GTA V Screenshots Showcase Weapons, Fighter Jets, Rappelling

One of the big new draws of GTA V will be bank heists, which players will be able to setup and participate in as extensive mini-games. Another new thing in the game will be the rappel feature, where you can scale down the side of buildings. The new screenshots from the Game Informer exclusive showcase a number of these new features for Grand Theft Auto V.

Accompanying Game Informer's 18-page spread detailing all sorts of nifty info and inside design details for the biggest game of 2013 (and there's really no arguing that there is no game bigger in 2013 than Grand Theft Auto V), there are a number of new screenshots featuring things like the game's new fire system, which can trail along lines of gasoline, chase sequences featuring fictional cars based on real-life sports vehicles such as Porsche and Audi, as well as some mid-air dog fighting between a fighter jet and an unlucky helicopter.

One of the things I thought was awesome and something that's new to the series – but not new to open world games such as Mercenaries 2: World In Flames – is the ability to use liquids to stream fires, as indicated in the one shot below showing a fiery wreck behind the psychologically unstable war veteran, Trevor. If a car leaks gasoline you can set the trail ablaze and watch it run right up to the vehicle for explosive results, ala Die Harder.

Another neat thing is that being able to switch between the three main protagonists, Michael, Trevor and Franklin, creates for some interesting mission scenarios especially when you have the option of playing all three or switching back and forth as you see fit to play out the segment that best suits your play style.

Rockstar was mum on the multiplayer details, but Game Informer wisely predicts that the three-character story arc could play a role in the game's multiplayer, potentially for some co-op action? Maybe.

Rockstar admitting that bank heists will play a big part as a side-activity in GTA V but some fo the details are sketchy. I'd love to see this as part of the multiplayer, because that would be awesome with a group of players performing a heist like in Payday while another group of players attempt to stop them. That whole premise was actually one of the very best mission sequences in GTA IV (and I replayed the crap out of it because it was so fun) and I'm glad Rockstar is expanding on it.

You can check out the new screenshots for the game below, courtesy of Game Informer and Gaming Everything, or you can pre-order the game right now over at Gamestop if all this info got your wallet hot and bothered enough to pay for the game before it releases.