Eventually, they take out the guards and steal the 'Big Rig' of bikes. The 'transporter' drives the truck while his team follow in cars. "I can see you now. Watch out", calls one player. "We've got an SUV on our tail. Take it out!" The support cars fire at pursuing SUVs as they weave through freeway traffic - the scene has the feel of a Michael Mann movie, only with that unpredictable edge fallible, creative human players provide.
The mission ends as the truck pulls into a dirt road and everyone goes separate ways. You earn $25k and 1250 RP. "Give us a lift into town!" asks one player, as his friend pops down the automated hood on his two-seater Lampadati Felon GP - only to flip his pal the bird and speed off laughing. You'll be able to set custom animations a bit like - whisper it - PlayStation Home. You won't be left stranded, but can call for taxis or your private garage pick up.
Before the demo's final mission, one player leaves to drop money off at the Maze Bank ATM. If you get killed holding all your cash, a portion will spill onto the streets. It's important to keep cash for your daily activities, and deposit the rest in the bank. Or wager it on races. Or invest in the stock market... as we said, it's complex. You can even attack listed companies and damage their share price. At one extreme, you might need a bodyguard to make drops at the bank.
We're taken to a luxury apartment. There will be loads of property to buy at different prices, according to their views and location. You can use your in-house CCTV to spy on people at your front door, or take showers, surf the net, change clothes and watch the game's many TV channels. We glimpsed a 1930s animal detective show (quite), Moosehead Investigations, before the channel was changed to Weasel News. From the safety of your house, you can watch people within your 16-player game being chased by the cops, just like Police Camera Action.