Break out your telescope Unlike Manhunt 2 before it, Grand Theft Auto IV has passed that British censor board just fine. In so doing, however, we’re given a quick little play-by-play of what to expect from the game’s more “adult” moments. “During gameplay the character can pick up prostitutes… What follows is an un-detailed portrayal of masturbation, fellatio and intercourse.” Oh, man! Someone call Jack Thomson! And inside, a fun “tourist” video showing off Liberty City. Lots of in-game footage for you to stare at. → Read More
This reminds me of old times where you’d have a sheisty, inaccurate, hand-drawn map of say Hyrule crammed into the tiny instruction booklet. Some enterprising fellow uploaded some pics and promptly removed them, but not before they made it to the tips inbox at Kotaku. They’ve got it all nice and gallery-ed up so take a look. The town itself looks interesting, and is obviously divided into island-style boroughs and about 50 or so neighborhoods. If you look closely you’ll see dots for new stuff like cabaret clubs, internet cafes, and old holdovers like Cluckin’ Bell and Pay n’ Spray. Just one month to go till you’re cruising those streets for real. → Read More
Apparently there’s some game called “Grand Theft Auto IV” coming out. I’ve never heard of such a game but so help me God if it’s violent or glorifies crime, I’m going to try to get on Fox News to talk about how bad it is for our nation’s youth. Maybe it’ll just be a courtroom style simulation where you play a lawyer who prosecutes people that steal cars. I’m guessing it’s that because Microsoft’s issued 500 Xbox 360 consoles with the game’s logo on the side and a briefcase containing various peripherals — much like a lawyer’s briefcase would contain various law-type things. Xbox Drops 500 Limited Edition GTA IV 360s [Complex.com] → Read More
It wouldn’t be really worth posting unless the pictures were totally bad-ass, and they are. Since you won’t be getting your hot little hands on it until April 29, just satisfy yourself for now with some sweet screens. There’s video in the via, too, if you like that kind of thing. There’s also some new Mirror’s Edge shots, which I am personally excited about. [photopress:screenshot_193972.jpg,thumb,pp_image] [photopress:screenshot_193974.jpg,thumb,pp_image] [photopress:screenshot_193977.jpg,thumb,pp_image] [photopress:screenshot_193980.jpg,thumb,pp_image] GTA IV: 15 new screenshots! Two trailers! [CVG] → Read More
Computer and Video Games was lucky enough to get two full hours of straight-up gameplay with Rockstar’s newest opus, and they say its all coming up roses. There’s a ton of gameplay experience in there and they detail the physics, graphics, aiming system, and all the new features you’d expect to hear about. Sounds pretty awesome to me, and I’m happy to hear that the framerate is solid, too. GTA IV: Hands-On [Computer and Video Games] → Read More
[photopress:gtaiv1.jpg,full,center] It’s not as big as Microsoft and Yahoo!, but EA’s bid to acquire fellow game maker Take-Two is news. After being refused a sale at $25 a share, EA is trying again at $26 a share, 64% more than Take-Two’s price per share at market closing on Friday. EA is counting on strong share holder sentiment to make the sale go through, but Take-Two is mulling it all over. Take-Two is known for Grand Theft Auto, and with GTAIV coming out in just a few weeks, we know why EA wants it. ELECTRONIC ARTS AUDACIOUS BID TO BUY TAKE-TWO [Next Generation] → Read More
So Grand Theft Auto IV is going to have a drinking mini-game wherein your character will stumble around more and more based on how much alcohol he consumers. Gee, I wonder if this is going to make it onto cable news channels in segments where some uptight lady from some civic organization who’s never played the game talks about how video games are bad for kids. Can’t wait. → Read More
To coincide with the new GTA IV site (I’m guessing anyway), one of the original developers for Grand Theft Auto has put up a ton of pictures of his team and all the stuff they’ve worked on. There’s some cool GTA stuff like that above, shots of the nerds themselves, and most importantly for me, a bunch of stuff from Body Harvest, a game I’m about to go home and play like right now. Check it out. Mike Dailly’s DMA Design Flickr set [via Eurogamer] → Read More
[photopress:gta3.gif,full,center] The very first time I played GTA3, all I could think about was what a rad, anti-social movie it would make. The first-person story was complex enough to be fun, and fun enough to be complex, if you follow. And then there were rumors that it was in the works. And then it wasn’t. Variety has a good summary of why we don’t have this wrong, could-be amazing film on our DVD shelves right now. If you’re a fan of the games, or even just senselessly violent movies, it’s worth a read. The Grand Theft Auto movie that almost was [Variety] → Read More
Some crafty photographer managed to snap some shots of preproduction (note the RP rating) copies of Grand Theft Auto: IV for the PS3 and Xbox 360. The box art is in standard Rockstar fashion, showcasing characters from the GTA series. However, there isn’t much “oomph” to the GTA: IV packaging is there? Looks like some people standing around with guns. Big whoop. Where’s the blood? The mayhem! The carnage! This is why people buy GTA titles. At least the game is slowly inching closer to its release, so be grateful. GTA IV Box Art Is So-So [Kotaku] Update: These are more fake than John’s chicken parmigiana. → Read More
Geek fight! Apparently some people at Rockstar (the company behind the Grand Theft Auto series) “spazzed out like little babies” at a parody in the new Simpsons game where Bart wants to play a game called Grand Theft Scratchy. “They’re supposed to be rockstars…That’s not a big Rockstar move, to be afraid of The Simpsons making fun of their game,” said Simpsons game writer Matt Warburton. → Read More
Well, fake blood at least. Looks like Rockstar Games, the folks behind the popular Grand Theft Auto series, are giving away a 50-inch plasma TV and a Nintendo Wii covered in “blood”. Don’t worry though, it’s just a couple of stickers on the system and the Wiimote, so you won’t be getting the HIVRageMonkeyVirus anytime soon. If you win, you’ll also get a copy of Manhunt 2 with the system. Killer. Win a bloody Wii from Rockstar games [Gadgetell] → Read More
We’ll be keeping this story high on the front page for a bit simply because it contains such an excellent set of thought-provoking questions. – JB Today concludes our week-long look at video game violence and content. Originally we hoped to include comments from other voices, and efforts were made to hear from Florida Attorney Jack Thompson and Senator Joseph Lieberman. But neither gentleman was able to meet our deadline. In the case of the distinguished U.S. Senator we can understand, he has a government job after all. Repeated calls were made to Mr. Thompson, in response to his posted offer to talk to us. At press time calls were not returned. So instead we’ve decided to conclude this round-table on video game violence by posting a series of questions and asking you to tell us what you think. → Read More
Should the ratings for video games be updated? Since being adopted in 1994 the landscape of video games has changed greatly, and some experts believe it is time for a revision, or at least redefinition of what is appropriate for adults and what is family friendly. In this fourth part of our series on video game violence and content CrunchGear spoke with Doctor David Walsh, president of the National Institute on Media and the Family, an organization that was founded in 1996 to help “watch what our kids watch.” The group is an independent, nonpartisan, nonsectarian and nonprofit organization that claims to be based on research, education and advocacy. → Read More
PLAY Magazine UK must have the ULTIMATE hook-up at Rockstar. The magazine has just revealed that popular GTA series will be getting its sixth installment very soon. Amazing that details have already leaked out considering GTA IV isn’t even yet out and is still highly anticipated. Rumor has it that the game will feature a recently-fired designer from a game mag. going on a shooting-spree. Next month page promises GTA VI in June issue [Games Radar] → Read More
