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GTA Online receives capture-the-flag themed update today
GTA Online, the online side of Grand Theft Auto 5, gets a free update today that adds four new capture-the-flag modes. It being GTA, the flags are so much pieces of fabric as they are suspect packages and stolen vehicles. Simply titled Capture, the update brings Raid, Hold, GTA, and Contend to the game's team-based modes, along with 20 new jobs. A quick rundown of the modes, then: Raid sounds like standard CTF, with teams attacking bases to seize packages and bring them to their bases. Hold, meanwhile, is about finding packages and storing as many as you can in your base - unlike Raid, packages are also dotted across the map. GTA is like Raid, but with vehicles spread across the map. Finally, Contend is centered around a single vehicle that respawns after it's successfully captured. According to Rockstar, the update is available now through Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network. It also adds a bunch of tweaks and fixes that you can check out here.
Grand Theft Auto 5 already overtaken GTA 4 lifetime sales in UK
In just three weeks of UK sales, Grand Theft Auto 5 has sold more copies than Grand Theft Auto 4 has in nearly five years of lifetime sales. The staggering statistics come courtesy of UK figure-gatherers Chart Track, who report GTA 5 is already the country's 12th biggest-selling game of all time. To reiterate, this stat applies to UK sales. Still, with global sales surpassing $1 billion in the first three days, UK sales at 2.25 million copies in the first week, and now this, Rockstar is probably feeling okay about keeping the game on current-gen platforms (for now).
Grand Theft Auto Online First Impressions Video
Though there are issues plaguing the mode's release, Grand Theft Auto 5's online component launched today on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Getting ahead of the crowds, we woke up bright and early to play in the online sandbox. You can read detailed first impressions of the online mode's opening hours in our written preview, but if you'd prefer to see the game in action - especially if you can't connect - we've whipped up a video featuring our experience. Listen in on Richard and Xav as they discuss Grand Theft Auto Online, the trolls of San Andreas and the busiest police force in video game history.
Beginning my life of crime in Grand Theft Auto Online
This is the first in what we hope are many entries exploring the online component of Grand Theft Auto 5. For details on the game, read Joystiq's review. Lamar picked me up from Los Santos International Airport early this morning, as I exited the "create-a-character" menu in Grand Theft Auto 5's online mode. GTA Online went live today as a free update on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. According to Franklin's fast-talking, hustler buddy, he's been chatting it up with my online avatar on LifeInvader - the game's Facebook parody - for too long and it's about time I've made my way down to Los Santos. Here's where dreams are made, he promises, dropping names like anchors in water that are meant to impress but only stop me dead in my tracks. Names like Simeon, a notorious "bullshit artist" whose credit scams bring Michael's life crashing into Franklin's. First order of business, though, is protection. Lamar has me covered, handing over an untraceable handgun as a welcoming gift. "There's all kinds of opportunities in Los Santos," Lamar says. "I mean, that's if you got the nuts to pull 'em off." This is the promise of Grand Theft Auto Online.
PSA: GTA Online live today
You can live the American dream with friends in Grand Theft Auto Online starting today, accessible after downloading a title update for Grand Theft Auto 5. The game's online component lets up to 16 players enter Los Santos together, where they can take up jobs and missions, compete in races, customize characters, create content like races and deathmatches, and generally roam and tear asunder as they please. In a news-wire update this week, the studio assured fans the confirmed presence of microtransactions "should not disrupt the playing field," since players will still need Reputation Points earned by play to be able to buy high-end gear; players can, however, trade real-world money for in-game GTA$. Rockstar released new details on GTA Online this morning, including that it takes place a few months prior to the events of GTA 5. Also, house party invites are only for "friendly" visits, meaning other players can't tear up your pad - that's just good manners, really.
Grand Theft Auto 5 breaks UK day one sales record
GFK Chart-Track, the company responsible for the weekly UK sales charts, stated this afternoon that Grand Theft Auto 5 is "officially UK's biggest ever video game launch." The game sold 1.57 million copies on its first day, with estimated sales of £65 million ($103.8 million). The company noted the previous record was held by Call of Duty: Black Ops, which sold 1.4 million copies in one day. Publisher Take-Two stated earlier this afternoon that Grand Theft Auto 5 has sold $800 million in total on launch day.
Grand Theft Auto 5 makes off with over $800 million on day one
Worldwide sales of the latest entry in Rockstar's open-world crime series, Grand Theft Auto 5, have surpassed $800 million in just 24 hours at retail. This figure represents a new day-one high for both the series and parent company Take Two Interactive. Currently, Grand Theft Auto 5 only has a single-player component on Xbox 360 and PS3. Rockstar announced the multiplayer supplement, Grand Theft Auto Online, will launch on October 1.
Grand Theft Auto 5 review: How to take it in America
It was after waterboarding a man with a canister of gasoline that I realized Grand Theft Auto 5 operates on its own set of rules. While other games have shied away from societal hot-buttons like torture in the past few years, developer Rockstar North runs toward these problems with a loaded weapon, an angry mob of cops in tow as businesses are being robbed and cars explode around them. As a series, Grand Theft Auto has proudly poked the Western world about its obsessions and the things it finds offensive, offering its own slanted view of that world – a view that refuses to be dishonest. Politicians promise to nuke adversarial countries, a crowdfunding website equates its business model to panhandling, social media moguls brag about selling their users' private information, and the list goes on. Despite Grand Theft Auto's glamorization of virtual violence, which has never irked me, Rockstar's franchise has been able to maintain its likability with expansive, believable worlds and a band of interesting and redeemable characters. Grand Theft Auto 5 has difficulty with its cast, however, as the latest in the notorious series features some of the most unbearable people I've ever had the misfortune of interacting with. Thankfully, interacting with Grand Theft Auto's world is better than it's ever been.
Rockstar launches GTA 5 social network parody Lifeinvader
Forget Facebook, daddio, because Lifeinvader is where the cool kids are at. Yes, Lifeinvader is a social network parody launched by Rockstar ahead of Grand Theft Auto 5's arrival next week, and it likely features some of the characters and brands from the game itself. The site loads up various profiles when accessed, including ones for returning soda Sprunk, hairdresser Herr Kutz Barber, and Redwood Cigarettes, the latter running a promo for 10 percent off your first visit to a hospital when you "stalk" them on Lifeinvader. GTA 4 had plenty of parody websites, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see Lifeinvader in GTA 5 when it launches on Xbox 360 and PS3 on September 17. We'll avoid detailing its content any further for those who want to go in knowing as little as possible, but we must mention some of the Lifeinvader taglines, because they're great: "Portray the life you want online," "Make friends with strangers," and "Making the private public," are a few of the best. Right, now to post this on Facebook ...
Grand Theft Auto 5 starts its engines with 'The Official Trailer'
It's surreal to think that, in all the madness of the next-gen consoles coming out in a few months time, a new GTA game is under three weeks away. Here's the so-dubbed "The Official Trailer" for Grand Theft Auto 5, due on PS3 and Xbox 360 on September 17.
The Soapbox: That's not an MMO
You may not be aware of this, but Massively is a website focused primarily on massively multiplayer online games. It's kind of what we do. However, the world of MMOs in 2013 is far different from the world of MMOs in 2007, when the site was founded. The niche has changed and the games industry has evolved. There was a time when "online" told you everything you needed to know about a game because there was really only one type of online game. You knew in picking up an online game that you and some friends would be leveling, looting gear, and slaying dragons. It took a while for developers to notice that online play was actually a thing that could work in more than one particular format. Nowadays, online games range from traditional MMORPGs like Guild Wars 2 and RIFT to MOBAs like SMITE and League of Legends. There's no clear definition for what an MMO is or isn't because so many games are massive, multiplayer, and online. Maybe it's time to embrace MMO as a broader term than previously thought.
Rockstar reveals Grand Theft Auto Online
Rockstar Games today lifted the curtain on Grand Theft Auto Online, showing off the new title via a lengthy announcement trailer. GTA Online appears to be more than just a simple multiplayer iteration of the Grand Theft Auto franchise, and features player housing, a persistent world, and player-generated content. The game shares game elements and geography with Grand Theft Auto V and supports up to 16 players co-habitating in their own little online world. Players will be able to purchase and customize vehicles, own property, shape their appearance, and work their way through the criminal underworld, in addition to participating all the random acts of chaos the series has offered since its inception. In Grand Theft Auto Online, players have the freedom to explore alone or with friends, work cooperatively to complete missions, band together to participate in activities and ambient events, or compete in traditional game modes with the entire community, all with the personality and refined mechanics of Grand Theft Auto 5. Purchasers of Grand Theft Auto V will receive access to GTA Online when it launches October 1st on PS3 and Xbox 360 (and not PC). It is unclear whether the game will be available as a standalone product; we have reached out to Rockstar for clarification. Check out the reveal trailer after the break.
Grand Theft Auto 5 rated R18+ in Australia
The Australian Classification Board handed the R18+ rating to Grand Theft Auto 5 today, so those fearing a possible repeat of the refused classification for Saints Row 4 can relax. The classification offers no indication the Aussie version of Rockstar North's upcoming crime-fest had any of its content edited. The adult-only rating means GTA 5 can now be sold in Australia, and it's heading to retail shelves there and the world over on September 17 for Xbox 360 and PS3. The decision may underline consternation from fans over why Saints Row 4 wasn't allowed through in light of the traditional rivals' similarities but differing decisions. The ACB recently re-reviewed its decision on an unedited version of Saints Row 4, but reaffirmed the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC game's ban due to its depiction of drug use. Publisher Deep Silver is expected to submit an edited version of the exuberant sandbox game to the ACB. Elsewhere, Saints Row 4 comes to North America on August 20, and Europe on August 23
GTA 4 Iron Man mod is flying into buildings
Grand Theft Auto 4 has been host to many excellent mods in the past, such as one in which R2-D2 destroys Liberty City. In this case, YouTube user taltigolt recently showed off a video that showcaes improvements made to a complete GTA 4 mod that places Iron Man in the heat of the action. Not only does the video show Iron Man flying around the city and smashing into buildings, but he destroys police cars with ease by raising his arms. The modding crew also uploaded an album with Tony Stark in the game to their Facebook page. Unfortunately, the video features no sound at the request of another GTA 4 modder. Just imagine various crunch and explosion sound effects while you watch it.
Manhunt goes to PS2 Classics on May 14
Rockstar North's stealth slash slaughter game, Manhunt, launches on PSN next week on May 14, available in the PS2 Classics section for $10. European PSN users will have to wait until Wednesday, when their store is updated. In the announcement post, Rockstar also says the next game up for re-release is The Warriors. Manhunt joins Bully, Midnight Club 3, Red Dead Revolver and various Grand Theft Auto games, all available on PSN now. The PS2 Classic generated much controversy when it launched in 2003 for its gruesome murder scenarios and animations – a few examples include suffocating enemies with plastic bags, strangling them with wire and eviscerating others with table saws. In 2007, Rockstar produced a sequel in Manhunt 2, which was banned in the UK for almost six months before it was cleared for launch.
Three points of view on Grand Theft Auto 5
Los Santos, a sub-urbane simulacrum of the auto-dependent Los Angeles, is the foundation for Rockstar North's next big heist, Grand Theft Auto 5. The studio's job is to create, not acquire: build the biggest playground yet, and fill it with more, more, more things to do. The first thing we do is jump out of a helicopter. The mountains and snaking rivers below almost obscure the fact that there's a city just around the corner. Serenity is a rare quality in Grand Theft Auto, though I know the parachute is precursor to an inevitable descent into mayhem. Later, protagonists Trevor, Michael and Franklin clear out an armored van in the dead of night, having blocked its route with a stolen truck. The police start arriving en masse, in waves, and Rockstar shows me the ease at which you can switch between your criminals. While Michael and wheelman Franklin are pinned down behind cover, you can leap into a manic Trevor and snipe from a distant tower. The elaborate shootout demonstrates refinements in motion, combat and cover, Rockstar says. The driving is supposed to feel better too – another sign of the expected trajectory of improvement of the Grand Theft Auto series. Rockstar North aims to improve its monster of a game at every known level, from motion-captured walking animations and gunplay, ambiance, writing, and story-driven activities outside of the main plot. I haven't seen enough (or played any) to say how it all fits together, but there are three alterations that could put Grand Theft Auto 5 on your radar, even if, like many of Rockstar's subjects, you've been trying to elude a dour life.
Heist resolution Grand Theft Auto 5 screenshots
We've posted a new set of Grand Theft Auto 5 screenshots as prelude to some preview coverage later today. This batch shows off the trio of protagonists in the midst of a heist, as well as some underwater, likely more legal R&R. %Gallery-187377%
Grand Theft Auto 5 sticks with tried-and-true box art
After some recent speculation surrounding a mural unveiling, Rockstar revealed the official box art for Grand Theft Auto 5 this morning. As you can see in full below the break, it does not stray far from the style introduced during the series' PlayStation 2 days.The art unsurprisingly features the three main protagonists of the game, with Franklin holding the handgun at the bottom, Trevor holding the slightly larger weapon, and Michael taking to the water. Also typical to GTA's style, in the hands of the woman on the left we can see a rather familiar-looking device...Grand Theft Auto 5 rides onto Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on September 17.
GTA: Liberty City Stories, Vice City Stories spin yarns on PSN next week
Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories and Vice City Stories ride onto PSN next week for $9.99/£7.99 each. The last half-year saw the arrivals of GTA 3, Vice City, and San Andreas on PSN as PS2 Classics, so it's no shock to see the two other PS2 GTA games join them.Both games originally released on PSP, of course, but it's the PS2 versions (playable on PS3) coming to PSN next week - the PSP versions are already there.
Grand Theft Auto 5 screens go underwater, skydiving, and minigunning
Rockstar released a batch of new Grand Theft Auto 5 screens this morning, which once again shows the city of Los Santos at a number of striking angles. There's high, low, underwater, on the roads, in the clouds, and ablaze avec minigun. %Gallery-183983%
