'Grand Theft Auto' radio tracklist

Today's release of the official final Grand Theft Auto 5 trailer showed off a little bit more of the dramatic and cinematic elements of what may arguably be the most anticipated game of the year. Although amongst the excitement and buzz, it may have slipped your attention that there were a few other bits of information dropped upon the gaming community from Rockstar's tower.

The soundtrack (read: the non-leaked version) for GTA 5 was revealed via Rolling Stone, through an interview with Rockstar's soundtrack supervisor Ivan Pavlovich.

In the interview, Pavlovich discussed the various elements of the soundtrack that has been compiled in order to bring to life Los Santos' 15 radio stations - which feature genres such as modern rock, Mexican electronica, "low rider classics," soul and 80s music, to name a few. One of the more interesting additions to the genre line up is the introduction of pop music, which Pavlovich explains is tied into a California feel that was essential to the game's soundscape.

We approached the radio stations as the musical soundscape [you experience] as you fly into L.A. One of the things we've never done in a GTA game before is a pop station; exploring that made so much sense in the context of L.A

The radio stations have always been a strong part of Grand Theft Auto's identity, and the leak a few days ago gave gamers a thorough, if not entirely confirmed look at each station's line up of songs. However, that is only a part of the music that is going to feature in GTA 5. Pavlovich also talked about the game's extensive and dynamic score that is "somewhere in the proximity of 20 movies worth of score." He explained that it was a collaboration between three major forces, in Woody Jackson, Edgar Froese and Alchemist as well as Oh No. Pavlovich explains that it is a true collaboration and even though every composer brought a different flavor to the soundscape of Los Santos, none of them are ever very far away from each other.

"Even though you may be triggering one score with a particular character or within a particular area in the world, you're always hearing elements from the other composers. The first time you come into the country you're blown away by Woody Jackson's rock score, but within that you're still hearing elements of Tangerine Dream, and Alchemist and Oh No. So you're never too far away from this core sound that we've established for the game."

In addition to the soundtrack, Rockstar announced today that Grand Theft Auto Online will be implementing Crew Hierarchies.

Check out the breakdown inforgraphic below:

Set to be part of the dynamic world of an online Los Santos, players will be able to form their own crews and manage them through a player ranking system. There are five ranks within a crew and a community can be crafted however suits it best. Including a crew Leader who obviously runs the community, there are also:

  • Commissioners:  The Crew’s most trusted member(s) - that essential right-hand man or woman that the Leader relies on for Vice Presidential advisement and executive action. Commissioners have the power to manage and administrate all aspects of the Crew on behalf of the Leader, including the ability to promote members internally or invite new members in.
  • Lieutenants: Made members with specific privileges to keep the Crew in check and hand out promotions or demotions amongst sub-ordinate ranks. Crew Representatives and the mob of Muscle would be wise to keep their Lieutenants (and above) sweet.
  • Representatives: A tier of Crew members who have shown and proved their commitment to the clique - whether with ace performance in competitive modes, or just by rocking their Crew's emblem faithfully since day one. Crew Leaders can assign these special players as Representatives who will have basic permissions to aid recruitment efforts.
  • Muscle: The rank-and-file mob of Crew members who are happy to play their position of causing some havoc Online, doing their Crew's emblem justice and fighting for its good name. Muscle-level members may not have nor want any administrative power but they're often the heart and soul of what makes your Crew fearsome. Ambitious Muscle who are looking to prove themselves to the Crew Leader and rise up the ranks may even prove a threat to their Crew superiors, if any are deemed to be slacking on their responsibilities or performance.

If Rockstar can implement the crew system seamlessly into the world of Grand Theft Auto Online, there is loads of potential in the setup. Allowing crews to meet each other in the outside world as opposed to set locations could be a great way to make the online community feel (more) alive. By becoming a central part of the multiplayer gameplay it could potentially create both leisure and competitive environments that will continue to bring players back. The possibility of online gang wars and crew promotions that continue to shape a player's world is a powerful incentive that would help make them feel part of Los Santos, instead of just individuals noodling around in an open sandbox.

Grand Theft Auto 5 releases September 17, 2013 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Grand Theft Auto Online will go live two weeks later on October 1 with every copy of the game.

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Sources: Rolling Stone & Rockstar Games