Gaming
“Grand Theft Auto 6”: the leaks and what they tell us.
Say hello to your new Vice
Rockstar Games experienced a massive leak exposing some details of the forthcoming GTA 6 game. And there is quite a few things to unpack.
The leaks provided some very specific details of what to expect, so I guess, SPOILERS. Not really, that was done already, so technically ‘spoiler recap’.
The game will be taking us back to the infamous Vice City, the playground of Tommy Vercetti (remember the name!) However, the revamped modern city will be the background for the present, not the 80s.
Interestingly, the main protagonist is not singular but plural. Of course this is not terribly new, seeing Grand Theft Auto V had three protagonists. However, the relationship dynamic of the protagonists in Grand Theft Auto 6 is a unique one. The protagonists are two, and their names are Jason and Lucia, a career criminal couple. Bonnie-and-Clyde vibes through and through.
What was more interesting was the footage that detailed gameplay. Won’t share here because, you know, fruits of the criminal breach and all, but will say, the level of detail, even at embryonic stage of development is noteworthy. The Animation and character detail is in depth, and robbing a store has some added dynamics including NPC reactions that are organic.
Combat, and giving the business to the fine constabulary force of piggies this time around gets even more realistic in terms of mechanics. By the looks of things, players won’t be pulling random guns out of the ether; characters are slinging rifles and shotguns behind their backs when not in use. It also looks like you’ll be able to pick up and drop weapons easily, which is definitely an added bonus when you are deep in the throes of a violent shootout. No ammo? Ditch your pistol for a dead cop’s rifle. A classic staple move.
Other activities? Strip clubs. And touching water without dying. Super plus.
You can visit a strip club and watch performers dance. Included in the leaked footage is what appears to be the start of an early mission that takes place inside a strip club. More footage shows Lucia exploring that same club outside of a mission.
With swamps all around Florida, you’ll need a way to get around easily. And it seems to help players explore, Rockstar is adding drivable airboats. You’ll also be able to go scuba diving too.
In one of the leaked videos, you can see a ton of debugging information and actions. Combing through, there was a lot of references to animals, including boars, dogs, alligators, and raccoons. A true step up from the odd dog and mountain lion and shark bastards that always got me killed in GTA 5.
And you know those surreal Easter eggs and events that made GTA 5 a whole new experience. GTA 6 will be following in that vein, with mentions of haunted warehouse, sex robots, going on a spiritual journey, a creepy voice in a storm drain, a figure that can be spotted in the woods, and a mummified old lady. But perhaps the most exciting for GTA mystery hunters is the mention of a Skunk Ape sighting and UFOs. (The Skunk Ape is Florida’s take on Bigfoot.) Trippy.
Now let’s talk about the actual leak. There are often false flags with these leaks. But then Rockstar Games came public and told us it was indeed a breach:
The assurance of non-compromised online gaming and that the leak was of footage created in the early development stages is comforting. And convenient. Here’s me, sounding like a cynic; the data leak today is like a politician talking about hacked when he ‘mistakingly’ liked a porn clip on Twitter that would be filed under the Family/Taboo category. Who is to say Rockstar Games didn’t leak this to stir up interest and frenzy. Free, viral promotion. Using old, early development footage that does not give much away in terms of story or compromise the day-to-day happenings of Rockstar. A very clean, virtually unobtrusive result, don’t you think.
In any case, intended or not, the GTA 6 game has garnered fan interest out the wazoo, surely with today PC-culture and Grand Theft Auto’s history of rubbing various groups the wrong way, we are sure to have many tongue-in-cheek references to today’s neurotic culture and it won’t be the last time Rockstar Game ends up in the middle of a ‘breach’ or some other scandal controversy. Or only issue is… we need a return of all of Vice City radio shows. That is all.
