GTAIV
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GTA IV is new king of Xbox Live hill
Niko Bellic apparently isn't stopping with conquering with Liberty City, he's now extended his dominion as Grand Theft Auto IV took the top slot on the weekly Xbox Live activity charts, dethroning longtime king Call of Duty 4. The rest of the top five was rounded out by Halo 3, Guitar Hero III and that old stalwart, Gears of War.To anyone who's grown accustomed to their friends list just being a solid column of "GTA IV" this shouldn't come as much of a surprise. But we'll be interested to see if the game's multiplayer can help it hang on in the charts even after fans start finishing Niko's story en masse.
Take-Two sues Chicago Transit for pulling GTA IV ads
Take-Two has sued the Chicago Transit Authority for violating its free speech and contractual rights after the authority pulled ads for Grand Theft Auto IV on the transit system without explanation. Reuters reports that Take-Two accuses the CTA of violating the contract for the $300,000 ad campaign that involved running GTA IV ads around the transit system for six weeks between April and June.The suit seeks an order for the CTA to run the ads, as well as at least $300,000 in damages. Reuters states the GTA IV posters were removed following a FOX news report on the ads. Now, we're not lawyers (although we do have one writing for us), so we can't say if the CTA violated a basic contract, but Chicago residents should let us know if they see the ads back up and snap a photo.[Thanks to all who sent this in.]
Take-Two sues the Chicago Transit Authority
Take-Two Interactive has filed suit against the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) in a Manhattan federal court on Monday for pulling ads that promoted the controversial game, Grand Theft Auto IV, without explanation. Take-Two Interactive alleges the CTA has violated its free speech and contractual rights, saying it pulled its posters within days of the ads first appearing on April 22.In the filing Take-Two accused the CTA and its sales agent, Titan Outdoor LLC, of violating a $300,000 campaign agreement that included running Grand Theft Auto IV promotional advertisements on buses and at bus stops throughout the Chicago area, which were scheduled for display for six weeks between April and June.The advertisements were pulled after a Fox News affiliate questioned the CTA's priorities of promoting the controversial title during a surge of violent crime in the city of Chicago.Take-Two seeks an order for the transit authority to run the ads as well as monetary damages of at least $300,000.[Thanks, LeGrande J.]
GTAIV carjacks top spot on Xbox Live
Well that didn't take long. Major Nelson has posted the most recent Xbox Live activity top ten. As predicted, Grand Theft Auto IV has (appropriately) stolen the top spot from Call of Duty 4. It would be interesting to find out the percentage of players playing multiplayer versus those that are sticking to the single-player campaign. Regardless, given the amount of content there is to discover in GTAIV, it's likely that it will remain at number one for quite some time. The question now is what game has the power to knock it down. The only thing that comes to mind is (Game of the Year 2008) Ninja Gaiden II. As much as we know Ryu could probably take Niko one-on-one, we're not sure his game has the strength to topple GTAIV.[Thanks, marklar]
Cheating is only natural in GTA IV, learn how to do it
Liberty City can be a tough place to live. Trying to make an honest living in Grand Theft Auto IV as a hardened criminal just ain't as easy as it used to be. Sometimes you need to cheat. You play as a thief and a murderer, why not be a cheater, too. Oh dear, if only your mother could see how far you've fallen. Watch the video to see the cheats work their magic. To read up on the full list and how to do them, check that out after the break.[Thanks, Chris!]
GTAIV cheat codes surface [Update]
Update: Comments for this story confirm that using some of these cheats will not allow you to unlock certain achievements.Having a tough time getting your revenge on in Liberty City? Thankfully Game Trailers user GhettoChild discovered the cheat codes in Grand Theft Auto IV for everything from restoring health to spawning an Annihilator helicopter. Using the in-game cell phone you dial the phone numbers to activate the code. While we haven't been able to confirm it, we assume using any cheats will no longer allow you to unlock any achievements and based on Rockstar's past with using codes, you may be unable to watch the final cinematic in the game.Don't say we didn't warn you. Codes after the jump.[Thanks, Chris]
No GTA IV effect on Iron Man opening
Talk of Grand Theft Auto IV possibly hurting Iron Man's opening was clearly wrong. According to Variety, the movie made $104.2 million during its opening weekend, proving Paramount's Rob Moore right when he said that young males can carve out two hours to see Iron Man.Variety did explore GTA IV's impact on the home video market recently, which showed no major releases targeted at the young male demo for the week. Probably the best comparison would be to see how the Iron Man video game did in sales when NPD comes out next month, and we know we're going out on a limb on this one, but we're pretty sure GTA IV won that battle.
New Zealand warns parents about illegally buying GTA IV
New Zealand's Office of Film and Literature had to reiterate this week that store clerks can't sell Grand Theft Auto IV to parents purchasing it for their children. The New Zealand Herald reports the office had to repeat itself after receiving calls from clerks who didn't know what to do when a parent "demanded" to buy GTA IV with their 14-year-old in tow.GTA IV is rated R18 by the New Zealand government and it's illegal to make it available to anyone under that age. In New Zealand, even if it's their own kid, the adult could be jailed for 90 days or pay $10,000 fine; however, the law has never been enforced.[Via GamePolitics]
EB Canada offers full value for select GTAIV trades
Canadian gamers who purchased their copy of Grand Theft Auto IV at any EB Games midnight launch are in for a treat. According to a flyer distributed during launch events, gamers who trade-in Grand Theft Auto IV with proof of original purchase from any EB Games midnight event will receive a trade credit of up to $59.99 until May 13.We anticipate that EB Games assumes most people will hang onto GTAIV and this deal is structured to entice some people, without flooding their inventory due to the recent release of the game itself. This deal is similar to another promotion EB Games has been waiting to run for Haze and is in line with another failed promotion, the dollar-a-day trade program at select stores.Will you hand over your copy of GTAIV for $59.99? What would you buy with the credit anyway? Actually, we hear GTAIV is out, maybe you should use the credit for that.
Explore Liberty City with Google Map application
Between the comprehensive in-game map, the GPS-imbued minimap, and the TomTom-esque functionality of certain vehicles, we've yet to misplace ourselves within Liberty City's digital boroughs. Still, if you find yourself lost whilst playing Grand Theft Auto IV, we guess this Liberty City map application (mapplication?) using the Google Maps interface would come in handy. A number of user contributions have already been made to the map, showing the location of hidden items, easter eggs, pigeon locations, stunt jumps, and yes, even hookers, whom we assume were fitted with GPS locaters by trained prostitute handlers before being released back into the wild. It makes for a useful cartographical companion for those with a laptop near their console of choice -- if you don't mind ruining the fun of exploring the nooks and crannies of Rockstar's intricately crafted metropolis for yourself, that is.
Gamestop Deal: Buy 2 Used, Get 1 Free
One would think that all the business that GTA IV is netting them would be enough to make Gamestop happy, but no. In a promotional move that hasn't been done in a while, Gamestop is offering a buy two get one free deal on any of their used games and accessories. So any three used things you've your eyes on at your local Gamestop can now be bought with the cheapest ending up being for free. According to the promotional material Assassin's Creed and Gears are $29.95 as well, but they note that you should call ahead to find out availability. The buy two get one free deal lasts until Sunday, and the other two seem to be available until the eighth. Happy game-hunting!
This Week in Review gets hijacked
Not even Sierra's Spring Event, a lineup of all the company's upcoming games (Ghostbusters!) could steal even a glint of the spotlight from Rockstar's behemoth, Viva Pinata. In fact, it's all we (and everyone else) can seem to talk about. Check out all of our hands-on impressions and reviews from the Joystiq Network with this week in review:Viva Pinata* Viva Pinata impressions: A fistful of firsts (Xbox 360) Viva Pinata impressions: A stranger in Liberty City Impressions: VP online multiplayer (Xbox 360) Nega-review: Viva Pinata
Joyswag: Win Grand Theft Auto IV on your platform of choice [Day 3]
Day one and day two of our Grand Theft Giveaway are both over and, while you've been getting a solid eight hours of shut-eye all this week, your GTA IV playing pals have barely caught one wink. Want to be cool like them and deprive your body of the sleep it so desperately needs to keep you healthy? Here's what you need to do: To enter this giveaway, leave a comment telling us your preferred platform and the longest amount of time you've ever spent playing a game. You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec). Limit 1 entry per person in this post (comment more than once and you'll be disqualified, but try again tomorrow). This entry period ends at 5:00pm ET on Saturday, May 3rd. We'll randomly select a winner at that time (please check your email!). For a list of complete rules, click here.
Video: Conan plays a less controversial GTAIV
Oh how we love Conan O' Brien and iconic string dance ... it's epic stuff. But that's not why we bring up Mr. O' Brien's name, the real reason is because the other night he debuted the newest edition of Grand Theft Auto IV. A friendlier, happier and much less controversial edition of GTAIV so that parents and critics can play free of the mature content. Ah heck, just watch the clip, laugh if you want or be a Conan hater. All we have to say is WE LOVE SPRINGTIME![Thanks, Johnson Chen]
GTA IV's 12-step 'fix' has us scratching our heads
Both PS3 and Xbox 360 owners have been experiencing issues with Grand Theft Auto IV. Although the number of PS3 consoles afflicted is "limited" according to Sony, those that have experienced problems seemingly can't find a solution. From the looks of Take Two's 12-step "fix" at Gamespot, we don't think Rockstar knows a real solution either.The first suggestion is what we've heard already: delete your game cache and save data. However, other parts to the laborious process include disabling internet connectivity on the system. Then, disabling the Information Board, Media Server, screen aver, and more. When your PS3 is totally gimped, it may be able to successfully play Grand Theft Auto IV.Sorry, but that's not going to cut the mustard. We're sure that the people affected by this mysterious plague of errors want a patch -- one that allows them to play the game without disabling every feature of their PS3.[Via Joystiq]
Take-Two's GTA IV freezing 'fix' for PS3
We've been trying to get answers this week for those GTA IV players who've been experiencing freeze-ups with the title. Our very unscientific poll has shown that although many of you are enjoying the game without issue, a small percentage are experiencing problems -- and a "small percentage" of the millions who bought GTA IV actually ends up being a lot of people. Although Rockstar has so far not responded to the issue, Gamespot received a "fix" from Take-Two's tech support team.The 12-part "fix" Gamespot received involves steps like: erasing the install data, deleting the game saves, disabling PS3 internet connectivity, disabling the console's information board, deleting the system's internet cache and much more. For its part, Sony says the issue is affecting "a limited number of PS3s" and its working with customers to resolve the problem. Microsoft has yet to acknowledge any freezing issues.
Sony's Grand Theft Auto IV PS3 bundle spotted in Belgium store
Yeah, that fancy press shot has a certain beauty to it, but there's just nothing like spotting a highly coveted console in the wild. Thanks to our cameraphone toting tipster in Belgium, we're presented with the first image of the GTA IV bundle sitting on a shelf just waiting for someone to trade their €450 in and take it home. Oh, and if you're wondering what type of shop places a sweet PS3 beside an assortment of blank media, a coffee mug and what appears to be a CRT television circa 1990, it's Free Record Shop in Antwerp, sucka.[Thanks, Yannick]
Adam Sessler and Jack Thompson debate GTA on NPR
Adam Sessler, host of G4's X-Play, went mano a mano with video gaming super-villain John Bruce (Jack, to you) Thompson on today's Talk of the Nation to talk about all the great ways video game companies are being responsi ... oh, who are we kidding? They were chatting about violence in video games (again) – this time with a focus on Grand Theft Auto IV.Thompson comes across as paranoid crusader (go figure!), sticking with his usual mantra that the game is "mentally molesting minors for money" before being rather promptly booted off the air ("I'm done?"). Though Sessler and Thompson never really go at each other (don't you see enough bloodshed in your "video games"?) it's as even-handed a treatment of the controversy as you're likely to see in the mainstream press.
Joyswag: Win Grand Theft Auto IV on your platform of choice [Day 2]
Day one is over and we're hard at work selecting our first winner. If you've managed to hold off on purchasing GTA IV for the last sixty-five hours, what's another couple of days? If you want to get this year's (history's?) highest-rated game, here's what you need to do: To enter this giveaway, leave a comment telling us your preferred platform and what your favorite GTA-related criminal activity is. You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec). Limit 1 entry per person (comment more than once and you'll be disqualified). This entry period ends at 5:00pm ET on Friday, May 2nd. We'll randomly select a winner at that time (please check your email!). For a list of complete rules, click here.
Greenberg: GTAIV could steal top Live spot
Is it all that surprising? Xbox 360 director of product management (and all around snappy dresser) Aaron Greenberg told Reuters that it wouldn't be surprising to see Grand Theft Auto IV snag the top position on Xbox Live. While most Xbox Live gamers know that shooters like Call of Duty 4 and Halo 3 are generally the major competitors for the number one slot on Xbox Live, Greenberg said of GTAIV, "The multiplayer in this game is so well implemented that I can't imagine anyone owning a copy without trying to play it on Xbox Live." Greenberg is probably right about that. After all, he forecasts (correctly, we'd guess) that GTAIV will be the highest selling game of 2008, so there will certainly be plenty of players ready to go online. The question is whether or not players will continue to play once they've given multiplayer a try.Will GTAIV take the top spot? We're going to go out on a limb and say yes. Will it stay? We'll have to wait and see.[Via Joystiq]
