previous games.

In the GTA series, you typically play a recently betrayed, down-on-your-luck guy who has to pick up the pieces and rebuild his life, starting from the bottom of the criminal empire ladder. Judging by the GTA V trailer, it seems that the hero starts the game well-off instead, being able to buy a big house and “put his feet up”.

More important to me is the revelation that the would-be hero moved to Los Santos with his family and kids. Since there’s no hint of anger in the trailer’s voice over, I’m hoping that GTA V won’t begin with the hero’s family being killed. This will allow the plot to be driven by one man’s love for his family and children instead of revenge, as was the case in nearly all the previous games in the GTA series.

Too much speculation? You bet. But to me, that was the most exciting aspect of the trailer. As beautiful and gorgeous as the graphics in the trailer are, it’s starting to look all too familiar — a more uplifting plot would be a refreshing and welcome breath of fresh air to the series.

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