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Joystiq Podcast 007 - Synergy edition (feat. Shawn Andrich and Dennis McCauley)
Arriving fashionably late is the latest installment of the Joystiq Podcast, double-oh seven! No, it's not "Bond edition," it's "Synergy edition." Why synergy? When you combine guest host Shawn Andrich, of the popular Gamers with Jobs Conference Call podcast, with discussion of Jaffeton you can't help but feel the synergy. Roll in some discussion with GamePolitics blogger -- and Joystiq columnist -- Dennis McCauley, and thinks get downright synergistic. Get the podcast: [iTunes] Subscribe to the Joystiq Podcast directly in iTunes (MP3) [RSS] Add the Joystiq Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator [Digg] Like the show? Digg it. [MP3] Download the MP3 directly Hosts: Christopher Grant and Justin McElroy Guests: Shawn Andrich (Gamers with Jobs) and Dennis McCauley (GamePolitics) Music: "We Weren't Put Together" by David E. Sugar Program: 0:01:30 - Spider-Man 3 synergy ("who cleans up all that webbing?") 0:12:36 - Sony goat of war II ("red phone") 0:21:07 - PlayStation 4 is coming ("fourth dimension new chipset") 0:27:53 - GTAIV "limited" on 360 ("it makes no qualitative difference") 0:33:38 - LucasArts' Fracture ("everybody's a miner") 0:41:00 - Wii release calendar ("What're ya' buyin'?") 0:49:55 - Dennis McCauley on Clements High maps 1:03:48 - The Jaffeton (censored)
Some GTA IV details, Rockstar claims 66% complete
The UK's Official Xbox Magazine uncovered some more dirt on the upcoming Rockstar flagship title, Grand Theft Auto IV. Why are we referring to an Xbox magazine? Because the details contained are going to apply to the PS3 version as well, we're certain. We'll summarize the findings, as we love to do so greatly (do you appreciate bullet point summaries as much on any other site? Didn't think so!). Rockstar claims a 66% completion rate on GTAIV. "Liberty City" is bigger than any city they've ever done before (taking into account the loading splits between city areas in older games). The real key is in the level of detail. Expect Central Park to make an entrance, but it'll have a fictional name. Let's see ... Middle City Square Recreational Outdoor Facility? Manual aiming seems to make a debut, as when Niko pulls a pistol, a little crosshair appears on screen. Let's hope it's a more refined aiming system than, say, 50 Cent Bulletproof. Also, there will be some "ridiculous" weaponry ... expect Bubble Guns and Potato Launchers. Hand-to-hand combat is getting reworked to feel more natural. You can climb outdoor fire escapes! Sometimes, meetings take place in high offices of skyscrapers where it's rumored you can toss people right out the window. Eccentric! You might be able to change your camera view in a car to suit your needs (it's still being worked on). Controls will shift, especially control of the radio. Cops will have adjusted reactions, etc. Boats are coming back with "really nice" handling. What wasn't covered was the deal with disc storage space. While it's been said that the DVD media format and lack of hard drive in all 360s may hamper some features of the game, we're still unsure if the extra space for Blu-ray is going to be taken full advantage of on the PS3 version of the game. I've got a rant on the tip of my fingers, but I'll digress. It's shaping up to be a fine game. Let's hope it doesn't turn into just a pretty version of the last-gen GTA's.[Thanks, Jonah!]
Saints Row 2 will be alive in 2008
During THQ's earnings report, the big whigs on hand announced that they'll be releasing a Saints Row sequel sometime next year. They went on to say that they've canceled plans for porting the original Saints Row to the PS3 and will be using all that team's resources for Saints Row 2. So, Saints Row will remain an Xbox 360 exclusive for the foreseeable future, if not forever.We also can't help but draw a connection between the cancellation of the PS3 port and the release of Grand Theft Auto IV later this year. The competition would not be good for a ported PS3 version of Saints Row, so they probably figured why waste the cash. Speaking of GTA IV, is anyone interested enough in the Saints Row franchise to buy it on top of GTA IV (or ignore a GTA purchase all together) or were all those Saints Row sales filling a GTA void at the time?[Thanks, xBlaCkPlaGuEx]
New GTAIV details emerge
The UK Official Xbox Magazine had a chance to sit down with Rockstar North to talk shop about Grand Theft Auto IV, which is evidently 66% complete. Details on the benefit on basing Liberty City off of modern day New York City, the size of Liberty City in comparison to other cities in the GTAIII series, as well as some landmarks are given. In terms of gameplay, the camera's functionality, the targeting system, and improvements on the hand to hand combat are all touched on. Not only that, but boats will be making a "fun" return to the series. Click the "Read" link to get the full scoop, with scans to come shortly, and note that October can't come soon enough.[Via Achievement Junkie. Thanks, Jonah Falcon]
ESRB says 90 percent of parents aware of ratings
The ESRB is attempting to prove with a new study that their ratings system is doing more than just cluttering up game boxes. The group says that 90% of American parents of gaming kids are aware of the ratings and 85% use them regularly when buying games. Those numbers are up from 84% and 73% from last year.While it's certainly good news for fans of industry self-regulation if accurate, this surprisingly high number of rating-literate parents comes at a conveniently good time for the ESRB, which currently has its independence threatened yet again by the "Truth in Video Games" act reintroduced by Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kansas).But who knows? Maybe the ratings are catching on. One concerned 4-foot-tall man pre-ordering Grand Theft Auto IV in our local game store who assured us that was "really a parent" certainly thought so. "Yes, I don't want my son, the son that I really have, playing those awful violent games," he said, pressing on his waxy-looking mustache nervously for emphasis. "When I have a legally-obtained beer with my adult friends at adult parties, we often talk about the ratings of games being played by our children, our real children ... the ones who are not us. Now, if you'll excuse me I hear my mom honking. Wait, no -- my wife. It's my wife honking. The wife that I have."
The 360's crappy hardware is gimping GTA IV
Okay, so maybe it's not as harsh as the headline sounds - but Rockstar recently acknowledged in an interview with OPM UK that the lack of a hard drive in the 'cheap' 360 SKU combined with the lack of Blu-Ray is limiting what the team can do in GTA IV. Unfortunately, this effects the PlayStation 3 version as well, since they are aiming at both versions of the game being identical.This is one of the first times I've seen a company acknowledge that making a multi-platform game ends up limiting what they can do. Normally that sort of talk is up to fanboys - not Vice Presidents of major companies. It's a shame to hear that the 360 is limiting what GTA IV can become, but hopefully Rockstar takes a queue from The Darkness and adds-on a bunch of content to fully utilize the space that Blu-Ray offers.Oh, and to be fair - Rockstar also said that the PS3 offers it's own challenges that they have to overcome (cough, the Cell BE, cough).
Xbox 360 creates "limitations" for GTA IV
Apparently the lack of a built-in Blu-ray or HD-DVD drive in the Xbox 360 means that the year and a half old console is already starting to feel growing pains. In an interview with Official PlayStation Magazine, Rockstar creative VP Dan Houser was asked, "On PS3 you've got a guarantee that every machine is going to have a hard-drive and, with Blu-ray, you've got plenty of storage, whereas on Xbox 360 there's no guarantee of a hard-drive and you're working with the DVD format. Does that create limitations?" His answer? "Yep."On the flipside, Rockstar is using the Xbox 360 to demo the game to the press ... so they might say it's not the prettiest girl at the ball, but they sure love dancing with her. There's no doubt that as games get more graphically intense and the sheer scope of them continues to increase in size, storage is going become a more pressing issue. However, don't forget that right now the larger storage leads to longer load times, with the PS3 taking longer than the 360, due to the Blu-ray drive.We didn't expect it to start happening quite so soon, but we're sure it's minimal as far as this title is concerned. We'll be watching the widening gap with interest.
Rockstar: 360 hindering GTAIV development
Speaking to the Official Playstation Magazine, Rockstar's creative vice president, Dan Houser, noted that the Xbox 360's lack of a guaranteed hard drive poses a challenge for the development of Grand Theft Auto IV. When asked directly about the issue, Houser agreed that the hard drive issue presented limitations. It should be noted, however, that Houser elaborated that both the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 have their share of challenges. As Houser put it, "both have their own particular pleasures and pains." What exactly these pleasures and pains are is anyone's guess.For what it's worth, the version of Grand Theft Auto IV being shown to the press is running on an Xbox 360. Do with that what you will. [Via Digg]
Game Informer answers GTAIV questions on 'copters and more
When they weren't defending their exclusive coverage, the guys at Game Informer (at least Andrew Reiner, "the only journalist so far to have seen Grand Theft Auto IV in action") were answering questions sent in by GTA4.net. So, no flying? Reiner: "There are no airplanes in the game, but flying is still there. One means of this is the helicopter." One means, eh? How about "good looking chicks"? Reiner: " ... ." Okay, moving on. Are there seasons? Reiner: "Time of day definitely progresses, but whether it progresses throughout an entire calendar year remains to be seen." How about ladyfriends? Reiner: "What is with you people and your woman-related questions."We were thinking the same thing, but don't be discouraged! There's a couple interesting responses tangled up between some of the more inane questions so, if GI's exclusive coverage didn't sate your GTA-ppetite, click that Read link and give 'em a second chance. Oh, and boats are in.
Flying is still in GTAIV (just not in planes)
Among the details revealed about GTAIV a couple weeks back was this little tidbit: "No planes." Many readers were understandably miffed, as flying is one of the more entertaining things to do in Grand Theft Auto. Fear not, fanboys, for we have discovered that flight has not been removed from the series. Game Informer's Andrew Reiner recently spilled the beans whilst speaking to GTANet. According to Reiner, the city is really too small for a plane to make sense, but other craft -- like helicopters -- will definitely make it into the game. That, obviously, is the big news, but Reiner revealed a few other details as well. The camera has been adjusted while driving, making the game feel more like Midnight Club according to Reiner. Also, Reiner was very impressed by the game's visuals (no pop up or loading screens), and notes that retail will look even better than what he saw. He also hints that characters from previous games may make an appearance.Hit the "read" link for the full interview.[Via IGN. Thanks, Rodney]
Game Informer defends GTA IV 'exclusive' coverage
Kevin Gifford's Game Mag Weaseling is a column run on GameSetWatch where he discusses coverage by the game magazines. In a recent article about Game Informer's "coverage" of Grand Theft Auto IV, Gifford said the piece was full of "glorified feature lists enhanced with developer quotes and insulated by hundred of words of filler."Well, Game Informer's Editor in Chief Andy McNamara wasn't going to take that lightly, writing to the site, "I fail to see how getting world exclusive content that you can't get anywhere else isn't offering our readers something unique and worth the price of a magazine?"Essentially where Gifford and GameSetWatch stood their ground was that the coverage felt managed by Rockstar -- well, of course it was. Rockstar gave GI the pictures, quotes and whatever else they wanted to. It's not like GI infiltrated the Rockstar building and retrieved the information for their readers. There was some deal made and GI got the exclusive -- good for them, it shows the muscle that comes with 2 million hard-sold Gamestop customers subscribers. If you're happy with that ending and don't want to hear a potential spoiler, enjoy that ending for this post and don't look after the break!
Staten Island slighted by GTAIV
Many will recall yesterday's big Grand Theft Auto IV news including plenty of new details about the game. One of those details is causing a bit of a stir in Staten Island. It was revealed yesterday that only four of New York's five boroughs would be represented in GTAIV, with Staten Island being left out. It seems that Staten Island (or at least one of its newspapers) is miffed at its exclusion from the game. As John Annese writes in the Staten Island Advance "When did Staten Island get run off the road as a borough of New York City?" A gamer at a local gaming center stated, "If you're gonna base a game on the five boroughs and you leave out one of the boroughs, it's kind of unsettling" (he added that he would still probably buy the game though).Of course, not everyone is displeased with the news. Linda Baran, the president of the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce noted, "That's something I appreciate being left out of." A mother at the gaming center shared similar sentiments, noting that GTA is "not a great game" and that her son wasn't allowed to play it.Naturally, as game journalists, we're disappointed that so many people remain unaware that games have grown up over the years. Still, the response is expected at this point. Considering the flack companies have been getting lately for basing their games on real world locations, it's interesting to see things turned the other way around.[Via Game Stooge]
GTAIV multiplayer announcement to come in the future?
The May issue of Game Informer had a nice hands-on with Grand Theft Auto IV on the 360, so naturally as soon as readers got their hands on the magazine, the information spread like wildfire. Apparently scans of the magazine were at some point here, but we couldn't get to them. Here's the information that's been leaked thus far: Main character: Niko Bellic, either a Croatian or Serbian (our vote is on Serbian). A multiplayer announcement will be made at some point in the future. You can use a mobile phone to call contacts (think of what this could mean in multiplayer) No planes! The game takes place in one city. You will have more choice than in previous games, although you'll still be taking orders from someone. Multiple branches in the story lead to a more open experience and different outcomes The story structure is supposedly "quite different" from the other titles. That's it for now. We'll keep searching for more leaks and information.
Loads of new GTAIV details rounded up
With scans of the latest Game Informer hitting the net earlier today, our paymasters at Joystiq have uncovered lots of juicy details about Grand Theft Auto IV. There are so many details, in fact, that it would be impossible to enumerate them without the aid of a bulleted list. Lucky for everyone, we have such a function handy for just this kind of situation. Many of these bits were copied directly from Joystiq because we're lazy to preserve clarity. So, here we go.
GTA IV briefing in Game Informer, multiplayer and more
Game Informer gets the scoop on GTAIV in the May issue (not on "newsstands" yet), getting a peek at the Xbox 360 work-in-progress running on a debug unit. So, what's new besides what we saw in the trailer? Lots. Setting: re-created Liberty City (better mirrors real-world NYC; smaller "geographical mass" than San Andreas, but more densely populated) MetLife building = "Getalife" Statue of Liberty = "Statue of Happiness" DUMBO = "BOABO" (Beneath the Offramp of the Algonquin Bridge Overpass Area includes an adaptation of four of NYC's boroughs (no love for Staten Island), and a section of Jersey: Manhattan = "Algonquin" (The Lenape did speak an Algonquin language from which our word "Manhattan" is derived) Brooklyn = "Broker" Queens = "Dukes" (a duke ranks just below a prince) Bronx = "Bohan" New Jersey = "Alderney" (also named for one of the British Channel Islands -- or a breed of cattle) Main character: Niko Bellic; "Eastern European" ('cause who really keeps track of the countries over there?) Lured to Liberty by cousin Roman's suspicious emails (Roman claims to be living the America Dream: 2 women, 4 hot tubs, and 15 sports cars); Roman actually operates a rundown taxi depot in Broker and has gotten himself into a "load of trouble" NEWS FLASH: "Many of Niko's activities revolve around being a criminal"
GTA IV scans hit the internet (and run)
Our buddies at Xboxygen nabbed over a dozen scans of Grand Theft Auto IV (GTAIV to the kids) from the latest Game Informer. The screens give a nice idea of the level of detail in the game, as touched upon by the recently released trailer. The shot above in particular is a great example of how alive the game seems to be. In this shot, you can see reflections on the car, realistic shadows, and of course, lots of pedestrians. It's unfortunate that this shot shows off two identical NPCs (the women in white shirts and jeans), but the level of detail is still very impressive. There are also some nice shots of GTAIV's locations, cars, and characters (including some character art). Hit the "read" link to check 'em out. Be sure to head back here and tell us what you think.
GTA IV -- real life spoof trailer
This is a great weekend post because sometimes, after a hard week of working and reading news, you just need something to stare at and blankly chortle to yourself. Yes, we said chortle -- what're ya gonna do about it? Whoever put this real-life GTAIV trailer together deserves props, because we all know Liberty City is just a mask to disguise the truth. Enjoy, guys and gals.
Today's realistic video: GTA IV trailer in real life
While its not a down-to-the-finite-details replica of the Grand Theft Auto IV trailer, it's pretty darned spot-on. If you factor in that he made it using only clips that he could find on YouTube, it's even more amazing. When they cut to that one shot of the actor ... you'll be wondering if they used that for the actual game trailer.It's even more impressive that he was able to make it so close to the actual thing within his YouTube confines. Does this mean the GTA IV trailer-creators used very familiar scenes in and around New York? Or is it a sign that YouTube is just that much closer to taking over the world? We may never know.
GTAIV trailer reimagined in real life
Video games have a way of creating dedicated fans. With the advent of YouTube and viral videos, many video game fans are turning to user created movies. Some films, like the ones produced by Mega64, poke fun at video game conventions. Other films take existing game engines to create new stories, something that has become very popular with Halo and Halo 2. This video, however, brings something different to the table. The video is a recreation of the recently released trailer for Grand Theft Auto IV. The entire video is done in live action. That in itself is worth a look, but what makes it even more interesting is that the video is composed entirely of clips found on YouTube. Has society come so far that we now make YouTube videos from pieces of other YouTube videos? Simply astounding. Give it a watch, check out the original, and tell us what you think.[Via GamePolitics. Thanks, Pedro Monscooch ]
PSP Fanboy Theatre: Volume 13
Note: This week's edition was delayed due to problematic video encoding.PSP Fanboy offers the latest and greatest movie and game trailers, formatted for the PSP in this new weekly feature. Check it out every Saturday. PSP owners can download files wirelessly via m.pspfanboy.com.Instructions: Save all movie and thumbnail files to the VIDEO folder. These high resolution 480x272 videos require firmware 3.30 or above. Grand Theft Auto IV [360, PS3]Download MP4 (5.93MB) | Download JPG The following videos are featured after the break: 28 Weeks Later, Formula 1 [PS3], The Reaping, Super Rub-a-Dub [PS3].
