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Grand Line Auto: Waiting for GTA IV (Baltimore suburbs edition)
Believe it or not, the police car in that photo actually belongs to an off-duty Anne Arundel County police officer looking to pick up a copy of the anticipated crime simulator for himself. But that doesn't mean there wasn't active law enforcement involved with the Grand Theft Auto 4 launch festivities at this Laurel, MD Gamestop. Keep reading for more pictures and a full account of the line-waiting experience as GTA4-eve finally bled into GTA4-day.
GTAIV midnight launch: where will you be?
So, Grand Theft Auto IV officially launches tonight at midnight (perhaps you've heard). For many gamers, this means standing in line at they're local retailer, whether it be Wal-Mart, Best Buy, or GameStop, or elsewhere. Standing in line, generally speaking, isn't the most entertaining of activities. We suggest you bring a book, a portable gaming system, rations, and perhaps a chair. Should those things fail you, you may be forced to talk to someone. It's a tricky prospect, we know. How about this then, why not leave a comment on this post, proclaiming loudly and proudly where you'll be picking up your copy. Who knows, maybe a fellow fanboy from your neck of the woods will leave a similar comment. Perhaps you will meet said fanboy and become gaming friends forever.Or, you know, you could just leave the comment to pass the time while you wait for midnight to arrive. Your call.
Shipping this week: good luck Iron Man edition
Remember when an analysts predicted that the release of Grand Theft Auto IV could derail the ticket sales of the Iron Man movie that releases this week? While the idea that big video game launches hindering movie releases is nothing new -- they said the same thing about Halo 3 -- we have one more prediction to make about the launch of Grand Theft Auto IV: it's going to put a serious damper on sales of the Iron Man video game. You see, they both come out this week. Sure, a game might steal money from a film, but a big game will definitely steal money from a smaller game. They will be competing for the same shelf space after all.Well, competing might be too kind a word.[Via Joystiq]
Worldwide PS3 releases for the week of April 26th
Calm down, calm down. The waiting is finally over. The game you've all been waiting for finally gets unleashed onto the public this week. That's right, it's Iron Man week. What's that? Grand Theft who? Never heard of it. If that's your thing, though, you can pick it up on Tuesday. After you've seen Iron Man, that is. Here's the full release list:US Games Grand Theft Auto IV [Get a $10 gift card at Circuit City] Grand Theft Auto IV Special Edition Iron Man EU Games Grand Theft Auto IV Grand Theft Auto IV Special Edition Iron Man Asian GamesNo new releasesThat's pretty much it, this week. Two games worldwide, but what more do you need? GTA IV should very well tide you over until the next major release. Depending on what you're excited for that's either Haze or Metal Gear Solid 4. With both of these games due within the next month and a half, now really is a great time to own a PS3.
GTAIV PS3 outselling 360 version 3 to 1 at Asda
Duncan Cross, head of games for British Supermarket Asda, has told MCV that Grand Theft Auto IV has "generated great interest on the Asda website, with strong pre-orders, and the PS3 version is selling three times that of 360, which is surprising." It surprises us too, but in a good way. Like when you look in your wallet expecting to find it empty and see a crisp tenner. That sort of surprise.Comet's game representative also told MCV that they "have great expectations and believe [GTA IV] is going to be a massive hardware driver – especially on PS3." We hope they're right. As soon as we hear any interesting sales figures after the launch of Grand Theft Auto IV we'll be sure to let you know. In the meantime, you can rest assured that the game is selling amazingly with regards to pre-orders and most stores are already out of their initial allocations of stock.[Via CVG]
GTA IV bundle confirmed for Europe
SCEE has confirmed the existence of the Grand Theft Auto IV PS3 bundle that we've been seeing around the net for a little while. The bundle will be available, seemingly, across Europe at a price of £319.99 or €439 on April 29th, day and date with the game itself. Inside you will find a 40GB PS3 along with a SIXAXIS controller and a copy of the game. For the price, it's not a bad deal. Nothing special, but good enough to be tempting.We're certainly intrigued to see how many PS3s GTAIV will push and a bundle like this can only be a good thing. So if you haven't got a PS3 yet and are thinking of picking one up for what is, arguably, the biggest game release of the year, you know what to go for. [Via Press Release]
Sony promotes GTA4 as 'meant to be played on the PS3' [update]
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/Sony_promotes_GTA_IV_as_meant_to_be_played_on_PS3_4'; [Update 10:25PM: The PS3-promoting message on the Amazon site has been changed to the more neutral "Experience Grand Theft Auto IV on the PS3." This matches the Xbox 360-promoting message almost exactly.][Update 7:36PM: Amazon PR Manager Tammy Hovey confirmed to Joystiq that the Sony wording was in fact "a campaign paid for by Sony" and that Microsoft will be "doing something similar next week." Stay tuned ...]Video game retailers don't often take explicit sides in the console wars, and why should they? A retailer makes largely the same money selling a copy of a PS3 game as selling the same game on the Xbox 360. So it struck us as a little odd that Amazon is currently promoting the questionable proposition that Grand Theft Auto IV is "meant to be played on the PS3" on the front page of its Video Games section.To be fair, the page does seem to randomly toggle between the PS3 message and an entreaty to "Experience Grand Theft Auto on Xbox 360" with reloads. But this still leaves the question as to why Sony's system is the one that the game is "meant to be played on." Is this an effort by Amazon to boost sales of the PS3 version of the game? A promotional consideration purchased by Sony? The work of an overzealous Amazon database jockey? We're not sure, but we'll let you know if and when we find out. [See update above for the answer.]Regardless of why Amazon printed the quote, the question remains: Is it true? While Rockstar's Dan Houser did say last year that the Xbox 360 was creating "limitations" for the game, Rockstar's Jeronimo Barrera said the PS3 was a "contributing factor" in the game's delay. Regardless, most Joystiq readers say they'll be taking advantage of the Xbox 360 version 's Achievements and Xbox Live integration next week ... despite what Amazon says is "meant" to be.
Wal-Mart's GTAIV launch plans revealed
Joystiq reports that Wal-Mart's intranet -- known as 'The Wire' -- now contains the über store's employee guide for the Grand Theft Auto IV launch next week. The plans note that Wal-Mart plans to position itself as the easiest and fastest way to procure GTAIV. Specifically, Wal-Mart plans to play this image up by having plenty of copies in stock for the midnight launch at 24-hour stores and utilizing dedicated checkout lines for the game. Frankly, we think they're onto something, and we think anyone who has ever heard the dreaded words "did you pre-order?" when trying to procure a game elsewhere will agree. Oh, and the plans make it pretty clear that employees are not to sell the game prior to April 29, so don't go looking for the street date to be broken. Check out the gallery below for images of Wal-Mart's entire launch guide. Gallery: Wal-Mart GTA IV plans
Wal-Mart's GTA IV launch details
Wal-Mart's intranet, "The Wire," recently laid out how the maestro of retail will handle the Grand Theft Auto IV launch. As seen in the picture above -- with the full plan detailed in the gallery below -- 24-hour stores will begin selling the game at midnight and should be prepared for the launch. One of the more interesting parts in the "execution guide" states that Wal-Mart has a "strategic focus on winning in gaming, and GTA IV represents a strong opportunity for [it] to highlight [its] entry into the gaming industry." Customers are supposed to know that Wal-Mart is the: "Fastest way to play GTA IV."The guide describes that two associates should be manning the register, with one to ring up customers and the other to pass along the requested game version. If the line is too long, an electronics associate should "take quantities of the game to the front register and assist the cashier by handing out the game at time of purchase." Considering Wal-Mart went through the effort of making such a comprehensive guide, corporate would probably love to hear from customers who don't have a pleasant and efficient shopping experience during the GTA IV launch.**Metagame: The "execution guide" has a major error on Pg. 2, can you spot it? Hint after the break.[Thanks Anonymous]%Gallery-21162%
Rockstar's Dan Houser talks (and talks and talks) GTA 4
Rockstar President Dan Houser doesn't talk to the press much, but when he does, he lets it aaaaaaall out. Variety's Cut Scene blog sat down with Houser and helped him deliver a 90-minute, 6371 word treatise on everything from the potential for a Grand Theft Auto movie to a comparison of console storage capacities.Those with shorter attention spans would probably rather check out the condensed profile article, where Houser reveals the thinking behind his relatively low profile: "While (people) may find it interesting in the short term to read whatever crap I have to say, in the long term, the less they know about us, the more they are able to lose themselves in the world of our games." That's a good point, but as members of the gaming press, we'd appreciate it if our readers were able to get lost in whatever crap you have to say and then lose themselves in the world of your games. It would work out, like, 1,000 times better for us, is all.Read – Summary profileRead – Extended interview
Chicago transit bans GTA IV ads
Using Chicago's street violence as a springboard, the city's FOX affiliate aired a piece about Grand Theft Auto IV ads on the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA). Thanks to the report, all the GTA IV advertising will now be removed. As GamePolitics points out, the ads do not depict any scenes of violence and it's currently unknown what the CTA's policy is on advertising R-rated movies; the CTA also stopped an ad campaign back in 2004 for GTA: San Andreas. Boston, Denver and Portland, Oregon, have had similar issues with GTA ads on its public transportation system. Ironically, the FOX affiliate promotes alcohol on its website (picture after the break). Wonder how many people died of alcohol related incidents in Chicago this weekend?[Via GamePolitics]
Microsoft UK rolling out Halo 3-sized campaign for GTA IV
It should come as no surprise that the impending Grand Theft Auto IV is going to have a marketing campaign that rivals the absolute onslaught that accompanied Halo 3's launch last year. What may surprise you, though, is that much of that marketing push will be coming from Microsoft, not publisher Take-Two or developer Rockstar."Rockstar will naturally be doing their own campaign to launch what obviously will be a massive title for them," Xbox UK Gaming and Entertainment Chief Stephen McGill told MCV, "but Microsoft sees GTA IV as a fantastic title to showcase how great Xbox 360 is." As such, McGill says Microsoft will be launching a campaign with "the same sort of scale as our Halo 3 campaign last year" to promote the Xbox 360 version's Live integration, Achievements and, of course, exclusive downloadable content. Judging by our recent poll on the subject, it doesn't look like it will take much convincing to get people thinking that the Xbox 360 is the system of choice for the optimal GTA IV experience.
Watch the UK's slick GTAIV ad
It looks like Microsoft is putting its massive pile of GTAIV marketing money to good use. The latest advertisement out of the UK does two things very well. One, it introduces gamers to Niko, the game's protagonist. Niko is visible for the entirety of the commercial and it's pretty clear that he is both large and in charge. Two, it showcases the variety of locations and interactions that can be had in Liberty City. Lots of people, interesting architecture, and of course, explosions, serve to highlight just what gamers can expect. Oh, and let's not forget the carjacking. It sits right at the end of the commercial, as if to say "yeah, GTA is back."So, can we have it now? Because we'd really like to stop talking about it and start playing it.[Via Joystiq]
Eurogamer takes GTAIV for a spin
As the impending release of Grand Theft Auto IV draws closer, the relative media content begins to pour out more steadily. One of the latest outlets to contribute to the growing stream of coverage is Eurogamer, which has laid down a three page preview of the game. The preview covers a lot but the overall focus is that Grand Theft Auto IV does everything its predecessors have done while reminding you that this is a new-gen GTA and it comes with new-gen perks. For instance, character models are now capable of much more detailed expressions that weren't possible in previous iterations. As Eurogamer puts it, "Niko and his fellow citizens have facial muscles that betray their reactions, can look each other in the eye, speak to one another with moving lips, take one another by the hand - and twist arms."The preview also lauds the game for details such as its use of Euphoria to generate procedural stumbling animations when Niko is drunk. The preview concludes by noting that GTAIV's many features and details would be considered "back-of-the-box material" in most games, but are such a natural part of GTAIV that the game's demonstrators neglected to mention them.The preview is really a good read and, at the very least, it will help you pass a few minutes between now and April 29.
GTAIV sales: it's the attach rate, stupid!
Not to be outdone by the Pach-attack, UBS analyst Ben Schachter has his own Grand Theft Auto IV predictions to lay down. Schachter is keen to point out that one cannot measure the success of GTAIV by comparing its sales to previous iterations of the game, the reason being that there just aren't as Xbox 360s and PS3s in people's homes as there were Playstation 2s and Xboxes back in the heyday of the series. The key then, according to Schachter, is to measure the number of copies sold versus the number of consoles out there. In other words, GTAIV's success will be a measure of its attach rate. Said attach rate could hover around or over 30% (representing 7-8 million copies) should GTAIV's metacritic average remain above 95% (which is looking good so far). He notes that an attach rate higher than 26% "would beat expectations." Assuming the game reaches the mark of 8 million copies sold, we're talking around $480 million in sales. And that's before you factor in Europe, which Schachter believew "could do similar numbers."Schachter concludes his remarks by noting that a potential delay caused by an (in his view inevitable) EA acquisition of Take Two is "extremely unlikely," so all you worriers out there can rest easy.[Via Joystiq]
UK OXM gives GTAIV perfect score
The UK Official Xbox Magazine has reviewed Grand Theft Auto IV, and the word is it's very, very good. Delivering a full ten pages in its review, OXM settles on the lofty score of 10 out of 10. This despite quibbles regarding the cover and lock-on systems having occasional issues as well as some graphical pop up. It should be noted that the magazine was reviewing an unfinished build of the game -- apparently Rockstar was still making "tweaks" at the time -- so it's at least possible that said problems could be ironed out in the retail version. Overall, the review effuses praise. Just how much, you ask? Try this on: "This game is finished to such an astonishing level of detail, so overflowing with people and events and experiences and stuff, that even if we dedicated this entire magazine to listing the amazing things that could happen in Liberty City we'd still barely scratch the surface." Alright, so it's good then? Of note in the review is that the first episode of 360 exclusive downloadable content should arrive in August and will be "at least 10 hours long." Another interesting feature adding another layer to the open world is a virtual internet that Niko must access for certain missions. Players can also browse the internet to make new acquaintances via "personal ads" or read the latest news regarding their crimes. Niko also has email (complete with spam) that players can choose to respond to in a positive or negative way. So now we browse the internet to avoid responsibility inside a game. Wow, these things get more realistic all the time.Scans of the review are quickly making the rounds on the internet. We won't link them here, but 360 fanboys are a resourceful people. We'll bet you can find them if you try hard enough. Should such nefarious deeds be too ... um ... nefarious for you, the review can be found in the May issue of the UK's OXM.[Thanks PrivateBurke. Image via NeoGAF]
GTAIV poll results: 360 achieves the win
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/GTA_IV_Poll_results_Achievements_DLC_put_360_ahead'; Last week, we ran a network-wide poll in conjunction with Joystiq and PS3 Fanboy asking readers which version of Grand Theft Auto IV they planned on purchasing. The results are in and the Xbox 360 finished ahead by a healthy margin. The overall tally had the Xbox 360 version with 22,195 votes (58%) and the PS3 version with 16,221 votes (42%) making for 38,416 votes total. The reasons cited by those who voted for the 360 include, unsurprisingly, achievements, downloadable content, and having more friends on Xbox Live. Head over to Joystiq for a detailed breakdown of all the numbers.%Gallery-3451%
GTA IV Poll results: Achievements, DLC put 360 ahead
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/GTA_IV_Poll_results_Achievements_DLC_put_360_ahead'; Last week, Joystiq (with some help from PS3 Fanboy and Xbox 360 Fanboy) asked you which version of Grand Theft Auto IV you were planning to purchase. We got a great response from everyone, with over 38,400 votes coming in! Check out the results after the break, as well as a breakdown of the reasons (as noted in the comments section).%Gallery-3442%
Poll: For which platform are you buying Grand Theft Auto IV?
In case you've been living under a very large rock surrounded by an even larger rock structure, Grand Theft Auto IV is expected to come out at the end of the month. (Barring any accurate Pachter predictions, of course). We're conducting a network-wide poll with our friends at X3F and PS3 Fanboy to see for which platform you're planning to purchase the game. Be sure to tell us your reasoning in the comments below. GTA IV: Which platform are you buying it on? PlayStation 3 Xbox 360 You can only vote once, even if you visit all three sites. The poll closes Sunday night and we'll announce the "winner" on Monday morning.
GTA IV hardware bundle spotted on Swedish retail site
Sony certainly knows how to capitalize on high-profile game releases. First the Metal Gear Solid 4 bundle in both America and Japan then the European Gran Turismo 5: Prologue bundle. Now a Swedish website is listing a GTA IV bundle to be released alongside the game. The image all-but-confirms it for a Swedish release, but we're intrigued to see if it will be released in other European territories too. The bundle contains a 40GB PS3 along with a copy of GTA IV. What more do you need? [Via GTAGaming. Thanks to Mattias for translation.]
