Weblogs Inc : Tag grand-theft-auto

Video: 15 days in GTA IV's Liberty City

Time lapse videos were all the rage back in -- actually, we don't think they were ever rage caliber stuff, but in the case of this GTA IV video that shows 15 days go by Liberty City, it's at least reached "oh, that's neat!" territory. The video comes courtesy of DigitalFoundry (you can watch it over at Eurogamer) and reminds us just how much life there is in the virtual sand box, as cars drive along to their respective destinations, pedestrians shuffle about doing their own thing and, in the case of that one lady around the 32-second mark, loaf around the riverside all day and night. We just hope she's not doing what we think she's doing. It'd be such an unbecoming thing of the purest city in all of gaming, amirite?

Rockstar revamps Social Club's online leaderboards and stat tracking for Gay Tony

With the release of this week's second Grand Theft Auto IV expansion The Ballad of Gay Tony, the game's developer has decided to update the online multiplayer statistics tracking in order to reflect the new multiplayer game types. The addition of "BASE Jump" to the mulitplayer as well as "new, tighter Deathmatch arenas" helped spur the leaderboard overhaul, according to the developer blog. The various new additions being made due to the DLC will even get their own section on the Rockstar Social Club, presumably for the four of you tracking your new GTAIV DLC stats after Modern Warfare 2 releases in a couple weeks.

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.
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New Gay Tony in-game anime is all too familiar

Grand Theft Auto has always been heavy on satire, making exaggerated observations about the world for the sake of a few cheap yuks. It's readily apparent on the in-game radio programs, which poke fun at both extremes of political talk radio. The in-game TV programming does much the same (if you haven't, we suggest you make time to watch "Republican Space Rangers"). It looks like The Ballad of Gay Tony will continue the tradition with "Princess Robot Bubblegum," an anime parody to be featured on the in-game CNT channel. The show will serve as part of the new TV lineup in the upcoming expansion.

In Rockstar's own words, "Princess Robot Bubblegum" features the hallmarks of more than a few animes: "Incomprehensible narrative, wretched dialogue and creepy, misogynistic sexuality." See it all in the trailer above.

Peter Molyneux picks his 5 favorite innovators

After discussing his vision for Fable's future, Lionhead's Peter Molyneux recently reiterated his mantra of inclusive gaming innovation to attendees of BAFTA's Annual Video Games Lecture. Citing their ability to challenge "the foundation stones of conventional wisdom," he revealed five titles (documented by That VideoGame Blog) that he considers to be among the most revolutionary within the last two decades.

Molyneux praised Tomb Raider for subverting gaming's tough-guy protagonist and named Mario 64 as the genuine precursor to 3D titles like Grand Theft Auto 3. Dune 2 got a nod for its encouragement of more thoughtful tactics, while Bungie's first Halo earned mention for halfway introducing the now-ubiquitous regenerative health system and curtailed weapon swapping.

And the fifth title? World of Warcraft, which managed to lure Molyneux to level 40 with promise of a steed. You see? He's human, just like the rest of us.

Dancing, drinking and drugs: The nightclubs of GTA Gay Tony revealed

The Ballad of Gay Tony's Luis Lopez seems to have a pretty easy life. The main playable character of the Xbox-only GTA IV episode must simply deal with Liberty City's wealthiest clientele, ensuring their experience at Tony Prince's two nightclubs goes without a hitch. According to Rockstar PR, jobs will involve kicking out drug dealers, dealing with the paparazzi, and getting the appropriate pick-me-ups for the stars.

Maisonette 9 and Hercules are two new locations added to the Gay Tony episode. In addition to work, you'll be able to partake in a variety of sidequests and minigames: a "familiar-feeling dance minigame," and a new game that takes place in the club bathroom with a girl. We're not entirely sure what that will entail ... but thinking about the franchise's legacy, we think you can figure it out.

Rockstar drops details of new multiplayer in GTA: The Ballad of Gay Tony

Click for grander imagesYou know that iconic moment in the Ballad of Gay Tony trailer when Luis jumps out of some kind of aerial vehicle? Did you ever wonder what it would look like if, instead of one guy parachuting down into Liberty City, it was eight people? Probably not. Anyway, here's a screenshot of that from Rockstar's latest release, detailing The Ballad of Gay Tony's multiplayer modes.

Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch will see lots of new weapons, of course, but also new Kill Streaks and Assisted Kills, which provide cash bonuses. Free Mode gets a little freer with the addition of Buzzard helicopters, APCs, and, of course, parachutes. We can't wait to see what kind of ridiculous emergent competition comes from parachute-based combat.

Check our gallery for more new multiplayer screens!
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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?

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars looking grand in new PSP trailer

It's a big week for Grand Theft Auto trailers! First we got a new Episodes from Liberty City clip, and today, Rockstar sent out a trailer for the PSP version of Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, which comes out on October 20. We didn't realize it was so soon!

Of course, if you have a DS, it comes out a lot sooner -- seven months ago, in fact -- but no matter how many times this wonderful game is released, it'll be exciting every time. The graphical update on the PSP version looks nice, even if the trailer makes it hard to actually see the game.

If these moving images aren't enough, check Kotaku for some new screens. And yes, two trailers counts as a big week.

Rainbow-licious Gay Tony Tees from Rockstar

Are you excited for the release of The Ballad of Gay Tony? Would you like to display that excitement for the whole world to see? Wait ... no ... pull up your pants, we were talking about T-shirts. Rockstar is now selling T-shirts celebrating the release of the upcoming GTAIV expansion. Up for grabs are several Gay Tony logo tees -- available in white, black and pink -- as well as the Episodes from Liberty City tee and, our favorite, the Rockstar rainbow logo tee.

At twenty bucks each, you can get enough for the whole family. That, or you could just save the scratch and buy the actual game. It's up to you, really.

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.
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GTA: Chinatown Wars losing nothing in PSP port

Meeting with Rockstar yesterday for our first hands-on with the PSP "remastering" of Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, we kicked things off with a question that's on everyone's minds: What's happening to the DS version's touch-based minigames? The answer: They're all still in the game, just adapted to a button-based format.

We hotwired a car to try it out and were presented with a comic book panel-like inset that had us rotate the analog stick, time L and R button presses and rotate the stick again. According to Rockstar, similar mods have been made to all the minigames, but no minigames have been added exclusively for the PSP release. (Developer Rockstar Leeds did, however, deem the need to pay bridge tolls unnecessary.)

We were quickly pointed toward some added elements, specifically a new aiming "arc" for lobbing grenades and Molotovs while driving, copious bloom lighting (it was a rainy night) and punched-up explosions. The in-game "PDA" has also been redesigned slightly to mimic the PSP XMB interface.

Check out freshly captured new screens in the gallery below:
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Pachter expects GTA 5 coming in 2010

So yes, prognosticator of all electronic entertainment Michael Pachter told Gamasutra that he expects Take-Two to release the fifth full Grand Theft Auto game in 2010. It seems far-fetched to us (especially with another GTA IV episode still in the pipeline). But, sadly, Pachter doesn't give us a lot to work with in the piece, so, in the absence of details, we're just going to assume he's right. Journalized.

One thing that's actually hard to argue about from the piece, analysts are overwhelmingly positive about Take-Two in 2010 with a bevy of big titles like BioShock 2, Mafia 2, Red Dead Redemption and several others. Does Take-Two even need a Grand Theft Auto next year?

Take-Two (finally) settles with investors for $20m over 'Hot Coffee' losses

Take-Two has settled a class action lawsuit filed against it way back in 2006 by investors claiming the publisher intentionally hid the infamous "Hot Coffee" content in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas in order to avoid an "Adults Only" rating from the ESRB. According to the original complaint, once the content was discovered (Take-Two originally claimed it wasn't actually on the disc) the game was reclassified to "AO" and company stock dropped, costing the plaintiffs a whole lot of beans. The suit also claimed that Take-Two provided misleading investor guidance, leading to more plaintiff losses.

According to Take-Two, class members will receive a share of a $20.1 million settlement. (Investors had originally demanded a jury trial and an undisclosed amount to cover their losses, attorney fees, etc.) In a prepared statement, Take-Two chairman Strauss Zelnick said, "We are pleased to have reached this settlement, which represents another important step forward for the Company." Not as pleased as the plaintiffs are, we bet.

[Image credit: Kanko]

Fiscal Q3 not exactly a Birthday Party Bash for Take-Two

Take-Two reported a net revenue for its Q3 2009 period (ending July 31) of $138.6 million. In the same period last year, the company reported revenues of $433.8 million. The company chalks its lowered earnings up to the fact that in Q3 2008, Grand Theft Auto IV had just launched and was still enjoying strong sales. On the other hand, Q3 2009's games included, well, not Grand Theft Auto IV. Three games launched in Q3: Birthday Party Bash, The BIGS 2, and Civilization IV: The Complete Edition.

The company has already announced that it doesn't expect to be profitable this year, and at this point it'll have to hold out until Borderlands, Episodes from Liberty City and the scattershot Chinatown Wars ports for any hope of a decent payday.

Take Two settles "Hot Coffee" lawsuit for over $20 million

It was an incident that changed how many felt about games and today the "Hot Coffee" mini-game that was discovered via a mod for the PC version of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas just cost its publisher Take Two Interactive more than $20 million. That's the amount the publisher said it was paying out today to settle a class action lawsuit that was filed against the company over the discovery of the mini-game.

The "Hot Coffee" mini-game, which was put in by the team at Rockstar North but hidden from regular playing of the game, was discovered via a third party mod when the PC version was released in 2005. The ESRB changed the rating from 'M" to "AO" a few weeks after word got out about the mini-game which caused Take Two to recall all the unsold copies of the game. It later re-released GTA: San Andreas without the mini-game and regained its "M" rating. The settlement today has still to be approved by the courts.

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.
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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.
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