Rockstar have announced The Valentine’s Day Massacre Special, a free update coming to Grand Theft Auto Online this Friday introducing a raft of Valentine’s-themed content for a limited time. They’ve described the additions as follows:
NEW WEAPON: GUSENBERG SWEEPER
Nothing says “I love you” quite like the warm wooden grip and cold steel barrel of a Gusenberg Sweeper machine gun. Get it from any Ammu-Nation location in GTA Online (in Story Mode, the Sweeper is automatically deposited into each character’s weapon inventory with two full clips and additional ammo can be purchased at Ammu-Nation).
NEW VEHICLE: ALBANY ROOSEVELT
Paint the town red in the classically-inspired Albany Roosevelt. This armored 1920s limousine is perfect for gangsters and their molls. To properly run amok with the new Roosevelt, get in the driver’s seat and let your friends or Crewmates hang off the side, firing and taking out your rivals as you pass them by. The Roosevelt can be accessed from any garage property in Story Mode and is available in GTA Online from the legendarymotorsport.net in-game website.
NEW ATTIRE
Dress to the nines in a host of new double breasted suits and 1920s flapper dresses, or bare it all in sexy undergarments while going incognito with a selection of new masquerade masks. There are also new novelty t-shirts, hats and more available in stores throughout Los Santos, plus a new Flapper Bob hairstyle exclusively for the ladies.
10 NEW JOBS
The Valentine’s Day Massacre also includes 10 new Jobs scattered like the remnants of a broken heart throughout the world of GTA Online, including Deathmatches, a new Parachute Jump and new land, sea and cycling Races.
In addition, they hint at additional material to come, such as the Dangerous Business Pack, an expansion to the Creator tool and, finally, those online heists everyone’s been clamouring for since GTA Online released back in October.
Not having been able to play the game since it decided to stop letting me log in somewhere around late November, it’s hard to judge the current state of the game though this definitely sounds like a step in the right direction towards retaining its player base after it released in a – let’s be charitable here – less than fully formed state than its marketing suggested. Content packs are these are crucial if Rockstar wants to keep its game active and lure back customers put off by its rocky debut.
Let’s not forget either that the rumour mill has been hinting heavily at GTA5 coming to PC and possibly next-gen consoles (A brief Google search finds lots of claims of release dates, but no confirmations from reliable outlets so we’re assuming no specifics at this stage). Content packages like this sound like a great way to develop a platform for increased content that can be employed in a PC/next-gen relaunch of the ‘full’ game making for great double-dip fodder. Not that people aren’t already keen to replay GTA5 with extra graphical oomph and a smoother FPS, but an expanded GTAO with more content and depth would make a great sweetener for the undecided, especially if we can transfer our characters via the Rockstar Social Club. For now, alas, this stuff remains in the realms of speculation, but it’s very clear that Rockstar are unwilling to let GTA Online die, and the future of it and its single-player companion will be very interesting to see unfold.
Still playing GTA Online? Looking forward to this new content? Given up? Would you jump back in for a PC/next-gen relaunch? Sound off in the comments and on the forums!
