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April NPD: GTA IV, Mario Kart Wii race to the top
Things that won't surprise youApril proved to be yet another lucrative month for the ol' gaming biz, with total industry sales reaching $1.23 billion, reports GameDaily. Software sales in particular grew to $654.7 million, an increase of 68% carried on the fine leather seats of Grand Theft Auto IV's recently stolen convertible. Rockstar's urban riffraff romp sold 2.85 million copies -- that's 1.85 million on Xbox 360 and 1 million on PS3 -- while Nintendo's Wii took the top spot in hardware sales. Mario Kart Wii, however, had to settle for second place.Things that will surprise youIt was a photo finish for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, but the photographers had likely packed up and left for the day by the time the steeds reached the finish line. Selling 188K and 187.1K units respectively, the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 were thoroughly bested by the systems that didn't have GTA IV. We'd feel a bit silly if we were them.- Wii: 714.2K 6.8K (0.94%) - DS: 414.8K 283.2K (40.6%) - PSP: 192.7K 104.3K (35.1%) - Xbox 360: 188K 74K (28.2%) - PS3: 187.1K 69.9K (27.2%) - PS2: 124.4K 91.6K (42.4%)You'll find the top ten in software sales after the break.
PS3 firmware 2.35 released, doesn't fix GTA IV woes
For those of you continuing to have Grand Theft Auto IV lockups on your PS3 even after the May 7th Rockstar patch... tough noogies. The latest 2.35 firmware won't specifically help. Sony says that the "minor update" will "improve stability of some PS3 titles" -- then clarifies that GTA IV is not part of the vagary. Nevertheless, Sony does say that they "have a identified a solution that should resolve the issue." So buck up Niko and get on the horn with Sony, God knows the police won't help.[Via Joystiq, thanks Warren and Luis C.] Read -- GTA IV freezing / not loading help Read -- 2.35 firmware
PS3 firmware 2.35 released, improves stability of 'some PS3 titles' but not GTA IV [update]
PlayStation 3 firmware update 2.35 is now available. According to the US PlayStation Blog, v2.35 is "a relatively minor update to improve stability of some PS3 titles." We're willing to wager a handful of stolen cars that "some PS3 titles" is a better way of saying Grand Theft Auto IV, whose compatibility with older PS3 models has become a topic of discussion and a sore spot for early adopters of Sony's console. An alleged Take-Two email yesterday hinted at a Sony firmware update.Download now and let us know if the game's technical hiccups (for those that had them) have been eradicated.Update: As noted in the comments of the blog by Sony's Al de Leon, this upgrade does not fix GTA IV. Said de Leon, "I just want to clarify that this upcoming firmware update isn't related to GTA IV. For those of you who may still have an issue playing the game on your PS3, we have identified a solution that should resolve the issue. You can contact SCEA Consumer Services for support."
Readers pick best webcomic: I'd be less nervous
It's simple, though not hand-drawn. Still, it gets the point across. We loved A Softer World's entry in this week's webcomic wrapup and, lo and behold, so did you. Congratulations on top honors.Second and third place go to Super Effective and Penny Arcade, respectively. Thanks to everyone who voted, and be sure to let us know of any game-related webcomics you stumble upon this week!
In pictures: GTA IV's Liberty City vs. Earth's New York City
There it was. A quiet, thoughtful moment, right in the midst of our rat-a-tat assault. There's not much room for unnecessary thought during a drive-by shooting -- aim and pull the trigger, aim and pull the trigger -- but this one provided an odd moment of stillness and clarity. As time slowed to a crawl and a prostitute's unlucky encounter with our front bumper became a slow-motion aerial ballet, we saw the world. Peering out the window at our decaying urban surroundings, we could think of only one question. "What would this be like ... in a game?"Grand Theft Auto IV attempts to answer that question, reshaping New York City into the architecturally approximate, but satirically scathing Liberty City. Flickr user (and blogger) Matthew Johnston has created a photo set that compares the Big Apple to its rotten, in-game core, with various real and virtual landmarks placed side by side. We think you should check it out.
Zero Punctuation visits Liberty City
Yahtzee's latest Zero Punctuation review this week is none other than everyone's favorite crime simulator, Grand Theft Auto IV. While he (of course) does his best to pick the game's fault apart one by one, Yahtzee still comes across as actually liking the game. Fans of ZP will know that this is high praise indeed (though we imagine it will still spark nasty, hate-filled emails from GTA fanboys). As for the negatives, the review makes note of wonky driving, escort missions, and the constant need to entertain Niko's friends. Beyond such criticisms though, the review deigns to call Grand Theft Auto IV "really good." Find the review embedded after the break.[Thanks, webster1990]
Video: Blendtec takes on Grand Theft Auto IV
Today we answer one of life's most important questions that, for the last few weeks at least, has been eating away at our subconscious like an irritating little brother who constantly whines about not getting the last freezy pop. The question is simple, yet at the same time perplex ... will Grand Theft Auto IV blend? Yes, we're well aware that anyone who made it out of pre-school alive knows the answer, but for the sake of entertainment, we'll let the Blendtec 'experts' show you. Poor GTAIV ...[Thanks, Chris]
Zero Punctuation enjoys Grand Theft Auto-rotica
Zero Punctuation takes on Grand Theft Auto IV this week, but if you're one of the five people who didn't buy the game and are hoping for some ZP hate-fest on par with the Super Smash Bros. Brawl review ... then you have another thing coming. Yahtzee doesn't exactly suck GTA IV's "thumb" -- like he does Valve's -- but the issues he grasps onto are relatively minor points about getting lost in the side stuff. Not really full of his trademark, hyperbolic bile then. Shockingly, he even says that after finishing the review, he went back and played the game some more. It appears Niko Bellic has found a friend in Yahtzee.Find this week's NSFW relative non-hate review of GTA IV after the break.
Suprising no one, GTA IV blends
We love hit web show Will It Blend?, but we're a little worried about this new iteration featuring a copy of Grand Theft Auto IV. All we're saying is that we're going to be heartbroken if a team of moms and politicians re-dub the video to turn it into anti-game violence propaganda. ("Why am I blending GTA? So my kids won't kill people!") But just remember, gang: Tom Dickson would never say that, because he is right and pure and good. So don't be confused.Also: Of course it blends. What, are you kidding? It. Always. Blends.[Thanks, Chris]
Grand Theft Auto IV's Niko pops up on SNL
We talked before about the late-night media frenzy surrounding Grand Theft Auto IV's release, since it was kind of hard to miss GTA if you watch TV between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. It gave us no small satisfaction to see the game pop up on one of the late-night comedy stalwarts as Niko and Vlad (played by Bill Hader and Fred Armisen) appeared on Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update. You can see the clip from last Saturday above.Now, is it ... funny, per se? Well, our ribs have been more fiercely tickled, that's for sure. But they're trying. Isn't that the important thing?
Rumor: Sony may update PS3 firmware for GTA IV problems
It looks like help may be on the way for those of you who are still experiencing some freezing problems with Grand Theft Auto IV on PS3. One user on the official PlayStation forums said he received an email from Take-Two stating the issue was "with the launch edition of the PS3 and this game" and that "the game was checked over and passed as 100% compatible with the current version of the PS3."As for the fix, the alleged Take-Two staffer reportedly wrote that "Sony are aware of this difference and are looking into producing a new firmware just for the earlier version of the PS3." Wow, a whole new firmware update? For one game? We hope the swelled head doesn't affect Niko's balance when he's bludgeoning and murdering hookers.
Rumor: New PS3 firmware may fix GTA problems
In spite of a patch, many PS3 owners are reporting problems with Grand Theft Auto IV. While a number of solutions have been suggested, many are hoping for a better solution. According to one post on the PlayStation forums, a Take Two representative said the issue was "with the launch edition of the PS3" and that "the game was checked over and passed as 100% compatible with the current version of the PS3."While this is unconfirmed, it does seem to be a plausible scenario. Considering how important GTA IV is, it wouldn't surprise us to see a new firmware attempt to fix these issues. Sony has previous released firmware updates, simply to patch games on the PSP. For example, Sony released an entirely new firmware for PSP a day after the release of Parappa the Rapper in Japan, because the in-game browser wasn't working properly.[Via Joystiq]
Gamestop: GTAIV 360 sells almost 2 to 1 over PS3 in first week of sales
More news regarding the sales of GTA IV! Apparently GameStop has exclusively given its sales figures to Newsweek's LevelUp blog. And the figures say that 64% of all copies of GTA IV sold in the first week of sales were sold on the 360. An even two thirds would've made two to one, but these are only the first week's sales, so who knows how things will pan out as time goes by. We've heard rumors about the shipment sizes of the PS3 versions versus the 360 versions that (if true) could mean that initial shipment sales of the 360 version simply can't ever match the PS3 version until stocks are refilled. While the Gamestop sales are still good news, we'll have to wait for the April NPD for a more concrete take on the game's long term sales.
SCEA's Peter Dille comments on GTA IV sales
According to Level Up, the Xbox 360 version of Grand Theft Auto IV has been outselling the PS3 at nearly a 2-1 ratio, with 64% of sales going to Microsoft's platform, and 36% going to Sony's. Granted, this data comes from first week sales at GameStop, which will skew towards early-adopting hardcore gamers. Many had suggested that GTA was so strongly associated with the PlayStation brand that PS3 sales would boom from the release of the new GTA. Could this initial sales data suggest otherwise?Peter Dille, senior VP of marketing at SCEA, thinks that this is a figure that Microsoft shouldn't deem as a victory. He says that any difference in sales is due to the difference of install bases. "There's a larger installed base right now on Xbox 360 than on PS3. So it's not surprising that there's going to be more selling on Xbox 360 than PS3. Having said that, we're really excited about the ratio. If I had an installed base advantage of 3-1, I wouldn't be crowing too much about a 60-40 sales advantage."The coming weeks and months will start drawing in the more casual market to the game, a sector which the PS2 captured wholeheartedly in the last generation of consoles. "We think it's not as high as what GameStop's telling you, if you look at [the full picture on] the national level. They're outselling us, but not by that same margin, and it's because of their installed base lead. With an installed base lead that's close to 3-1, if you're bragging about a 60-40 software split, it's clear evidence that the PlayStation 3 consumer is overindexing on GTA IV, and the PlayStation brand loyalty that we've been talking about is bearing itself out in the marketplace as we speak."
GameStop GTA IV data: 360 easily outsells PS3, not per console though
Preliminary numbers news now: gaming mega-retailer GameStop shared some Grand Theft Auto IV sales data with N'Gai over at Newsweek, who in turn breaks it down relative to the install base for each platform. Of course, these numbers only account for GameStop sales and, as Sony's Peter Dille points out, "GameStop probably does a little bit better with the early adopter crowd." That would be the same early adopter crowd who may know about GTA IV's 360-exclusive DLC.Another limiting factor: these numbers don't account for console sales for the month of April, so any GTA-infused boost may skew the numbers further. But don't let those sobering facts stop you from enjoying our fancy chartification of GameStop's data. Note: Despite selling nearly twice as many copies, GTA IV performed better (at GameStop) on a per-console basis on the PS3 than it did on the Xbox 360. #comparechart { border: 2px solid #333; border-collapse: collapse; } #comparechart td { padding: 3px; border: 1px solid #ccc; vertical-align: top; margin: 0; line-height: 1.3em; font-size: 80%} #comparechart th { font-size: 80%; font-weight: bold; text-align: left; padding: 4px; background: #eee; } #comparechart th.mainth { font-size: 100%; border-bottom: 1px solid #333; } #comparechart td.red { background-color: #f08c85; } #comparechart td.green { background-color: #b3e2c4; } #comparechart td.grey { background-color: #eee; } # CONSOLES SOLD % TOTAL CONSOLES % GTA IV GAMESTOP SALES Xbox 360 9.9m 70.7% 64% PlayStation 3 4.1m 29.3% 36%
GTAIV boasts 40% attach rate with new 360s
Grand Theft Auto IV is selling very well (perhaps you've heard), but did you know that it's also moving Xbox 360s at a blistering pace? On a recent Major Nelson podcast, co-host "e" revealed that GTAIV boasted a 40% attach rate with new 360s during its first week of availability. "The game is attaching well to new consoles, roughly 40 percent of 360s going out the door had a copy of GTA IV going with them," said 'e'. With only the UK sales numbers for GTAIV currently revealed, we'll have to wait for the worldwide 360 numbers before the full significance of the attach rate really means. Whatever the actual figure, we're willing to bet that 40% of all 360 copies of GTAIV represents a lot of consoles.While there's no way to prove that consumers bought their new consoles specifically to play GTAIV, there's no denying that it helped drive sales. We'll have to wait for the latest NPD numbers to see just how big the GTAIV effect was.[Via Joystiq]Update: Corrected basic mathematical error. The blogger responsible has been sentenced to 5 hours of Rocketmen: Axis of Evil.
GTA IV has 40% attach rate with new Xbox 360s, says Microsoft
The recently percentage-happy folks at Microsoft have unveiled a new statistic. According to a spokesperson on Major Nelson's podcast, trigger-happy carjacker Grand Theft Auto IV is having a 40% attach rate with new Xbox 360 consoles. "The game is attaching well to new consoles, roughly 40 percent of 360s going out the door had a copy of GTA IV going with them," he said.We wouldn't put it past Microsoft to track receipt details, but we wonder how the statistic was derived. Correlation from total hardware sales, total software sales and the increase in sales? A look at all receipts from all major retailers? They're not going to tell, but the best to take from this is what we already knew: Grand Theft Auto IV is selling like gangbusters and taking everyone with it.[Via GamesIndustry.Biz]
What They Play tours parents through Liberty City
Two weeks later and it seems Grand Theft Auto IV has yet to lose its luster. What They Play has become a well known source of information for parents that strive to involve themselves in their children's favorite hobby. While the site has been an important voice against gaming detractors for some time, its cause has become even more relevant since the release of Rockstar's epic journey and subsequent tar & feathering.In a continuing series of written facts and video examples, What They Play has compiled everything parents will need to examine before they allow their children near GTA IV. Videos outlining the extent of gunplay, language and sexual content found in the game are a handful of examples that can be found on the parent focused website.While the feature and site has proven to be an important source of information, we hope the future of What They Play includes expanding into other languages to keep the parental knowledge base on an even "playing field" across the globe.
GTAIV: Mainstream reaction roundup
With all the controversy surrounding anything even resembling violence or sexual content in games taking over news networks we felt it was time to round it all up for your viewing disgust pleasure. Have you ever heard the expression, "taking your cake and eating it too?" Watch as networks and talking heads die to portray any resemblance of pop-culture understanding, ironically alienating a segment of their current and future viewers, by grasping at straws to the content in Grand Theft Auto IV then cutting to commercial break, post fear-mongering, for a quick cash out.There's violence and criminal activity in Grand Theft Auto? Who knew?! You know, other than anyone who can read the title that is. Sexual content? Yes. No argument there. However, watching the spin added to the optional sexual material included in the game makes us wonder what happened to investigative reporters.If we made a claim here and were wrong our readers call us on it, but time and time again "respectable" reporters from mainstream networks get away with shoveling countless false claims against the gaming industry.Much like GTAIV's own radio news network, the whole thing is a giant joke. Jump in for some choice selections of news links and video clips revolving around GTAIV.
GTAIV Social Club's 100% Club contest extended
If your Grand Theft Auto IV playing habits have been ritualistic in nature lately, all in an effort to complete the game to earn a key to the city as part of the 100% Club contest, then we say keep up your hard work. There's still time to succeed.Rockstar's 100% Club contest, where anyone who beats GTAIV 100% earns membership into the 100% Club AND is sent a real key to Liberty City, has been extended! That's right, the contest was initially scheduled to have already ended, but Rockstar wants to make sure "everyone has a chance to get in on the action" and extended the contest until Monday, May 19th. So, get your GTAIV gaming on, complete the game 100% and earn your key to Liberty City![Thanks, Bryan T]
