GTA V: 5 Things We Learned From The New Screenshots

By Joseph Dempsey /

E3 is typically dominating the headlines in the gaming community this week with the popular gaming expo ending tomorrow, and while many publishers are strutting their stuff and showing off their upcoming, next generation titles, one company is notably absent - Rockstar Games. The publishers of the ultra-popular Grand Theft Auto series decided not to attend this year's event and have instead decided to reveal more details regarding the latest in the long-running sandbox series - GTA V - later this summer. But that's not to say they've been completely inert. In fact, yesterday, the company decided to rattle a few cages by unveiling 9 new screenshots for their upcoming crime title, as well as revealing it will come with a bundle also containing a 500 GB PS3 console and a Pulse wireless headset. That's typical of Rockstar, just when nobody's talking about them, they go and steal the show. And the new screengrabs look pretty impressive, too. The new collection displays jet ski racing, scuba diving, gunfights, explosions and more in-your-face GTA action fans have become all top accustomed with down the years. Trevor looks as foaming-at-the-mouth crazy as ever and the graphics once again look sublime. What else did we learn about GTA this week? Well, click "next" to find out.

5. Are Casinos Back?

The above image appears to show Michael stood moodily under the awnings of a casino - or at least we're assuming it's a casino considering the raft of garishly bright, triangular lights arrowing from the ceiling. A quick Google search of "GTA 5 Casino" and words to that extent yield no results and so are we to take this image as the first indication that casinos are returning to the series for the first time since 2004? Fans of GTA may recall GTA: San Andreas featured numerous casinos scattered throughout the decadent city of Los Venturas whereby gamers could play blackjack, roulette and even wheel of fortune as CJ frittered away his dubiously accumulated wealth. Players could even rack up debt and end up getting chased down by casino goons. There were also heist missions revolving around casinos, which helped make up some of the more memorable of San Andreas' missions. We know that GTA V is going to revolve around bank heists, and that armed raids are going to be a prevalent feature in the new game, and thus the return of casinos could play right into the hands of this element.