The people at Rockstar Games have not only mastered the sandbox genre, they have also mastered advertising. Think back to earlier GTA titles. When Vice City was coming out, we got nothing but phony ads for items in the game until a month before the game came out. Then we got a fancy video showing the sun and sin of Vice City while listening to Flock of Seagulls. A few years later, while anticipating the next GTA installment, we were similarly teased until the official trailer came out and Axl Rose welcomed us to the jungle of San Andreas. The world happily went bonkers having fun with all the things you could do in what was the largest GTA game world at the time. Come this September, Rockstar is looking to do it again and there is one absolute truth you can take from that first trailer:
”You’re in the jungle, baby! You’re gonna die!”
We can always count on Rockstar to give us little tidbits that will drive us insane with anticipation of the game’s release. Recently, we got two images that Rockstar referred to as “Cash and Carry.” Originally seen on the image of the game’s box art, the Cash and Carry pair of images accomplish the goal of making us salivate. GTA has always been known to have random side missions that reward us with things like armor, becoming fireproof or giving us more health. Grand Theft Auto IV did not have these features, but the side missions were still present to make extra cash. My guess is that there will be money delivery side missions both by land and by sea.
The “by sea” part is what has me intrigued. Niko Bellic could not swim, so I am hoping that the new characters do not share that shortcoming. If you are going to have multiple missions riding a jetski, the likelihood of getting knocked off will be high. We have also seen images of scuba diving and sharks so swimming is likely and the possibility of the first GTA to have animal interaction only makes for more anticipation. Until we get a new trailer and the game ultimately releases, speculation is all we have and it shall have to do.
“We are the people that can find whatever you may need. If you got the money, honey, we got your disease.”
September 17, 2013, step back into the jungle and get ready to make CJ jealous.
