Grand Theft Auto IV

As we all know, many PS3 games utilize a mandatory hard-drive install to help load times due to the comparatively slow read speed of the Blu-Ray drive.

Microsoft UK sent an email out taking a shot at the PlayStation 3 version of the game:

“I’m sure you’ve all seen the chatter… on the PS3 install time… just a few thoughts on what you could do in this time if you were actually playing the 360 version from the moment you insert the disc..."

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The murder-soaked city of Chicago is taking a bold stand against pretend violence.

After their local Fox affiliate questioned the wisdom of allowing Grand Theft Auto ads on the sides of busses, Chicago Transit Authority preside Ron Huberman said the ads would be removed.

Usually, we'd be like "lame!" but in this case, we have mixed feelings. On the one hand, it's a lot like censorship, and ads for violent movies aren't treated the same way as this one for a violent game... but on the other hand, 24 people were murdered in Chicago this weekend, so we understand the desire to get them pulled. Not that we think removing the ads will make any difference one way or the other, but we get why people want to do something, anything. I mean, 24 murders in one weekend is bound to foment huge emotions.

MyFoxChicago: Violent Video Game Ads on The CTA

With the news that Grand Theft Auto IV has "gone gold" and is shipping already, we're wondering: How long until a copy shows up "In the wild?"

Will greedy/clueless store-owners sell copies before the street-date?

Are we going to see early GTA 4's on ebay?

Time will tell, folks, but one thing is for sure: Excitement is at a fever pitch.

Leave your predictions for early release below.

Take-Two is holding their annual shareholders meeting and we're listening in. The call will outline Take-Two's overall business strategy, product line-up, and EA's buyout offer.

First up, was the Chief Executive Ben Feder to discuss Take-Two's products and future outlook.

• Grand Theft Auto IV is complete and the discs are currently being produced. Trucks will roll out next week.
• The pre-orders for GTA IV are above company expectations and they expect it to be one of the "biggest launches of any entertainment product ever."
• A new Midnight Club game is coming after the last game in the franchise sold over 7 million copies.
• Re-confirmation of a BioShock sequel for 2009, but no mention of details.
• Carnival Games will hit the DS in the summer and get a new Wii spin-off: Carnival Games: Mini Golf.
• Take-Two expects to be profitable as a business in 2008.

Now they are voting on company appointments and boring things. Their discussion of EA's offer is forthcoming.

Ricky Gervais, star and producer of the British Office and Executive Producer of the American version has a minor role in GTA IV. He does 3 or so minutes of stand-up material in a Liberty City comedy club. He also hinted that he can be seen in other areas of the game although was mum about what those roles are.

Gervais told the London magazine Shortlist: "It was shot in New York, my favourite place in the world, and I got to wear a tight Lycra suit as part of the digital process. No, hold on, that wasn't so good."

How awesome is it that games are getting the kind of stars they deserve? Now that they're starting to make bigger Hollywood type numbers, they're able to attract Hollywood type talent and that’s starting to show in the voice over quality of some games. We cannot wait to see this Gervais stand-up. We're so excited we're going to let it slide that our compadres at Eurogamer misspelled favorite. Those wacky Brits.

eurogamer.net: Gervais to make jokes in GTA 4

It's time again, folks, to try to determine the truth or falsity of an internet rumor! Ready? Here goes:

We know Grand Theft Auto IV is edited in Australia, although no word on what, specifically, has been excised from the game. Then, kotaku posted the following description from an internet source of a phone call with Take-Two, the game's publisher:

"In regards to what Rockstar have removed for the Australian release, as far as we're aware there was only one sexually violent cut-scene which Rockstar felt would cause the game to be Refused Classification. Unfortunately we're not able to go into specifics until after the game has been released but I can tell you that the scene involves a weapon being inserted into an enemies private area during a mission where Niko is taking revenge after one of his close friends was forced into sexual intercourse during his stay in prison."

Hmmm... I guess we'll have to wait until the game is released to see if this one pans out, eh?

Kotaku: Rumour: Here's What Rockstar Removed From Australian/NZ GTA IV

In perusing the first print review of Grand Theft Auto 4 (From the U.K's Official Xbox Magazine) we came across the following bit of interesting game mechanics:  (Mild mechanics SPOILER)

Apparently, GTA 4 will feature a working, in-game internet, with mission related emails and websites, but also featuring browsing of non-mission specific content including news, dating sites, and spam email.

Also, the magazine gave it a 10 of 10 and said it was the best open-world game ever made.

GTAGaming.com

Tonight's X-Play will feature the Broadcast Premiere of two new Grand Theft Auto IV trailers. Be the first to witness the new vids in their beautiful full screen glory. There are smaller versions below.

Don't miss X-Play, Tonight at 8PM ET!

 
A glurge of Grand Theft Auto IV content was released today, including the relevation of four new multiplayer modes! We'll have a gallery soon, but until then, read:

The modes:

• Team Mafiaya Work: (2 to 8 teams) You're a member of a crew doing contract work for the mafiya—including such plum gigs as escorting wanted men, picking up MacGuffins and stealing cars. Work as a team to complete contracts before the time period ends and get the rewards. You'll probably want to do your best to scupper the other crew's work as well. Each contract you complete gives your team cash, and the crew with the most cash at the end of the round wins.

• Team Car Jack City: (2 - 8 teams) Cars spawn parked around the map and the teams must steal then and take them to a drop off point. The cash teams get for dropping of stolen vehicles depends on their condition—teams get less cash the more damaged they are. The exception to this are special bonus cars, stuffed with drugs, which five a set amount of cash on delivery no matter how damaged they are. Your crew has to get hold of whatever vehicles the boss wants. Whichever crew makes the most money wins. Simple.

• Turf War: (2 teams only) A timed capture-the-base mode. There are a number of bases around the map that you have to take by stand on on them for a short period of time. The more players that are on a base, the faster it can be captures. The more bases that your team owns, the faster your team's cash score increases. If the rival gang is on or near a base, you won't be be able to take control of it—so do what you can to try and... displace them. The team with the most cash at the end of the round wins.

• Race: Race to the finish through each checkpoint in order. If you take a wrong turn or mess up in some way, you can respawn your vehicle on the last checkpoint you passed. There is a large selection of races for cars, boats , and helicopters—you can choose laps and vehicle class/type. This mode has two sub-modes: Free Race and Cannonball Run.

Videos below.

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According to this Swedish site, the above urban tent isn't inhabited by a stinky homeless person. It's lived-in by some stinky gamers already camped out for their copy of Grand Theft Auto IV.

(via Gamerush)

Rockstar is pushing for an 18 and up maturity rating for GTA IV in Australia. The problem is there is no current rating in Aussieworld for 18+ so they're also pushing regulatory boards to create the new rating. As it stands the game has been modified to adhere to their highest MA15+ rating.

Rockstar isn't specific about how the game was changed but they did issue this P/Rspeak statement: "While there are some minor differences between the Australian and US/EU versions, they are not significant and we do not believe they take away from the level of scope and detail that make GTA IV such an incredible experience."

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Rockstar has given open access to a few select press outlets in New York interested in being the first to play GTA IV. Many of our favorite gaming blogs have gone live with their coverage of the multiplayer modes and the general concensus among them is WOW.

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Not to be outdone, Sony has seemingly responded with an answer to Microsoft's GTA IV Xbox 360 Elite bundle with a sweet looking deal of their own.

Engadget has posted a picture of what appears to be a Sony PlayStation 3 / GTA IV bundle. The bundle was posted on the site Swedish retailer Webhallen. The bundle includes a 40GB PlayStation and the game. According the site, it's unclear if this model includes DualShock 3 controllers or not.

Also, their is no mention of this being available in the United States, but one can only speculate...

Engadget: GTA IV 40GB PlayStation 3 bundle surfaces in Europe

Yesterday, we learned about the naughty stuff you can do in Grand Theft Auto IV from the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC).

Today, another gem of information was gleaned from the report.

The cutscenes in the game hit a total run time of 7 hours and 43 minutes. That's about 2.75 times longer than Scarface!

We... can't... wait!

Sidenote: We bet nobody criticizes the amount of cutscenes in the game and then turn around and bash MGS4 for the amount of cutscenes Kojima put in that game. Ya'll are a bunch of hypocrites.

Destructoid: BBFC listing indicates that GTA IV may have 7 hours and 43 minutes of cut-scenes

Britain recently rated Grand Theft Auto IV, which is great considering the meaningless scandal surrounding Manhunt 2. Out of their report, however, come some details about some of the sexy content found in the game.

"During gameplay the character can pick up prostitutes... What follows is an un-detailed portrayal of masturbation, fellatio and intercourse. The character can also visit lap dancing clubs and request a private dance."

Hottt.

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