Are obviously not in this game in any capacity....or are they?

I had the thought that Trevor, Michael, and Franklin are all evolved from the basic concepts of the PS2 characters.

Trevor is a psychotic ex-convict, just like Claude.

Michael is a ex-criminal finding his way back into the life of crime, just like Tommy.

Franklin is a street gangster who is trying to get out of the hood and tapping into his potential, just like CJ.

Is it too far fetched to think that GTA V's main characters are spiritual successors to the characters from the PS2 generation, or are they just coincidences?

I feel that this game will satisfy both the people that pine for the old game characters and those that want new canon for the franchise by expanding upon the subtext of GTA3, VC, and SA. Thoughts?

Thats all well and good, but nothing ever really made me think Claude was "psychotic". Only thing that comes to it is if the PLAYER decides to massacre everyone, in that instance thats not a characteristic of Claude as a character of characteristic of a character characteristic....also I never saw anywhere that Trevor is an ex-convict, just a drug, party loving ex-military pilot.

Wow I've never really thought of it that way; having the three protagonists project the "III"-era three is a really neat idea! Hopefully there's some more telling hints dropped in the game that are subtle callbacks to the "III" characters and what things they've gotten into, I'd definitely appreciate the nostalgia of being reminded about those games.

However, what exactly was telling about Claude being psychotic aside from being quiet all the time, doing crazy stuff, and killing his ex-girlfriend (but for a really good reason)?

I mean all GTA protagonists have done some crazy things, so even that item isn't necessarily telling of him being psychotic. And he might not have reallyshot Maria, which might be minor evidence to him being a sociopath at least.

I would like more Claude in my GTA.

I think it's enough that they each look like the GTA3, Vice City and San Andreas protagonists, for us to acknowledge it as fan service.

We don't need similar characteristics and histories for these guys.. These three look extremely similar to the three we love, and surely it's intentional, therefore this is Rockstar serving its fans. Yay!

Tommy wasn't an ex criminal was he, wasn't he just a regular criminal?

@Hizang: I suppose, I'm not sure if his prison stint halted his criminal career or postponed it.