Grand Theft Auto IV - 24 New Screenshots, Leaked Game Copies and Videos, Soundtrack Details

Who needs poor quality YouTube videos of the leaked Grand Theft Auto IV introductory cutscene when you have a few hundred (There’s just 24 right below!) high-quality screenshots to savour on? I don’t know, the introductory cutscene was cinematic, but it wasn’t much of a spoiler then what most of us thought it would be.

Well, in case you’re still wondering what I’m talking about here, I’m talking about the leaked videos of Grand Theft Auto IV that emerged on YouTube yesterday after some lucky Australians got their hands on the game.

So, in case you think you’re missing out on something, it seems that the introductory cutscene is already mostly revealed by Rockstar Games in the second and third scene of the Grand Theft Auto IV Trailer 3, as well as in the video for Roman Bellic on the official site. However, if you do not really mind spoilers, go ahead.

Grand Theft Auto IV, from what we’ve seen, is a fairly minimalistic yet beautiful game. Does it make you feel like you want to get your hands on it? To satisfy your cravings today, we have even got Twenty Four new screenshots from IGN and 1up. Yes, 24 screenshots, it’s much better than those poor quality leaked gameplay videos!

As expected, both articles from IGN and 1up are interviews with the Rockstar North crew. You can view all of the 24 new screenshots right at the top and read some quotes from each article below. Enjoy!

GameSpot: GTA IV is Rockstar North’s first game for the new generation of consoles. What were the main challenges and opportunities that developing for more powerful hardware presented?Leslie Benzies: The new hardware brings a great leap forward in raw processing power and with it a lot of new technical challenges — especially the PS3 with all its custom chips and architecture. There are a lot of new tools and methodologies which we’ve had to learn and this all takes time. The complexity and amount of detail that every piece of the game must have to utilize the hardware is the biggest challenge. Systems that one person would code last gen now take 3-4 people.

Having this power does open up doors and allows us to create a more detailed world that we’ve only been able to imagine in the past. Characters are now more believable with the way they look, the way they move and the actions they take — this is a big part of creating a realistic world. The physics system is very accurate and almost every part of the city can be interfered with. We’ve always dreamt of making a convincing city and IV is a huge leap forward thanks to the new hardware.

1up: The explosions feel so realistic in GTA IV, how hard is it to create them? How do you map the trajectory of burning debris?Sandy Roger: We spent a lot of time tuning the way the forces are applied from the explosions to make the ragdolls fly through the air, props break apart, etc just right. A big part of it also comes from the particle effects. Our effects guy did a brilliant job with the explosions!

When every bullet leaves a mark in the environment, how do you cope with the sheer number of bullets that must fly around the environment in some of the larger gunfights?

Sandy Roger: The biggest cost of each bullet fired is actually the line of sight test that we have to do to see what it hit, so the RAGE guys spent a lot of time optimising that code to make it as efficient as possible.

Also, the song listing for the Grand Theft Auto IV soundtrack CD, which is the same CD that comes with the Special Edition version of the game, has been revealed. It seems that Seryoga has an exclusive track on Grand Theft Auto IV. The Theme Song for Grand Theft Auto IV is also titled “Soviet Connection”. See below for more.

Grand Theft Auto IV Soundtrack CD - Track Listing:
• Soviet Connection (Theme from GTA IV) by Michael Hunter
• Dirty New Yorker by Mobb Deep (feat. Havoc & Prodigy)
• No Sex for Ben by The Rapture
• No Fraid A by Munga
• Where’s My Money by Busta Rhymes
• I Want You by C.J.
• Rocky Mountain Way by Joe Walsh
• Stand Up Jamrock by Bob Marley & The Wailers and Damian Marley
• Liberty City: The Invasion by Seryoga
• Vagabond by Greenskeepers
• On a Journey by Electrik Funk
• Nickname by Qadir
• Holy Thursday by David Axelrod
• War is Necessary by Nas
• Zombie by Fela Kuti
• 5:23 (Maiden Voyage) by Global Communication

There is just five days more left to Grand Theft Auto IV! How can you afford to miss out on any coverage on the biggest game of the year? Sign up to our RSS feed to be informed of updates, or check out more stuff over at the sidebar. Stay tuned!

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