Grand Theft Auto 5 multiplayer, coop and story details

It's hard to imagine that it's only been three years since we took control of fresh-off-the-boat Eastern European immigrant, Niko Bellic, and turned the Liberty City criminal underworld upside down in Grand Theft Auto 4. Now, ten years after the GTA series was refashioned as a sandbox of make-your-own-fun debauchery and rags to riches mayhem in Grand Theft Auto 3, Rockstar is preparing to take-on triple-A blockbuster sales with the release of Grand Theft Auto 5.

Today, after much speculation about what we can expect in the next GTA installment (as well as a teaser countdown), Rockstar has unveiled the first trailer for the game - giving us a sneak peek at new protagonist, Adrian, as well as the latest sandbox city backdrop, Los Santos.

It sounds as though the "rumored" Grand Theft Auto 5 details from a couple days back - which hinted at a return to Los Santos (faux-Los Angeles), co-op campaign play, 2012 timeframe (and end of the world in-jokes) as well as a Hispanic protagonist named Adrian were... probably not rumors.

Check out the Grand Theft Auto 5 trailer below:

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There are a lot of different environments and characters in the trailer (all centered around the West Coast Los Santos area) - and while it certainly manages to give players an idea of the locale as well as tone of the title, the teaser is definitely short on concrete details.

In general, Grand Theft Auto 5 appears to be more of the same - which should please most fans (although it doesn't hit many of the new features in our wish list). As usual, we'll be stepping into the shoes of a complicated anti-hero (likely to be the aforementioned Adrian) who, despite wanting a "better" life, is pulled into the criminal ranks - much like every other Grand Theft Auto protagonist before him.

The footage also appears "contemporary" which would mean Rockstar isn't doing a period-game (like franchise title, GTA: Vice City, or their recent West Coast-set game, LA: Noire). Since the trailer doesn't contain actual gameplay, we're also in the dark as to whether Rockstar will finally update the series' often-derided shooting mechanics - as well as whether or not the rumored co-op gameplay is anything more than a minute side-feature.

Lastly, also missing from the trailer is an indication of which platforms Rockstar intends to support (i.e. will the game appear on the WiiU) as well as a concrete release window but, with a rumored 2012 focus, expect the title to arrive sometime next year (for a the very least, the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC).

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Follow me on Twitter @benkendrick.

Sources: Rockstar