Take a look at the beauty of these seven screenshots:

GamesMaster hits again, we have 8 brilliantly superb pages of GTA4 scans, with loads of detail. Take a look at the screenshots attached below, and more can be found at the source.

We've all been waiting for it for a while, but it's not coming out until April 29th. In the meantime, GTA fans are busy waiting for any new information to come out about either the 360 or PS3 versions. Well, the time's come for new information to be released. Playstation 3 Magazine has previewed the PS3 version of GTA IV, revealing a good bit of new information about the game as well as stating that it runs just as smooth as the 360 version of the game, which is good news for those of you who are keen on performance in your video games.

For more information, check out GameGrep.

Why not try this quiz, and see what sort of person you are...

It's been a while since we last heard from everyone's favorite anti-game activist, Jack Thompson. He's been abnormally silent since the conclusion of his bar trial last month, but the golden silence once enjoyed by video gamers everywhere has now been broken. After the announcement that GTA IV would be released on 29 April 2008, he decided to rear his ugly head once again. As usual, his threats of "dire consequences" are incredibly vague.

His statement claims that he's going to once again try to prevent underage sales of this game because of it's M rating in the United States, which means that only people 17 or older can purchase the game with valid ID, but it's possible that he'll try to have the game banned entirely like he has with Manhunt 2 and other games.

[Source - GamePolitics]

[Gamespy]
[IGN]
[Gametrailers]
[CVG]
[Team Xbox]

We had all kinds of revelations today. From On-foot radio, to confimation of multiplayer, to a drunk driving Niko, to being able to scale vehicles and hijack the driver as you go!

GTA is going to be amazing people. Stay tuned for the release date confirmation, which can't be far off at this stage. ;D

~Shane

By Shane (19 Comments)

PLATFORMS

Grand Theft Auto IV [XBOX360, PS3]

Well here it is, just in time for Christmas. A few days ago we recieved news that the new trailer for GTA:IV will go live in under a week. [4 days to be precise] So on December 6th, 2007, we'll finally get out 3rd glimpse into the new GTA world.

The title is 'Move Up, Ladies'. A cryptic one indeed, just like the rest, but I'm sure all will be revealed upon watching the trailer. The majority seem to believe that it wil have something to do with the woman on the cover of the game, aka Lola, revealing her as the female supporting 'lead' in the game.

So as we sit and wait paitiently for our next insight into a revamped Liberty City, the only thing left to do is watch the official site for further updates. ;D

- Shane

The second trailer for the long awaited GTA4 has now been released, and is available for download directly from files.neo.

Well, I'm sure you all remember what it was like sitting and counting the last few seconds before the launch of the first trailer a few months ago, and boy was it worth it! Now, Rockstar have confirmed that we will be getting a new trailer towards the end of the month, and as usual they are being secretive and every Rockstar employee is keeping their motuh shut whilst we sit in suspense until 28th June when we will see more footage from the game. So, now the countdown is on, until trailer number 2 (Looking for that special someone). In the mean time we will have to stick with the first trailer and the screenshots for now...

Grand Theft Auto is arguably one of the most, if not the most successful game to have hit North America in recent years, with sales and reviews showering praise upon Rockstar and their creations. However, during the past few years, like likes of Thompson and his lobbying have brought about heavy discontent with much of what is found within the game. Once again, Grand Theft Auto get some heavy criticism, but instead of coming from a lawyer, this time it comes about from Matt Hawkins, a game reviewer who placed not only Grand Theft Auto III on his list of the worst games ever, but also the likes of Sand Andreas and Vice City.

Don't worry, not only was the GTA series hit, but the Zelda, Final Fantasy, and Kingdom Hearts series all got hits too, which Neoseeker has portals for which can be found on the listing to the side. Along with those, World of Warcraft, which Neoseeker has a portal in development for, was also considered one of the worst games ever.

So, what was the criteria which a lot of these games made it on to, and why did he chose them? Matt did some research and found that the same games were always on the worst list. Often, he defends these games, saying that they were made in a time when things were simpler and not so much was known, an excuse which can't be used with today's modern games. For example, he found many of these games to be lack lustre in content, or were bad influences. Final Fantasy, for example, redefined RPGs, in his opinions, as games which now require over 80 hours to play. He also declares Shenmue, which is on the list, as boring.

For GTA: Hawkins thought "GTA" might get him a little grief. It actually elicited the most severe response. "Everybody was really, really upset." He tried winning the crowd back by telling them that "GTA" was making everyone in the room look bad because of the series' notorious reputation among politicians and the mainstream media. He knocked the game for not being as mature as its supporters tout, relying on sex and violence rather than truly sophisticated content.

So, why does he do it? He says he's always been a negative person, and described his inspiration for writing this as, "I'm a big fan of wrestling managers who like pissing off the audience."

You can read the entire article here.

Grand Theft Auto series are famous for a number of reasons, and through the years we've come to a number of conclusions about what to expect from them. Many of the games, for example, have specific times set in the past, for example, Vice City Stories being set in the eighties.

From the preview, however, speculation has arisen that Grand Theft Auto IV may be taking place in present day. Looking in the trailer, you can distinctly make out Hearst Tower, in the background of one of the shots of Liberty City. This tower was completed recently, in 2006, which has lead a few to believe that this game could be made for that year or this year.

As news comes, we'll keep you apprised. From here.

That's right people, finally, we'll have some cold hard facts about the game you've been wanting for so long. Today a countdown was added to GTA:IV's official website, indicating that there will be a release for GTA:IV on the 29th of March. rockstar officials were remaining tight-lipped though, the only 2 words available form them was ''No comment''.
I hasn't been confirmed weather or not it will be a video, screenshots, box art, XBOX360/PS3 in-game footage etc, all we know is that it will be arriving on the 29th of March, which isn't long at all considering how long we've waited already.

''Rockstar's very own Grand Theft Auto IV webpage has been updated today with a sure-fire excitement generator -- a countdown clock for the debut of the company's first trailer. The timer will stop on Thursday, March 29.

The teaser's debut will mark the first time since May of 2006 that any new information about the highly-anticipated sequel makes it to the public eye. Up until now, we've just been hit with a barrage of fake screenshots, false box art, and random forum posts that claim, "My cousin works for Rockstar and this is what he told me!"

Unfortunately for sandbox fans, no other information about the forthcoming video was given (will it be in high definition? Will it include Xbox 360 and PS3 footage, etc?). We did, however, contact Rockstar representatives to see if they'd comment further.

"No comment," are the only words the company spokesperson would part with.

Damn. It looks like we'll just have to wait until the 29th to find out what the big deal is just like everybody else.''

Well, after months of speculation from fans, Rockstar have finally decided to confirm once and for all they are a bunch of liars. They tell us LCS won't be ported and they do. And they've done the same with VCS now. We have no idea at this stage whether or not the game will keep the multiplayer in this port, but from how angry the fans were at the LCS port, Rockstar would be very brave to do a stunt like leave that out. So, without further ado, I present you the source: the TakeTwo official site announces it to the world! Release dates are March 6th in North America and March 9th in Europe. At this stage, all we can do is assume it will be a straight port. Good news for those who don't own a PSP but love GTA.

Yesterday, Rockstar Games announced Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy for the Playstation 2. The compilation pack includes GTA3, Vice City, and San Andreas all for the low price of $39.99. No bonus material is planned for the package, but if you still haven't played the games for some odd reason and want to pick them up, you can do so when the collection is released on December 4th.

Yes, folks, at long last the much anticipated game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories has been released.

For months now fans of the series have been speculating about the game and it's content and back in August we got our first major details about the game. Fans have seen 3 official trailers and lots of gameplay videos, building on everybody's tension. And finally the release in America and Canada has released that tension and thousands of fans have finally got their chance to play what could quite easily be one of the best games in the series.

All people living in the UK and the rest of Europe still need to wait until November 3rd and Austrailian fans will have to face two more agonising weeks before they can get their hands on it. Once it does get released in the rest of the world, however, the game is sure to have millions worldwide hooked.

For more updates and news on the game, visit the forum news thread, which can be found here.

Another winner out of the hat from the 2006 Golden Joysticks Awards, and it's Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories that nabs the gong for EDGE Handheld Game of the Year.

The pint-sized GTA has always been highly regarded as the PSP's finest, but now it's officially the best title available for tube and toilet play according to the legions of EDGE readers who crowned it their handheld champ.

It also received nominations for 5 of the 17 categories. They included Ultimate Game of year, Soundtrack Award, PlayStation Game of the year, Handheld Game of the year and Multiplayer Game of the year.

Good news for all you PS3 fans! Several weeks ago you heard that the X-Box 360 version would be getting 2 eposodic downloads with over 20 hours of missions and story. Well now, it seems that the PS3 will too be getting exlusive downloadable content. That's right folks, for the PS3 version, you will be able to download whole new islands for you GTA world. You'll be able to go where no X-Box lover can and discover all sorts of new secrets and roaming around whole new worlds could possibly mean new missions. It is yet to be confirmed just how much you will be able to download.

Yes at long last the Entertainment Software Rating Board has finally come to a decision about Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories. The game, unsurprisingly, is set to be rated M which means the game will only be available to those over 17 years of age.

The game is said to include Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content and Use of Drugs. This is the ninth game in the Grand Theft Auto series to recieve an M rating. The known ratings across the world are:

North America - M

United Kingdom - 18

Europe - 18+

Germany - 16

Australia - MA15+
This information comes from the official Vice City Stories website where you can see that the box art displays the ESRB's official M rating. As of yet there are no updates on the ESRB official site.

By Catfire

Start a Forum thread on this news story

PLATFORMS

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories [PS2, PSP]

IGN put up two pages of Hands-On experience with the new game for the PSP, Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories. Within it, they talk about flight controls, and several of the missions they encountered.

The first thing that they comment on is the ease of the controls of the helicopter, making it feel natural when you're flying, without too much of a learning curve to learn how to get everything to work, later providing an interesting challenge in the third mission that the IGN staff decided to partake in. Along with that, they got to try out the ATV and the Dune Buggy, both with positive experiences and, once again, parts in missions that they enjoyed.

Most of the city is similar to that in the PS2 version, meaning that if you have experience with Vice City, you've got experience with Vice City Stories, a handy cross-platform switch-off for people who are interested. While only trying a small fraction of the city out, the team found it to be both interesting and excellent in graphical detail.

Vice City Stories also offered up three missions to try out for the testers, one of which was "Unfriendly Competition", which involves fighting off scantily clad woman with Uzi's, "Nice Package" as the second, ending with them dying as they sped away from a massive game fight with the all-important package inside, and finally "Lost and Found", which involves you trying to keep the helicopter stable while another character tries to get a few clean shots at some traitors.

Overall, IGN has shown us that this 80's style PSP game is shaping up incredibly nicely.

[Source]

The highly controversial Rockstar game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, has been suggested to be the best Action Console game in existence, as mentioned by a new study.

Blackwell Publishing recently placed a series of essays into planned distribution called "Beautiful Things"(will officially be out on October 31st), which has re-engineered the way that Pop Culture is measured. The technique used focuses on using the ways consumers rate the games as a way of figuring out whether or not they are the best games, forms of poetry, dance songs, or a variety of other cultural influences.

According to the study, Grand Theft Auto San Andreas is the best action console computer game because of the level of detail in the game-world, the freedom of the player to move through it, and the relationship between structured elements and free form game-play.

[Source]

Microsoft has revealed more details about the exclusive episodic content set for the 360 version of Grand Theft Auto IV. While we all know the content will be downloadable over Xbox Live and will be provided as two separate "episodes", what we didn't know is that the two episodes will each provide 10 hours of gameplay minimum! Here is what Xbox.com had to say about it:


"There are certain pivotal moments in videogaming history when new technology has introduced new ways to experience the gaming world, or innovative software has set new standards in fun – or even created entirely new genres of gameplay. With regard to the latter two, the Grand Theft Auto series is the biggest and baddest of them all.

The original GTA (from 1998) was a very different beast to the controversy-devouring entity the franchise has become today. Of course a lot of water and technological advancements have flowed under the bridge in the intervening years, and the series really came alive with GTA III, which ushered in a stylish new era of hip soundtracks, cinematic criminality, lavish 3D visuals and gameplay to die-for – often literally so, in GTA’s brutal world. Since then pretty much every GTA outing has been a must-play event.

Of course, loyal Xbox players (that’s you lot) have had to grimace privately while the owners of ‘other’ consoles have enjoyed all the GTA fun. However that will soon change, thanks to Rockstar Games’ announcement that they’re creating brand new GTA IV content for Xbox 360. We knew they’d want to join the winning team sooner or later.

GTA IV will take the form of two distinct episodes, both downloadable from Xbox Live and each a minimum of 10 hours long. Of course being a 360 game it’ll look simply awesome too, and the downloadable episodic format means that we won’t have to wait ages between games either – or waste the bus fare going to the shops to buy it! It’ll be worth the wait, we promise, but if you need to satisfy your ‘gangsta’ cravings before then Saints Row will keep you nicely busy. More details soon."


More details as they are released!

In 2004, Cody Posey, of New Mexico, American, killed his Step-mother, Step-sister, and father, all three with shots to the head, ending with his incarceration in a Juvenille Detention Center until the age of 21. This event has recently taken a twist with the youth, as well as Sony, the creator of the PS2, and Take-Two Interactive being sued for the deaths.

The lawyer who is heading this case, Jack Thompson, a Florida native and an Anti-Violence activist for video games, has come up with a strategy of using this case to punish the industry so severely that they will stop the marketing of such games to children.

Jack Thompson was also in charge of the case against a teenage man who went on a rampage, killing two police officers and a dispatch officer in Alabama.

"A video game may not, by itself, cause a teen or another individual to kill, but it can provide an indispensable or final link in a causal chain that results in tragedy."

[Source]

Back in May, we confirmed that GTA IV for the Xbox 360 would be receiving episodic content available for download over Xbox Live. Today at the X06 conference, we received more information.

Two epic episodes will be released for the 360 over the Xbox Live Marketplace months after the initial release of the game (October 16th, 2007), and each one of the episodes will supposedly include hours of entirely new gameplay exclusive to the system.

As of right now, it is not known whether or not the Playstation 3 can also expect downloadable content.

More info soon.

A new trailer for the highly-anticipated Vice City Stories was released today. The trailer clocks in at 1:04 (one minute and four seconds), and showcases many of the characters that Victor Vance will be encountering. Those of you who have stayed faithful to the GTA series will recognize many of them such as Ricardo Diaz, Lance Vance, and Phil Cassidy. You can download the trailer directly from us, so what are you waiting for?

German magazine Play the PlayStation is starting to make it's way to subscribers and once again German fan site GTAReactor has the news.

According to them, the magazine includes a one page preview, based on the info they got last week at the Leipzig Games Convention. The magazine is said to have info on a new feature in Vice City - and the GTA series - called ''Empire Building'' or ''Building Empire''.

This side mission involves the player trying to gain a partnership into a business and earn an investment of his own. They range from small, medium, and large businesses. All of this can be done with 30 buildings scattered around Vice City, and your earnings depend on how much money you've invested. Is this perhaps what they talked about a few weeks ago when they said VCS will feature more interiors than it's predecessors?

The side mission, which is almost similar to taking over rackets in the game The GodFather, is quite an interesting and fun addition. I'm sure we'll hear more about this feature very soon.

Publisher Take-Two announces today that it has reached a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over its role in the GTA: San Andreas Hot Coffee "incident", putting a close the investigation it has been subject to since last year. Based on its findings, the FTC has unanimously approved the "Consent Order and Agreement" with Take-Two, deciding to take no further actions against Take-Two. Additionally, no penalties or fines will be issued against the publisher. Take-Two did get a warning to not misrepresent a video game's rating or content again, and has been encouraged to implement a "system" to ensure all its game content will be properly reviewed by ratings authorities.

Paul Eibeler, President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, "We are extremely pleased that the FTC has concluded its very thorough investigation, and that the matter has been resolved. We recognize the importance of maintaining public confidence in the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) rating system and helping the ESRB educate parents and consumers about the rating system. We look forward to putting this behind us and focusing on what we do best - creating video games."

Now it remains to be seen what lies ahead for the publisher in a separate investigation in New York.

Though it has been almost a year since Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas developer Rockstar and publisher Take-Two Interactive went under fire and scrutiny for the game's hidden Hot Coffee content, the repurcussions are still rippling back to the companies. Just last week, the District Attorney of the County of New York has issued grand jury subpoenas to Take-Two and Rockstar, launching an investigation over the hidden sex scene fiasco. Both companies will be required to produce documentation dating back all the way to October 1st 2001 concerning its presense in the oringal M-rated game.

Wedbush Morgan stock analyst Michael Pachter predicts in a report that the jury investigation could last several months and while it is difficult at this point to determine just what the grand jury hopes to find, it is possible a few Take-Two employees will face potential criminal indictment and conviction over their involvement with Hot Coffee. Take-Two employees and directors both current and former will likely be asked to testify in court in the future.

"The subpoenas leave us baffled," continues [Pachter's report], "and raise the specter of quite serious consequences. The potential outcomes range from indictments and convictions of key employees to no indictments issued at all. Should one or more key strategic, operating or creative employee be charged with criminal activity, we believe that at a minimum, the employee charged would be distracted from performing his or her duties for the company, and at a maximum, the employee charged would be convicted and would likely leave the company."

The Hot Coffee content has since been removed after its discovery and the subsequent uproar over gaming it caused, but only after the game was pulled from distribution for all gaming platforms to be re-branded with a new "Adults Only" ESRB rating.

Take-Two and Rockstar's legal woes don't end there, unfortunately. Actor Roger Hill has sued the companies over use of his likeness in the recent video game adaptation of the 1979 motion picture, The Warriors. Hill explains he had previously declined to work with the companies during development of the game, but Take-Two maintains it had secured "valid third-party license for the rights to use Roger Hill's likeness and the character of Cyrus in The Warriors video game and related marketing materials."

Gamesindustry.biz conducted an interview at E3 with Microsoft's game boss Peter Moore. Plans regarding GTAIV on the 360 were mentioned and possible exclusive content from Microsoft. Here's some of what Peter had to say about exclusive content in GTAIV and other online titles.

"If you think online is going to be important over the next few years, exclusive content online is going to be even more important. Having someone like Rockstar, who totally believe in our vision for what episodic content will be, downloadable content, bringing you maps, levels, vehicles, things of that nature - that ability to do that is very, very cool. People missed a little bit of the importance of that bit of the announcement. Having Grand Theft Auto IV on our platform is very important."

As stated in the interview, it's also very possible Sony will have their own exclusive content for the next GTA game, so we'll have to wait and see if they comment on it. Nothing is concrete right now, so stay tuned for more details.

Full Interview: http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=16944

Yesterday, Rockstar Games announced that the next GTA game in the series will be exclusive to the Sony PSP. After the success of Liberty City Stories on the PSP, GTA: Vice City Stories will be hitting stores this fall.

New York, NY - May 10, 2006 - Rockstar Games, the universally-renowned publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), is proud to announce Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories. Developed by Rockstar Leeds in conjunction with series creators Rockstar North, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories will be available exclusively on the PSP system in North America on October 17th, 2006 and Europe on October 20th, 2006.
For the full story: http://ir.take2games.com/ReleaseDetail.cfm?ReleaseID=195825

Vice City Stories Official Site: http://rockstargames.com/vicecitystories

Stay tuned for any updates on either of the newly announced GTA games from E3 2006 all this week!

Today Rockstar Games has confirmed that Grand Theft Auto IV will release simultaneously for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. You will be able to play GTA4 when it is released on October 16th, 2007 for the USA, and October 19th for Europe.

Some other interesting news is that you will be able to download episodic content as it is released online. As if GTA wasn't large enough, now you can constantly update your game with fresh missions.

Rockstar has also released the official site today, go here to check it out.

As of right now, there is no real information on the game, but be sure to check back often for any updates that come our way!

Take-Two has ensured that Rockstar's key franchises, including Grand Theft Auto, will be on their plate for at least the next 3 years thanks to a new $25 million agreement made with "key Rockstar personnel":

The agreement, outlined in a 10-Q filing yesterday, is for a three-year term, and provides for the payment of $25 million in restricted stock, plus unspecified internal royalties.

The 10-Q explores the value of Rockstar's creative heads, and the risk to the company of any failure to offer a decent package to GTA's bosses. It states, "We rely on our management and other key personnel for the successful operation of our business. In particular, we are highly dependent on the expertise, skills and knowledge of certain of our Rockstar employees responsible for content creation and development of Grand Theft Auto and other titles."

In spite of all the Hot Coffee headaches the GTA franchise caused for Take-Two and Rockstar, the publisher certainly has no plans to reliquish their hold on the series anytime soon.

Last Thursday, Take 2 Games announced it's preliminary and unaudited fiscal 2005 financial results, revealing some interesting tidbits regarding the future of the Grand Theft Auto series.

First off, scheduled for release in the second quarter of 2006 is a Playstation 2 version of the hit PSP title Liberty City Stories. While no details have been announced, expect some improvements over it's predecessor. Hopefully these improvements will include more than just a simple graphical upgrade.

Also planned for 2006, is an all-new Grand Theft Auto title for the Playstation Portable.


Check back here for more details as they are revealed.

The second official trailer from Rockstar for the upcoming GTA game on PSP

Download Here On Files.Neoseeker.com

Now that San Andreas is free from the taint of its Hot Coffee (for now...), Rockstar has decided it's time to spruce things up in town again. To this end, they will release new, special edition game packages next month for both the PlayStation 2 and Xbox platforms.

Xbox GTA fans can expect to see "Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy", a compilation package that includes the GTA III, Vice City and San Andreas games. PS2 gamers meanwhile can choose to pick up the GTA: San Andreas Special Edition, which bundles San Andreas as well as "The Introduction" game movie CG and "Sunday Rider" documentary DVDs.

These special edition GTA releases should hit retail this October 18th. Naturally, both will bundle the M-Rated version of San Andreas that removes the hidden, incriminating Hot Coffee evidence from its game code. You will recall that current versions of San Andreas have been re-rated to "Adults Only", seeing as how they feature the Hot Coffee content.

As many of you know, San Andreas now has an AO rating. Investigations are being made into the game and recently The Sims has been sucked into the AO controversy due to nude patches and the like that are available for that game. Most recently a Grandmother is sueing Take 2 over the game. "The plaintiff, Florence Cohen, claims in her lawsuit that she purchased the game for her teenage grandson in or about late 2004 when the game was rated "M" for mature by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board and was damaged when it came to light that sexually explicit scenes believed to be inaccessible by players were left in the game by developers. The lawsuit makes claims of unfair business practices, consumer deception and false advertising against Take-Two Interactive and Rockstar Games." Rockstar and Take Two plan to co-operate fully with any investigations that will take place.

But you just know that they're revelling in this publicity, this can surely only serve to further increase the popularity of the series.

Another month goes by, and with it, another monthly study of video game sales figures by NPD Funworld.

Stealing the number one spot across all consoles was the Xbox version of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, despite all the controversy surrounding the "Hot Coffee" scandal that left it's mark on the game: an Adult Only rating.

The PC version of San Andreas also did well, coming in at number four in the PC games category.

After banning the sale and rental of Grand Theft Auto III in Kangawa, Japan to anyone under the age of 18, Governor Shigefumi Matsuzawa received a little surprise in his online weblog.

After starting the blog on June 1, he received many comments from gamers opposing his decision to ban the game from minors.

One gamer claimed there were no "scientific grounds" supporting Matsuzawa's decision, while another stated the evidence prompting him to take action was "vague."

The governor responded to the flood of remarks and retorts on July 7, stating that he couldn't reply to every single comment he had received, which only pushed gamers to drop another 255 replies in his blog.

Matsuzawa has asked all gamers to carefully read comments he has made on the subject in the past, hoping to answer some of their many questions. The governor has no plans of closing his blog any time soon.

"I've received some terrible comments (on the page), but I think it's good for me to hear a variety of opinions. I will never stop my Web site."

The Manichi Daily News has the full story.

If you have been reading our news stories (below) you already know about the decision by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) to change San Andreas' original rating, Mature (M), to the rating of Adults Only (AO). Now, major retailers such as Gamestop, Circuit City, and Best Buy, have removed all copies of San Andreas from store shelves as in compliance with their company polices not to sell Adults Only rated videogames. They will re-stock the game when Rockstar releases a newly modified Mature-rated version of the game for all platforms.

The bruhahah surrounding the "Hot Coffee" mod for the PC version Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas has forced Take Two and Rockstar to ultimately change the rating for the game from "M" (Mature) to "AO" (Adults Only). Originally placing the blame for the saucy mini-game content the mod unlocks on the mod author, Rockstar finally admitted that they were the ones who left the content hidden in the original source code.

Rockstar has promised to release a "new" version of the game that will conform to the ESRB guidelines for an "M" rating, and ship "AO" rating stickers to retailers that still plan on selling the game as it is. That said, the publisher still stands to lose a bit of revenue, as many retailers like Best Buy and Circuit City are expected to pull the game from shelves until that new "M" version launches.

Many retailers sell "M" rated games, which "may be suitable for persons ages 17 and older," according to the rating board, but won't sell "AO"-labeled games at all.

Take-Two also said Wednesday that it expects to suffer financially. It lowered its expectations for its current quarter and fiscal year to set aside funds for returns of the games, and figured that net sales could decrease by more than $50 million during the quarter ending July 31.

The snowball rolling down that hill is starting to grow, as the "controversy" surrounding the reportedly hidden sexual content in Rockstar's wildly-popular Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas video game takes to Washington, D.C. A downloadable mod for the PC version of game, dubbed "Hot Coffee", was recently released, allowing gamers to experience and take part in sexually-themed minigames. The mod claims that it uses data already in the game which was locked away by the developer Rockstar Games for the retail release since it was not meant for public eyes. Rockstar is of course defending themselves, explaining that the mod is altering source code to deliver what it says was originally swept under the rug.

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of the District of New York today has called upon the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) itself to investigate the allegations as to where this questionable content is really coming from. Clinton has also expressed her dissatisfaction with the current Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) rating system, urging the FTC to examine the rating policies of the ESRB and retailers. Further drawing upon the momentum spurred by this one case, she is committed to proposing a bill to the Senate that would make it a federal offense in the U.S. to sell mature/adult-rated games to customers outside of their the target age group.

'No wonder these games are falling into the hands of our children and no wonder so many parents feel everyday like they are fighting this battle with their hands tied behind their backs,' Clinton said. 'We need to do better. We need to do everything we can to make sure that parents have a line of defense against violent and graphic video games and other content that go against the values they are trying to instill in their children.'

A Grand Theft Auto game coming under fire for its "unwholesome" influence on tender minds is not exactly something that has become unheard of these days, but this time some real trouble may be brewing for the series as the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) admits that they are forced to investigate the latest game in the series, San Andreas.

This investigation was prompted when a recent unofficial mod, made available for download for the PC version of the game, claims to utilize "unused code" for certain (after-)dating events inside the main game to create some saucy mini-games for the player to at last see and ultimately control to a certain extent. The ESRB's goal is to find out just how much, if any, of this content was indeed hidden in the game by the developers:

ESRB president Patricia Vance said her organization has "opened an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the 'Hot Coffee' modification." "Hot Coffee" refers to the mod which, when installed on a PC with San Andreas on it, unlocks several minigames which prompts players to have the game's hero in X-rated acts.

The ESRB's investigation will examine whether or not the mod unlocks pre-existing code, as appears to be the case, or is actually a purely third-party creation. Its ultimate purpose will be to determine if Take-Two violated ESRB regulations requiring "full disclosure of pertinent content."

To tell you the truth, I would be somewhat impressed if Rockstar really did go to all the trouble of cooking something up for the "coffee" sequences, only to shove it to the nether regions of the game and away from prying eyes in the end. :P I wouldn't be surprised if it was just the work of the mod itself though, but we'll have to wait and see where this goes. It could just be a bit of senstionalist reporting, in the very end.

With the PC release of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, gameplay mods were bound to be created. Vice City had the popular Multi Theft Auto and a MTA mod is bound to become available for San Andreas at some point in the future. In the meantime, check out this thread for some gameplay San Andreas mods from Neoseeker members as well as this page for mods submitted to Neoseeker that have their own forum including the very popular Multi Theft Auto making a return.

The PlayStation 2 smash-hit Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas has finally been released for Xbox and PC owners in North America. European players will also lap up the majestic monster this Friday.

There's been a lot of positive reviews for both the PC and Xbox versions, so you're bound to have as much fun with the new versions as you did with the PS2 version. The added features such as custom soundtracks and 30-second replays make the PC and Xbox version even more valuable.

If you are yet to experience San Andreas on PS2, be sure not to miss out on this essential videogaming master-piece.

Still scheduled to be released this summer, the Xbox version of Rockstar Games' illustrious Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas has finally been revealed to the public, or at least the small portion of the public attending this year's E3.

The storyline and general gameplay will not be any different on the Xbox console, but the game includes many features that were not implemented on the Playstation 2.

For starters, minor improvements have been made to the graphics. The draw distance has increased, so the horizon will appear further away and more of your surroundings can be displayed on the screen at once. Loading times have also diminished, which makes for faster, smoother gameplay.

Like the Vice City version for Xbox, you will once again have the ability to create your own radio station using your CDs, but this time Rockstar has added commercials and talk from the DJs to give your station a more realistic feeling.

A replay feature that will allow you to view CJ's actions for about the last thirty seconds of gameplay has also been added to the game. Rockstar has still not decided whether or not you will be able to save multiple replays.

The game is expected to hit stores on June 7th.

Take-Two Interactive, Sony Computer Entertainment America, Wal-Mart, and Gamestop are among the big-name companies being accused of inspiring Devin Thompson's slayings of three Fayette, Alabama, police officers.

Devin Thompson was arrested back in 2003 for suspicion of the crime of grand theft auto. "Life is a video game. You've got to die sometime," Thompson was quoted as saying. When taken to the police station, Thompson grabbed a police officer's gun and turned it against its owner. He then proceeded to kill two other officers and fled the station in a squad car. He was later apprehended and is now set to go on trial on July 11th for three counts of first-degree murder.

Devin's lawyer is Jack Thompson, a man who has been trying for twelve years "to hold accountable the entertainment industry for the harm it does to our children."

After sending out its "deepest sympathies to the families of the officers killed," Take-Two responded to these allegations with the following comments: "With regard to Mr. [Jack] Thompson, unfortunately he has a habit of doing this kind of thing often. No court has yet to take his legal claims seriously. The suggestion that there is a link between the use and sales of Grand Theft Auto and this tragic incident is utter nonsense. Anyone suggesting that such a link does exist is either misguided, misrepresenting the facts, or both."

Once again, the results of the NPD Group's most recent study have shown that San Andreas is still a fan favorite as it was the number one seller for all consoles in the month of December.

This is quite an accomplishment for a game that had been out a full three months at the time the results were being calculated.

Other sales leaders include Electronic Arts' Need for Speed Underground 2 for the Playstation 2, and the longtime Xbox topseller, Halo 2.

The NPD research group recently tallied video game sales for the year of 2004.

Surprisingly, the 9.9 billion dollars raked in from console hardware and software sales in 2004 was a miniscule one percent less than the previous year's 10 billion dollars, but none were astounded to hear that Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas contributed the most to these sales. With about 5.1 million copies distributed worldwide, there was a large gap between San Andreas and its closest competitor, Halo 2, which sold a still impressive 4.2 million copies.

The Entertainment and Leisure Software Publisher's Association (ELSPA) announced that sales of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas had hit 1,750,000 in the United Kingdom. Its first million copies were sold within 9 days of going on sale, making it the fastest selling game in the United Kingdom.Overall, UK games sales topped £1.34Bn (US $2.5Bn), an increase of around 6.6% on 2003. Roger Bennett, director general of ELSPA, credited a great deal of the industry's success over the past year to Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, describing its sales performance as "amazing".

Rockstar Games finally announced that a Grand Theft Auto game will be coming to Sony's forthcoming PlayStation Portable sometime near the PSP's release in North America and Europe in March.

The title will be worked on by Rockstar Leeds (formely Mobius Entertainment), who previously made a respectable conversion of Max Payne to the GameBoy Advance.

"Sony's extremely impressive technology has allowed Rockstar Leeds to do more on a handheld machine than we could have ever imagined. We are very excited for gamers to experience these two genre-defining franchises in a fashion that could have never before been possible on a portable system."
-- Sam Houser, President, Rockstar Games


Rockstar promises its setting will be placed in Liberty City once again, but the game itself will be no conversion of GTAIII - it'll be a totally new adventure to the GTA series; with new characters, story and setting. We'll bring you further updates on this exciting PSP title as soon as it arrives!

Take Two Interactive recently announced that sales from Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas helped boost them over their quarterly quotas.

Along with this announcement came the news that the Xbox and PC versions of San Andreas would hit the United States on June 7th, 2005. Three days later, the game will be landing on European shelves for the same platforms.

At the Spike TV Video Game Awards, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas picked up two awards. Firstly, Best Performance by a Human - Male which was won by Samuel L. Jackson who plays Officer Tenpenny, a crocked cop bent on destroying CJ's life.

The secong award was the most prestigious of the night, that being the VGA Game of the Year. This is a very good result seeing as the game was in a very competitive group with such games as Halo 2 and Half-Life 2.

Looks like the appointed hour is drawing near, as Rockstar Games confirms today that Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas has finally shipped for the PlayStation 2. Expect to see the game actually hit stores over the next few days. The European release date meanwhile remains on track for October 29th.

We think it's safe to say that Rockstar will still manage to move plenty of legit copies of the game in spite of the pirated copy that was leaked onto the Internet last week, if the pre-order numbers were any indication!

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is now spreading onto the internet following an underground release of the game, five days before it hits stores. While this is not unusual for a game with anticipation and hype of this size, it still is a blow to the community. This is days after the much awaited Halo 2 was leaked, under a whole month before its retail release.

The proper authorities are investigating the theft and are continuing to investigate all possible leads to ensure there is no further dissemination of our creative content. Downloading, possession and distribution of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, including making the game available on the internet, is theft.

We take the theft of our intellectual property very seriously and we are and will continue to diligently and aggressively pursue this matter. If anyone finds information on websites with links to unauthorized downloads, information, scans or videos, please contact us at piracy@rockstargames.com

Considering the anticipation that has building up towards San Andreas's release, it's fortunate indeed Rockstar has not decided to push the official launch date despite this leak. The game remains on track for an October 26 launch in North America, and October 29th in Europe.

The much-awaited Las Venturas section of the interactive San Andreas website has finally been activated. Not only does this present us a carjacked truckload of information, but a variety of unseen footage and images.

In addition to this, the final trailer before the game's release has been made available to download. Titled "Homecoming", it shows new gameplay features that haven't been previously mentioned. It also shows some elements that have since been only described in articles. Weighing in at 9.5MB (or 34.7MB/68.4MB for the higher quality QuickTime format, resolution dependant), it's a healthy dosage of Grand Theft Auto goodness to quench your thirst until the game's near-imminent release. You can view it under the "Movies" section of the San Andreas website.

Macromedia Flash is required to access the dynamic elements of the site.

Take 2 Interactive today announced the full details of the San Andreas soundtrack CDs, which will be launched on 23rd November in North America and 22nd November in Europe.

The three disc set will contain 2 CDs featuring a selection of music from San Andreas and a DVD titled "The Introduction".

The track listing for both CDs were released today :

CD 1
1. The Theme From San Andreas
2. Rage Against The Machine - Killing In The Name
3. 2 Pac - I Don't Give A Fuck
4. James Brown - The Payback
5. Ronnie Hudson - West Coast Poplock
6. Guy - Groove Me
7. Eddie Money - Two Tickets To Paradise
8. Cypress Hill - How I Could Just Kill A Man
9. The Maytals - Pressure Drop
10. Slick Rick - Children's Story
11. Rick James - Cold Blooded
12. Raze - Break 4 Love

CD 2
1. Ohio Players - Funky Worm
2. Heart - Barracuda
3. Compton's Most Wanted - Hood Took Me Under
4. Lyn Collins - Think About It
5. Public Enemy - Rebel Without A Pause
6. Faith No More - Midlife Crisis
7. Bell Biv Devoe - Poison
8. Max Romeo & The Upsetters - Chase The Devil
9. Eric B & Rakim - I Know You Got Soul
10. Willie Nelson - Crazy
11. AFI - Head Like A Hole (Bonus track)


The bonus DVD movie, "The Introduction" tells the full story of events leading up to CJ's return to San Andreas. Why he needs to come back? What he is leaving behind? What he is walking into? This prequel isn't available anywhere else and has been made with the highest production standards Rockstar is famous for.

Further more an eight CD box set will be released on the same day, with each album mirroring the tracklist for a radio station in San Andreas. (How they manage to turn 10 radio stations into 8 albums, I don't know)

It was also revealed that the final game will feature 150 licensed tracks. Look for an update to the official GTA: San Andreas website later today.

Months ago, Play magazine revealed a "Mysterious girl" will return from a previous game. Rockstar kept it quiet and the girl's face was blacked out during demonstrations. Who could it have been??? Mercedés maybe?? Auntie Poulet? Candy Suxx? Maria Catalina? There are endless amounts that it could have been.

PSM2 may have the answer, they said :

The 'mystery' lady living in the country cabin (who had her face blacked out in our demo) used to live in Liberty City and - unless our memory is kaput - could be Maria (who er, died in GTA3) or, more likely, Catalina. Yes.
- PSM2 November 2004 issue

Everybody assumes it is Catalina, but we know this person played a part in GTA3 which narrows it down to Catalina and Maria or Misty who didn't play a big part in GTA3.

Rockstar Games have launched a site for the newest addition to the Grand Theft Auto franchise. Rated M, the Game Boy Advance rendition of the series will feature a top-down look similar to that found in the original PC and PlayStation games. It promises to deliver a fresh experience on the now-ageing handheld system.

A release date has been set for October 26, 2004. Look out for more coverage of the game on Neoseeker as the release draws nearer.

Source and site

We can now finally announce the person who will voice CJ in San Andreas - upcoming musician Young Maylay. Dan Houser, director of the game, told the Official PlayStation 2 Magazine USA during an interview, claiming he has "a powerful voice". Context into the same article, the magazine also features an interview with Maylay himself, where he told OPS2-USA how he managed to get involved with the game.



"Actually, it was through DJ Pooh. He's been a producer forever...I was introduced, then the Rockstar family picked me up...I didn't know that Dan was listening, and I guess he was getting the idea about me being the voice right then."

-- Extract from interview with Young Maylay, Official Playstation 2 Magazine USA, Issue 86

If all goes well, be sure to expect more cameo appearances from Maylay in the future. We look foward to see what Maylay brings to both the game and music industry.

Dwanye and who? Dwayne (voiced by Navid Khonsari) and Jethro (voiced by John Zurhellen) are 'those two dudes' who you pass-up on when you purchase the Boatyard asset in Vice City. Remember, those two guys, in the cut-scene; in the boat? No, us neither.

Like me, you may not have any idea who these guys were when you heard the news, but, whatever their role in San Andreas, they're in it. Their past voice actors will undoubtedly be played by the same people, so be sure to take notice when you come across them in San Andreas.

Yesterday evening, Rockstar released the second official trailer for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas for PS2, along with a San Fierro update on the offical website. The new trailer is undoubtedly miles more entertaining that the first, showcasing cut-scenes, all three cities and a look at some brief gameplay footage plus loads more. Guns 'n' Roses 'Welcome to the Jungle' provide the backdrop music to make this trailer one of the coolest seen yet.

As for the official website, Rockstar have taken the server down and discontinued accessed from the public (for the time being) - which may be because of bandwidth - so few have been fortunate to check-out the new updates and San Fierro map. Rest assured, though, because eventually Rockstar will bring the site back up. Expect to see new screens and mini-videos, plus locations and names of streets from San Fierro.

In the mean-time, enjoy the trailer! Click Here. for the trailer - choose high resolution for better quality, or low for poorer quality. Low resolution means a slower download.

A small image was placed on the official San Andreas website recently, revealing some of the game's content. The official ESRB rating for the game will be M, for mature, meaning it sticks to the rating most other GTA titles have received in the past. Before a game can be rated, it must be complete, meaning that San Andreas is on track for its October release.

The descriptors given to the game show that the game will have intense violence, rather than the 'violence' moniker given to Vice City & GTA3. There is reference to drug use, although how this appears in the game is unknown. There is no 'Use of Alcohol' descriptor, meaning that the consumption of alcohol is definitely not in the game.

The editor of Gamepro, gives an open Q&A to members on his sites board.

A very interesting read, and some new info!

"I have been asked a few questions regarding my feature in the latest issue of Australian GamePro Magazine. I thought I would answer those questions here so all you guys can get the extra goss and take the opportunity to ask a few Q's of your own. "


here is the link

Sony has confirmed the PStwo will launch on November 1st, 2004 in North America and Europe at a price of $149. The new PSTwo weighs half as much as the old PS2 and its internal volume has been reduced by 75%. Buying a network adapter won't be necessary either since the system will have a network port already included in the system. The reason that SA was delayed a week is so it can be released along side the PSTwo. There has been no word on any bundles as of yet.

The official Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Desktop series was recently released by Rockstar. The series features five downloadable wallpapers (in multiple formats) and two screensavers. The pictures used are ones we've seen countless times before (most of them released shortly after when the game was confirmed, and the rest being parts of the box art), but this is a pretty good chance to set your computer up to help get you in the mood for San Andreas even more. Enjoy!

IGN reports: Rockstar Games' parent company Take2 Interactive released its financial results today with a significant story related to Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas buried within it. As in the midst of listing the company's long list of titles expected to be released later this season, it was revealed that San Andreas has been delayed for American release by a full week -- pushing back until October 26 instead of the originally announced date of October 19. The European release date is now set for October 29.

Though the one-week push is obviously not the end of the world, it will still likely be taken rather badly by the anxious Grand Theft Auto contingent. Though if what we've seen so far is any indication, it will definitely be worth the wait.

Source

This morning Rockstar Games made an announcement about the soundtrack for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Something that seems to have shocked many. The company will pursue a partnership with Interscope Records for the tracks to be included in the radio stations and of course the GTA:SA Soundtracks. While I'm sure everyone is on their toes to see the track list. No one has it yet, R* is being quiet for now about what will show up on the game but that's all part of the fun since it narrows things down somewhat to only Interscope and Geffen releases of the time. The press release notes that they will be releasing the info closer to the release of the game on the fated day of October 19, 2004 so keep your eyes here for when the news breaks as we'll all the info for everyone.