Grand Theft Auto IV release date announced!
- Posted by -=}{oT~dEv1L 666=- on January 24th, 2008 filed in Grand Theft Auto
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It’s the time to finally rejoice! The time has finally come - Rockstar Games have just announced that Grand Theft Auto IV will be released in stores on April 29, 2008. This is a worldwide release date; it will be available in every country at the same time. Read the Take-Two Interactive press statement below to find out more!
New York, NY - January 24, 2008 - Rockstar Games, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), is proud to announce the release date for Grand Theft Auto IV, the new title in the genre-defining Grand Theft Auto franchise. Developed by Rockstar North, Grand Theft Auto IV will be simultaneously available for Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system and PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and will be in stores worldwide on April 29, 2008.
“We are so excited to be releasing Grand Theft Auto IV,” said Sam Houser, Founder and Executive Producer of Rockstar Games. “We’ve pushed ourselves very hard to make something incredible and hope the game sets a new benchmark for interactive entertainment.”
Links: Grand Theft Auto IV Official Site | Take 2 Interactive Press Statement
Grand Theft Auto IV New Previews!
- Posted by -=}{oT~dEv1L 666=- on January 24th, 2008 filed in Grand Theft Auto
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Cheers, guys! Rockstar Games has recently provided reporters with another batch of previews of Grand Theft Auto IV. A number of websites and magazines have attended the game demonstration and all of them have got the details. Also, ten brand new screenshots come with the previews. Click here for the preview summary if you don’t want all the details that will be elaborated below.
See all ten new screenshots in our gallery!
The full previews can be read off IGN UK, IGN USA, Computer and Video Games, GamesRadar, Kikizo, Team Xbox, GamePro, Gamespot and VideoGamer.com. However, we have been kind enough to provide all the details below for your enjoyment. Here it is…
Grand Theft Auto IV Preview 3 - Details:
In the previews, it was confirmed that the previously speculated game map is an accurate representation of the new Liberty City. Kikizo has expanded on this map by providing a more complete representation from what they saw. Basically, it takes five minutes to get half way around Algonquin island on a boat.
In the demonstration, several locations were confirmed - The Statue of Happiness, Poop Deck Restaurant and a bar called Perestroika. Also, Long Road, Oneida Avenue, South Parkway and Lorimar Street were all names of streets that have been confirmed to be in the game. A representation of New York’s Koreatown is also in the game.
In addition, Francis International Airport, a representation of New York City’s JFK airport, will appear in the game. As shown in the preview, the time in the game now advances one hour every two minutes. A usable subway system is also known to cover at least Algonquin and Broker, and the Statue of Happiness appears on its own island beneath the Broker Bridge.
The weather system is also confirmed not to include snowing or winter weather. NaturalMotion’s Euphoria Engine, the game’s physics engine, is said to give “lean and weight” to the in-game characters. Niko can get drunk - his movement, driving and actions will be impaired. Drunk Driving will be realistically difficult.
Although safehouses will still be making an appearance, the game will automatically saved on certain missions when you have passed them. Some missions also have scripted multiple times; dialogue between characters can vary if you reattempt a mission. Upon mission completion, a new mission complete jingle will also be played. Characters will be seen wearing different clothing during different appearances.
One of the characters that will be appearing in the game is called Playboy X. He is one of Liberty’s more wealthy residents and lives in a mansion. Another character named Bell has also been introduced. He has a nephew called Frankie. However, the voice actors are still kept in secrecy, although a couple of famous actors are said to be lending their voices.
The combat system has also been revamped - an indicator made up of eight purple segments will appear when locked on to a target to represent their health. Locking on will target the torso of a character. A headshot or a shot in the leg is possible by manipulating the crosshair while locked on. The improved visuals are also said to make the killing experience more gruesome.
The cover system in the game also allows you to either pull out from behind the object or stay covered and fire blindly. Some objects which you can use for cover are destructible, like in STALKER or Crysis. You can do all these in just one or two button presses. Grenandes can also be thrown blindly or while locked on to your target.
Plus, you are now required to break the window of a vehicle to perform shootings while driving. The shooting while driving mechanic has improved and you can now shoot in any direction around the vehicle using both analog sticks. Also, there will be a dashboard camera view while driving, in addition to the normal and cinematic camera angles.
As mentioned, Niko Bellic’s cellphone plays a very integral part in the game. There will be dynamic relationships - the way you treat other characters will affect their behavior towards you. Relationships can be built by engaging in activities like billiards, darts and bowling with your associates. You can get several advantages in the game when you build good relationships with the shady figures of Liberty City. For example, if you hit well with Roman, you get free taxi rides.
You can also grab on to vehicles, as shown in the three released trailers, particularly the second one. After grabbing on to a truck and climbing to the roof, a mini game is started where you have to maintain your balance atop the vehicle - it seems interesting, but more on this is to be elaborated.
What will be a Grand Theft Auto game without the police chase scenes? Grand Theft Auto IV makes it better this time round - the better “wanted” system plays a very important role in the game - the map shows your crime’s location and your last known whereabouts. The police than start to look around the area of your last known location, marked by a circle on the map. when you get out of that area, your wanted level goes down.
Also, in addition to the improved “wanted” system, Police vehicles now include an extensive GPS and database system. The Police database system allows you to find out the whereabouts of people, after you have keyed in their names, and the game will guide you to them. You can also ambush the police after calling ‘911′ in your cellphone.
Plus, a new radio station called IF99 will also be broadcasting in Liberty City. You can now listen to the radio outside of the car via your cellphone, although audio quality will be realistically reduced. If you’re in a car listening to the radio when your cell phone rings, the radio will be interrupted by the infamous “clicking” of interference.
Finally, we come to the cars, the most important part of Grand Theft Auto IV. It was confirmed that different cars will have different navigation systems; the more expensive cars include GPS which features voice navigation.
Yeah, that was a mammoth list of features (click here for a summary). We really needed that, Rockstar Games! We were also informed that there will be another preview, as well as a Playstation 3 version demonstration coming up before the release of Grand Theft Auto IV itself. Have fun inspecting looking at those ten screenshots above!
However, Grand Theft Auto IV still has no release date confirmed yet. Hopefully, the new previews that will be released in a month’s time will reveal something. GamePro claims that the game’s online multiplayer mode will be revealed in “mid February to early March”. The game is still expected to be released sometime between March and April. Stay tuned for more!
Grand Theft Auto Vice City Tribute Video!
- Posted by -=}{oT~dEv1L 666=- on January 22nd, 2008 filed in Grand Theft Auto
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Holla, guys! The news of Grand Theft Auto IV are going slow, but new previews of the game are expect to appear in due time. I know I have not updated my blog with any post recently, but here it is, a video for you to enjoy!
I’ve been busy with School for the past few weeks, so I will give an update with a summary of the upcoming Grand Theft Auto IV previews, as well as all imagery when I get my hands on it. In the mean time, let’s just relax and enjoy this little video I am going to share with you soon.
Basically, it’s a semi-professionally done Grand Theft Auto Vice City Tribute Video. It’s a pretty good form of entertainment right now, but it sure doesn’t beat Bortha’s amazing work on emulating those Grand Theft Auto IV trailers. Watch the video here, and let me hear your opinion too!
Aslo, do stay tuned, as we are going to post a new batch of Grand Theft Auto IV previews, including all the screenshots and details, when I finally get my hands on it. It will be released at 5:30 PM GMT on the 23rd of March (yes, it’s tomorrow!). Don’t forget, stay tuned!
Watch Video: Grand Theft Auto Vice City Tribute by GTARyder
Grand Theft Auto IV trailer remade again
- Posted by -=}{oT~dEv1L 666=- on January 20th, 2008 filed in Grand Theft Auto
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The alias “Brotha” can be easily recognized in the GTA community. I’m pretty sure you’ve heard of this guy, who has been remaking every Grand Theft Auto IV trailer with the older Grand Theft Auto San Andreas engine. He has been making a good name for himself ever since.
Today, we’re welcomed by a twist on his third remake of the Grand Theft Auto IV trailer 2, “Looking For That Special Someone” - he has remade the whole trailer using the Grand Theft Auto Vice City engine with the help of the Niko Bellic player mod for the game.
Well, I know it’s nothing special, but it’s something new and fresh - the old and the new, fused to together. I have to congratulate Brotha for his , as well as his great work on this video!
Grand Theft Auto IV pre-order cards
- Posted by -=}{oT~dEv1L 666=- on January 18th, 2008 filed in Grand Theft Auto
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Fancy a little bit of Grand Theft Auto in your wallet? Entertainment retailer Zavvi is currently offering pre-order cards for the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto IV. It was ensured that customers would receive a copy on the day of release.
The retailer offered a similar scheme for the release of Halo 3 last year. Stephen Lynn, Zavvi’s senior PR, said that those highly collectable cards will add value to their customer’s experience, while giving Zavvi a point of difference over similar pre-order schemes.
Indeed, the Grand Theft Auto series has a loyal fan base and the collectable cards will be a must have for everyone that loves the game, allowing them to keep a little bit of GTA in their wallet. Unfortunately, for me, it will be a little bit hard to do so due to my location. Anyway, I hope you have enjoyed this bit of news! Stay tuned for more!
Grand Theft Auto IV gets PEGI rating
- Posted by -=}{oT~dEv1L 666=- on January 16th, 2008 filed in Grand Theft Auto
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Grand Theft Auto IV was rated MA15+ in Australia, but this time round, yet another games ratings board system has given Grand Theft Auto IV its rating - PEGI, the video game ratings board in Europe.
PEGI apparently gave the game an 18+ rating, the reason being that it contains Violence and Swearing. The rating records are not yet available on PEGI’s official website for an yet unknown reason. However, the PlayStation’s UK website contains the rating and information.
In the future, the ESRB and the BBFC are still expected to rate the game. However, the BBFC and Rockstar Games are currently battling each other in court regarding Manhunt 2, so the outcome is still yet unknown.
Also, in the next few weeks, Kikizo, GameSpot, IGN, GamesRadar, CVG, and 1UP will be going to the Rockstar Games studio to test run Grand Theft Auto IV again to gather new screen shots, information and much more about the new build.
The journalists are expected to view the demo within this week. Hence, we should receive some content (screenshots and maybe videos?) by the end of this month as soon as it is available from them. Click here for the news source. Stay tuned for more news!
Grand Theft Auto IV fan-made TV Spot
- Posted by -=}{oT~dEv1L 666=- on January 13th, 2008 filed in Grand Theft Auto
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The Duo Group, a group of creative gamers who revises game trailers, has just done a rendition of all the three released Grand Theft Auto IV trailers and they made a “TV Spot” out of it titled “Another Day Above Ground”.
The song on the trailer is called “Talk Show Host” by Radiohead. It was originally written and used for William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet adaptation film, by director Baz Luhrmann.
In my opinion, they did a nice job on this trailer, as a matter of fact. The scenes fit nicely with the music - a job well done. You really should give it a look. Also, you can check out more original videos at The Duo Group’s website.
Watch “Grand Theft Auto IV - Another Day Above Ground”: YouTube, DivX Quality
NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GX2 Leaked News
- Posted by -=}{oT~dEv1L 666=- on January 12th, 2008 filed in Technology, Video Games
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It’s rumored that the image you’re seeing on the left is a leaked picture of the NVIDIA GeForce 9800, a new graphics chip that is said to support the new DirectX 10.1. The details aren’t confirmed, but it seems believable enough.
The best way is to visualize the GeForce 9800 GX2 as two NVIDIA 8800 ULTRA that has been shrunk down to 65nm and combined onto a “single” card that is at least 30% faster and will support Quad SLI.
The really leet specifications of the new NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GX2 include a 1GB frame buffer, Two PCBs, Two 65nm GPU, and a 256-bit memory bus. However, there has been no word on the clock speeds, shader clocks or anything similar yet.
Source: PC Perspective
Take Two Interactive acquires Illusion Softworks
- Posted by -=}{oT~dEv1L 666=- on January 10th, 2008 filed in Video Games
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Recently, there was rumors going around that Take 2 Interactive will be bought by Electronic Arts. Apparently, Take 2 Interactive had bought over Illusion Softworks instead, the company who made Mafia. This seems to be a smart move, Mafia being a Grand Theft Auto-style game.
As of now, Illusion Softworks is renamed to 2K Czech. Mafia II, the upcoming sequel to Mafia that will be developed by 2K Czech, will be competing internally with Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto IV.
We sure won’t want Electronic Arts to take over Take Two Interactive - it’ll be crazy. Imagine billboard advertisements of real-life brands and other Electronic Art brands and games around Liberty City. It’ll be a total madness. I’m glad that this acquisition move by Take 2 Interactive happened.
Source: Joystiq
Grand Theft Auto IV Trailer 4 coming soon
- Posted by -=}{oT~dEv1L 666=- on January 8th, 2008 filed in Grand Theft Auto
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It seems that a spokesperson for Rockstar Games has confirmed that a fourth Grand Theft Auto IV trailer will be released, prior to the game appearing on store shelves, according to the German gaming site Cynamite.
According to the unnamed Rockstar Games employee, the upcoming trailer will retain the style of the previous three released Grand Theft Auto IV trailers, in that it is cinematic and contains no gameplay footage from the game itself.
There wasn’t a specific mention of the release date for the trailer, however. It might be due to the game’s release date not being confirmed yet. Grand Theft Auto IV will be released in the timeline between the months of March and April, which is when the forth trailer will be released too.
The link to the news page, which was previously working, seems to be missing from Cynamite’s site. It seems that Rockstar Games have asked for the news to be removed, from the looks of it. Please stay tuned for Rockstar Games’ official word!
Source: Cynamite.de (Via GTAGaming Forums)
