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Former 'Grand Theft Auto' lead starts his own VR studio
Until 2014, Leslie Benzies was head of Rockstar North, responsible for hits like the Grand Theft Auto series and Red Dead Redemption. After an acrimonious split with his former employer and some time away, Benzies looks to be coming back to the game world. An investigation by The Scotsman reveals that the executive has registered a company -- VR-Chitect Limited -- with the aim of building VR headsets and equipment.
Rockstar North boss Leslie Benzies resigns after 17 years
Rockstar North President Leslie Benzies has bid farewell to the studio after 17 years and a handful of highly influential games under his belt. As the head of Rockstar North, Benzies was the lead developer of the Grand Theft Auto series from Grand Theft Auto 3 on, and he produced Red Dead Redemption, Manhunt 2, LA Noire and Max Payne 3. Benzies was inducted into the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame in 2014, alongside Rockstar founders Dan Houser and Sam Houser.
Explore Liberty City with Google Map application
Between the comprehensive in-game map, the GPS-imbued minimap, and the TomTom-esque functionality of certain vehicles, we've yet to misplace ourselves within Liberty City's digital boroughs. Still, if you find yourself lost whilst playing Grand Theft Auto IV, we guess this Liberty City map application (mapplication?) using the Google Maps interface would come in handy. A number of user contributions have already been made to the map, showing the location of hidden items, easter eggs, pigeon locations, stunt jumps, and yes, even hookers, whom we assume were fitted with GPS locaters by trained prostitute handlers before being released back into the wild. It makes for a useful cartographical companion for those with a laptop near their console of choice -- if you don't mind ruining the fun of exploring the nooks and crannies of Rockstar's intricately crafted metropolis for yourself, that is.
Grand Theft Auto IV takes late night comedy world by storm
Comedy starved night owls are probably already aware of the attention that Rockstar's latest crime drama has received on the late night entertainment scene. We chuckled at the Daily Show's coverage of the game's midnight release, but thoroughly LOLed at Conan O'Brien's previews (embedded after the jump) of the toned-down version of Grand Theft Auto IV (if only Stephen Bishop's classic "It Might Be You" really were available on Liberty City's airwaves).However, we didn't truly board the ROFLcopter until we saw the above skit from The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson (the former unitesticled boss on "The Drew Carey Show"). Perhaps it was the visit from "Saturday Night Live" veteran Tim Meadows that made it our fave, or perhaps it was their subtle send-up of the criticism the game has endured due to it's adult content. On that note, if there's anything funnier than the actual media coverage of Rockstar's mature blockbuster, we've yet to see it.
GTA IV 'better than all the hype suggests' according to first person to complete the game
We've seen our fair share of previews on Rockstar's crime drama opus, Grand Theft Auto IV, but we've yet to hear from someone who has enjoyed the bullet-riddled adventure in its entirety -- until Xbox World 360 editor Rob Taylor, after 24 hours of play time, triumphantly viewed the ending credits with the knowledge that he was the first person on the planet (aside from a gaggle of Rockstar employees, we assume) to finish GTA IV. Can someone be envied to death?Fulfilling his civic duty as a gaming journalist, Taylor gave his impressions of the complete work in a spoiler-free interview with GamesRadar -- unsurprisingly, he was a fan. The fourth installment apparently "craps on all the others" in the franchise, and the main character, Niko Bellic, is "most amazing protagonist in any game [he's] ever played." We suggest perusing the remainder of his colorful commentary to help pass the remaining twenty-three days and nine hours until the game lands in our quivering, anticipatory laps.
Introducing the Joystiq Grand Theft Auto IV page
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/Joystiq_s_Grand_Theft_Auto_IV_central_hub'; Need a refresher on Liberty City? Check out our game page for all things Grand Theft Auto IV. Seriously, this is everything we've written on the game. Bookmark the page, as we'll be constantly updating.
Rumor: Complete list of GTA IV achievements leaked
We know that there are those of you who would rather remain in the dark about the pseudo-spoiler-laden list of supposed achievements for Grand Theft Auto IV that has been circulating message boards and gaming news sites as of late, so we'll considerately throw it behind the jump and avoid discussing any major bombshells which the list may or may not reveal.But that would make for a boring news post, so let's just say this -- we love the edginess in Rockstar's seminal crime series, but we think the "Gettin' Too Old For This S***" achievement, which rewards 50G for shooting a cop who's just two days from retirement, may stir up an amount of controversy that even Rockstar's razor-sharp legal team isn't ready to deal with.
GTAIV delayed until 2008's second quarter
Take 2 Interactive just announced that Grand Theft Auto IV will be delayed until 2008's second fiscal quarter, to compensate for some development processes that have taken longer than anticipated. The release confirms that this is taking place for both consoles, so it should be expected than when a new firm date is announced, that the 360's will mirror the PS3's. There has been no word of what this means for the episodic content under development for the 360 version of the game, as it was initially scheduled for a second quarter release in 2008. While we are saddened that we won't be experiencing Rockstar North's grand opus this holiday, our wallets definitely feel the pressure being lifted, if only slightly. We'll have to wait and see how this affects Microsoft's projected game sales this holiday, as 2004 may still remain top dog with the absence of GTAIV in October.[Via Joystiq]
New GTAIV details emerge
The UK Official Xbox Magazine had a chance to sit down with Rockstar North to talk shop about Grand Theft Auto IV, which is evidently 66% complete. Details on the benefit on basing Liberty City off of modern day New York City, the size of Liberty City in comparison to other cities in the GTAIII series, as well as some landmarks are given. In terms of gameplay, the camera's functionality, the targeting system, and improvements on the hand to hand combat are all touched on. Not only that, but boats will be making a "fun" return to the series. Click the "Read" link to get the full scoop, with scans to come shortly, and note that October can't come soon enough.[Via Achievement Junkie. Thanks, Jonah Falcon]
GTAIV Trailer is Live 4 realz!
While the official page has worked for some of us here at Fanboy Towers, we have another alternative for you to check into. Xbox.com just added the HD trailer to the Game Detail page. After verifying your age you can check the quick teaser for Rockstar North's masterpiece. Taking place in New York Liberty City, we see a few of the more distinct locales found in Manhattan Liberty City as well as the Statue of Liberty. The narrator (whom we can only assume is the character you play) appears to have a Russian accent and is looking for a fresh start in the city that never sleeps. Graphically speaking, the lighting and character models look light years ahead of any previous GTA title and the score was very foreboding and somber, adding the perfect mood to the teaser. Simply put, we're stoked. What say you, fanboys?
GTAIV Trailer today
In just under 7 hours, the Grand Theft Auto IV Trailer should be hitting the series of tubes. Hopefully you've properly prepared yourself for this. We're interested to see what kind of hype this will generate, with the logo having been showcased on FX for a half hour accompanied by the ticking count down. Also interesting to note is that the xbox.com Game Detail page showcases box art which could be placeholder, as it's just the "IV" logo slapped on the template for 360 Titles. That's not to say that it couldn't be official, but it greatly differs from all the box art since GTA III, which may actually be the point. In any case, we'll be closely watching Rockstar's game page this afternoon, will you?[Thanks, Chris G]
Dissecting Rockstar's formula: Joystiq previews Vice City Stories (PSP) & Bully (PS2)
The headquarters of Rockstar Games, a thin 6-story building squeezed between Best Buy and Adidas, stands just north of where Broadway cuts through Houston Street flowing downward into a mecca of trend -- or shopping for trends -- known as SoHo. A few blocks away Sony has erected one of the world's largest PSP displays (seen here), which towers over the intersection of Lafayette and Houston. But it's not just neighboring downtown-Manhattan real estate that connects Rockstar and Sony.
GTAIV will share the Table Tennis engine
There's a rumor floating around these here internets suggesting that the next iteration of Rockstar's money-printing machine known as Grand Theft Auto will be using their own in-house RAGE engine (Rockstar Advanced Game Engine engine), recently seen in Table Tennis. Gamespot's Rumor Control traces the rumor to a TotalVideoGames.com post which mentioned, but neglected to link to, an MTV News report from over a month ago. That report stated, "The Rockstar reps explained that the game was running on RAGE, the Rockstar Advanced Game Engine. This is the graphics technology gamers are to expect from future Rockstar games, including the next GTA." I contacted MTV News' Stephen Totilo to see just how definite this was, and he returned, "I met with Rockstar publicists and producers for Table Tennis twice prior to the game's release. Both times they volunteered that RAGE would serve as the engine for all next-gen Rockstar games. 'Including GTA?' I asked both times. Including GTA they said both times." So there you have it folks. Following EA's acquisition of GTA's old-engine, Renderware, Rockstar has went and made their own. Sure, Table Tennis looks great but really, anything's better than the dated engine they're using now.
