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The Latest News... Not one Grand Theft Auto IV detail, screenshot or video clip has been released. Watch my GTA IV Teaser Trailer until we get something official. The game is due out October 2007 for PS3 and XBOX 360. Look for continuing Grand Theft Auto 4 coverage as the release date nears. More >
Test Drive Beta Test Take a spin with the closed PC beta of Test Drive Unlimited, only on FilePlanet!
Victor's Photo Album In 1984's Vice City, a lot of things are different than they ended up being in 1986, and you can see it for yourself. Check out all of the Vice City Stories screenshots.
The Nintendo Wii The article The Nintendo Wii gives my first impressions on the brand new awesome console as well as the very realistic possibility of seeing a GTA title for it.
Tuesday, 12 December, 2006 – Planet Grand Theft Auto News
The analyst also found that Rockstar Games is "fully capable of ushering in an entertainment experience categorically superior to the prior cycle’s GTA product."
According to a few minutes of research I did, about 130 non-voice actors and non-motion-capture actors worked on 2002's Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.
PlanetGTA has contacted Mike Hickey regarding the issue, and if we receive a reply, we will attempt to provide more information. Thank you to Forbes for the information and Miha for the tip.
Sunday, 10 December, 2006 – Planet Grand Theft Auto News
eBay Sunday 11:56 PST | Jordan | Print News | Mail News It's Sunday again, and here's a rundown of the best Grand Theft Auto memorabilia currently on eBay:
Monday, 4 December, 2006 – Planet Grand Theft Auto News
In-Game Advertising for Grand Theft Auto IV? 11:42 PST | Jordan | Print News | Mail News Today, Take-Two Interactive Software had a conference at the 34th Annual Global Media and Communications Conference and sent out a press release regarding a few company developments, but it was the conference itself that had the details, and I have them right here transcribed from the script Paul Eibeler (Take-Two exec) read:
"To extend the life cycle [of Grand Theft Auto IV]...to take that product to the next level, we also have exclusive episodic content that will be available.
In-game advertising is just another area that we think is very, very exciting to take advantage of the type of content that people own...and microtransactions...I'll talk a little about this...
It's not just about shipping one box and then waiting for a sequel, but keeping that product alive in the marketplace. There is a tremendous amount of research that shows that anything in terms of downloadable content increases the box sales. So we will take our biggest brand (GTA) and have episodic content available in the marketplace. It's a way we are approaching games to maximize our revenue as we look into the next cycle.
In-game advertising...we have a tremendous experience base from our sports business where it is a natural part of the gaming experience. Today, we announced a partnership with Double Fusion. Double Fusion brings to us added context with the agencies...with giving us scale with Madison Avenue. So, we think that this is a growing area...one that we will walk before we run...one that we have a lot of experience in the sports side, and then we will move that now to all of our other types of content."
If GTA IV gets in-game ads, then they will be ads for real companies, meaning that the series will take a step out of its traditional fictionalized style. Will it still stay partly fictionalized? We shall see.
So, to summarize what he just said, some future games made by the publisher will include in-game advertising...not just the sports titles. This seems to mean GTA. Did he say that the franchise will have it? No, but he hinted at it a few times. What will this mean? What do you think? Tell us below.
Update: A reader also pointed out that if the game does get ads, they will probably be present day ads, making the game take place in 2007. Interesting, isn't it?
Nintendo Talks GTA & Wii 11:13 PST | Jordan | Print News | Mail News In an interview with an American television station, Reggie Fils-Aime, the president of Nintendo of America, said that Nintendo has done all it can to persuade Take-Two Interactive Software to bring the Grand Theft Auto franchise to Nintendo consoles, and it is now up to the third party publisher to decide whether Rockstar Games' immensely popular series will appear on Wii. We should know more later in 2007 regarding this issue.
Friday, 1 December, 2006 – Planet Grand Theft Auto News
Grand Theft Auto IV Polls 15:06 PST | Jordan | Print News | Mail News Danil of the Russian GTA community site gta.ag.ru sent in a series of six polls having to do with Grand Theft Auto IV. They asked me nicely if I could post them for an English-speaking audience since it would be interesting to see reaction, so here they are:
What type of radar would you like to see in GTA IV?
1. Traditional 2D radar, like in the previous games - 52.2%
2. 3D style radar - 27.8%
3. 2D style radar with zoom option - 16.4%
4. I prefer no radar at all in GTA IV - 3.6%
Total votes: 2516
What gender should be the main character in GTA IV?
1. Male - 62.6%
2. Female - 25.7%
3. It doesn't matter - 11.7%
Total votes: 1881
What type of storyline you would prefer for GTA IV?
1. Completely non-linear, players actions determines the storyline, the game may end in several ways - 52.1%
2. There must be several main storylines, at key points the player should be able to determine which way the storyline will continue - 30.7%
3. A linear storyline, like in previous games - 17.2%
Total votes: 3067
Would you like to have original cars in GTA IV (cars manufacturers license, like in Need For Speed series)?
1. Yes, but only if the model will suffer realistic damage - 57.1%
2. I don't care if there will be original cars models - 16.2%
3. No, it will be better if Rockstar spend the money on licensed music, for example - 14.9%
4. Yes, even if the originals models wouldn't suffer any damage - 11.8%
Total votes: 3004
Which version of GTA IV you are planning to buy?
1. I will wait for the PC version of the game - 85.6%
2. I'm planing to buy all the versions of the game that will be available - 3.8%
3. Sony PlayStation 3 version - 3.8%
4. I will buy a console version first, then a PC version - 2.6%
5. I'm not planning to buy GTA IV - 2.4%
6. Microsoft Xbox 360 version - 1.8%
Total votes: 3153
Should GTA IV support the option of creating your own character (like The Sims 2, The Godfather: The Game, TES: Oblivion etc.)?
1. Yes - 56.2%
2. It doesn't matter - 24.2%
3. No - 19.6%
Total votes: 1100 (in progress)
Thanks again to the Russian GTA community site gta.ag.ru for their polls.
IGN Expands Hosting Opportunities 11:00 PST | Jordan | Print News | Mail News Want free hosting for your gaming-related website? IGN can help you out, and your website doesn't have to be related to GTA. Check out these reasons why you should choose IGN:
Linkage across our community sites network, wherever appropriate we will link to the new site
News promotion for unique content from hosted sites
SEO benefits of a huge network (1,800+ hosted sites plus Gamespy/IGN, etc)
Modern control panel supporting php/mysql
24-hour monitoring of systems and dedicated technical support
Reliable support and advice from the largest gaming community in the world
10 years of experience hosting fansites, and supporting video game fans!
Great customer service and support
No bandwidth or server space limitations
IGN can help you get what you want out of your website:
"Our hosting requirements are still simple, put simply, a hosted site serves one ad per page in return for being hosted. Our goal is to provide a stable home for independent video game fansites while maintaining the most diverse gaming community on the planet."
Vice City Action Figures 10:17 PST | Jordan | Print News | Mail News The closest thing we'll ever have to "action figures" for Grand Theft Auto are the Medicom Toy Co. Kubrick sets. The Vice City set is still for sale online. Buy quickly as supply is limited!
Monday, 27 November, 2006 – Planet Grand Theft Auto News
Grand Theft Auto 4 Rumors 11:08 PST | Jordan | Print News | Mail News New York is currently being rumored as the locale of Grand Theft Auto IV. It seems a much more likely situation than other places that have been mentioned before. However, some of the supposed "leaked" details strike me as odd. Not only is it mentioned that New York is the location, but also that "the character is white." This sounds like something that would not be leaked by an official source...but rather made up by a fan. Right now it is all rumors. Let's wait a little longer. Perhaps Rockstar will give us a nice Christmas present in the form of details of the game.
Note: I'm not saying that the main character will or won't be white or that the game will or won't take place in New York...but rather that it is too early to tell and that these are just rumors.
Thursday, 23 November, 2006 – Planet Grand Theft Auto News
My Impressions of the Wii 12:11 PST | Jordan | Print News | Mail News Check out my complete impressions of my experience with the Nintendo Wii as well as commentary on if Grand Theft Auto has a future with the console. Leave your thoughts regarding what I said in the discussion area!
Back in May of this year at E3, Microsoft announced that Grand Theft Auto IV would be coming to XBOX 360 on the first date that the title is available. How did it go from Sony-only to both Microsoft and Sony?
A report in the acclaimed magazine publication Newsweek claims that Sony Computer Entertainment's Ken Kutaragi was "lax in responding to negotiations with the likes of Rockstar Games (which wanted to continue the delayed exclusivity deal with Sony), the result being that the third-party publishers finally listened to Microsoft...and the rest is history."
Sony claims that Microsoft used its nearly unlimited supply of cash to persuade Rockstar Games. Will we ever know the truth? Check out one of the sources for this news.
Saturday, 18 November, 2006 – Planet Grand Theft Auto News
And So It Begins... 21:04 PST | Jordan | Print News | Mail News November 19, 2006 will be remembered as a landmark day in the history of video games. It marks the first day that all consoles in a generation were available. The Nintendo Wii has been released in the USA. You can now buy a Wii, PS3 or XBOX 360.
Today not only begins a new generation of hardware, but more importantly...a new generation of games. Developers know they need to push the boundaries...no wait...they need to destroy the boundaries and begin to create original gameplay and come up with compelling storylines. They have new tools, both graphical and physical. All eyes are on them. More specifically, our eyes are on Rockstar Games. October 16, 2007 brings Grand Theft Auto IV. Are you ready?
Note: No Nintendo Wii version of GTA IV has been announced.
Friday, 17 November, 2006 – Planet Grand Theft Auto News
2nd GTA IV Console Released 13:53 PST | Jordan | Print News | Mail News Sony's PlayStation 3 was released earlier this morning in the USA and other areas following the initial Japan release days earlier. Now, both video game systems that will be able to play Grand Theft Auto IV have been released. But is now the time to buy?
Prices are high. Microsoft's XBOX 360 is $400 if you want the good version. The core version is $300. Sony's PlayStation 3 is $500 or $600 depending on which you decide to buy. Price drops are inevitable, but will we see them before October 2007 when the game launches? Perhaps for Microsoft, but probably not for Sony.
To take one opinion (mine), I am waiting. If I were to buy today, and taking in that price, gameplay and fun factor have always been important factors in my console buying decision-making, Microsoft clearly has the edge. With more than 100 titles already out, a lower price and a clearly-established online network (XBOX Live), my current choice is clear. Also, the only truly confirmed episodic content for the game will be on the XBOX 360. The news claiming that the PS3 will also have episodic content is still considered as rumors, although probably true.
However, I may change my mind. We all need to let Sony establish a library of games and watch for hardware bugs in the early months. For the record, I owned a PlayStation 2 in the last console cycle, but not a XBOX or Gamecube, so there is no fanboyism at work here. In addition, I am planning on buying a Nintendo Wii after being thoroughly impressed by playing several games myself at E3 back in May. Whatever you decide to do, remember to make smart buying decisions. Don't let any past fanboyism control you. We're GTA fans...not pathetic console fanboys.
