Grand Theft Auto IV

According to Rockstar (via videogamer.com), there will be no demo version of Grand Theft Auto 4, so if you were hoping for a free taste of Liberty City, you're SOL.

"Much of GTA 4 is the driving around and we wouldn't be able to give out the whole city. We would have to give away half the game for free. People would think Liberty City is a tiny city. You run into problems," Rockstar said.

"If there was [going to be a demo] we would have talked about it. With a game like this the guys at Rockstar North will want to spend every minute making the game look great. Most people know the concept of GTA anyway. I don't know that the demo is worth the time and effort."

So basically: Everyone already knows what GTA is about, and, let's face it, we're going to buy it anyway.

Videogamer.com: No GTA 4 demo

Check this out, Two new Grand Theft Auto 4 videos and two widgets!

You'll need to view them with Internet Explorer.

They are all from the Grand Theft Auto IV website.  Rockstar promises the site is going to be updated steadily between now and April 29th. Check it out. I

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In spite of a misunderstanding on the internet (courtesy of an interview on Major Nelson's podcast), Grand Theft Auto 4 will have multi-player capability on all versions. So don't flip out.

"It's always something we've been open about, both versions will support online multiplayer capabilities," a Rockstar spokesperson told GamesIndustry.biz, although exact details on those capabilities have not been announced as yet.

Don't flip out. Seriously. But do check out the game's trailer, and remember why you care.

GamesIndustry.biz: Rockstar clarifies GTA IV speculation

The rumor of the day: GTA IV has been "toned down" to appease the ratings board and the moralists in the United States.

The source: A rating from the Australian Classification Board, which rated the upcoming hooker-murder-simulator as 15+, a decidedly light rating for a GTA game.

Many gamers are speculating that the Australian version of the game has been cut, but the American version will contain all the head-stomping, bullet-eating and drug taking we've come to know and love from GTA (but no boobies, of course. Those are for adults!).

Keep in mind, this is more about fear than any specific knowledge of the content of the game... we'll let you know more as soon as we know it.

computerandvideogames.com: GTA IV toned down to pass censors?

Check out the "Move Up, Ladies" trailer for RockStar Games Grand Theft Auto IV. We think you will be very, very impressed.

Grand Theft Auto IV Trailer: "Move Up, Ladies"

Three minutes of unadulterated GTA action, where we learn more about the plot (seems to us like an Eastern  European riff on Scarface) and get a look at the locales, trains, cars, boats and helicopters that will make up the  gritty, urban world of GTA 4's Liberty City. Mostly cut-scenes, but gooood cut-scenes.

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Tomorrow is a big day for gaming.

A new Grand Theft Auto 4 trailer is dropping.

Set your calendars for 3 PM Eastern Time (12 Noon Pacific) and set your browser to www.g4tv.com/thefeed. We'll have the trailer the second we're allowed to show it to you.

Then, if you want to see the trailer in its full glory, on your TV at home, Attack of the Show will feature the first television airing of the trailer at 7PM ET and PT tomorrow.

Don't miss it.

To whet your appetite for GTA, please enjoy this gallery of spanking new screenshots.

BAM. Grand Theft Auto IV official cover art in your grill-piece.

Stay tuned for a new trailer titled "Move up, ladies", which will go live on December 6th @ 3pm EST.

(via GTA IV official site)

Take Two president Strauss Zelnick spoke to GameSpot on Friday, and systematically shot-down a host of internet rumors swirling around about the delay of Grand Theft Auto 4. Here's what the man said:

• The release date has not been delayed further: " When asked about the release date, I confirmed the previous release date we'd given, which is our second fiscal quarter. That's to say sometime between the beginning of February and the end of April," Zelnick said.
• The game was not delayed because of the the PS3's "soft launch," although Zelnick confirmed that the fact that there will be more PS3 owners by the time the game launch will offset the loss-in-sales stemming from GTA 4 not being a holiday release.  
• There is a bright side to GTA 4's delay: " the side effect of these release dates is that consumers say, 'This is great. I can buy terrific games year-round,' then obviously that would be a good thing for the industry and not just Take-Two."

The big question, though: When, specifically, will the game come out? Zelnick remained cagey: "Obviously we want to make sure not to disappoint anyone, and we're going to give that date as soon as we feel very comfortable that we know the exact date within that three-month period that we outlined," Zelnick said.

GameSpot.com: Take-Two boss squashes GTAIV delay rumors

TheFeed can't get enough of wacky, game-hating attorney Jack Thompson. The latest jack-a-nape from the Florida attorney: In a recent court filing,  Thompson claims an article in Game Informer magazine reveals that a mission in GTA 4 involves killing an attorney. Thompson feels the attorney represents him.

TheFeed would give anything to be killed in Grand Theft Auto 4, but Thompson, apparently, doesn't like the idea, and has threatened to block the release of the game if "he" is not removed.

 He writes:

"You have until five o’clock P.M. this Friday… to inform me that you are going to delete the above references and any other references that could reasonably be construed to be references to me in Grand Theft Auto IV and any other video games that are pending release…

Now you have descended this low - using one of your games to threaten my physical safety… Failure to comply with the deadline… will result in my having to take necessary and proper means to stop release of the game which targets me personally… given the copycatting of violent games…"

Gamepolitics.com: Jack Thompson Says GTA 4 Mission Target is Him; Threatens to Block Release

Gigantic Internet retailer Amazon.com is predicting an early May release date for Grand Theft Auto 4.

If you placed an Amazon pre-order for the game, you most likely received an email today reading:

The item(s) listed below will...
ship:
   "Grand Theft Auto IV" [Video Game]
    Estimated arrival date: 05/03/2008 - 05/06/2008

We realize that dates coming from retailers are always predictions and should be taken with a grain of proverbial salt... and we further realize that beginning of a May fits in with the initial predictions of Take-Two for a release in the "fiscal second quarter of 2008." But still, interesting news, no?

In a statement destined to provoke the ire and dark passions of fanboys everywhere, Wedbush Morgan's Michael Pachter blames the delay of Grand Theft Auto 4's release on the PlayStation 3.

Pachter believes the game was pushed back because of difficulty of developing for the PS3, in conjunction with contracts calling for a simultaneous release on the PS3 and the 360.

"We can only surmise what happened. We think it is likely that the Rockstar team had difficulty in building an exceptionally complicated game for the PS3, and failed to recognize how far away from completion the game truly was until recently," he said. "We think it is also likely that Take-Two had a contractual commitment to Sony that it would not favor competitor Microsoft by launching the Xbox 360 version of GTA IV prior to launching the PS3 version, and believe that any delay of the PS3 version necessitated a delay of the Xbox 360 version. In our view, this is the only plausible explanation of what happened, but management was reticent to provide any details during the conference call."

Pachter also pointed out the obvious: This delay is very, very bad news for publisher Take Two.

"Given the delays of Manhunt and GTA, its process for monitoring projects under development appears to be a failure. Until we see evidence of better controls over work in process and greater diligence in project selection, we are not confident that the company will gain market share in future years."

GameDaily: Pachter: You Can Blame the PS3 for the GTA IV Delay

During a conference call, Take Two executives answered questions from the press about the delay of Grand Theft Auto IV. While the conversation did lean more towards the business and financial ramifications of this decision, there was some discussion about what led them to this decision and we got a few tid-bits that might make this recent news hurt just a little less.

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If you're wondering what that disturbance in The Force is, it's the sound of a few million gamers' hearts breaking: Take Two announced today that Grand Theft Auto IV is being delayed. The company just couldn't finish the thing on time.

GTA 4, arguably the most eagerly awaited videogame ever, had been set for release in October. It's now planned for release in the fiscal second quarter of 2008, Take-Two said. That's spring of 2008, kids.

Take-Two Chairman Strauss Zelnick said "certain elements of development proved to be more time-intensive than expected."

Reuters: Take-Two delays "Grand Theft Auto IV"

Rockstar has now gone on record saying that the version of Grand Theft Auto IV that comes in the box will be identical for the PS3 and Xbox 360. They say there are no advantages in owning the PS3 version over the 360 version.

Furthermore, they go on to say that, "But I guess if you want the complete experience with the episodes, then yeah, you should buy the 360, I suppose." They are referring to the exclusive downloadable content that Microsoft paid $50M for.

Who knows if this content will ever find its way to the PS3, but for now, you'll only be getting the extras on the 360. They will, however, cost Microsoft Next-Gen Points, so for $60 you get the same game on either system.

JoyStiq.com: Rockstar: Only GTA IV on Xbox has 'complete experience'

Peter Moore showcases the second GTA IV trailer at the Microsoft Press Conference. For more E3 coverage head over to G4’s E3 ’07 web page.