Rockstar: GTA V Feels like a Next-Gen Game

The development team at Rockstar that is working on Grand Theft Auto V says that the game already feels next gen to them, even if it is only launched on the Xbox 360 from Microsoft and the PlayStation 3 from Sony.

Phil Hooker, who has created the combat system for the new game, tells IGN that, "we surpassed our own expectations and during development I think everyone working on the game has been astounded by improvements to the graphics, or new mechanics, or AI, or mission scope along the way."

He adds, "gamers will see all of these improvements at once in one go, compared to GTA 4 this definitely feels ‘next generation’ to us."

The new GTA title is set to allow gamers to play as three characters for the first time in the series, with a chain of intertwined stories that will take place in the lushly simulated Los Santos, a simulacrum of Southern California.

 Grand Theft Auto 5 has just received a bunch of new details from developer Rockstar Games, confirming that the open world experience will benefit from a new car handling system that's much more fun, as well as better animations for the main characters and a set of fluid mechanics to make transitioning from one action to another as seamless as possible.

Millions of fans from around the world eagerly await Grand Theft Auto V and developer Rockstar has made sure to keep the hype going around the new title by posting special screenshots, videos, or details.Grand Theft Auto 5 is out on September 17 for PS3 and Xbox 360.

Now, as part of an ongoing feature, IGN has talked with some of Rockstar's developers working on GTA 5 and has confirmed that the open world title has fundamentally improved lots of different mechanics.

"We would hope that what gamers will notice overall is everything is much tighter, more consistent, more fluid and more intuitive," Rockstar's Phil Hooker said.

"Pretty much every mechanic has been heavily reworked to try and make the player need to think less about the mechanics, and more about what they are doing, so that they become more immersed in the world and the situations they are in as they play."

What’s more, Rockstar has gone to new lengths in order to make the whole experience feel fun and cool, not just realistic like in GTA IV. This means a new car handling system to replace the oft-criticized mechanics from the last game.

"The player should easily be able to pull off cool moves so they feel really part of the action. For example, driving has been completely reworked so it’s much more responsive and direct, allowing controllable handbrake turns and adding in a little bit of wheelspin at exciting moments, whilst still allowing the player to keep full control. The same is true of shooting, core locomotion and pretty much every system in the game."

What's more, shooting has also been refined by Rockstar so that players will be able to take on foes using the crosshairs of their guns but also by firing from the hip or from cars.

"Lots of time and effort went into the combination of shooting, targeting, animation and camerawork: Grand Theft Auto is about spontaneous, classic action shootouts. We think players will appreciate being about to run and shoot comfortably from the hip, and the new transitions in and out of cars and in and out of cover. There are a range of new customizable targeting options as well."