How gunplay has changed in Grand Theft Auto 5

Grand Theft Auto has never been known for its gunplay. Rockstar has struggled to make combat in the GTA games satisfying--something they're trying to fix for Grand Theft Auto 5.

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Grand Theft Auto has never been known for its gunplay. Rockstar has struggled to make combat in the GTA games satisfying--something they're trying to fix for Grand Theft Auto 5.

It's been over five years since GTA4, and Rockstar has released a number of games since. Red Dead Redemption and Max Payne 3 refined gunplay quite significantly--and Rockstar says "influences" of those two games can be seen in GTA5.

Combat designer Phil Hooker says the gameplay is still "GTA-based at its core," but the game attempts to "bring in all the appropriate parts... from the more advanced cover components and targeting of Red Dead Redemption tot he more fluid transitions in and out of gun combat from Max Payne 3."

As a result, there are now three aiming modes to toy with: assisted aiming, traditional GTA, and free aim. "Assisted aiming gives players a larger targeting area as well as a little more help analyzing targets to try and pick the largest threat," Hooker described to Game Informer. "Traditional GTA is the closest to previous GTA's soft lock option. It shares all the characteristics of assisted aiming, with the additional ability to flick left and right between targets using the right stick."

Regardless of which mode you play with, every aim mode has a timer that breaks your lock. That means you can't simply lock on and shoot until a target is dead. You'll have to be more tactical. Hard lock-on has also been axed, as it was "too disorientating and often broke your immersion with the game."

Andrew Yoon was previously a games journalist creating content at Shacknews.

From The Chatty
  • reply
    July 9, 2013 5:00 PM

    Andrew Yoon posted a new article, How gunplay has changed in Grand Theft Auto 5.

    Grand Theft Auto has never been known for its gunplay. Rockstar has struggled to make combat in the GTA games satisfying--something they're trying to fix for Grand Theft Auto 5.

    • reply
      July 9, 2013 10:15 PM

      All sounds great.

    • reply
      July 10, 2013 7:40 AM

      Just hope its fun, thats all.

    • reply
      July 10, 2013 7:41 AM

      Apparently the new trailer was PS3 footage but the frame rate looked so good I'm kinda shocked. TBH there was scenes of 100% gameplay and scripted scenes and so on, I'm not convinced all 100% of the footage was PS3.
      Amazing if so though.

    • reply
      July 10, 2013 6:55 PM

      PLAYSTATION is the future, don't act surprised and deal with it. Guessing you non believers never played RED DEAD or MAX PAYNE 3 on ps3? Rockstar has got this rig on lockdown.

      • reply
        July 11, 2013 4:54 AM

        Kevin Buttler?? is that you?? I thought you quit working at Sony.

        Welcome back.

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