So, the day is upon us where we'll finally get the first glimpse of the next entry in the storied Grand Theft Auto series. It's been more than four long years and, since then, the bittersweet saga of Niko Bellic has become a fond, distant memory for most gamers. Still, the trailer that introduced the immigrant hero hit like a lightning bolt in 2007 and, here at Kotaku, we thought it'd be worthwhile to look back at how Rockstar introduced the world to Niko Bellic.
Looking at that clip again,it's extremely telling the viewer doesn't get much in terms of what the actual GTA IV gameplay will be like. Rather, its priority is to set the tone for the experience you'd be getting your hands on. Long slow shots of the city, itself a character in the game, open things up and it's more than halfway through the teaser until you hear or see Niko. The violence that's been a trademark of the series is conspicuously absent and the only thing on display is the massive upscale of world-building tech used to bring Liberty City to life.
We may not get something in the exact same vein for the GTA V reveal, but it's probably going to be a narrative or tonal moment from gameplay that feels like a cutscene. Our game's hero will also probably be revealed to us. Even if a name doesn't get uttered, we'll probably learn a little bit about what drives him. Since setting's so important to Rockstar's games, we'll almost definitely see, above all else, about the setting where GTA V will happen.
You can contact Evan Narcisse, the author of this post, at evan@kotaku.com. You can also find him on Twitter, Facebook, and lurking around our #tips page.