Here on the western side of GTA 5’s gargantuan map – all of which is opened up from the beginning, so there’s no more island-unlocking – one tempting drop-in spot is a military base around 100m to Franklin’s right – although our rep is having none of that. Closer, I note a road winding precariously around one particularly menacing peak; our host explains that it’s an ATV racetrack. Animals scurrying below are just too far away to make out, but it’s clear that, like Red Dead, we’re about to drop in on a living, breathing wilderness complete with its own ecosystem. And a really pretty one, in its own barren way.
Fret not, radio stations featuring hilarious skits and massive hits – a staple of the series – are back too, confirmed later on when co-protagonist Michael takes to the freeway with Fergie’s Glamorous blaring through the windows. More on that later.
Even in this remote outpost of the map, there’s evidently plenty to do: races on the aforementioned ATV track, animal hunting, picking up hitchhikers to take back to more populated territory (or bump off in a lay-by).
Character switching is handled by an onscreen weapon wheel which sits on the lower right of the screen. You hit up on the right stick to control Franklin, right to switch to Trevor, and left to become Michael. (Down triggers multiplayer, but there are no details on that element yet. Sorry.)
For aiming, the default is ‘soft lock’ – giving you freedom of movement, but enablingyou to switch between multiple targets. ‘Free aim’ and ‘hard lock’ also feature as options, and are self-explanatory.
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