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

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.

Came across this board and am in the same prediciment as Ste. I found this article, which has me leaning towards the PS3.

I don't believe that 16.4% failure rate. I'm pretty sure it is quite a bit higher. As somebody who has both systems, like I said above, I prefer the ps3, because (among other things) it runs A LOT quieter (as somebody who plays a lot more late at night, a quiet machine is nice) and smoother - sometimes my 360 seems to have trouble loading open world streaming data - which worries me & it has definitely crashed more than my ps3. On the other hand, the 360 has better library of games, is less expensive and is going to have the extra content for GTA IV eventually (I'm assuming each extra episode with be 15-20 dollars though). And as somebody whose 360 got the red rings of death, it's not too big of a deal - you just call up Microsoft - they send you a box - you send in your 360 - and about three weeks later you get it back.

i really want my 360 to die so i can get a new one already!

The only problem with that is - the "new" 360 they sent me back actually works worse (runs as loud, makes more weird sounds, crashes more) than the one I had before. I guess it was probably a refurbished one?

Do you get your DLC back?

With the red ring thing you detach your hard drive and power cables and just send in the box. So when you get your 360 back, you just clip your hard drive back on and you're pretty much good to go (just have to recover your gamertag, I think).

erm, ah. i think i'll get a ps3 then. lol.

might as well if you're not playing a lot of gamews, you have a bru-ray then as well.

A quick warning though - it might be worth it to wait a bit on the ps3 until they start bundling in the dual shock 3 controller (I think that happens before gta IV, right?), as it's a much better controller than the orginal pack-in (more solid feeling + rumble).

i was thinking about that but then i realized i was gonna get a second controller anyway so i ordered a dual shock from play-asia. or yes-asia. or something.

Oh Ste I just remembered, only the 360 version will have the exclusive "downloadable content" aka episodes you can download and add to the game a few months after release.

Anybody see that quite good-looking fake(?) intro that someone put on youtube today?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQWTijxy6x8