GRAND THEFT AUTO VI Cometh: Breaking Down the Launch Trailer

Rockstar dropped another trailer for Grand Theft Auto VI on October 16th, showing off more of the game's graphical marvels and near-lifelike cinematics.

More tidbits of information were given about plot and characters as well, along with scenes showcasing Jason and Lucia's relationship.

Nerdist's Take: This is some of the cleanest animation we've ever seen out of the RAGE engine, and the hyper-detailed Vice City has us longing for beaches and a sea breeze…and maybe some police-chase-incurring bedlam.

Rockstar has spoiled us with ninety seconds-ish of (relatively) brand new footage to feast our eyes on. While Rockstar has shown off plenty of the game during previous trailers and the Extended Look, we still get new sights and scenes to dissect between now and November 19. We've gained more insight into Jason's past, and further glimpses into the kind of missions he and Lucia might be getting up to in the game.

Where before we knew only that Jason was ex-military, we now know that he's ex-army specifically, and by the sounds of it, was dishonorably discharged from service, leaving him as a disenfranchised boat maintenance man at Brian's Marina. Still, it seems Jason's making the best of his training. One scene has him crawling through a Leonida swamp with other soldier-looking types in black Special Forces gear, looking full on Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell with their tri-focal night vision goggles.

Fans are speculating whether the scene takes place in the present, or somewhere in Jason's mysterious past. We see Lucia in a similar get-up at one point, armed with a grenade launcher and 'discouraging' police pursuit, so she's clearly taken a note or two from her man.

"I got in trouble, didn't leave on the best of terms. They don't give loans, anything, to people like me."

We see more of Jason and Lucia's relationship as well. These two really seem to have unshakeable faith in each other. Throughout the gameplay and cinematic footage we've been shown across all the trailers, the bond, love, and care they share is loud and clear. It is enough that I will be pressing R2 to hold hands all the time. There's also a…*ahem*…steamy shower scene between the pair, showing off Lucia's fabulous ankle monitor accessory. Hopefully she won't commit any crimes on parole!

Frankly, I've never taken a sex scene in a video game seriously (looking at you, Heavy Rain), but this…looks pretty good! It's two people being very friendly with one another and at no point did I feel like the developers just smashed some pixels together and called it good.

In general: this game looks incredible. We already knew that, but it's still blowing my mind, especially now that some of the janky animation pacing that's haunted the series since Grand Theft Auto IV seems to have been smoothed out. Just look at that iguana! Holy sh*t! And don't even get me started on the water animations. Rockstar put more effort into sweat than I think any game dev has ever. The cinematics don't disappoint either, showing off the game's most action movie worthy shots, like when we see Lucia pulling a Toy Story 2 and jumping from a speeding car onto the landing gear of a plane about to take off.

The vehicles are looking as tight as ever. The float plane from earlier games has returned, and at another point we see a sky-writing plane (it seems our favorite couple might be helping set up a Bitcoin scam?) soaring through the air. The scene of a helicopter carving a path through the side of a sky-scraper might be the most visually stunning of all, minus all those gorgeous Vice City sunsets. Boats are on display as well in the trailer. One of the first few shots is of Jason polishing a boat, the Shasa, a new addition to the series.

You can also catch a glimpse of Jason on a classic Floridian swamp boat. As for earthbound vehicles, we see Jason(?) pull off an impressive stunt jump on an electric dirt bike, likely a Sanchez. There's a brief chase scene between Vice City PD and a lime green supercar, which reminds me a bit of Nico's orange Infernus in Grand Theft Auto IV.

Heists are definitely back. They were a core element of Grand Theft Auto V's story and Grand Theft Auto: Online's gameplay. At one point, Lucia walks into a vault, flaming money raining down all around her. This game has no interest in shying away from sweeping set pieces or 'movie' moments, that's for sure. We're blowing up helicopters, robbing banks, getting in car chases, obliterating both private and public property. You know, normal couple activities!

Grand Theft Auto VI has so much in store for us. We're less than a month away from release, and if any game can live up to the hype, it's a Grand Theft Auto game. Rockstar has its issues, but I have to admit it: they've never made a bad game, and they've never disappointed me. Grand Theft Auto VI is definitely going to blow all our minds.

Jess Harshbarger writes about movies, books, TV, games, comics, and all things nerdy for Nerdist.

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