There are plenty of reasons to be excited about Grand Theft Auto: Online. Let’s go over them, shall we?
First and foremost, it’s important to note that Grand Theft Auto: Online is a separate entity from Grand Theft Auto V. With the exception of featuring the same world and using the same engine, these are two completely different games. This means that the issues of Grand Theft Auto IV’s multiplayer, specifically that it was simply GTA IV online, can be avoided. GTA: Online will have its own characters, missions, goals, and purpose, helping it thrive.
That being said, it’s a shame the player cap is only 16. Rockstar hasn’t been shy about mentioning how gigantic their playable world is, nor were they shy about the amount of things to do in it. While it adds up for a heck of a lot to in Grand Theft Auto: Online, it also leads to the possibilities of never running into players. While this isn’t an issue for pre-made groups, I can see pick-up players joining a random game and driving around aimlessly for an hour before bumping into someone. When you think of the game’s potential, this aspect is a bit disappointing.
What’s not disappointing, however, is the persistent character progression you’ll be able to undergo. While it wasn’t stated in the trailer, I’m imagining that any type of progress your character makes stays with you, regardless of the number of lobbies and servers you play on. This leads to plenty of chances to get re-acquainted with long lost friends for bragging rights.
The biggest surprise from the reveal was the content creator. It’s as if Rockstar thinks there wasn’t enough to do (there’s going to be that somebody that finishes everything, I suppose), so they gave us the tools to fix that problem forever. I’m really hopeful that it can be used to create custom heist scenarios, but if this isn’t the case, I won’t be entirely disappointed; the content creator is an incredibly nice bonus to an already impressive package.
Grand Theft Auto: Online will be available on October 1st, a couple weeks after Grand Theft Auto V finishes. Here’s to hoping I can finish the campaign in time for launch.
