Grand Theft Auto IV -- It might feature crime and prostitutes.

New hands on previews and screenshots are up now on various sites...

http://previews.teamxbox.com/xbox-360/1844/Grand-Theft-Auto-IV/p1/
http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/847/847102p1.html
http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=180050
http://www.videogamer.com/xbox360/grand_theft_auto_4/preview-734.html

Consensus seems to be 3-4 more months...

Three months max, they say. By the end of April. Nice to know it's not delayed any further.

Apparently - the game automatically saves after you complete each mission, and the missions also have save points during 'em - which if you fail the mission, you can automatically jump right back to via an onscreen prompt if you so desire. There's also still a safe house save system, for when you want to take a break, but say, haven't just completed a mission. Sounds like they have fixed the save system exactly like I was hoping!

Release date now set at April 29th, a long way away.

http://ir.take2games.com/ReleaseDetail.cfm?ReleaseID=289342

Isn't that the anniversary of the LA Riots? COINCIDENCE I THINKS NOT

and i'm still undecided on whether to get 360 or ps3 for this

oh mang, i found out recently that someone i know really is well is working on this game! they wouldn't tell me anything about it though :(

Apparently - the game automatically saves after you complete each mission, and the missions also have save points during 'em - which if you fail the mission, you can automatically jump right back to via an onscreen prompt if you so desire.

I can't tell you how many times I'd complete a mission, only to get shot to death on the way home to save.

it's annoying but you laugh about it down the pub later.

If you ONLY want to play GTA, Ste, PS3 may be better at this point çause of the Bluray (unless the PS3 version is fucked up somehow as they often are), but if you're interested in playing online or playing other next-gen games you should get an Xbox, which has like 20 times as many good games for it.

yeah, that's basically the conclusions I came to. And I'm unsure whether I will or won't be playing other games. Past records show that I play very little on consoles other than GTA. I still have a few months to decide.

I hope that I can shoot from inside cabs, and I rillyrilly hope that I can shoot the cabbie while he's driving. (Pls no media a11iance ppl read this post.)

Ste - as somebody who owns both a 360 and a ps3 I usually wait to see if people are saying there is any significant difference between the performance of multi-platform titles. If there isn't - I will always go for the ps3 version 1. Because I feel like my 360 can die (again) at any moment 2. I just prefer the ps3 style, interface, controller, quietness etc... 3. I feel like the ps3 will have a significantly longer life span than the 360.

In the case of GTA 4 you will eventually be able to buy some sort of additional chapters or something on the 360, 4-6 months after the game comes out (maybe sooner? because of the delay?). In a weird way that kind of bugs me, but I've never bought additional add ons for a game yet and am not sure I would in this case either. There should be plenty of game in the original release. Unless I hear the ps3 version is gimped in some significant way (which I doubt on such a big title) that's the version I'll be picking up, but I don't think there is one right answer (at least not yet).

oh - a another thing in favor of the ps3 version... The game is supposedly to have a multiplayer online component - on the ps3 it'll be free to play that, on the 360 you'll have to buy a one year subscription to gold for $50.00 USD if you want to play it online (though when you first get a 360 I think you still can get one month free of gold).

You can also buy XBox Live Gold in 3-month chunks. That's what I do. You definitely don't have to buy the year... you're either Gold or you aren't.

I forgot about that - though gold is even more expensive when bought in smaller chunks (twenty usd for three months). It's not like it's super expensive, but it's not free either. I've been debating with myself if it's worthwhile re-upping (I think mine runs out in a week or two)

Anyhow - I'm excited it looks like the game has an official release date. April 29th will be here before we know it. I really didn't think the game would be coming out until the end of 2008

it's annoying but you laugh about it down the pub later.

-- Ste, Thursday, 24 January 2008 16:20 (Thursday, 24 January 2008 16:20)

After putting foot through screen.

you will eventually be able to buy some sort of additional chapters or something on the 360

Is there any technical reason why the PS3 isn't getting this offer? Because if not I'd say they'll probly bring it out sometime in the future, depending on rising increase of PS3 perhaps.

sorry..

increase of popularity/sales of PS3, should I say.

It's not a technical thing, Ste, it's an exclusive deal Rockstar did with Microsoft, announced a few E3s ago. I know exclusives often turn out to be "timed exclusives," but I think this is the kind of thing where Rockstar got paid fifty million dollars to give the content to Xbox and Xbox alone, as a console selling-point. Kind of moot now that most people have gotten sick of waiting for the game and chosen one way or the other... Except you!

Funny Amazon review comment on gtaIV:

"Having never even heard of Grand Theft Auto, not owning an XBOX and the game not being out for another 4 months, I can quite happily give it 5 stars based on 3 lines of badly spelled gibberish written by a 13 year old that I saw somewhere or another. "

official site's up!

link please, as I thought Rockstar official gta site has been up for some time now hasn't it? Or is this something new.

Was thinking about a future-setting GTA and how a lot of people dislike the idea. But how about a not-too-distant future with only subtle looking futuristic graphics but allowing the designers to allow 'some' new inventions but not too ridiculous ones to be included?

Failing that, a 1979 british version including ford cortina's, capri's, and bedford vans?

It was a placeholder site that's been up since the announcement. This is the whole flash-based, daily-updated jammy with lots of video and pics and maps and new info. www.gta4.com

And I tell you again, get 1 Crackdown for your futuristic GTA needs. One of you guys is playing it every time I log on to Live... Who is it again?

i just realised, i woke up this morning with an unplaceable tune rattling around in my head. I now realise it's actually the tune from Trailer 2.

It's me, I am always playing Crackdown. My little brother got it for me for xmas and i only just now got around to playing it and boy, is it a hell of a lot of fun. Definitely will tide any GTA fan over until 4.

I haven't played it in ages. Next time I see you on I'll pop it in and we should try out the multiplayer, which is just two guys wilding out in the same city, right? You can do whatever you want?

Yeah, pretty much. It's the exact same game, with more humans.

Crackdown is/was a lot of fun, especially with two players, but it's a little broken in the sense that most of the main stuff to do in the game is too easy, especially with two people once you have powered up a bit. Jumping around the city trying to collect orbs is probably its best component, but there isn't really enough variety or challenge (except for some of the races and stuff, which are just kind of lame actually, especially the car stuff) for the game to really hold up. It's great fun about for about a week's worth of gaming though! Hopefully a few of the similar looking games coming out this year (Infamous, Prototype and Mirror's Edge) will build on and top Crackdown.

The GTA site is at http://www.rockstargames.com/IV/ btw

oh - a another thing in favor of the ps3 version... The game is supposedly to have a multiplayer online component - on the ps3 it'll be free to play that, on the 360 you'll have to buy a one year subscription to gold for $50.00 USD if you want to play it online (though when you first get a 360 I think you still can get one month free of gold).

-- Jeff LeVine, Thursday, January 24, 2008 12:30 PM (2 weeks ago) Bookmark Link

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god im regretting this xbox more and more every day.

good news - release date is 2 days before my birthday. yay!

I might actually spend my gummint rebate check on a PS3 now, yikes. Sorry EL BOT TOM.

They're saying it takes an hour to get from one side of the map to the other, presumably on foot. This is quite something, I did a timed 'strole' from one corner of the SA map to the other last night which took just over half an hour.

The only eventuality I had was at some point a nutcase wanted to run me down in a big-foot, but i out maneouvered him and he gave up. (i was playing the multiplayer game)

also, looks like i'm opting for the ps3 for this. i have a question.

do i *really* need to buy a hdtv?

Oh, Ste.

I would've said "Oh yes" until I got one. Now I would only say "yeah, probably."

I used to have to play my NES on a black and white TV in my bedroom. I could DO it, but it sucked.

It would be cool to see the difference in person between playing a new game on an HD vs. SD TV. Now is actually a pretty good time to start thinking about an HDTV as the prices have gotten quite a bit more reasonable. If you're not super worried about a big size screen you can even get some pretty nice 22" HD monitors for 350 USD - in particular I was recently looking at the Gateway HD2200 which has hook-ups for HDMI and component video as well as the standard VGA. Note that neither the PS3 or Wii can be hooked up via VGA (as far as know - maybe with an expensive (100+) VGA converter box), but you can buy the 360s 40 dollar VGA cable to use it with a standard computer monitor.

I JUST ORDERED A HD TELLY HA HA HA I AM MAD!

good work.

so it didn't arrive and the order has been cancelled.

so close.

damn.

EA to buy Take Two and therefore Rockstar?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7262328.stm

I thought that that bid was already rejected a few days ago? Or is that a new one?

oh nvm it says it's rejected there

http://www.rockstargames.com/IV/#?page=lcpdrecruit&content=video0

some new stuff appearing

Have you bought your console yet Ste?

http://www.rockstargames.com/IV/wet/loveMeet/embed/mboringloser.jpg

"Hank, I married a MAN, I didn't marry a ... GAMER"

Antexit, no not yet. I wasn't impressed with a recent PS3 demo of COD4 and Burnout so I'm holding back until the release of this game. It still may be an xbox360.