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Wii Fit set to outpace Grand Theft Auto IV -- gamer geeks weep, gnash teeth
Unafraid to incite elitist gamer geek unrest, respected video game industry analyst Michael Pachter has supported a prediction by GigaOM that Wii Fit will outsell Grand Theft Auto IV this year. Yeah, you read right: the latest entry into what is arguably the biggest hardcore video game franchise around is gonna get whooped by an exercise tool -- we're not shocked, we're just laughing. GTA4 was dominating at first, but with time interest has waned while Wii Fit and its included Balance Board peripheral have stayed hot despite supply shortages. Nintendo's hardware-focused strategy seems to be working; the Balance Board install base is approaching 12 million, or roughly 30% of all Wii owners. You can bet it'll be put to good use in future games and other, less mainstream applications even after folks have given up on losing weight and resigned themselves once more to lifelong loneliness.
Trophies: Grand Theft Auto IV
1 Platinum3 Gold5 Silver42 Bronze Difficulty: Very Difficult Online Trophies? Yes Time to Completion: 100 hoursDLC Trophies? No View Trophy List Read More About the Game %Gallery-3566%
Don't forget to get your GTA IV on, this weekend
Looking for a good change of pace to your regular Xbox Live schedule this weekend? Remember Rockstar is hosting a Grand Theft Auto IV weekend which began Friday, September 26 at 12:01AM EST and runs through to Sunday, September 28 at 11:59PM EST.The weekend affords gamers the opportunity to school or be schooled by a Rockstar employee in some GTA IV multiplayer madness as well as win a truck-load of prizes just for playing the game. It's play and win in GTA IV this weekend and Rockstar has a ton of treats to go around. A full listing of Rockstar employee gamertags are available after the jump.
Get ready for a GTAIV Cause Chaos Live Weekend
Kicking off this Friday, September 26th is a weekend full of guns, cars, destruction and mature related themes better known as the Grand Theft Auto IV Cause Chaos Live Weekend. The GTAIV Cause Chaos weekend fun will include a chance to play with the Rockstar developers as well as a mountain of prizes. No joke, they're giving away everything from Microsoft points and t-shirts to full sized GTAIV dart boards, license plates and replicas of the Statue of Happiness. Head on over to Xbox.com to register, download the free gamer picture off the Marketplace and mark your calendar. Erasing previous weekend plans is acceptable and completely encouraged.
NPD: Top 5 best-selling PS3 games from January to August 08
The NPD, in collaboration with Gamasutra, disclosed the top 5 bestsellers for each platform today, including the PS3. Without further ado, let's take a look at what they are: Grand Theft Auto IV Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Madden NFL 09 Gran Turismo 5: Prologue Note that specific sales numbers were not provided and the final tally does not include any collector's editions, games sold via digital distribution or games bundled with a system. No one is really surprised that GTA IV, MGS4 and Madden 09 made it to the top of the charts. However, Gamasutra remarks on the tremendous momentum Call of Duty 4 has had so far in 2008, especially considering the game was released early November of 2007. They were also surprised to see Gran Turismo 5: Prologue beating out Devil May Cry 4; they even speculate that if the sales on the PS Store for Gran Turismo 5: Prologue were counted, it might have even trumped the sales of the PS3 version of Madden 09. Did any of these games surprise you guys? Is there a game you would have liked to see on the chart? Fire away in the comments below.
GTA IV Live Weekend: Shoot people, win swag Sept. 26-28
In an effort to promote more heinous killing sprees*, Rockstar is hosting a Grand Theft Auto IV Xbox Live weekend September 26-28. Instead of going the Call of Duty 4 route and offering extra experience points, the developer is running a Play & Win contest for various GTA IV gear. There are 24 prizes each day for those who sign on and play multiplayer, and each of those winners will be entered into a drawing for the grand prize that includes the Xbox 360 Elite, a 12-month XBL Gold card and 4,000. To be eligible, register your gamertag either online or by downloading the GTA IV Live Weekend gamer pictures.* Note: Not really
Rumor: MS planning five hour long New Xbox Experience media blitz
In rumor news that could probably be filed under the sub-category "too good to be true", word on the street is that Microsoft is planning a huge New Xbox Experience blowout later this month. A five hour long G4TV "console re-launching" event that's said to be full of new Xbox 360 game announcements. According to forum poster Dodece over on VG Chartz.com, Microsoft will hold their five hour long New Xbox Experience re-launching event on September 25th beginning at 7:00PM eastern and unleash an all out media blitz. Rumored to be announced during the event is news regarding free Halo 3 DLC, new Mass Effect DLC, the first of two chunks of GTAIV DLC and info regarding Portal. Also, during the event, six Xbox Originals will be released for free. There is also mention that MS will announce a Sirius Satellite Radio partnership, a new music download service and something called "Mad Lib" of which isn't explained. As if that wasn't enough, Microsoft will be announcing twelve new game titles exclusive to the 360, all of which are codenamed, but the rumor source confirms Assassins Creed 2, Mass Effect 2, a new Conker title, a new Rare shooter and two new Halo games are in the mix. Phew!Sound too good to be true? Yeah, sounds that way to us as well. Then again, if Microsoft wanted to march into the holidays with their guns a blazing, holding a five hour long 360 media frenzy would generate a bunch of buzz. Try not to get your hopes up though.[Via Kombo, Thanks Blake G]
Grand Theft Auto IV sells ten million copies
As part of its recent quarterly earnings announcement, Take-Two announced that Grand Theft Auto IV has sold ten million copies through Aug. 16. These sales helped lead the company to a staggering $433.8 million in revenue in the third quarter, over twice as much as the same quarter last fiscal year.For comparison, the PS2 version of GTA: San Andreas sold 12 million copies worldwide. During a conference call, the company said it would continue to promote GTA IV through the holiday season, and that it expected lifetime sales for the game to "track well ahead of any previous GTA title."
GTAIV DLC still on track to release this November
Over the past few months, we've been hearing all kinds of conflicting reports regarding the Xbox 360 exclusive Grand Theft Auto IV downloadable content and its release date. All of which has led us to question whether the DLC will release later this Fall, sometime next Spring or later in 2009.Thankfully, Eurogamer had a chance to chat with "sources close to Rockstar North" and learned that the DLC is still on track to release sometime this November. Just as Microsoft promised. Sadly, we are still in the dark regarding what will be included in the DLC or its pricing, but seeing that MS reportedly spent $50 million on it, we doubt it'll be cheap. We're starting our own rumor based on our own speculation which is based on absolutely no facts and predict that the GTAIV DLC will end up costing a whopping 1600 Microsoft points. Tell your friends, you heard it here first!
Microsoft: News from Liberty City this Autumn
As info for all things other than the Xbox 360 arrives fresh from the Leipzig Games Convention, Microsoft took the opportunity to tease Grand Theft Auto IV gamers with the upcoming exclusive downloadable content. "In autumn there will be news from Liberty City; the first episodes of GTA IV will be available for download exclusively on Xbox LIVE, underlining Xbox 360's leadership role in the field of digital entertainment." While the obvious assumption is "news from Liberty City" points at an Autumn launch for the first episode of the content, the "news" referenced in the quote could be a solidified release date for the long-awaited content. Take-Two previously noted that the DLC is expected to arrive during Fiscal Q109 -- which for Take-Two falls between the beginning of November 2008 and the end of January 2009 -- but Microsoft has stood firm on a 2008 release for Episode One. [via IGN]
Microsoft: Grand Theft Auto IV DLC coming this Autumn
In the midst of the Leipzig Games Convention, Microsoft has issued a statement (via IGN) about the much-ballyhooed and long-delayed Grand Theft Auto IV downloadable content. Said Microsoft, "In autumn there will be news from Liberty City; the first episodes of GTA IV will be available for download exclusively on Xbox LIVE, underlining Xbox 360's leadership role in the field of digital entertainment." While we're fairly certain "news from Liberty City" is indicative of an Autumn launch, the "news" could just be a more confirmed release date for later this year. Take-Two previously noted that the DLC is expected in Fiscal Q109 (between November 1, 2008, and January 31, 2009). We've put in a call to Microsoft for clarification, who may or may not be too busy booking tickets to San Andreas. Update: Heard from Microsoft who confirm that the exclusive DLC itself is coming this Fall.
Video: Fall update game installation process
Looky here kids, it's the Fall dashboard update in the hands of some uber l33t dude who "magically" has the new dashboard installed on his Xbox 360. Even better, he (or she) demos the new hard drive game installation process using GTAIV. From the looks of things, the process isn't quick (copying gigs and gigs of data never is), but does actually copy over ever single megabyte from the disc. Though, you'll need the disc to load the game. Pop some popcorn, sit back and enjoy the Fall update game installation process.[Thanks, DCB and SS1029]
Rumor: ESRB rates Grand Theft Auto IV for PC
The ESRB website reportedly leaked word of Niko Bellic and the Grand Theft Auto IV crew heading to the PC. According to Gamesradar, the ratings site listed "Windows PC" among the already-released Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 platforms. And while we'd love to confirm it ourselves, the Joystiq Hive Mind was malfunctioning this weekend and was unable to see the ratings leak ourselves (it has since been pulled), and we refuse to trust any purported screen captures. We've reached out to Rockstar and received the expected, "no comment."
Hurry kids! GTAIV from Amazon for $45
Hop, skip or sprint over to Amazon.com's Gold Box deals page if you've been putting off a Grand Theft Auto IV purchase and feel the need to run over pedestrians, do drugs and have promiscuous "love making". Amazon.com's current Lightning Deal is non other than GTAIV where, for the next few hours or until supplies exhaust, they're selling the game for a rather satisfying $44.99 or another way to put it, 25% off retail. Pull out the plastic and get your buy on.[Thanks, ThePhase]
Weekly deals: Free goodies with GH:Aerosmith
It's Sunday, it's time for a weekly deals roundup, so let's get to it.This week, Best Buy has GRID on sale for $50, is giving away free movie cash with the purchase of Hellboy II or Wall-E and is giving out a free copy of the Aerosmith: Greatest Hits album with the purchase of ANY Guitar Hero: Aerosmith game or bundle. Circuit City has 4000 MS point cards for $45, LEGO Indiana Jones for $43, GTAIV for $55 and are giving away a free guitar strap with any Guitar Hero: Aerosmith purchase. Finally, just like Best Buy, Target is handing out a free copy of Aerosmith: Greatest Hits CD with any Guitar Hero: Aerosmith purchase. As always, feel free to share any deals or discounts you have to share in the comments below.
Grand Theft Auto IV patch finally here
Well, finally. We were hoping this would come sooner, but better late than never, no? The widely reported problems of "freezes during certain modes" and "multiplayer connectivity issues" finally have a remedy -- a patch has just been released by Rockstar for Grand Theft Auto IV. An apology was also included in the patch notes, along with details of each problem resolved. [Via Joystiq]
It's historic! GTAIV receives its first patch
Today is a monumental day in Grand Theft Auto IV history, a historic date that'll be scrapbooked by gamers the world over (even though scrapbooking is so 2002). Today's monumental occasion is none other than the release date of GTAIV's first patch, huzzah! The patch has already been released as a title update and will be insta-downloaded the next time you plop in GTAIV while connected to Live. Curious to know what's all getting patched? Hit the break to real the full list of GTAIV patch updates and fixes. Now pass the scrapbooking glue.[Via Joystiq]
Grand Theft Auto 4 patch: multiplayer and freezing fixes promised
Nearly two months after dragging reviewers out of their parent's cars and beating perfect 10s out of them, Rockstar has released a patch for Grand Theft Auto 4 targeting both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 platforms. This patch notably addresses the oft-heard early complaints of "multiplayer connectivity issues" and "freezes during certain modes." There's a full list of 11 total fixes so, if you've been having trouble getting things done in Liberty City, Rockstar wants to offer you an apology and recommends taking this patch out for a test drive.
Entertainment Weekly lists the classic games from the last 25 years
In its historic 1000th issue, Entertainment Weekly made a point to name the new classics of the last 25 years. While EW took everything from movies to tech to task, writers Geoff Keighley, Wook Kim and Gary Eng Walk clawed through the last 25 years of gaming to list the industry's most important releases. Two Xbox-exclusive titles landed in the top 25 of the 50 title list, at number 11 the classic 2001 Xbox launch title Halo: Combat Evolved from Bungie and ranking in at number 20 was Epic's Gears of War.Other strong Xbox released titles on the list included Grand Theft Auto IV (#9), BioShock (#28), Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (#30), Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (#38), Psychonauts (#43), Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (#45), Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (#47) and Madden NFL 2005 (#50).What are the most important titles in your gaming life and how do you think this list stacks up as a collection of gaming's new classics in the last 25 years? The full 50 title listing can be found after the jump.
Points>Life: Collect-a-thon!
Each week, X3F tips gamers to the tricks of the trade of Achievement hording in Points>Life. Every week a new achievement is unlocked to help you continue your unhealthy obsession with the Xbox 360 meta-game.Throughout the ages in the world of game design, the idea of collecting random items was developed to artificially extend the life of a game. Why only include a five-hour campaign when you can stuff that length with two hours worth of collecting junk, right? Until the advent of the Xbox 360 such collect-a-thons had no business in our games, but for those of us addicted to Achievement Points it has become a necessary evil in our war to 1000 points. This week in Points>Life we're taking a look at some recent offenders on the Xbox 360 and attempt to show you where all those knickknacks, trinkets and gems are hidden. Sit back, it's going to be a bumpy and boring ride to Collect-a-Thon city!
