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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
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
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]
Prior Offenses: A Grand Theft Auto Retrospective
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/A_Grand_Theft_Auto_Retrospective'; From its beginnings as a top-down crime sim to the fully 3D Public Enemy Number One we know it as today, Grand Theft Auto's history has been marked by constant evolution. Before GTA IV is dropped on us later this month, we thought we'd take a look back at all the games in the series that have come before.So sit back, relax and drive over a hooker as we present the prior offenses of Grand Theft Auto. GTA Retrospective
UK's suave GTA IV ad hits tellies
The UK is currently under assault from a Grand Theft Auto IV ad promoting the title on Xbox 360. Microsoft is doing its best to own this launch in consumer's minds, or at least get people thinking GTA doesn't equal Sony anymore. Have no fear PlayStation army, the game is still releasing on the PS3 in spite of what this nasty advertisement tells the masses.That being said, it certainly gets bonus points in our book for showing what the game actually looks like (unlike some ads). GTA IV releases April 29 ... yeah, 'cause you didn't know that already.[Thanks, Cyborgmatt]
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%
Australia gets censored GTA IV
The Age is reporting that Rockstar had to submit an edited version of Grand Theft Auto IV to the OFLC in order to receive a passing rating. Rockstar confirmed this, but did not clarify what the censored content was. The game officially earned an MA15+ rating last year, Australia's most restricted rating.This must be really saddening news for all you Aussies. Not only do you have to live with those horribly annoying OFLC ratings crowding your beloved box cover, but they also serve as cruel reminders of the censorship only you must endure. Sad indeed, especially after hearing the good news about the UK version.
Brand new GTA IV video captivates, then reminds you to pre-order
Did you think last week's trailer would be the last Grand Theft Auto IV footage you'd be seeing? Well, it's not. Here's one more. This time, the clip comes from a Gamestop video ad. You might have seen it if you've walked into a Gamestop store recently. If you haven't, then now is an excellent time to check it out. Learn even more about Liberty City: city of big dreams, beautiful women, and bold entrepreneurs.
Grand Theft Auto IV gets 18 certificate from BBFC
This bit of news is going to have an extra special meaning for all you Rockstar fans in Britain. After the whole debacle with the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) versus Manhunt 2, many of you may have worried about history repeating itself -- this time with the upcoming and equally controversial Grand Theft Auto IV. However, your worries should stop here for the BBFC has already passed Grand Theft Auto IV with an 18 certificate and with "no cuts made." This is excellent news for all those gamers in the UK looking forward to picking up GTAIV this coming April 29. As it stands, there shouldn't be any other snags barring the game from its expected release date. [Thanks enfo! Via MCV]
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.
Grand Theft Auto IV: 'Good Lord, What Are You Doing?'
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/Grand_Theft_Auto_IV_Good_Lord_What_are_you_Doing_Traile'; Rockstar has launched the final Grand Theft Auto IV trailer, subtitled "Good Lord, What Are You Doing? (a.k.a. Everyone's a Rat)." Check out the video above, and while you're at it, you can peep the game's three other trailers after the break. The trailer will also be available for download on PSN and Xbox Live. And hey, don't forget to keep track of publisher Take-Two's family tree. %Gallery-3442%
Grand Theft Auto IV first 'leaked' multiplayer screenshots
Dutch site Xboxworld.nl accidentally leaked the first images of the upcoming multiplayer portion of GTA IV. Although the site pulled the images, the internet has an incredibly good memory. The folks at GTAForums promptly grabbed, and re-uploaded these lucrative images. The rumored list of online features reads like a wishlist: 16 players, 15 modes. With its release only a few weeks away, it won't be long before the world truly understands how ambitious Rockstar's online offerings will be.[Thanks, Enfo!]
Microsoft unloads 500 GTA IV Xbox 360 Elite consoles
While folks at the Xbox 360 repair lab know good and well how to strip a console back to its birthday suit, Microsoft is going the opposite direction with its limited run of Grand Theft Auto IV Elites. The console itself is purportedly blasted with automotive quality paint and each one is individually numbered. Apparently, the 500 units -- which look to come with a case full of peripherals -- are only being dished out to press outlets and the like, so it seems your only shot at actually acquiring one is by scouring the second hand market. Or you could just steal one and toss a Molotov cocktail behind as you're getting away -- that'd be fitting, we guess.[Via Xbox360Fanboy]
Pachter: GTAIV to sell 9 million overall, 6 million on 360
In other news, the sky is blue. But seriously folks, Michael Pachter of Wedbush Morgan has gone on record to say that Grand Theft Auto IV could sell as many as 9 million copies by Halloween 2009 (it just so happens that Take Two's fiscal year ends on October 31). Furthermore, he expects the first 6 million to be sold within the first week of the game's availability. Using arcane mathematical wizardry, Pachter also believes that the game could generate an operating profit of $135 million, thus making it responsible for 103% of Take Two's high end predicted operating profit of $130 million. Yeah, we're confused too.Anywho, buried in this prediction is another prediction that the Xbox 360 version of GTAIV will sell 6 million copies, leaving 3 million for the PS3. The 6 million estimate is raised concerning the 360 exclusive downloadable content. Pachter doesn't see the DLC as something that's likely to succeed, as it would require a download by 50% of GTAIV owners who are also Live members. Not impossible, but not a sure thing either. Pachter concludes by noting that GTAIV looks like the only bright spot in Take Two's 2008 lineup, saying, "This is clearly a company that is losing market share, and as we review the lineup for the balance of 2008 and 2009, we see more of the same type of games we have seen over the last three years." We guess releasing the same games repeatedly doesn't work for everyone.[Via Joystiq]
New Grand Theft Auto IV trailers to enjoy
It's finally coming. Grand Theft Auto IV is finally coming. After months of delays, it looks like Rockstar's ready to put the finishing touches on the game. These two new trailers show the tongue-in-cheek humor the franchise is known for. Check out the other new trailer, after the cut. %Gallery-3566%
GTAIV viral marketing: wanted posters
Now that Grand Theft Auto IV has an official release date, it's time to let the viral marketing begin. Enter this scarily realistic wanted poster uploaded by Flickr user freshyill. Honestly, is that the kind of face you'd want to see at your car window late at night? The answer to that question is an emphatic no. Actually, we're a little curious to see if these posters raise any stink, because they could be mistaken as real posters by those who aren't in the know. Let's just hope the folks behind the viral marketing don't take it too far and actually rob a bank.
GTAIV officially dated April 29
Wow, the Devil May Cry 4 demo and the official release date for Grand Theft Auto IV in the same day? What did we do to deserve this? After a delay in late 2007 and the months of speculation that followed, Take Two has finally pinned down the official release date for the game, April 29. We should note that this is the worldwide release date for GTAIV, so gamers the world over can officially start getting excited now. If you're not excited, then perhaps you should direct your attention to the flood of previews that swept the internet yesterday. Once you've reached the proper level of excitement, please read this post again and react accordingly.[Via Joystiq]%Gallery-3451%
