From left to right: Trevor, Franklin and Michael
According to GameInformer magazine, the next entry in the Grand Theft Auto franchise, the much-anticipated GTA 5 will feature not one but 3 playable main characters for gamers to explore (or terrorize) Los Santos with. Michael, Trevor and Franklin are an unlikely trio who come together for a series of large bank heists.
Players will be able to instantly jump from the shoes of one character to the next. Each man has his own particular skillset, meaning gamers will have the option of changing up their approach to different missions. Players can even change characters in the middle of a mission, giving them multiple viewpoints from which to experience the gameplay.
The Characters
Michael: A career criminal, Michael is a bank heist expert who was forced to give up the life when things got too hot. Now in witness protection, he is living a quiet suburban life in Los Santos. Michael is living the dream: a shallow, vapid wife who spends money like mad and two kids who barely even speak to him most days. When his wife burns through his savings he is forced to fall back into old habits.
Specialties: Michael is the mastermind of the group. An expert at pulling off big heists, he is a natural leader. Expect him to play less of a hands-on role in the schemes, leaving the real dirty work to his two compatriots-in-crime. Not that he’s above cracking a few heads of his own when it comes down to it. Just expect him to do it more stealthy-like.
Trevor: Mike’s old friend back during his robbing days, Trevor is a 40-something army vet with PTSD and a nasty drug habit. He is a severely unstable man prone to fits of violence.
Specialties: A skilled sniper from his army days, Trevor loves explosives and setting things on fire just to watch ‘em burn.
Franklin: A repo man in his twenties, Franklin works at an auto dealership that scams people by selling them cars they can’t afford just so he can repo them back. When he crosses paths with Mike the pair strike up an unexpected friendship.
Specialties: Being that Frank is a lot younger than his cohorts, no doubt most of the legwork and physical stuff will be left up to him.
The other characters will still function autonomously when not being controlled by the player. Given that each of the three has his own unique backstory, don’t be surprised to jump back into a character’s shoes and find he’s been pursuing a personality-specific hobby (or vice) while you were away. According to IGN, each character also has his own social circle. Michael spends most of his time with his wife and kids, Trevor has his conspiracy theorist friend, Ron and Franklin usually hangs with the slightly off-kilter Lamar.
