GTA: IV will feature flight

First next-gen GTA won't feature planes but you will be able to get about in boats and helicopters.

Game Informer's Andrew Reiner, the only video game journalist to have seen GTA: IV being played, has revealed new details about the game. GTA fans were invited to fire questions at Reiner and now his answers are in.

Perhaps most exciting is news that GTA: IV will, despite previous reports, feature aerial transportation.

"Dan [Houser, of Rockstar] wouldn't go into specifics on this one, but the only type of vehicle he said that wouldn't be in the game was the airplane. So this should point to boats still being a part of the GTA experience," said Reiner. "There are no airplanes in the game, but flying is still there. One means of this is the helicopter. As Dan pointed out, this is just one city and a plane really doesn't fit into that very well for gameplay. Flying is still very much a large part of the game."

Reiner was also blown away by some of the new physics and animations seen in GTA: IV, notably the way in which windows are now broken before taking command of a car.

"From what I was shown, the only new element was breaking the window of the car to get in. The animation for this was awesome, and something I wish I had seen more than once," said Reiner.

Reiner was also able to offer more information regarding the length of the game, and thankfully it sounds like there's going to be plenty to keep gamers occupied.

"... it should be comparable to all the other GTA games, but they don't know exactly how long it is since the game is still in development. In other words, you'll still be able to vest hundreds of hours," said Reiner. "The multiplayer component, which is still a mystery, could greatly expand the time you spend with it too."

If you were impressed with the visuals on display in the trailer then it sounds as though you're going to be blown away by the final game, Reiner noting: "The demo I saw was definitely a step up from the trailer... which is kind of ridiculous given how great it looked already."

GTA: IV is scheduled for release in North America on October 16 and across Europe on October 19. For more on the game head over to Pro-G TV where you'll find the first trailer.