Let me make one thing clear right off the bat: the GTA VI Extended Look did not, in fact, tell me anything I didn’t already know or assumed about the game. Virtually everything that was shown off in the gorgeous 27-minute video could’ve been inferred from past trailers, screenshots, coverage, and the way Rockstar has talked about the game since its announcement.
Did I still have an absolute blast watching the video? You bet I did.
Let me set the scene for you. I set an alarm for 2:55 a.m., on a Friday morning where I had to get up at 4:30 a.m. to get ready for my day job. My alarm went off, I groggily shut it off with annoyance at my past self because what the hell, past me?! I don’t have to get up for work for another hour. What gives? Then I remembered Netflix was hosting the Grand Theft Auto VI Extended Look in a few minutes, and I immediately snapped awake.
For the next 27 minutes, my sleepy face was glued to my phone, taking in every immersive detail that awaits me in GTA VI.
Red Dead Redemption 2-Style Dialogue Choices
The first thing I noticed was that GTA VI will feature a dialogue system that takes its cues from Red Dead Redemption 2. Early on in the video, as Jason and Lucia make their way up a dilapidated building to pick something up “for Boobie”, a couple of dialogue options appear in the bottom right corner of the screen, allowing you to determine how you want Jason to react to NPCs.
Later on in the video, there’s a bit where Jason gets to interact with a dog in one of three ways: Pet, scold, or study. Okay first off, who the hell at Rockstar decided it was okay to have a “scold” option in there? Second of all, does it even matter anyway? There’s only one right choice here.
Anyway, it may feel like old hat at this point, but the GTA games have generally always been fully scripted with little to no room for player input when it comes to dialogue. I don’t expect this to have much of an impact on how the story plays out, but as a huge fan of Red Dead Redemption specifically, it’s nice to see Rockstar take some cues from its western epic.
Who Let These Two into a Strip Club?
Yeah yeah I know strip clubs have always been a thing in GTA, but I gotta say I was still surprised to see a few seconds of footage of Jason and Lucia making it rain in a strip club.
Part of me was worried that it was a thing that Jason could just do on his own. I’m already so invested in Jason and Lucia as a couple that I would just hate the thought of him doing anything even remotely scummy, so the fact that the both of them can just straight up go to a strip club, toss some dollar bills, and dance together makes me happy. Making this a couple activity was definitely the right choice.
New Depth to the Wanted System
In previous games, if you got Wanted stars, all you had to do was lay low and stay out of sight for a while and the cops would eventually go away. In GTA VI, it looks like Rockstar has made it even more immersive.
Cops can now keep track of what vehicle you’re driving or even the clothes you’re wearing, as evidenced by the icons in the top right corner of the screen. You’ll need to put in a little more effort into ditching the cops, which might also make players think twice about going on a rampage.
Rob Everything
Jason and Lucia give off mad Bonnie and Clyde vibes and it looks like GTA VI may allow you to rob a whole variety of stores in Vice City and the greater state of Leonida. From banks to jewelry stores and gas stations, everything is up for grabs.
The video showed off the couple busting in with guns, holding people up, grabbing money, before rushing out to escape on a getaway vehicle. I have to say I think the romantic couple dynamic was such a great idea here, as you really feel like Jason and Lucia are a team with very intertwined lives, as opposed to Michael, Trevor, and Franklin from GTA V, who could feel extremely separated from each other at times.
All the Activities You Can Do in GTA VI
We already knew that GTA VI was going to be an insane sandbox world full of random activities you can do, and the Extended Look gave us a small taste of that. Here’s what I clocked from the video:
- Skydiving
- Bank robberies
- Strip clubs (note to self: do not let Jason go alone)
- Underwater exploration
- Swamp airboating
- Exercising
- Playing basketball
- Racecar racing
- Dirtbike courses
- Target practice
- Tanning on the beach
- Spying on your neighbors pleasuring themselves with VR, apparently
Definitely looking forward to that last one, of course.
Grand Theft Auto VI will release for PS5 on Nov. 19.
