gta-iv
Latest
GTA's 'Next Stop' teased in Liberty City Episodes manual
We'd thought the Grand Theft Auto franchise had taken us to lovingly rendered simulacra of every metropolitan city-type known to man, but apparently, we thought wrong. In the back of the GTA IV: Episodes from Liberty City manual, a fake advertisement points to the series' "Next Stop" (seen above). Of course, the destination being teased is quite obviously the lovely town of Clip Artington, Minnesota. Surely you've heard of Clip Artington! It's renowned for its apple butter festivals. On the off chance the teaser is pointing to a different city, we've ... we've really got no idea. Looks like a desert, though, right? And a mountain? And some conical, obsidian monoliths? What? Trees? Oh, yeah, that makes a lot more sense. We'd love to hear your speculation in a well-written, thought-provoking comment! There's a place for those right after the jump, you know. [Image credit: VGChartz]
Latest Ballad of Gay Tony trailer showcases Luis Lopez's many exploits
Rather than offer interesting social commentary or moody atmospheric tone, the just-released Ballad of Gay Tony teaser instead teaches us that Luis Lopez is not a joking around kinda guy. He takes shots, tosses dudes off buildings – he even goes to the driving range! In case it weren't already glaringly obvious to you, the second Grand Theft Auto IV expansion will be taking itself quite a bit less seriously than the first digital release. Thankfully, the wait is nearly over and we can find out for ourselves tomorrow just how much Rockstar Games has twisted its latest opus.%Gallery-68537%
PSA: GTA IV is now available on demand, $30 in US
Crime epic Grand Theft Auto IV has arrived (as promised) on the Xbox Marketplace's Games on Demand lineup. The grand theft mega-hit costs $30 to download, which is the same price as a fresh new retail version -- a tiny bit more in some cases. We should probably note that a used copy from GameStop is about $25. By all means, if you have no way of getting to a retailer please feel free to buy the game online. Oh, wait, that was a missed opportunity for a "steal a car" joke, wasn't it?
GTA IV, Dead Space coming to Xbox 360 Games on Demand this month
The Xbox 360's Games on Demand service is getting quite the booster shot this month, as Microsoft has announced six new titles coming to the service in October. The festivities kicked off earlier this week with the release of Rainbow Six Vegas 2 and Call of Duty 3. Here's what the rest of this month has in store: October 13 Grand Theft Auto IV October 20 Midnight Club: Los Angeles Army of Two Sonic Unleashed October 27 Dead Space DiRT There's no word on price for any of these titles right now, so we've checked with Microsoft and will be sure to update you when we hear back.
New 'Episodes from Liberty City' introduces Armando & Henrique
Good friends are hard to come by, especially on the seedy streets of Liberty City. That's why we're so glad the above trailer for Episodes from Liberty City (which features snippets from The Ballad of Gay Tony and The Lost and the Damned) emphasizes the comradery one can experience in the city's many boroughs.Don't believe us? Just ask The Ballad of Gay Tony protagonist Luis Lopez's childhood friends Armando Torres and Henrique Bardas, who have stuck with Lopez through thick and thin.
Catch a gold bar from Yusuf Amir in the new Ballad of Gay Tony trailer
It would be outright unfair to spoil any of the hilarious, minute-long trailer for upcoming GTA IV expansion The Ballad of Gay Tony that we've dropped above. We would like to highlight its introduction of Yusuf Amir, a character who seems to be on the level of Brucie in terms of sheer personality. With any luck, we'll get to hang out with Mr. Amir quite a bit while playing through The Ballad of Gay Tony when it's released on October 29. %Gallery-68537%
Weazel News reports rise in Liberty City terrorism
It looks like the inhabitants of Liberty City now have more to fear than crazy foreigners and roving bike gangs, according to a recent Weazel News expose. Terrorists have made their way into the city and brought their tools of destruction with them. Sticky bombs, exploding bullets (doesn't every bullet kinda explode?) and attack helicopters are just a few of these new dangers facing players in upcoming The Ballad of Gay Tony (not to mention every Burger Shot-loving local on the street).But, thanks to the hard work of the Weazel News team, we have a good idea who's behind this sudden influx: Frickie Van Hardenberg, an African emigrant with a sordid past. What? Seriously, that's his name. Watch the news clip above if you don't believe us.[Thanks, Juan!]
Rockstar's Agent sneaks into 2010 release window
Aside from the game's exclusivity to the PlayStation 3 and the logo you see above, we've seen little else about upcoming '70s espionage game Agent. But while answering some fan questions about next month's GTA IV expansion, The Ballad of Gay Tony, on its forums, Rockstar North mentions that it's "working hard on a lineup of PlayStation 3 releases for 2010 ... including Red Dead Redemption, Max Payne 3, and the PlayStation 3 exclusive AGENT." The statement goes on to tease "yet to be announced" titles, possibly lending some credence to Michael Pachter's statements on another GTA game in the not- so-distant future. Considering Rockstar's statements were made in response to queries about GTA IV DLC coming to PS3, we wouldn't be surprised if those "yet to be announced" titles are the result of Microsoft's timed-exclusivity expiring. [Via Superannuation]
Xbox 360 version of GTA IV patched to prevent cheating
Coming just before the new DLC, which is sure to renew interest in Grand Theft Auto IV, Rockstar Games alerted us to a new Title Update that will make the game a bit harder for jerks, but more playable for the rest of us. It apparently fixes the glitch that allows players to appear invisible, and disables "cheat code exploits" in multiplayer.Frankly, we're shocked to hear of cheating in Grand Theft Auto IV. That's immoral. Everyone should just play nice so that we all have a good time performing murder sprees in stolen automobiles. %Gallery-3442%
GTA IV's The Ballad of Gay Tony sings on Oct. 29
Grand Theft Auto IV's The Ballad of Gay Tony will sashay into stores on October 29th as part of the Episodes from Liberty City retail disc. While hog ridin' formed the draw of GTA IV's most recent DLC episode, The Lost and Damned, it appears that the sparkly nightlife and parachuting out of helicopters is what you'll find described with enthusiasm on the back of the box. With no mention of the Xbox Live version on any of the current materials, we're following up with Rockstar and Microsoft to confirm the release date for the Xbox Live Marketplace version. Update: Microsoft tells us the release date is Oct. 29 for both the retail and Xbox Live Marketplace versions of the expansion. %Gallery-68537%
GTA IV: Episodes from Liberty City gets box arted
Though we'd love to spend our precious time poring over the just-released cover of upcoming Grand Theft Auto IV DLC retail pack, Episodes from Liberty City, we're not entirely certain of what to pick apart. The usual sexified lady and mean-looking gentlemen are present and accounted for, as is another helicopter to remind us of The Ballad of Gay Tony's apparent vehicle of choice. A few friends from the The Lost & Damned also make an appearance, but there isn't much else to ogle. We still don't have a release date for the expansion or much more than a handful of screenshots, so we really hope you enjoy this box art until the first trailer hits tomorrow afternoon. %Gallery-68537%
First screens for The Ballad of Gay Tony go airborne
Earlier today, Rockstar Games released its first volley of screens for upcoming GTA IV expansion, The Ballad of Gay Tony. From what we can see in the four images -- handed "exclusively to fan sites," according to the Rockstar Games website -- it appears as though air-based warfare will be the focus this time around. Eagle-eyed fans will also notice that the protagonist is wearing the same letterman jacket found in the teaser image Rockstar released last week for the game's second DLC, still scheduled to arrive this Winter, further confirming his main characteriness. All will be revealed this Tuesday we hope, with the arrival of the first trailer (and hopefully some new media alongside that). For the time being, peep all four images right here.%Gallery-68537%[Thanks, Adriaan!]
The Ballad of Gay Tony gets its first trailer this Tuesday
Notorious for not saying much about the GTA series until the very last minute, Rockstar Games stuck to form today in announcing the first trailer for upcoming GTA IV expansion The Ballad of Gay Tony. According to the company's website, a trailer for Episodes from Liberty City will be released this Tuesday, "featuring The Ballad of Gay Tony." The only images we've seen so far from the DLC haven't been much more than loading screen art, and now the shot above of what looks to be Luis jumping out of a plane. Wait, jumping out of a plane? There were no planes in GTA IV! What is this madness?!
PSA: Lost and Damned is Deal of the Week for $15
In case you'd forgotten, Major Nelson reminded us this morning that this week's Xbox Live Deal of the Week is the Grand Theft Auto IV expansion, The Lost and Damned. Rather than running you the standard price of 1600 ($20), the motorcycle gang-themed DLC will only cost 1200 ($15) this week.Considering how many games have already headed into the "early 2010" release window, we wouldn't be surprised to see the retail compilation of The Lost and Damned with The Ballad of Gay Tony slip to next year. Hopefully this week's discount on the former is a precursor to the latter getting a release date or, well, any info at all since it was announced back in May. In the meantime, at lease we're getting a discount!%Gallery-37692%
Incoming Xbox Deals of the Week: Lost and Damned, Penny Arcade Adventures Episode 2
How often is the Xbox Live Deal of the Week actually exciting? Not this week, at least, but it will be this month! On August 24, Microsoft will offer something pretty tempting: Grand Theft Auto: The Lost and Damned for 1200 ($15), 5 bucks off the normal asking price for the Grand Theft Auto IV expansion. If you're the guy who bought GTA IV on 360 but hasn't picked this up yet -- and you don't want to wait for Episodes from Liberty City -- now's a great time to pick up a new set of missions to give up on halfway through the game, in favor of just doing awesome bike jumps. The announcement also reveals that a deal for Penny Arcade Adventures Episode 2 is incoming, so ... you know, don't buy it yet. Also, a Halo 3 Dashboard theme that you really don't need to buy ever.
The ECA wants you to tell Obama how cool video games are
Video games are totally cool, right? The Entertainment Consumers Association thinks so, and wants you to let the US President know how you feel about video games and their effect on your life, via an email form on its website. Specifically, the folks at the ECA want you to "point out some ways that video games have empowered and educated you." Like that time you were empowered by GTA IV to rob someone, right? (That's a joke, Mr. Thompson.) The political lobbying group is of course responding to the continuing message from President Obama during speeches to "put the video games away." While we're sure Mr. President would love to read all about how World of Warcraft taught you about time (mis)management or how Drop7 makes you see things in groups of seven or less everywhere you go (is that just us?), we're thinking the "intellectual stimulation" and "problem solving" routes might be a bit more advantageous. [Thanks, Jack!]
Analyst: 2 more GTA IV episodes on the way, GTA V by fiscal 2011
Do you want more Grand Theft Auto? Well, that's what Todd Mitchell, analyst for Kaufman Bros. Equity Research wants. Nay, expects! Speaking to GI.biz, Mitchell stated that he's anticipating two more downloadable GTA IV episodes to launch after The Ballad of Gay Tony. "It's been indicated to me that would be the case," he said. Additionally, with Microsoft's exclusivity deal covering only two episodes, these DLC add-ons may also appear on PS3. In addition to new GTA IV episodes, the analyst believes GTA V will debut some time in the 2011 fiscal year. The only reason it wasn't announced or teased in any way during E3, he believes, is "Rockstar's track record with delivering on time." The most curious of statements Mitchell made was regarding the possibility of a new Grand Theft Auto hitting the PlayStation 2 system. No, you read that right. He believes a PS2 port of the PSP port of the formerly DS-exclusive Chinatown Wars may hit the aging Sony system, although he admits he's not too "confident" about that prediction. Pachter, eat your heart out.
Baking news: GTA IV meth recipe flawed
From the obscure annals of May 2008 comes the testimony of BBFC head David Cooke, who confirmed that the now irrelevant UK ratings board had investigated the authenticity of "instructional information about how to make the drug crystal meth" in Grand Theft Auto IV. The incident was brought to light today in a Times Online article examining PEGI's recent appointment as the sole UK video games classification authority and allegations that the organization might not be as thorough as the BBFC had been in its review process; for example: testing out GTA IV's so-called meth recipe.We're not certain just how far the BBFC went in its drug trial, but "independent advice" was sought in order to deem that "crucial ingredients and techniques were missing" from the scrutinized game content. What does this mean for the rest of us? Well, one, if you're in the planning stages of a homebrewed meth lab, you should probably look beyond GTA IV's suggestions. And, two, if you've already got your lab up and running, you may want to contact your legal team and tell them that the "GTA made me do it" defense isn't going to work this time. That is, only if the coppers catch you before you blow yourself up.[Via GamePolitics]
Rockstar, Media Molecule lead 2009 Develop Awards nods
Rockstar Leeds and Rockstar North, together with LittleBigPlanet dev Media Molecule have netted an impressive eleven nominations for the 2009 Develop Industry Excellence Awards, the UK's annual prize patrol for all things excellent in the industry. The Rockstar houses pocketed six of their own for work on GTA: Chinatown Wars and GTA IV: The Lost and the Damned, including nods for visual arts, technical innovation and audio. Rockstar Leeds is also up for the award for best handheld game studio, while both are in the running for being recognized as the best in-house team. Media Molecule is up for five awards as well, including best indie studio and best new IP. The Guildford studio is also up for the technical innovation award, where it's not only up against the Rockstar folks, but the teams behind Killzone 2, PlayStation Home, Football Manager Live and Fable II. We wish all nominees the best of luck and remind them not to forget to thanks their moms should they take the stage and accept an award during the July 15 ceremony.
Former Rockstar Games founders form 4mm Games
Eager to fill their lungs with the clean air of independent living, Rockstar Games co-founders Jamie King and Gary Foreman have headed for the hills. Along the way the pair picked up Nicholas Perret from Image Metrics, known for its amazing yet slightly creepy Emily video, and entertainment exec Paul Coyne. Next stop: 4mm Games, a new game studio that, according to CEO Perret, aims to "deliver groundbreaking content with global appeal to a consumer who lives online."4mm isn't talking specifics, though the company has netted "significant" backing from game-focused investment firm, CEA Autumn Games. According to 4mm, the companies have agreed to a multi-year partnership, which includes multiple titles and platforms. Beyond this, 4mm is keeping quiet on what it plans to spend its new-found cash on, but we'll keep our eyes on the horizon as things develop.
