gta 5

GTA 6 Rumors: Release Date, “Trailer” Leak, Location, Characters, Everything We Know!

Posted on by Gaming Backlog

Much of the gaming world is anxiously waiting for GTA 6 news, especially confirmation from Rockstar about what’s actually true and what will actually be in the next installment of their hit franchise.

Rockstar has “officially announced” GTA 6 was in the works, but I think most people probably already expected that. GTA 5 was released in 2013 (the first time it was released), so it’s been almost a decade since a new Grand Theft Auto has come out. However, we are probably getting closer to the time period when rumors start becoming more accurate. Yes, we always have to take rumors with a grain of salt, but the internet has a pretty good history with EVENTUALLY getting the information right.

An industry insider, named Tom Henderson, has speculated that the game will probably be released between 2024 and 2025. Since we’ve barely heard much official news about the game from Rockstar, I’m thinking a 2025 release date seems most likely. If an official trailer drops before the end of 2022, though, GTA might actually release by the holiday season of 2024.

Either way, that puts us somewhere near the beginning of prime rumor-gathering season. 

Speaking of game trailers, there was at least one bogus “leak” so far. This Twitter account claims that someone sent them a video of the GTA 6 trailer on Rockstar’s official YouTube account. But alas, Rockstar realized their mistake and removed the trailer before it was too late! Sure, bud. Some have pointed to the fact that the ESRB wouldn’t have been able to rate a game that’s still in development. That’s true, but I have to point out the idiocy of someone trying to break news by showing the absolute worst part of the alleged GTA 6 trailer. Seriously, who would show the rating instead of the gameplay? Why take a pic when you could record the entire trailer on your phone? Hell, why not just send a link to the video? The answer… It’s an obvious fake. There was never a link to any GTA 6 trailer to send. Myth busted.

Other rumors seem to have a bit more credibility. For example, people keep referencing a picture of a house with the palm trees out front. This one:

So what’s the big deal? It’s a house with some palm trees. Yes, exactly! That’s a clue to the possible location of GTA 6. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City took place in the 1980s, in the GTA equivalent of Miami, Florida. GTA 6 might not take place in the 1980s, but there’s a significant possibility that players could be back in Vice City for this next installment.

But why is the house significant? Why are people saying it’s a clue in the first place?

Because it’s a new addition to the GTA: San Andreas remake!

Rockstar has been known to hide clues and Easter eggs throughout their games in the past, so we can probably assume that it’s something they’ll continue doing. They’re a company with relatively intelligent staff who seem to understand how gamers think (most of the time). They knew the GTA Remakes would be scrutinized and studied by GTA fans, so they knew fans would start asking questions about this mysterious house.

GTA 6 is also rumored to have multiple playable characters. This should be a no-brainer. GTA fans loved being able to switch between three unique characters in GTA 5, so it makes sense Rockstar would keep this feature for GTA 6. I’ve heard different information about the specifics of the multiple playable characters, though, and I don’t trust the credibility of those specifics enough at this point. I’ve heard that we might have two playable characters, a brother and a sister who are kind of like opposing forces, perhaps even a good vs bad dynamic. I’ve also heard that we’ll get three unique characters again, basically the same thing as what we got with GTA 5, except different people. Again, the specifics are more speculative than the overall claim that Rockstar would want to use the popular mechanic of multiple playable characters again.

One last rumor I’d like to mention is the rumor that says GTA 6 will incorporate Bitcoin into their game in some way. To me, this seems like a strange feature to add, but perhaps Rockstar is willing to push the addictive nature of speculative “investments” on their player base. What?? Rockstar would be willing to manipulate their customers?? Shocking, I know!

Look, I love the Grand Theft Auto franchise. Love it. But anybody who denies the huge profit Rockstar has made through micro-transactions hasn’t been paying attention. There’s a reason they could afford to sit on the success of their most popular game for a decade; it was consistently raking in tons and tons of money.

They didn’t have to rush to make another game. They didn’t have to make additional single-player DLC. They struck gold by taking advantage of new marketing strategies within gaming. They’ve been milking their base. Love them or hate them, they’re a business, they want to make money, and they figured out how to do it. I’m not sure how Rockstar could implement actual Bitcoin transactions in GTA 6, but I don’t think it’s impossible. The worlds of Crypto and NFTs constantly make headlines, many of them not very good, especially now, considering the crypto market seems to be spiraling downward at a breakneck speed. Crypto and NFTs don’t have to be successful for Rockstar to benefit from them, they just have to stay trendy long enough for Rockstar to cash in. If there’s any rumors we can bank on, it’s that gaming companies will find a way to get theirs, and we might be left holding the bag. I’m interested to see how technology and gaming continue to mix worlds, but I hope it doesn’t continue down the path of psychological manipulation and greed (oh, what a naive young man I still am).

What do you think? Are any of these rumors true? Is it still too early to tell? Am I a millennial boomer who doesn’t understand Stonks, HODL, and going to the moon? Will Dogecoin make a comeback, because he’s such a good boy? Will Seth Green ever get his NFT apes back?

Let me hear from you! You can find me on Twitter @JDtheWriter1. Happy 4th of July! May the force be with you!

My PERSONAL Top 10 GREATEST Things About Grand Theft Auto V

Posted on by Gaming Backlog

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Finishing off my dedicated week to the game Grand Theft Auto V, I want to share the top 10 things I really love about the game. I invite you to share your personal top 10 in the comments below, or leave a link to one of your own posts! Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy my list.

10. Movies

You want to go see a movie? Put Grand Theft Auto V into your console, and take a drive to the movie theater. You might get to watch that weird movie that doesn’t make any sense, Capolavoro. Maybe you like dystopian science fiction movies with a robot in the leading role, like The Loneliest Robot in Great Britain. And of course, you have to check out the film Michael helped produce, Meltdown. Each of these movies are about ten minutes long, and are entertaining in their own, unique ways.

9. Golf and tennis

I don’t want to hate on any other game, but Grand Theft Auto V would make buying a golf or tennis game seem pointless for me. I can play them on GTA V, and they’re actually good. The mechanics are easy to understand, there’s fun dialogue, and when I’m finished playing I can steal cars, rob stores, and get back to my general life of crime. I’ve played games that were supposed to be fully devoted to ONLY being a golf game or ONLY a tennis game that don’t live up to the standards set in GTA V.

8. The water

Maybe when I’m done playing sports with one of the other characters, I’ll go for a swim. It’s hard to believe that Rockstar put in the effort to create underwater environments, especially when you consider how big the world above sea level is. I’m glad they decided to do this, because watching the main characters drown because they couldn’t swim was always a disappointing way to die. This is a little off topic, but John Marston and his horses not being able to swim was one of my biggest complaints about Red Dead Redemption, as well as previous GTA games. I understood why it was complicated for developers to incorporate, but it was always disappointing. Now we know that underwater environments are not only possible, but that they can be done well.

7. Radio: Different genres, mock talk shows, adds to realism

The radio has always been a big part of the Grand Theft Auto franchise, at least sense GTA III. I think my favorite track-lists come from Vice City, but the radio in GTA V still has a lot of great music to listen to, as well as talk radio. There are different genres of music for people to listen to, so you should always be able to find something acceptable. Also, the stations change when the player drives in and out of Blaine County, adding another touch of realism. And when the news comes on, sometimes the reporters will be talking about events that have occurred in the game. It’s fun, and it lets players know how the rest of the world is responding to their actions.

6. Satire

This game pokes fun at EVERYTHING. Facebook isn’t safe. Yoga isn’t safe. Even gaming isn’t safe. I love that this game takes place in the modern decade, and from three different perspectives, because it’s great to see the world we live in through other peoples’ eyes. I wonder how our culture might look to someone who’s completely unfamiliar with it. Does it seem as ridiculous as the culture portrayed in GTA V? All the way from the middle-finger mouse pointer depicted in GTA V’s web pages, all the way up to the thrill seeker who rides ATVs out of airplanes just for the rush, Grand Theft Auto V is packed with satire for anyone who might be self-aware enough to realize it. Then again, maybe you’re a batshit crazy as the game says you are.

5. The races

I didn’t buy a racing game, and I wasn’t expecting a racing game. However, I can race cars, jet skis, bicycles, and I can even compete in triathlons. Okay, so maybe mashing the A button for some of these races don’t make the best possible gaming experience, but they’re there if I want them. I don’t usually buy racing games, but I have in the past, and I enjoy a good race every now and then. In GTA V, I can have them if I want them, and they’re based within the world my characters are living in, which adds new depth to the races.

4. The Cars, Trucks, and Bikes.

One thing I noticed when I first started playing Grand Theft Auto V, is that the cars seem to respond better to my controls than in previous Grand Theft Auto games. Each car feels unique, and I had a great time… acquiring vehicles that looked like they’d be fun to drive. Due to my curiosity, I ditched a fast car to try out a pickup truck right before a chase mission. It took several retries, but I eventually caught up with my target. My favorite car is the Dominator, which seems to be influence by the real-world Ford Mustang. I like to ride motorcycles when I want to get somewhere in a hurry and Franklin’s green Bagger is my favorite 2-wheeled ride.

3. All the Other Vehicles

I thought about including Vehicles under one category, but they deserve more than one. Cars, trucks, and bikes only scratch the surface when it comes to the vehicles of Grand Theft Auto V. Players can fly planes, ride boats, helicopters, ATVs, buses, bicycles, a blimp, etc. If you see it moving, you can probably steal it, and tour the city on it! And there are multiple versions of many of these. For example, you aren’t able to just fly a plane; you can fly small bi-planes, private jets, jumbo jets, or fighter jets. There are PLENTY of vehicle options in this game, and I still haven’t tried them all.

2. Three Main Characters

In previous GTA games, we were given a single character to control. One game, one personality. In GTA V, we get THREE main characters, each with their own style and personality. They like different music, prefer different kinds of vehicles, and each of them have their own special talents. Because the story is constantly switching focus from one character to another, players never get stuck playing as the same person.

1. The World

It would almost be impossible not to notice the terrific world that Rockstar developers created. The city of San Andreas is buzzing with activity, and the attention to detail is astounding. If you have any doubts, walk down the sidewalk, instead of driving. You will notice things that are easy to miss when driving. You can leave the city, and travel north to Blaine County, and it actually feels like a different place. The world is huge, but it’s full of landmarks and places that look like they really exist and fit into the context of the world that’s been created. If there’s a single reason to keep playing after finishing the game, it’s to continue exploring the massive world.

Grand Theft Auto V, Character Analysis: Trevor

Posted on by Gaming Backlog

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My third and final character analysis for Grand Theft Auto V belongs to Trevor. There could be serious psychological consequences for anyone who tries to explain Trevor’s thought processes, but I’m willing to give it a shot. I think it’s safe to say that Trevor represents the player’s need to cause chaos. The Grand Theft Auto series is best known for the mayhem the main characters inflict. With every new installment, people are ready to point out how out of control the video game industry has become.

*A game that glorifies theft, violence against police, and mass violence.

*It depicts a sex scene when using the “hot coffee” mod.

*The new first-person view in GTA V shows acts of prostitution, up close and personal.

Grand Theft Auto found its success by giving players the opportunity to create havoc in real-world settings. None of the non-playable characters are safe; not women; not grandpa; and especially not cops. You can steal a car, run over every pedestrian on the way to the police department, and partake in mass murder for no other reason that your own, sadistic gratification. Just make sure to hide until the blinking stars go away, and all is well.

Trevor is the GTA V character that harnesses that basic, animalistic urge to lose control. Like Michael, Trevor primary motivation IS NOT money. Both characters recognize a part of themselves that wants back in “the game,” but their desires seem to be based on completely different reasons. Michael sees “the game” as a challenge. Trevor sees “the game” as an outlet to cause chaos.

My favorite part about Trevor’s character, and there are many, is his loyalty. Any good traits that Trevor displays stand in stark contrast against all the other crazy shit he does, making them shine brighter than they would have otherwise. Trevor kills because of headaches, so it’s nice to know he has a group of friends who he respects and responds to in less-than-lethal ways, even when being criticized by them. If Michael had been any other man, and not one of Trevor’s long-time friends, Trevor would have killed him several times over throughout the course of the game. Trevor’s loyalty to Michael is what saves Michael from Trevor. However, it was Trevor’s loyalty to their mutual friend that almost caused him to kill Michael when Trevor found out that Michael had used the man’s dead body to fake his own death.

One of my favorite scenes in the game involves Trevor displaying his loyalty to Franklin when he helps him and Lamar during their drug deal on Grave Street. As I mentioned in my first character analysis about Franklin, Franklin learns to trust Trevor, someone who he thought was completely insane. That mission was a highlight for me, and the relationship between Trevor and Franklin, as well as Lamar, is the reason why. It resulted in character development for all characters involved, and it didn’t even require a lot of talking.

To wrap up my character analyses of the three main characters from Grand Theft Auto V, I want to reiterate that each one of them plays an important role in the player’s experience.

Franklin depicts the player’s desire to progress.

Michael depicts the player’s desire for continued challenge.

Trevor represents the player’s desire to cause chaos.

See something I missed, or have something to add to the analysis of a specific Grand Theft Auto V character? Maybe you want to share your favorite moments or character traits, or tell me why you disagree with me. Leave a comment below, and remember to visit my blog again, tomorrow, for the Top 10 Things I Love About GTA V!

Grand Theft Auto V, Character Analysis: Michael

Posted on by Gaming Backlog

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The second Grand Theft Auto V main character I’m analyzing (have to be careful with the spelling of THAT word) is Michael. In my opinion, Michael represents the characters who’ve finished their journeys in previous GTA games. He’s rich, lives in a big house, has an attractive wife… he’s achieved the dream. However, we quickly realize that Michael isn’t happy with his success. He’s missing something in his life. Could it be the thrill of… the game?

Within the world of GTA V, Michael wants to feel the glory of his criminal past, despite being much older and out of shape. As a character, I think he represents the desire of players to KEEP PLAYING. You might think that’s a bit of a stretch, but I don’t think so. As I pointed out in Franklin’s analysis, Franklin represents our desire to start from scratch, get better, and acquire success. Likewise, Michael represents our desire to play, long after the credits have rolled on our story. Trevor, undoubtedly, represents our desire to cause chaos within the games (spoiler alert for tomorrow??). Put the three characters together, and you get the ultimate Grand Theft Auto Fan.

What I like most about Michael, is how soft his character is, compared to how the story claims he once was. This is really just a concept that’s enforced throughout gameplay. Micheal will say things like, “I’m not as young as I used to be,” or someone else calling him “out of shape.” I wish I could pinpoint some actual quotes, but the game has so much dialogue that it would take forever to find exactly what I’m looking for. The point is, Michael isn’t the man he used to be. Compared to the antiheroes of previous GTA games, we can assume that Micheal isn’t as menacing as he could be. He likes sitting next to the pool, playing tennis, doing yoga… I bet the younger Michael would have beat the crap out of older Michael on principal alone.

I guess the more important question is “WHY is this something I, or anyone else, should like about this character?” It’s different, and it’s interesting. Instead of being an underdog starting from the bottom, like Franklin, Michael is an underdog who’s starting over from the top. His youth is gone, and he’s been spoiled by his own success. Even though he found success in a previous story, he longs for another adventure, “The Big One!” Meanwhile, we get a unique story from the point-of-view of a GTA personality who has to deal with a lazy son, a promiscuous daughter, and a complicated marriage, all while handling issues from his past, and securing his future.

My favorite scenes involving Michael are the ones he shares with his son. It’s hilarious to think that Michael’s hardcore criminal past eventually led to him having a son who wants to lay around his bedroom, get high, and play “those damn games.” Michael and his son seem to have an underlying affection for each other, but they just can’t get on the same page long enough to develop a more meaningful relationship. Michael has memories of the life he USED to lead, but his son thinks he’s just as lazy as he is. Michael’s son, as well as his daughter, seem caught up in whatever is trendy, giving the game developers plenty of opportunities to satirize American culture, and we get to view it from the eyes of someone who just doesn’t understand America’s youth.

Grand Theft Auto V, Character Analysis: Franklin

Posted on by Gaming Backlog

gta v franklin

I’m going to start my Grand Theft Auto V character analysis with Franklin. He’s the youngest, least experienced (and least damaged) character in the GTA V entourage. Franklin gives players that up-and-comer experience that tends to be pretty standard in games like these. Characters usually start out with very little, and progress throughout the game. Since Michael’s already rich, and the concept of money seems secondary to chaos when it comes to Trevor, Franklin is the character in which players are going to relate to the most (to a limit, of course… and hopefully none of them relate to Trevor the most).

In Franklin’s story, we witness the struggles of a former gang banger/dope dealer as he tries to make an honest living. Thankfully, none of that works out for him, and he soon becomes part of the GTA V story. He tries to repossess a car from Michael, and after some obvious tension in which Franklin explains his situation and Michael believes him, the two become friends. Michael brings Franklin into the world of serious criminal activity, and sets our story into motion.

What I enjoy most about Franklin is his sincere desire to make a living. He was willing to take a real job to get away from the gangs of Grove Street, but it didn’t work out for him. Faced with bad luck and the possibility of being stuck living with his aunt, Franklin goes to work with Micheal. Franklin shows true dedication and a hard work ethic when he tries to help Michael reclaim his boat and rescue Michael’s son. We get to see him hopping around from car to boat on the interstate, trying to help this guy he barely knows. Franklin is the hardest worker out of the three main characters, probably because he’s got the most to prove, and his work ethic made me want him to succeed.

My favorite scene with Franklin includes Trevor (of course it does), during the Grove Street shootout. I don’t want to spotlight Trevor in this post, but what I enjoyed about the scene was the implication that Franklin learned he could trust Trevor. It gave player’s a deeper understanding of Trevor’s psyche (if that’s even possible) through Franklin’s eyes. That’s important, because Franklin was still basically an outsider at that point in the game. Trevor’s help and approval gave Franklin an entirely new bad ass persona. It stripped away Franklin’s gang-banger personal, and made him seem more legitimate as an organized criminal. In other words, crime stopped being about colors and ethnicity, and it started becoming more about hard work, experience, and teaming up with the right people. Trevor doesn’t give a shit about Franklin’s skin color, or the color of the gang he used to affiliate with; if Franklin can get the job done, he’s worth teaming up with.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, Franklin represents players who are just starting the game. The more Franklin is legitimized within the game, the more players should feel the game picking up pace. Before long, Franklin stops being the new guy, and he’s expected to pull his own weight and get the job done.

Thanks for reading this brief character analysis of Franklin from Grand Theft Auto V. Check back tomorrow as I continue my week-long dedication with my character analysis of Michael.

Grand Theft Auto V: Still Playing

Posted on by Gaming Backlog

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It’s been a while since I beat Grand Theft Auto V (months!), but every now and then I still like to load my saved file, and ride around the city of San Andreas.

I know that most people who still play this game are probably looking for collectibles, or causing tons of chaos, but I just like to see the sites. The game world is beautiful, with realistic day/night cycles, weather, and I still seem to find places I’ve never been before – or didn’t notice while I was speeding along during my play-through.

I finished a mission involving Trevor’s mom, and I completed a mission given to me by one of the businesses I bought with Michael, but now the world seems uneventful. PLEASE DON’T KILL ME for saying that. The world is still ACTIVE, but the events that kept pushing the game forward are gone, now. That’s just the natural progression of the game, I know, but I miss it. I hope they come out with some great DLC for single players.

I’m dedicating this entire week to Grand Theft Auto V posts. For this post, I thought I’d talk about a couple of the things I’ve done post-game. For Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, I’m doing character analyses of the three main protagonists, and will talk about how each one of them represent common traits found in fans of the franchise. On Friday, I’m posting my top 10 favorite things about the game.

One interesting thing (at least, I think it’s interesting), is I jumped on a jet ski, and tried to leave the city. I’m sure many of you have tried this in other games, as well. It’s just a curious attempt to find the boundaries of the game. I guess some people would call it game-breaking, because it ruins the illusion that the world is open and expansive. Long story short, it doesn’t work with Grand Theft Auto V. In the most realistic FAIL a game has ever dished out to me, my jet ski ran out of gas, sank, and a shark ate me. TAKE THAT, ME!

I chose Michael as a character, and went drinking with Trevor. I watched a really strange foreign film in the movie theater. I played tennis with Amanda. I honked my horn a few too many times at a parked police car sitting on the side of the road, and it ended with my death. I followed some pedestrians around until they started getting freaked out. I took a long, boring tour of the city.

You know, I’m starting to feel a bit like Michael at the beginning of this game; as beautiful as the world is, the thrill of the game is gone. I need a new adventure. Lucky for me, I recently picked up a copy of GTA IV (as mentioned in my last post).

Remember to follow my blog for more details about the games I play on the road to completing my goal of beating 50 games before getting a current gen console. Check back tomorrow as I start my week-long dedication to the great game, Grand Theft Auto V, staring with my character analysis of Franklin!

I Beat Grand Theft Auto V (No Spoilers)

Posted on by Gaming Backlog

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Some of you who follow my blog might be ready to scold me for not completing L.A. Noire before GTA V, like I said I was going to try to do, but Grand Theft Auto V was too entertaining and awesome to postpone.

It’s hard to express how great this game was, and I guess I don’t have to since it’s basically the biggest game on the planet right now. This is the first Grand Theft Auto game I’ve ever finished. I used to just jump in cars, race around the city, crash into stuff, and go on rampages. This entry into the GTA had me hooked into the story from the very beginning, and still hasn’t released its grasp on me. It had everything going for it: story, music, acting, characters, visuals, my God the visuals!!

I played this game on Xbox 360 (My goal prohibits the purchase of a new console until I beat 50 games on the previous generations of consoles), so I can only imagine that the visuals were even more impressive on Xbox One and PS4 (I’ve seen them on YouTube, shh).

For anyone new to my blog, let me summarize my experience when I first purchased Grand Theft Auto V (it wasn’t pleasant): I was watching all the YouTube videos, and everyone was going nuts over this super amazing game, and I said, “why the hell not? I’ve earned a new game!” I went out and bought a copy. I brought it home, popped it into my 360, played a few missions and then… CRASH!!! My Xbox 360 shut down. To be more accurate, it blinked off; there was no shutdown process involved. One second I was exploring the beach attractions with Franklin, and in the next my Xbox was just off, and I was staring at the blue screen of my TV with my controller in my hands… hmm.

I tried playing the game several more time with the same consequence. After a little online searching, I found out that my old, white, pre-2008 Xbox might not be able to run such a technologically advanced game such as GTA V… Shit! I went through a big headache of buying a refurbished Xbox Slim from Gamestop, returning it because it was crappy and broke, and then transferring all the data from my old console to the new refurbished console a second time. After that, everything was good.

Having a console that would actually play Grand Theft Auto V meant that I could could, well, actually play the damn game. It didn’t take me long to get involved in the story-line, and I soon had several hours invested in it. I even wrote a blog about how I abandoned L.A. Noire to play GTA V instead… I did it again, so sue me!

I don’t want to go into too much detail about GTA V in this blog, because I want to keep it spoiler-free, but I’ll make another blog very soon that contains spoilers… including some end-of-game stuff… different endings… so yea, if you don’t want to know about it, don’t read the blog. I really just wanted to make a quick entry into the Gaming Backlog Journal to announce the completion of another game, a BIG one.

Let me do a quick count: Super Mario Galaxy, Final Fantasy IV, Red Dead Redemption, Brothers, Telltale’s The Walking Dead: Season One, and now, Grand Theft Auto V…

6 games, out of 50… Not too bad (for me), but I’ve still got a long way to go. I’m going to try to push out a few more blogs quicker than I have been, considering I haven’t been keeping to my at least one a week format. I’m thinking that I’ll try to post one a week in the future, but I don’t want to be too strict on myself about it.

Coming up soon… more stuff about GTA V. Now that I’ve beat the game, I want to talk about the ending(s), and go into more detail about the three main characters. Also, Episodes 2 and 3 of Life is Strange. That game is awesome, and I’m ready to talk about it some more.

P.S. I don’t think it was fair to have to buy another, newer console to play a game that I should have been able to play already. Think about it: I had an Xbox 360 (still have it), but I had to go get a slightly newer one (Xbox 360 Slim) to play GTA V. Not everyone had problems with their older consoles, but enough people had the same problem to where I would think we should have been able to get some kind of trade-in deal or something. Anyone want to buy a pre-2008 Xbox 360?