Grand Theft Auto 5: Is it Time for a Heroine?

There are gamers who have taken to some female characters from previous instalments of the Grand Theft Auto franchise. They believe that these females had been great in their roles but that no female has been given the opportunity to become protagonist, at least not yet. They are hoping that GTA 5 will be the first time for a female to take the lead.

But will there be a difference if a female takes the lead or not? We don’t think there will be a difference but there are those who do. There are actually folks who envision the male as head gangster and the female a mere accessory to the crime. Who do you think are the best female game characters? Well, there are a bunch that we can mention such as The Longest Journey’s April Ryan, Beyond Good and Evil’s Jade, Heavenly Sword’s Nariko, Primal’s Jennifer Tate and WET’s Rubi. Will a smattering of great females in video games be enough reason we should expect a female to reign supreme in GTA 5? But why should it be important to have a female in the lead? Why can’t we customize our character’s gender instead? Some gamers feel that customization could ruin the story.

A female character finally making it to protagonist status is just one of the issues that have circulated around GTA 5. Lately, one of the more dominant issues is whether the game should take on the MotionScan technology used in L.A. Noire. For now, many of the mutterings coming out are nothing more than rumor.

Screenshot from Grand Theft Auto 5 (Credit: Rockstar)

Rockstar Games has always given some ideas about what the GTA 5 characters would be like through a Q & A. They explained that the different instalments have been set in various periods in time. The last installment could well be the only one to be made ina period that can still be included in GTA 5.

Should Xbox 720 and PS4 ditch discs?

Are you ready to go entirely digital?

If recent Xbox 720 rumors are to be believed Microsoft's next console will support Blu-ray and finally catch up to its PlayStation counterpart.

Speculation has suggested that it also may not support the use of pre-owned games. We've think the ramifications of discarding used games would be pretty serious for the industry and deadly for a console pursuing that path if a rival decides against it. However, the trend towards digital distribution on the other hand might help in the long term.

Swedish developer Paradox Interactive's boss Fredrik Wester believes the next generation will be the last one before all-digital methods take over, and said he'll be 'surprised if we see another generation after that'.

Wester, like many forward-thinking minds, predicts the ongoing decline of boxed products and the rise of what he calls 'open' platforms like phones and PCs. This doesn't come as much of a surprise considering his company saw a record 97% of revenue from digital means in 2011.

It's a sentiment echoed by Obsidian man Chris Avellone, albeit in much stronger terms. "I hope digital distribution stabs the used game market in the heart," he remarked, explaining that it was so much easier to develop for a digital-only release; excuses for a buggy New Vegas release perhaps?

It would certainly alleviate the argument about used games being ditched somewhat, with the costs of boxing a game being cut hopefully leading to cheaper prices. However, long-established games retailers like HMV and GAME will suffer no end, and that's before you factor in the old fashioned people that just like having that game stacked on the shelf for access whenever.

Amidst claims in November of GTA V being exclusively digital, industry analyst Michael Pachter said there was 'ZERO probability', as "Rockstar in business to sell a lot of copies, and won't do anything that compromises that goal."

The big money is still clearly made in physical copies, Pachter believes. Besides, how many games have you seen developed with XBLA or PSN specifically in mind that offer the scope of GTA or Skyrim? It could be a death knell for the grand gaming experience if you have to download for a day to access it.

The question for you guys is, do you think the new generation of consoles should focus solely on digital downloads and ditch costly Blu-rays and other disc media?

Give us your opinions on digital distribution, and next-gen consoles in general in the comments below.

Astonished by Resident Evil 6 brigade

Most of us know Skyrim was a long time in the making (5 years and 8 months to be exact) and in that time must have taken a great number of developers to bring the game from the drawing board to its final release. The end result is a superb game; apart from a few flaws here and there, which are due to be resolved in an upcoming patch. One would presume this would be the biggest game in terms of development, but this may not be the case, as recent news suggests the Resident Evil 6 team will hit over 600.

You read correctly, it’s not a typo and from the figure 150 developers are in Japan. A recent article reports this will be the largest game in terms of production for Capcom – let’s hope they do not waste this opportunity. By the time the new version of the series gets released Resident Evil 5 will be 3 years and 8 months old, so a lot has changed in that time in terms of technology and gamer needs. Sales figures for the previous version hit 5.6 million, as such is the best selling of the series, which means RE6 has some big shoes to fill.

There is no guarantee the new game will do better than RE5, but some recent insight into Resident Evil 6 does point to significant improvements. However, we do like the new story, as it makes the game much bigger in the sense you are not trapped in one specific area, as you now get to travel to other countries around the world. It’s no secret the zombies will be back, but we do like the idea of a new creature named Javo being introduced.

While those developer team numbers are big when compared to the 450 it took to create Assassin’s Creed 2, another article suggests the game is left trailing when you look at the number it took to develop GTA IV, around 1,000 – wonder what the figure is for GTA V?

600 is still a big number and no doubt is due to there being some key new features in Resident Evil 6, such as online-co-op for up to six players, as well as up to eight for online multiplayer. There is certainly a huge potential for these new features, and should only help to aid in sales, as DLC should play a bigger role this time round.

Capcom has not confirmed any new features just yet, and what we assume could be part of RE6 could be a mistake but it’s nice to think there is some truth to them. Below you will see the official trailer for Resident Evil 6, and in the second an analysis.

What expectations do you have on the new features of Resident Evil 6? Do you believe Capcom should go back to its roots with the new version or has gaming changed so much that it would not work anymore?

Female figures and Grand Theft Auto V

Some gamers feel certain female characters were amazing in previous games and they’d like to see these characters return in future games, although there are people that point out certain games were never given the chance to feature a female as the protagonist, and some fans want GTA 5 to change this.

Not everyone feels the same about a female lead in gaming, but should it really make a difference? In our opinion the gender of the character doesn’t enter our mind when playing games, in most cases, but some gamers feel gender has everything to do with the game especially when it’s as lawless and violent as GTA 5 is likely to be. It does amaze us that in these modern times some people feel a male gangster really matters in games, and collaboration with a female taking a backseat is the most some people want.

Name some of the best female characters in games – this very topic has been touched on in this article , which looks at a number of females that need to make a return, in their opinion. These include Nariko from Heavenly Sword, Jade from Beyond Good and Evil, Jennifer Tate from Primal, Rubi from WET, and April Ryan from The Longest Journey. Each of these choices has been given a little explanation, which can be seen in the above article.

Should we see female dominance in Grand Theft Auto 5? For us the gender doesn’t make a lot of difference, although the answer would be to offer a customizable character that could include a number of choices with different genders. Some people feel this offers disadvantages in GTA 5 and would ruin the story, do you agree?

Some details or solid rumors about GTA 5 please – since the official trailer was launched we’ve seen little in the way of official details from Rockstar, although some solid details and insight have come from third parties this month. EMI Music pointed out via this article  that they’d like work with Rockstar on Grand Theft Auto 5 thanks to the “unique opportunity” it offers them. Some fans want GTA 5 to look like L.A. Noire and play like Grand Theft Auto, which could be possible if an interview with Brendan McNamara is anything to go by.

Insight was offered by Rockstar into the characters likely in GTA 5 thanks to a Q&A, which explained the GTA games are set in different eras with the last game being the only possible era to be included in the next GTA game. You can read more about this inan earlier article.

If Grand Theft Auto V featured a female protagonist, would it make a difference to you? We’ve seen a number of articles highlighting the problem with a female gangster and one of the most insightful can be found here , which concludes that it’s definitely an option if done right.

Grand Theft Auto 5: Title’s Characters May Be Inherited from Previous Installment

We all know that Grand Theft Auto 5 has been surrounded by all sorts of rumors. There has been a lot of speculation as to the characters that will be part of its universe. Now, there is some talk that some of the characters joining GTA 5 will actually be inherited from the franchise’s previous title, GTA 4.

However, there could be a problem with this. Even though only two or three will be joining GTA 5, the concept may not work because the two titles are each working from different universes. This, of course, is an idea that has been put forward. Taking a GTA 4 character and incorporating him or her in GTA 5 will take a lot of story manipulation. So, it is impossible – or next to it, anyway – that a GTA 5 trailer could have featured CJ.

With that in mind, we can turn to the possibility that Liberty Characters will be the ones making the crossover to the newest franchise title. If this were the case, we may have a lot of fun thinking about which character will make it to Rockstar’s newest. The idea has been considered because some Liberty City characters have made it to GTA 4 and some may just make it to GTA 5. The only problem with this right now is that many of these characters are now dead. There are still some characters that could make it, such as Niko Bellic and Jonathan “Johnny” Klebitz. Klebitz may have run off with Bellic’s money but he is still possibility.

We should also consider the fact that both GTA 4 and GTA 5 are high def. So, this could at least eliminate some possible characters. Jerry Kapowitz may return, for example. Some gamers may think the guessing game a pointless exercise because returning characters may take on different roles and importance. But the exercise can still prove to be fun and take away some of the impatience of waiting.