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GTA: San Andreas now available for (some) Windows Phones weeks late
Rockstar Games' promise of an early January launch for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas on Windows Phone devices may've been a bit off -- the game just arrived on the Windows Phone store today, as spotted by CNET. The game carries a $7 price tag and works on a handful of WP8 devices (the HTC 8XT and Nokia Lumias 1520, 1320, 822, 820 and 810); it's got the same touch-based, contextual controls that the iOS and Android versions employ. Should the Caricature Compton of Carl Johnson's San Andreas entice you, you can snag it right here.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas coming to Android, iOS and Windows Phone in December
If Grand Theft Auto V left you eager to spend more time in Los Santos, you'll be glad to hear that Rockstar Games is porting Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas to mobile devices. Android, iOS and Windows Phone users will get to relive Carl Johnson's early '90s gangster saga this December, with more detailed graphics and touch-optimized controls coming to all platforms. Gamers will also get full controller support, including Made for iOS devices if you're using iOS 7. Rockstar isn't providing release dates and prices just yet, although the imminent launch suggests that we'll get more details in short order.
Grand Theft Auto Online players start getting virtual payouts for their troubles
Rockstar promised that it would compensate GTA Online players for their service problems during October, and it's (somewhat belatedly) making good on its word. As expected, the developer has started paying these early adopters $500,000 each in virtual currency to keep them organizing heists and racing cars. All the handouts should wrap up within the next two days, Rockstar estimates. There should also be fewer hiccups in the future -- the company is already rolling out a fix that prevents cloud sync outages from erasing progress. GTAO members aren't entirely out of the woods, but the bonus cash may give them a good reason to stay in Los Santos.
Grand Theft Auto 5 iFruit app available on select Android devices
Rockstar Games has finally fulfilled its promise of bringing Grand Theft Auto 5's iFruit companion app to Android. Over a month after the game's launch and the app's iOS availability, you can trick out your ride or train Franklin's dog from your handset running Mountain View's OS. Our Nexus 4 phones and Nexus 7 tablets ran the app just fine, but there are reports of quite a few incompatible devices. Sound off in the comments if your device is compatible, we want to know. While you might be done with the game's story mode by now, at least you can have a custom license plate ready for GTA Online's first stimulus package. Better late than never, right?
Rockstar gifting Grand Theft Auto Online players $500K (in online cash) for ballin'
Rockstar Games sympathizes with your GTA Online woes, folks. The company's dropping two massive deposits of cash ($250K apiece) into player accounts in the coming weeks, and the first could be coming "by the end of next week." After those pesky issues with game progress and content disappearing are solved (again, hopefully "by the end of next week"), the deposits are scheduled to begin. Not every single person who owns Grand Theft Auto V will get the cash, but anyone who logged in and played GTA Online "during the month of October 2013" is qualified. After scooping the next title update (1.04), Rockstar will tell people via its newswire website when the deposits are going in -- and just like that, magically, said deposits will appear in-game for qualifying players. After that, you may commence with the ballin'. Or maybe just buy yourself a Burger Shot franchise and settle down, get a nice condo in the outskirts of Los Santos. The choice is yours!
GTA V makes $1 billion in three days, may be fastest selling entertainment product in history
Calling Grand Theft Auto V one of 2013's most anticipated video game releases would be a massive understatement, but if you wanted some sort of monetary proof of the claim, Take-Two interactive has it. According to a press release issued today, GTA V has cleared over $1 billion in sales in its first three days on the market; crunch the numbers, and that adds up to more than 16.5 million units sold. Take-Two says that it believes this makes it the fastest selling entertainment property in history -- the last major release to make that claim, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, took 15 days to reach the milestone. It's an impressive accomplishment, but it's potentially only the tip of the iceberg: GTA V is rumored to be ported to PC and next generation consoles, and has a literal product lifetime to hold down its sales record.
Rockstar shares the Grand Theft Auto soundtracks on iTunes and Spotify
Rockstar, the developers of the very popular Grand Theft Auto series, has kindly set up playlists for every one of the series' radio stations, for use in both iTunes and Spotify. The GTA series is well-known for its music, and when Rockstar ported both GTA3 and GTA: Vice City over to iOS, we were fortunate enough to get the great soundtracks with them. But, of course, you can't always be playing the game, so if you want to listen to the music on your own, you can load one of these up in iTunes, and listen away. Unfortunately, the games' commercials are not available in iTunes. Rockstar has set up a special "Advertising Council" site to let you listen in directly to the hilarious parody commercials from the series instead. And of course this is all done in prelude to the upcoming Grand Theft Auto 5, expected sometime later on this year. No word yet if there'll be a Mac (or even an iOS) release for the newest game, but we'll keep an ear open. [via Joystiq]
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City hijacking Android and iOS on December 6th for $5
Following the footsteps of its predecessor, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is making its way to Android and iOS. Rockstar announced today that a special 10th Anniversary Edition of the open world Scarface / Miami Vice inspired sim will be hitting the two popular mobile platforms on December 6th for $5. This spiffed-up mobile port includes updated character models, enhanced lighting effects, improved targeting and fully customizable control options. Technical upgrades aside, we caution not to drive directly against the sun while riding a motorcycle within the game; it nearly blinded us in the original console version, so we can only imagine how harsh it will be on your fancy high-res display. Don't say that we didn't warn you. Move past the break for a complete list of supported devices.
Max Payne Mobile hits Android June 14th, metes out justice on your Galaxy Tab
We'd been wondering where Rockstar Games' promised Android version of Max Payne Mobile had gone after missing its original April release window, but the company has at last narrowed down a release for its third-person revenge shooter on Google's OS. The game swings by Google Play on June 14th, although the nature of the platform means Rockstar is only vowing support for certain phones and tablets. You'll find the whole list at the source link, but it's safe to say that you'll want a higher-end Android device made during the past year by Acer, ASUS, HTC, LG, Medion, Motorola, Samsung, Sony or Toshiba. Thankfully, the $2.99 price will cover either form factor and gives you every excuse to take down Valkyr-peddling thugs on New York City's streets.
Max Payne to rampage on iOS April 12th, Android April 26th
Are you a smartphone user with an itchy trigger finger? Listen up. Rockstar Games has announced that the one and only Max Payne will begin terrorizing your iOS and Android devices in the very near future. The wares will be available for Apple-branded gear (iPhone 3GS, 4 and 4S, along with the iPod touch 4 and all iPad iterations) on April 12th, and Google's implements two weeks later on the 26th. Max Payne Mobile is promising to deliver HD graphics, high resolution textures and exclusive content via the company's Social Club service to your miniaturized screen. Rockstar did not elaborate on which Android sets would be supported, but promised to publish a full list "in the coming weeks." Limber up those thumbs, charge up that handset and get ready to lay waste to... pretty much anything that moves.
GTA III for Android hits 1.3, brings Liberty City to the Transformer Prime
Select iOS and Android devices have had the ability to terrorize Liberty City while on-the-go since December, but sadly those with Transformer Primes thus far have been left out of all that fun. Luckily, an update to the game ends that double standard, enabling Rockstar's classic to run on ASUS' tablet and Medion Lifetabs everywhere. It doesn't just bring expanded hardware support to the table though, as amongst other "technical fixes," the release also heralds new video display settings, Immersion haptics support and the capability of installing the game on a SD card. And fans of tactility, know that controls on the Xperia Play have been reworked, and it now boasts full support for GameStop's wireless controller. Still here? You shouldn't be -- grab the update in the source link below.
Grand Theft Auto III review (iOS)
Be honest: who doesn't get nostalgic for games from the early 2000s? With that in mind, Rockstar Games has released a 10-year anniversary edition of Grand Theft Auto III for iOS and Android ($4.99), meaning all the crime, violence and betrayal you so loved in 2001 has made its way to an iDevice near you. The guns have been collected, pedestrians have been run over, crime bosses have been obeyed and betrayed and prostitutes have been visited to help restore health points. So is the game as good as you remember? Head past the break to find out.
GTA III goes on sale for the holidays, brings violence and cheer to Galaxy Nexus owners
A classic title like Grand Theft Auto III isn't exactly at hard sell at $5 on your smartphone or tablet -- at $3 you're almost a fool not to snatch it up. Perhaps more importantly though, Rockstar has expanded support for the crime adventure to a trio of Android handsets -- the Droid Bionic, Galaxy S II and, the phone of the moment, the Galaxy Nexus. While the white list only gains three new devices right now, there's potential to add more handsets down the line. The game is finally optimized for use with PowerVR GPUs, which are found in any phone running an OMAP or Exynos processor. So, what are you waiting for? Hit up the market now to get your dose of violence, mayhem and hall of fame gaming.
Daily iPad App: Grand Theft Auto 3
I'm not quite willing to call Grand Theft Auto 3 old school -- I spent so much time on the original top-down versions of the series that those are still more retro to me than the fully 3D graphics and living, open-world city that GTA3 made famous on the consoles (a tradition that continues right up into Saints Row: The Third, which I recently played on my Xbox, and next year's Grand Theft Auto 5). But it's been ten years since we first saw the streets of Liberty City from the ground up, and Rockstar Games has now brought this classic to iOS as a universal version. And especially on my iPad 2, I'm willing to call it the best console port I've ever seen. The graphics look and run terrific, and the virtual controls, while still a little creaky, actually work really great despite all of the various things you can do. Newcomers to this one used to modern console games will probably notice all of the polygons, but as a reproduction of the original game, it really does look and play very well. And though it's only been ten years, it's really awesome to drive around the streets of Liberty City once again, and listen in to Lazlo's Chatterbox and all of the other great radio stations, checking out all of the open world city conventions (from grabbing any car to escaping the cops) that originated right here. If you've never played this game, you might find it a little aged. The missions are a little unclear compared to today's more simplistic fare, and there's no line to follow on your minimap: All you get is a little dot to go after. But for those of us who really enjoyed the heck out of this one all those years ago, this is great to see, and it's clear that Rockstar has brought it over to this platform with great care. This is an excellent version of this great game, and playing it on my iPad 2 took my right back to those days in my parent's basement when my friends and I would just drive around trying to get four stars and try to escape the cops. One note of warning: The game says it's built for all current iOS devices, including the iPad 1, but a lot of the iTunes reviews say it doesn't run great on those older machines. If you have an iPad 2 or an iPhone 4S, however, it should run quite well. I had one audio glitch while playing, but it definitely wasn't gamebreaking. Grand Theft Auto 3's anniversary iOS edition is available for $4.99 right now.
Grand Theft Auto 3's Anniversary Edition arrives December 15
That anniversary edition of Grand Theft Auto 3 for iOS has been dated: You'll be able to rejoin the streets of Liberty City on your iPad and iPhone next week, on December 15. Rockstar will be releasing the game for both iOS and Android, and you can see a picture of the game's touchscreen controls above. It looks pretty good, but know that it will only be made to run well on "new generation" devices, so if you're still rocking a 3GS or an iPad 1, you might have a little slowdown. Still, the fact that we're getting this game on mobile devices is pretty excellent, and the price is nice too: Just $4.99. Rockstar says there's a new trailer coming next week, but soon after that we'll see the game on the App Store. Excited? Sure, the game's old, but this is a classic. I'm curious to see both how the game runs, and how it sells -- if this one does pretty well (and works the same), maybe we'll see more "classic" PS2 generation titles arrive on mobile platforms in the future.
Grand Theft Auto 3, Burnout Crash, new PopCap title coming to iOS
This week not only brought iOS 5 to us, but it also brought a number of solid releases on the App Store (including the great Scribblenauts Remix). We're far from done, however: A few different big gaming companies have announced some really high profile iOS releases still coming later on this year. First up, Rockstar Games is going to be releasing (the now 10-year-old classic) Grand Theft Auto 3 on iOS for the game's anniversary. GTA3 was the first title in the series to make the jump to 3D, and it's a landmark title in the open world crime genre that's been copied over and over since then. The game will be compatible with the iPhone 4S and the iPad 2, and it'll be playable this weekend at the New York Comic Con. EA Games has also announced that the XBLA and PSN title Burnout Crash is coming to the iPad, iPad 2, and iPhone 4 later on this year. Burnout Crash is an arcade-style title that turns the popular Burnout racing series in a more puzzle-style game, where you try to crash as many cars as possible from a top-down perspective. The game didn't do great on the other downloadable platforms, but maybe touch controls will help it out. And finally, PopCap, makers of the terrific Plants vs. Zombies and Bejeweled titles, among others, have announced that they're releasing a brand new iOS game called Popcorn Dragon. The player controls a dragon that can breathe fire on corn to pop it, and then can eat that corn to grow longer, kind of like the old game Snake. The screens on that one look... interesting -- we'll have to wait and see how it turns out. Then again, PopCap always seems to know what it's doing. All three of these are due out on iOS later on this year.
Cypress Hill backup singer sees himself in Grand Theft Auto, sues Rockstar
Our friends, this next post is fraught with danger, excitement, and West Coast rappers with names like B-Real, Sen Dog, and Michael "Shagg" Washington. Indeed, the latter is alleging that Rockstar appropriated his likeness for the character CJ, a hood in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas whose life apparently shares many details with his own troubled upbringing, "including how the teen-agers in his gang rode around on bicycles," according to his lawyer. It seems that way back in 2003 the Cypress Hill backup singer met with reps from the game studio for a two hour interview "to talk about street life," and the next thing you know, San Andreas is released and you have criminals riding around on bikes! Coincidence? Mr. Shagg doesn't think so, and he's asking for twenty-five percent of Rockstar's profits from the game -- approximately $250 million -- because they've "stolen his image and never paid him." Now that we think of it, isn't there an obsessive gadget blogger in that game that looks awfully familiar? We'd better call our lawyers.
Engadget's crappy gaming system contest: we have a winner!
Congratulations to commenter BananaForce -- his crappy gaming system is the winner in our contest. He's soon to be the proud owner of the beautiful custom PS3 Slim from Rockstar Games that you see above. We had over 600 valid entries in the contest, and it was our pleasure to root through all of the photos you sent into us. We've chosen some of the more hilarious and enticing ones and thrown them into a gallery for your perusal below. Thanks again to Rockstar Games for providing the gear -- and be sure to be on the lookout for the next contest. %Gallery-92761%
Reminder: Show us your crappy gaming setup and win a custom PS3 Slim from Rockstar Games!
Be honest: you really, really want this custom PS3 Slim from Rockstar Games, right? Well, it just so happens that we've got one to giveaway. You're going to want to hit up this post to enter and read the full rules by Friday, April 23rd at 12:30 pm ET. Good luck!
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars now available on iPhone and iPod touch
Rockstar Games told us a while back that they'd be releasing their DS hit Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars on the iPhone, and sure enough, last night it appeared on the App Store [iTunes link]. Touch Arcade got a head start on the game -- they've got some quick impressions and some gameplay video up on their site right now. The game appears to be a pretty faithful port of the highest-rated Nintendo DS game over on Metacritic, offering up GTA gameplay in a more isometric view that hearkens back to the original games in the series, before GTA III took things fully 3D. The main difference, of course, is that there are no buttons to play with, so you've got to deal with the usual touchscreen controls, and you can now listen to your iTunes playlists along with the in-game radio, but other than that, this is Grand Theft Auto officially on the iPhone. Cool. We've confirmed with Rockstar that this is an official release (they didn't drop it accidentally, though like Touch Arcade, we expected a little more warning), so you can head on over to the App Store and pick it up for $9.99 right now (half the price of the DS version, in case you thought that was high). We're playing with a copy of the game right now, so you can look for a more in-depth review later this week.