GTAIV
Latest
GTAIV Special Edition images revealed
Fresh from Rockstar we have the first images of the Grand Theft Aufo IV Special Edition. With the special edition -- for the not-too-low price of 90 bones -- you get the game, an art book, a soundtrack CD, a duffel bag, and the particularly cool locking safety deposit box. Yes, you'll have all the makings of your own (pretend) robbery. We have to admit, as special editions go, Grand Theft Auto IV looks to be right up there with the cat helmet. Check out high resolution images of the special edition in the gallery below.%Gallery-4323%
Grand Theft Auto: Special Deposit Box Duffel Bag Edition Pix
Rockstar is pulling out all the stops with the previously announced Grand Theft Auto IV Special Edition package, and here's the pictures to prove it. Although it begs the question, what's a publisher going to do next to top this thing?Halo 3 raised the bar substantially with their Legendary Edition and Master Chief replica helmet, and then BioShock was next by including a Big Daddy figurine with their Collector's Edition, but after Rockstar includes a duffel bag and a locking deposit box, what's next? Making of DVDs don't cut it anymore, so will we see life-sized blow-up Lara Croft doll in honor of the Tomb Raider Anniversary Edition? Live bacteria cultures with Spore, whenever that game finally crawls from the primordial ooze?At any rate, the GTA:IV Special Edition will set you back 90 bucks, and gives you somewhere to hide the rest of your schwag.%Gallery-4308%
GTA IV trailer incoming, here's some art for now
We haven't mentioned it recently, so we figured we'd remind you right now. The second Grand Theft Auto IV trailer will be releasing in a few days and it promises to be greatness. And Rockstar, knowing GTA fans need something to hold them over for a few days, released a new piece of GTA IV artwork for everyone to enjoy. Viewable above, the new art isn't anything special depicting a scene of Niko being pulled over by a cop, but darnit it's GTA IV media and you'll like it! Prepare for the internets to die, fanboys to cry, and hear everyone screaming "my oh my" when the second GTA IV trailer hits the web this Thursday.
GTA IV news from a Turkish Xbox mag?
We got some potential tantalizing tidbits of Grand Theft Auto IV from a Turkish Xbox magazine. Since this is posted in the Team Xbox forum, we're going to classify this as rumors until further confirmation. That being said, some of the stuff has been alluded to before, so it's not out of the question. Simple stuff like slight vibrations for your strides when running, or a lack of a HUD, with visual cues ingame instead sound reasonable. Getting something more than a lousy t-shirt for completing the game 100% is almost a given. Liberty City will be larger than Los Santos, San Fierro, and Las Venturas combined has been heard before. Some RPG elements from San Andreas will be included, expanded upon as well as removed, for example the love interests, working out and eating have been cut, but skill development is still in. For more details, and potential features, click the "Read" link.[Thanks, Jeff]
Take Two silent on $50 million GTAIV content
We asked the question once: did Microsoft pay $50 million for GTAIV content? Readers will recall that Take Two's recent conference call made reference to two separate $25 million payments for "episodic content." Prior to this, gamesindustry.biz confirmed that the episodic content for GTAIV would be exclusive to Xbox 360. Naturally, this stumped PS3 owners who were promised their own exclusive content as well. The obvious conclusion, then, is that MS coughed up some money to keep the content exclusive.Whatever the reality is, Take Two isn't talking. Gamesindustry.biz contacted the company for comment on the $50 million quote and were greeted with no official responses whatsoever. Did MS buy exclusivity? The world may never know (but probably yes).[Via Joystiq]
Take Two got $50M for GTAIV episodic content
A telling exchange during last week's Take Two earnings conference call may have revealed a sizable price tag for the Xbox 360's exclusive rights to Grand Theft Auto IV downloadable content. During the call, Pacific Crest Securities Analyst Evan Wilson inquired about a $25 million "deferred revenue chunk associated with the episodic content on Xbox 360." Take Two CFO Lainie Goldstein responded that the money was for "the first episodic content package that's supposed to go out ... in March of '08" and that another $25 million was being deferred for the second content pack, to be released later in fiscal '08.Many news outlets are reporting that this revenue came from Microsoft to secure exclusive rights to these content packs, but this is not explicitly confirmed in the conference call or any other sources we could find. Take Two spokesperson Meg Maise would not comment on the matter, telling Joystiq the financial arrangements for the downloadable content were confidential.Still, it seems highly likely that the money came from Microsoft. Deferred revenue is often used to account for money paid before a product is delivered, and Take Two deferring Microsoft's payment for downloadable content would be a prototypical example of the practice. It's hard to imagine where else Take Two would derive such sizable revenue before the product was released.So was this a good move for Microsoft? Downloadable content is definitely a selling points for the Xbox 360 version of the game, but $50 million is a lot of money to pay just to get some additional content. If you're prepared to throw your money around, why not go all the way and secure the entire franchise as a system exclusive?[Via NeoGAF]
Did Microsoft pay $50 million for GTA IV content?
The other day it was announced that the Xbox 360 version of Grand Theft Auto IV would feature exclusive episodic content not found in other versions and today we've learned why. Per Take-Two's latest fiscal conference call the company discussed an extra $50 million on the balance sheets listed as deferred payments split into two $25 million dollar chunks. The transcript confirms that the $50 million relates to the 360's episodic content and when asked to explain the release of such content it was explained as such:"The first 25 is for the first episodic content package that's supposed to go out and that is in March of '08. That's why it moved into current because it's in the next 12 months. The second 25 will be for the second episodic, the episode, and that will be later in fiscal '08."So, Take-Two received an extra $50 million for GTA IV's episodic content on the 360 which will be available in two installments, one next March and one sometime in 2008. The question is where did the cash come from and we can only speculate Microsoft's deep pockets had something to do with it. And if it was Microsoft, we'd be almost certain that the once talked about PS3 content is now canceled.[Via the gta place]
GTA IV episodes confirmed Xbox 360 exclusives
Take-Two has confirmed that the promised episodic content for Grand Theft Auto IV on PS3 will not show up and is now an Xbox 360 exclusive. Questions arose regarding the episodic content earlier this week when the financial reports for Take-Two's fiscal year did not have the PS3 content present, but did have the Xbox 360. The game will still launch on both consoles Oct. 16 (Europe will receive it Oct. 19). Despite the Pachter effect, the release date for GTA is still locked and loaded for those dates.So, why did this happen? Could have been a nice sum of money dropped into Take-Two's mailbox, or there were development issues with the PS3 content. Although not earth shattering, it does differentiate the two console versions of the game now and adds another piece of straw to Sony's already cracking back.[Via Xbox360Fanboy]
GTA IV episodic content exclusive to the 360
What's that smell? It's the unmistakable aroma of exclusive content coming to the 360 ... lovely. Yesterday, gameindustry.biz confirmed with a Take-Two representative that Grand Theft Auto IV will feature episodic content that will be exclusive to the Xbox 360 platform. Yup, you'll only be able to get such episodic content on your lovely white box and no other console. Life is great isn't it? No other details were confirmed about such content other than its exclusivity.GTA IV is huge game and if the 360 version is going to get content that no other version on other consoles has, it's a big deal. Now we just hope that such episodic content doesn't cost us anything or, if it does, it doesn't break the bank. Our fingers are crossed.[Thanks, to everyone who sent this in]
T2 report omits PS3 GTA IV episodic content, 360 listed
It seems that Grand Theft Auto IV's downloadable content is shrouded in as much mystery as its hush-hush storyline. While Rockstar North once said that the PS3 would be getting "exclusive episodes" of the game, they weren't listed among a recent Take 2 investors report, while a listing for Xbox 360 episodes of GTA IV is sitting smack dab in the middle of the 2008 fiscal year. Of course, this doesn't necessarily mean a death knell for GTA IV PS3 content, perhaps it was unintentionally omitted or maybe the content wont come to Sony's box until late 2008. Either way, this is still pretty muddy. We hope things will clear up by the time gamers are asked to plunk down their cash.
New GTA IV trailer coming June 28
Sure, you could get excited about a new Grand Theft Auto IV trailer, "Looking For That Special Someone," being released later this month, but you won't see us smiling. It's nice to know and all, but we can't help but wonder ... where's the countdown? Do you remember the hours, days we all shared, as a nation, watching the seconds peel away? Where does Rockstar get the right to rob us all of that?Worse still, how do we know exactly how long it is until the thing drops? See, for all our charm and wit, we here at Joystiq are genuinely terrible at math. Ask us how many "q"s are in our name and we'll stare at you blankly for a few seconds before sheepishly replying "...blue?". Ah well, maybe it will keep us math-challenged folks from making the internet explode whenever the trailer actually is released. Enjoy it, Einsteins.[Thanks, Lavin L.]
Second GTA IV trailer coming soonish
The last time we waited for a Grand Theft Auto IV trailer nobody knew what the game had to offer or even what it looked like. At the time it released, the interenet stopped for a moment. And now it looks like we're going to have to go through all the madness once again. Over on the official GTA IV website, the main splash page is announcing a second trailer called "Looking For That Special Someone" that will be available June 28th. And even though there is no suspenseful countdown clock, we're still excited to see more GTA IV goodness. We advise you to prepare for the worst, because June 28th could be the day the internet calls it quits.[Via TeamXbox]
Negative forecast for Take-Two earnings call
Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter's Magic 8-Ball is just full of gloom and doom today. Not only does he believe that Halo 3 is going to cause a couple weeks of delay for GTAIV, but that some bad stuff is going to go down during Take-Two's June 11 earnings call. Pachter says to expect studio closures, lease terminations, game cancellations and just general un-good things.Pachter says, "We believe that new management understands what is required to turn the company's fortunes around, and believe that they will take prudent steps to return the company to profitability. However, we believe that there are significant structural changes required in order to control costs ... new management is saddled with the decisions made by the prior management for at least another year, and we do not expect new games such as The Bigs, All-Pro Football, Fantastic Four, or The Darkness to be wildly profitable."Pachter says that Take-Two is currently overvalued and advises shareholders to sell. Pachter concludes in a fantastically geeky/cerebral way saying that loyal shareholders are stuck in a prisoner's dilemma. They can stay and hope the company turns it around a year from now, or they can drop the shares and then everyone loses ... once again, Pachter says to cut and run.
Pachter: Halo 3 could cause GTA IV delay
Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter, in his latest assessment of Take Two, said that the publisher might delay Grand Theft Auto IV so as to move it farther away from Halo 3's September 25 launch. Currently, GTAIV is expected October 16, just three weeks after Master Chief moves in. "We believe that a two-week delay would provide a reasonable gap between the launch of Halo 3 and the launch of GTA IV, and would actually help sales of both games," he said. Indeed, the thought of having to shell out $120 to $220 (that's $90 for GTA special edition and $130 for the Halo's legendary set) in a short amount of time does make us want to hold off on one of the titles until our wallets are happier. But will two weeks make all the difference? Pachter suggests another reason for a delay that has more to do with business strategy. If Take Two delays GTA IV two weeks, that will put it in their 2008 fiscal year. Though that would most assuredly hurt the publisher's FY 2007 prospects, Pachter said that it's possible they will just "throw in the towel" for the year and give themselves a strong start for FY 2008. One devious suggestion that we hope doesn't happen: Pachter suggested Take Two keep the special edition on October 16 while moving the "normal SKU" back a few weeks. Good for business, but bad for the impatient gamer. Remember, this is just one analyst's opinion, and Take Two is still officially committed to the October 16 release dates.
Grand Theft Auto IV images galore!
Rockstar has rolled out a handful of new Grand Theft Auto IV images and we've incorporated them into a new gallery, along with previously released content as well. The shots all show off a very impressive level of detail, from foliage in the trees to reflective surfaces on automobiles. We also get some close looks at GTAIV's protagonist, Niko Bellic (seen above behind the wheel of a likely stolen ride). Check out our extensive new gallery below and tell us what you think.%Gallery-3451%
New Grand Theft Auto IV screens, illustrations
Rockstar just sent over four new screens of Grand Theft Auto IV, which we've added to our gallery for the game. Included in this latest batch is this picture of Niko rollin' in a (stolen?) late 80s Chrysler, this African guy's underwear, Chinatown, and this incredible shot of what we imagine is "BOABO" (Beneath the Offramp of the Algonquin Bridge Overpass. But that's not all, they've included some logo treatments (no big surprises here) and illustrations (check out these shady dudes) to keep you hooked.%Gallery-3442%
GTAIV hops on the special edition bandwagon
It seems like every major release -- and even some not-so-major releases -- gets a special edition these days. The latest to hop on the bandwagon is the next in the franchise that power-hungry politicos love to hate, Grand Theft Auto IV. We have to admit though, as special editions go, this one's a doozy. For the bargain basement price of $90, you get a metal safety deposit box, an art book, a soundtrack CD, a keychain for holding the keys to the deposit box, and a Rockstar duffel bag. Oh, and you get a copy of Grand Theft Auto IV as well. We dig that the special edition basically gives you the end result of a high profile theft: a loaded safety deposit box in a duffel bag.What say you, fanboys, does it top the cat helmet?[Via Joystiq]
Grand Theft Auto IV special edition announced at $90
Perhaps taking a cue from their Take-Two comrades working on BioShock's limited edition, the team at Rockstar have announced the contents of a Grand Theft Auto IV special edition, scheduled to launch alongside the far less special PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 editions on October 16 and 19 in North America and Europe, respectively. Included in the Grand Theft Auto metal safety deposit box packaging will be: the game, an art book, a soundtrack CD "featuring new material from top artists, only available on this release," a Rockstar keychain for the safety deposit box keys (the thing actually locks?), and a limited edition Rockstar duffel bag. All this can be yours for the low, low price of $89.99. In addition to considering all of the illegal things one could hide in the duffel bag and deposit box, we're left wondering if there's some sort of gentleman's bet going on behind the game publishing scene, pushing the limits of precisely how much random stuff one can jam into a special edition release and still get people to pay for it. Sorry GTA IV but, at $130, Halo 3's legendary edition still wins this round.
New York pol compares V-Tech Rampage to GTAIV
Confusing politicians about video games is like shooting fish in a barrel it seems. State Senator Andrew Lanza (R) of Staten Island, has publicly come out against a flash game called V-Tech Rampage, in which players reenact the recent massacre at Virginia Tech. Concerning the game Lanza stated, "There are certain things in life you don't make light of and should not be turning into a game ... It's not a game, it's a tremendous loss of life."Unfortunately, Lanza revealed his lack of understanding about the game when he called on "retailers, manufacturers and Web site hosts" to distance themselves from the game. V-Tech Rampage is an independent game created by an Australian man named Ryan Lambourn. Clearly, Lanza doesn't understand the distinction between industry product and that which is independently produced.Still, Lanza finds a way to lump GTAIV into his statements, saying, "You've got Grand Theft Auto where you murder police officers ... To me, I can't imagine people marketing and distributing it, and putting it in the hands of kids, but it's happening." If we're going to continue the fight against violent games, can we at least get a new scapegoat? GTA is getting old.[Via Joystiq]
WoW Moviewatch: Grand Theft Shaman
Being both a Shaman and a huge fan of Grand Theft Auto (can't wait to play the new one in October), this mashup made me laugh and laugh.At first I thought it would be better with an Orc, but the accent (and the joke in general-- a foreigner coming to a new city) works much better with the Draenei. And is it me or does that Phillip Glass soundtrack go perfectly with WoW machinima? Bravo.[ Thanks, wuddersup! ]Previously, on WoW Moviewatch...
