Video Game Tourism: First-Person Grand Theft Auto V

It's awfully exciting. I've played squillions of first-person games and, thanks to mods, even first-person Grand Theft Auto. And yet, here I am, oohing and aahing like a weary traveller handed a cup of tea. The new trailer showing off Grand Theft Auto V's first-person mode is awfully exciting.

Not just that it's gorgeous - it is - but that it's surely a sign that Rockstar recognise GTA is a tourism simulator at heart, and intend to do away with all this guff about Johnny Crimes and his pals Ricky Murder and Ian Knives. GTA VI's final mission will be to find a good vegan breakfast on a foggy San Fierro morning, mark my words.

Rockstar say they've boshed in "thousands of new animations" for this new view. It has an optional first-person cover system too, and players can switch between first and third-person views with a button-press. IGN have played it, and say it's got fancy things like motorbike helmets muffling sound and vehicle dashboards modelled down to radio song displays in flash cars.

I suspect the first-person view will be more difficult for driving, flying, and, well, anything that's not shooting men in the face. GTA missions often rely on doing silly things in tight spaces, after all. That's fine. I intend to first-person see as much as I can, wandering the streets aimlessly and snapping photos. I now realise I'd really like proper first-person support for Mafia II - such a pretty city, Empire Bay, with so little to do.

GTA V is due to finally, finally arrive on PC on January 27th, 2015.