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.
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]
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]
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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]
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.
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.
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]
