Grand Theft Auto IV’s second downloadable episode, titled “The Ballad of Gay Tony”, is available on Xbox LIVE marketplace right now (complete with Sprunk Extreme Base Jumping) and will run you 1600 Microsoft Points (roughly 20 bucks).

If you get your hands on it, let us know what you think in the comments section.

Have you ever witnessed a whacked-out base jumper from the street level and thought to yourself “if only I had a rocket launcher!” Well, the team at Rockstar knows exactly how you feel. Hit the jump for a video preview of the Liberty City exclusive Free Mode multiplayer base jumping challenges found in Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony.

I have been a big fan of NaturalMotion and their animation technology ever since rumor’s surfaced about the company’s possible involvement with 2K Sports on their All Pro Football title. Those rumors proved to be untrue, but Natrual Motion’s products have since been used in many well known games such as Star Wars: Force Unleashed and Grand Theft Auto IV.

The latest version of their Morpheme platform, to be shown at the NVISION 08 convention in San Jose, boasts several enhancements that should prove beneficial to animators.

In addition to Morpheme, the puffy blue football tackle animations we once assumed were part of a top secret Madden or All Pro Football integration, proved to be early footage of NaturalMotion’s own American Football game titled “BackBreaker”.

I had a chance to talk with NaturalMotion representatives briefly regarding the game at GDC a few months ago, but to the best of my knowledge, NVISION 08 (taking place between August 25-27) will mark the first time the game will be shown in public.

The full press release is available after the jump.

NaturalMotion Launches Morpheme 2.0 at NVISION 2008
The powerful animation engine takes a leap forward with NVIDIA’s character-grade physics engine.

August 21, 2008 – NaturalMotion, the animation technology pioneer behind the revolutionary euphoria motion synthesis engine, today announced it will launch morpheme 2.0 at the NVISION 08 convention in San Jose. The new version of morpheme, the company’s multiplatform, graphically authorable animation engine, features tight integration of NVIDIA PhysX technology.

The integration of PhysX gives programmers and animators direct graphical control over how characters and objects interact in their games, whether it be through ragdolls or animation-driven physics. Continuing morpheme’s ultra-flexible paradigm, animation and physics can be blended and combined across body parts, authored via graphical nodes and controlled by user-defined parameters.

Moreover, morpheme 2.0 introduces a powerful graphical character authoring tool, allowing users to set up and edit physics rigs including collision surfaces and joint angles.

morpheme is currently licensed by an array of top-tier developers, including Bioware, Eidos, Ninja Theory, 38 Studios, Futuremark, Total Immersion Software, CCP, Gearbox Software, and many others.

“The goal of morpheme has always been to streamline the animation production pipeline, offering faster development times and higher fidelity,” said Torsten Reil, CEO of NaturalMotion. “We selected NVIDIAs PhysX technology because out of all commercial physics engines, it offers the highest character-grade fidelity, an essential requirement for creating believable characters.”

“NaturalMotion’s technology marks a turning point in gaming. Its fidelity of movement makes characters seem so real that you want to touch them. And the PhysX integration lets you do just that,” said Manju Hedge, vice president of PhysX technology at NVIDIA.

In addition to unveiling morpheme 2.0 at NVISION, NaturalMotion is also demonstrating Backbreaker, the company’s upcoming American Football game powered by euphoria, morpheme and PhysX.

About NaturalMotion

NaturalMotion Ltd. is the first company to create 3D character animation software based on Dynamic Motion Synthesis (DMS), a technology that utilizes Adaptive Behaviors and artificial intelligence to simulate the human-nervous system. Based on research conducted at Oxford University on the control of body movements, NaturalMotion’s euphoria synthesizes 3D character animation in real time on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC. Having debuted in Rockstar Games’ record-breaking Grand Theft Auto IV, euphoria will also feature in upcoming LucasArts’ upcoming Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.

NaturalMotion’s off-line DMS product endorphin creates animation an order of magnitude faster than traditional techniques, and is widely used in the film and game industries, with customers such as Sony, Giant Killer Robots, The Mill, Capcom, Namco and Konami.

NaturalMotion’s third product, morpheme, is the industry’s first graphically authorable animation engine designed to give animators full control over the look of their animations in-game. Announced morpheme customers include IO Interactive, Bioware and Red 5.

For further information please visit NaturalMotion’s website www.naturalmotion.com, or join the 100,000 endorphin LE users at community.naturalmotion.com.

About NVISION 08

Taking place on August 25-27, 2008 in San Jose, California, NVISION 08 is a three-day mega-event for professionals and enthusiasts who are passionate about visual computing. Thousands of engineers, designers, developers, researchers, artists, enthusiasts, gamers, film makers, business professionals, and consumers from around the world are expected to attend

On October 30, 2008, the land of the rising sun will be treated to a fictional Bosnian with a blazing gun. In other words, the localized version of Rockstar’s GTA 4 will be released in Japan just before Halloween, or as the Japanese call it, “Bad American Cosplay Day”.

Full press release after the jump.

Rockstar Games Announces Release Date for Japanese Version of Grand Theft Auto IV

New York, NY – August 15, 2008 – Rockstar Games, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), announced today an October 30, 2008 release date for the localized Japanese version of Grand Theft Auto IV for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system.

Developed by series creator Rockstar North, Grand Theft Auto IV was released in North America and Europe on April 29, 2008, selling 3.6 million units on the first day of release, and 6 million units in the first week. Critics from across the globe have showered the game in unanimous praise for its immersive storytelling; culturally eclectic soundtrack; an unparalleled level of detail in Liberty City; and sixteen player multiplayer with more than a dozen online modes for endless replayability.

“The fact that so many middle income homes managed to find the money to buy the game (having already purchased the expensive hardware to drive it) indicates that the middle class is in no imminent danger of disappearance,” Medved wrote. “But the decision by so many consumers of every age and income group to invest countless hours of time in the dark world of Grand Theft Auto IV nonetheless demonstrates a threat to American values.”

Medved continues to relate the game to the decline of western civilization on GTA IV specifically, if not in general.

Townhall.com is the same conservative site that hosted Kevin McCullough’s similarly misinformed and poorly executed opinion on Mass Effect which garnered the attention of FOX News.

Let the rolling of the eyes begin.

Medved comes a tad late to the GTA IV auto de fe as the title has already been lambasted by the usual suspects. However, Medved’s insinuations border on the hallucinatory as he accuses GTA of America’s moral decline. In that vein GTA is also responsible for the African AIDS pandemic, global warming and the shrinking of the polar ice-caps, and political repression in China.

I can’t help but wonder where is vaunted conservatism was when he was staring at my girlfriend’s chest at the Seattle preview of Spider Man in 2002.

Source: Townhall.com

Remember the end of Reservoir Dogs when everyone is suspicious of the next guy and they all shoot each other?  Remember the scene in American History X where Edward Norton caps a bunch of dudes with his nazi wrath?  Wouldn’t it be neat to see those scenes remade in Grand Theft Auto 4?  Well, it doesn’t matter what you think because it’s been done anyways.

Some people by the names of Mentok/Burnt Toastt and Ultimate Chance/chance reborn (don’t ask ’cause I don’t know) used the in-game multiplayer to record the video while overdubbing the original movie audio.  The result is akin to any other machinima, really.  That’s why there’s a word for this type of thing.  So anyways, here it is:

Update to source: We have been contacted by the original creators of the video, who explained that Joblo lifted the piece from their YouTube page, and then watermarked it as their own. Apparently Joblo’s media player isn’t the only thing that blows. To rectify the situation, we have decided to link to the original YouTube video instead.

Source:UltimateChance (via: JoBlo.com)

Another batch of idiots have broken the law and pinned videogames as their reason behind it. Awesome. Hit the jump to read all about it.

A group of teenage males went on a crime spree in Nassau County, New York, which included robbery, mugging, and destruction that resulted in thousands of dollars worth of damage.

A 17-year-old and an 18-year-old have been arrested, while the remaining three, ages 14, 15, 16, are also being charged with first-degree robbery. They’re all being charged as adults and could potentially face up to 5 years in jail.

According to Det. Sgt. Anthony Repalone, shortly after the arrest, the boys claimed that they were emulating Grand Theft Auto IV.

Is there anything I could say here that hasn’t already been said? It’s infuriating that the boys used video games as a scapegoat and it’s ridiculous that most people will refuse to see that and simply go back to claiming that “vidja games” are the root of all evil.

Source: Xboxist

So the May NPD data is out and there are few surprises. The Nintendo Wii remains king of the consoles and Grand Theft Auto IV continues to dominate the software charts. Hit the jump for a more in depth look at the numbers.

Despite Wii Fit’s tremendous success with 1M copies sold, it falls slightly behind Xbox 360 GTAIV sales, which came in at 1.10M. The Playstation 3 version of GTA moved 577K copies.

Other Wii gems include Mario Kart, which sold 854K units, compared to last month’s 1.12M, and Super Smash Bros. Brawl, which sold 248K units, down from 326K.

Despite the Wii’s software success, the gap between Nintendo’s console and its competitors is smaller this month than last. The 360 and PS3 saw hardware sales increase by 39K and 32K, respectively, while Nintendo only say an increase of 8K.

Which doesn’t mean that the Wii isn’t outselling both consoles combined by 276K. Maybe smaller isn’t the right word. Let’s the gap is <i>less gargantuan.</i>

Rounding out the hardware list is the Nintendo DS with 505K units sold (last month saw 415K) and the PlayStation Portable with 211K (last month was 193K).

Source: The Sim Exchange

As millions of gamers worldwide have already discovered, Grand Theft Auto IV is an alright game. That being said, hit the jump to read my thoughts on the subject.

With a metacritic rating somewhere between 100 and 100, and sales of the game single handedly bolstering the world economy at a blistering 80 pre-orders a minute, it’s pretty safe to say the game is successful.

I even hear Jesus has put off the second coming, originally scheduled for summer 2008, for a few years, so he can get a 100% completion rating in the game. I also hear that Jack Thompson was overheard by a secretary offering “a mean motherfucking blowjob” to Rockstar execs in exchange for a free copy of the game. If this isn’t a late Christmas miracle, it’s an early one.

So while everyone in the world keeps going back and forth to the bedroom for a fresh pair of undershorts every time they even think of the game, I think it’s time we take a break from Liberty City and really contemplate what this means for the world.

Ok, who am I kidding? No one is going to take a break from that game. The only reason I’m writing this is because I can’t play it. I don’t even particularly like the series, but when you aspire to be a professional game reviewer and every reviewer in the world is having a collective orgasm over a game, you kinda sorta maybe need to play it. Just so you don’t have that feeling that everyone is laughing hysterically at a joke you walked in too late to hear. (That’s how I feel when anyone says “The Cake is a lie.” WTF? There’s cake in Portal? I thought it was about bending physics.)

So for the other three people on the internet not playing the game, let’s have a chat. This game is big. It’s huge. It’s breaking records and blowing minds at a rate unseen since… well, Call of Duty 4 I guess. Or Halo 3. But bigger. It’s so huge, some analysts are predicting it as the biggest competitor to this summer’s movie industry.

What does this say about the gaming industry? Games have become mainstream in a way we never could have anticipated in the last two years, due to the Wii, World of WarCraft, Halo 3, and Guitar Hero to name a few. And GTA IV is just the latest (and certainly not the last) game to grab the world by the balls and say, “Hey. How are ya?” And by this point, the world is starting to pay attention.

So, dear readers, (all two of you, I’m assuming one of you left to buy GTA IV by now), what do you think? Has this generation of games elevated the industry? Are we in a sort of “Gaming Renaissance?” Share your thoughts, if your brain hasn’t been completely melted by overexposure to pure awesomnium (I hear that’s what the GTA disks are made of).

What’s the name of this song? I like it.

Rockstar and Amazon.com have joined forces to let you buy songs from Grand Theft Auto IV through a unique in-game system. Hit the jump to read exactly how.

Using “ZiT” technology present in Liberty City, players can use their in-game mobile phones to acquire music. While playing, if you hear a song that you like, you can open up your phone (in the game; don’t go picking up your real phone!) and dial ZIT-555-0100. You’ll then receive a text message with the song and artist name, and if you’re registered at the Rockstar Games Social Club community site (which Geoff Haugan talks about here), you’ll recieve an e-mail linking you to Amazon.com, where you can purchase the track.

All of the songs that you nab in the game will be located on a custom playlist at Amazon for purchase at any time. Songs will be available for around 89 – 99 cents per track.

Source: Team Xbox

The much hyped and highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto IV will take the player around 100 hours to complete, excluding the Xbox 360’s exclusive content, according to the games developer Rockstar.

With a vast array of main missions and a host of side quests, the time it takes to fully complete the game is claimed to be on par with your average RPG. Talking to videogamer.com, a Rockstar spokesperson said that “if you’re not in a rush and you answer the phone when it rings it’ll take about 100 hours to complete.”

100 hours sounds like enough GTA IV for my liking, but don’t forget about the promised 360 episodic content and the multiplayer. Best clear your diaries for a couple of months after April 29th. Actually, just scrap your diary, your summer is over.

Source: videogamer

At this year’s Game Developers Conference, Microsoft has stated that GTA IV’s upcoming Xbox-exclusive downloadable content is scheduled to hit in fall of this year.

Not much has been said about what the DLC will include, but episodic content has been mentioned in the past.

Grand Theft Auto IV is scheduled to hit both the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 on April 29th, but the DLC remains an Xbox exclusive.

According to DarkZero, “various sources across the internet” are revealing what may be the 16 songs on the Grand Theft Auto IV soundtrack. Keep in mind that Rockstar hasn’t actually confirmed any of these songs, so it could all be bogus.

The list is all over the place in terms of genre, which is good, because that’s all the more realistic. I can’t flip through my local radio stations without hearing at least two or three songs that I can’t stand.

The list is as follows:

Angel y Khris – Ven Bailalo
R Kelly – Bump N Grind
Seryoga – KingRing
The Boggs – Arm in Arm
UNKLE (feat. Josh Homme) – Restless
Gwen Stefani – Hollaback Girl
Res – They Say Vision
Raheem Devaughn – You
Junior Kickstart – The Go! Team
VHS or Beta – Burn It All Down
Humble Pie – Cocaine
Fat Joe – Shit is Real
MOP – How About Some Hardcore
MOP – Downtown Swinger
Queen – One Vision
Ne-Yo – Because of You

Via DarkZero

NaturalMotion, the animation developers behind the upcoming Grand Theft Auto IV and Star Wars: Force Unleashed titles, will be giving a demonstrate the latest morpheme (advanced animation engine and powerful graphical authoring tool-chain) features at this years GDC.

The morpheme product works in tandem with the company’s endorphin and euphoria products, both based on Dynamic Motion Synthesis (DMS), which makes use of artificial intelligence and Adaptive Behaviors to simulate the human-nervous system. NaturaMotion is the first company to institute this breakthrough technology.

Ripten will be receiving a hands on demo as well as conducting an interview with the animation developers themselves. If you have any questions you would like us to ask, feel free to leave them in the form of a comment below.

Three new screenshots of Grand Theft Auto IV have surfaced thanks to Best Buy.

These are only low resolutions shots, but hopefully higher res ones will pop-up soon. The lighting in the second screenshot just screams “crime drama” to me and I couldn’t be more excited. Or could I?

Via GTA4.net

You may recall Jeronimo Barrera, Vice President of Product Development at Rockstar, saying:

“It’s really no surprise to anybody that the PS3 was definitely a contributing factor to [the delay].”

Although, with the extra development time granted between the October 2007 release date and the recently announced April 29th, 2008 ship date, it appears that they have really pulled it together, and now go as far as to say that both versions are identical (sans the 360 exclusive DLC).

“Now, we’re neck and neck. That’s not an issue anymore. But back then that was something we were taking into account.” said by Barrera.

He further clarified that PS3 owners out there, all 9.43 million, can rest easy knowing that you’re not going to be receiving a crippled version of their favorite game from last-gen.

Source: GameIndustry.biz

Have you had enough of First Person Shooters? It was such a dominant genre this year that it seemed to define what it meant to be “next-gen.” We’re not quite out of the woods yet, but 2008 promises to bring us a more diverse line-up. What games or concepts will characterize the industry as we move into the second generation proper?

It wasn’t that long ago when I considered writing an editorial complaining about the lack of variety in games this generation. Some developers will always be making software outside the norm, so it would’ve been by no means absolute if I’d said “can’t you guys come up with anything else?!”

Let’s face it, First Person Shooters get a lot of attention in a lot of different ways and few games have been fawned over as much lately as HALO 3, Orange Box (Half-Life 2: Episode 2, Portal, Team Fortress 2), Crysis, or Call of Duty 4. Then there’s Unreal Tournament III, Resistance, Timeshift, Enemy Territory: Quake Wars, Hellgate: London, Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles, Red Steel, Shadowrun, Soldier of Fortune Payback, Blacksite: Area 51, and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Even, in many ways, the inimitable Bioshock qualifies. Not all are good, but some are great, maybe even “best game ever” material.

So why did we see so many this past year (and before you ask, yes, I’m aware some were technically released in 2006)? Part of the answer might be found in the types of technology they’re pushing, making them great showcases for what new gaming platforms can do.

There were also some hotly anticipated sequels released, with HALO 3 in particular having the “biggest day in entertainment sales ever.” Multiplayer features have also been a big draw, keeping players hooked for the long haul. And, of course, there’s also the socio-political pressure that’s been put on the genre since day one (though, ironically enough, most of the attention has been focused on Manhunt 2, which isn’t a shooter at all).

Taking all of that into account, maybe it was just a perfect storm of sorts — one grand coincidence created by the combination of a strict holiday deadline and finally-finished development times.

But 2008 looks remarkably different with fewer First Person Shooters on the docket. Thinking of the top of my head, only three stand out – Ubisoft’s delayed HAZE, hype-machine Killzone 2, and, well, Duke Nukem Forever (good one, Broussard!). There will unquestionably be others, but it looks like my original fears were unwarranted. I’ll no longer need to be writing that article.

So, with the FPS taking some much needed time off, what other genre will we be sick and tired of by the end of next year?

2008: Year of the Free-Roamer?

It’s a no-brainer that Grand Theft Auto IV is going to rule the gaming scene. Whether it comes out in the Spring (as planned), or in the Fall (as expected), it will serve as the anchor for free-roaming sandbox games to sail into port. Like a ship-load of liquored-up seamen on shore leave, though, we should probably hope they don’t overstay their welcome.

Remember what happened last time? Free-roaming elements shoehorned into every orifice of a game which otherwise might’ve been good, checkpoint races that take you from zero to frustrating inanity in four seconds flat? A redux of this kind of game design without appropriate context built around it would be unfortunate for an industry that really needs to start finding new ideas.

That said, I’ve got a feeling that we’re in for a few tasty treats. Last year’s GTA clone du jour, Saints Row, should be having another go-around. Up against the king itself, this time, the court jester’s got to become the assassin. Or at least some sort of bizzaro-world, evil twin assassin, considering that the more Volition tries to differentiate itself from its inspiration, the closer it seems to come to it.

“Saints Row has a much darker and more sinister story that leads your character down a path of betrayal, revenge, and redemption against the city that left him for dead, although we’ve blended that with the same light-hearted humor from the original.”

That’s from the official announcement press release. Bittersweet story of revenge with cheeky, culture-skewering laughs thrown in to balance out (or sometimes compliment) the wanton bloodshed? Sounds like a crib notes version of Grand Theft Auto to me.

If Volition’s up to the task and rolls out a quality product, though, I don’t think anybody’s willing to complain.

Speaking of inspiration, ‘08 should see at least two from the school of Crackdown (and hopefully expanding on its great, but underdeveloped concepts). Prototype comes from the makers of Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, another last-gen free-roamer, and from the recent footage shown at the Spike Video Game Awards, it looks like your character’s super-destructive powers improve the more you use them.

Sucker Punch’s Infamous, of which we’ve seen nothing since E3, also looks to hit next year. Featuring a similarly-endowed avatar, it’s easy to draw comparisons to Prototype, but from what we can glean, it leans more towards a super-hero morality tale. The early trailer seemed to imply that you would do more than just play around in a sandbox, you’d shape it, and that you might have the delightfully villainous ability to destroy man in the process.

Assuming other titles like L.A. Noire and Mercenaries 2 also show up in ‘08, sandbox games look poised to, er, rule the sandbox once again.

2008: Year of Game 2.0?

Game 2.0’s a fancy term, but it’s not at all a new concept. The idea that a someone could effectively change, hack, or recombine elements of a game has bred a healthy, if somewhat exclusive modding community. I say “exclusive” because of the technical know-how often needed to produce any worthy results, let alone something other people would actually enjoy fooling around with.

Game 2.0 aims to bring those capabilities down to the average human being, just as Prometheus did with fire. Hopefully no vengeful gods are angered in the process.

Leading the charge is Media Molecule’s Little Big Planet, now firmly locked as a 2008 title. Voraciously cute and brimming with creativity, it puts almost all of the game’s development possibilities in the player’s hands. Levels are completely customizable. If you can do it with physics, you can probably do it in LBP. Likewise, being able to import various stamps and graphics allows you to add your own, unique look to creations.

Often times, though, we don’t know a whole lot about a game’s customization features until later on its development cycle when it becomes a fully fleshed-out concept. It’s tough to say what may or may not come out way in 2008, but this year’s offerings gave us a tease.

HALO 3’s Forge was a great way to appeal to casual modders, stripping away the need to meddle around in screens of code for half a year before quitting, resurrecting your project two weeks later, and then another two weeks later finally telling the whole affair to sod off for good. Plus, we get some really neat things out of it, like Rit Dye’s self-portrait.

And that’s really the spirit of Game 2.0, isn’t it? Flexing your creative muscle and accomplishing things even the original developers would never have conceived?

Some of the other things that have impressed me lately are custom paint jobs. Forza 2’s liveries were a huge hit. Using up to a thousand different shapes, modified for size and color, players have concocted some truly elaborate skins for their cars.

With features like this, Forza becomes just as much a canvas for budding artists as it does a game for car enthusiasts.

Rock Band’s character customization has a similar, if slightly less elaborate, system for creating tattoos to slap on your avatar. Even I was able to construct a basic Pokeball, clearly making my rocker the coolest dude in town.

Ah, and then there’s the unique art of making a complete fool of yourself. Perhaps latching more onto the “unfortunate internet celebrity” bandwagon instead of the “express yourself” bandwagon, Sony’s SingStar lets you record videos of yourself singing like banshee and shuffling back-and-forth as awkwardly as possible in your very own living room! Though it hasn’t hit the US yet (licensing issues, to be sure), the game is beginning to leak out around Europe, and the results couldn’t be more embarassing.

In 2008, modders will continue to mod, but you don’t need to be a coding whiz to participate in the creation of something new. The concept of Game 2.0 is just beginning to hit its stride, dragging every undiscovered genius along with it.

2008: Year of the Downloadable Content?

Not all predictions are hopeful. The DLC model has introduced us to the concept of microtransactions, and we’re bound to see more in the coming years, both good and bad. For every The Godfather cheat in the world, you’ve also got new songs for Rock Band and Guitar Hero.

But if we’re talking about digital distribution in general, then we’re getting some pretty keen stuff through the same channels – fully, downloadable games, many of the “independent developer” persuasion. Highlights of 2007? Everyday Shooter, Super Stardust HD, Gripshift, Warhawk, PixelJunk Racers, High Velocity Bowling, Pac-Man Championship Edition, Bomberman, Settlers of Catan, Carcassonne, and others. That’s some serious pedigree right there.

Nintendo’s entering the fray next year with WiiWare (Virtual Console aside, of course), which should only push the phenomenon further.

There’s also the hope that we’ll see bigger titles available online, like the aforementioned Warhawk. Older titles are great (VC, Xbox Originals, PS Classics), but new games are even better. Since we know this is the direction that the industry is moving towards in the future (how can we forget about the crazy success of Steam?), I don’t think it would be far-fetched to say we’ll see a lot of DLC in 2008.

2008: What It Probably Won’t Be

Perhaps the most ideal year will be one in which no particular genre or concept will dominate. We’ll all live together in harmony and skip down Candy Cane Lane as unicorns soar overhead dropping rainbow-colored gumdrops straight into our mouths. Then one bold individual will realize that our utopia is a sham and that human nature always has a way of breaking out of its shackles. We’ll suffer through the Great Fluffy Bunny War for a few years before society can be rebuilt, and then a clever author will write a best-selling book about the whole affair.

Or maybe I’m thinking of 2012, when the Mayan calendar ends. Oh well, we’ll deal with that when we get to it.

Something we can’t deny, though, is the entertainment industry’s penchant for taking a good idea and driving it into the ground. That’s the one constant we can depend on.

That said, 2008 probably won’t be the Year of the RPG (FFXIII won’t hit until 2009, or later), it probably won’t be the Year of Waggle (it’s either outlived its welcome or already become so ingrained in our collective gaming consciousness that we won’t think about it so much anymore), and it probably won’t be the Year of Sports Games (bold prediction, I know!).

And, thank the gods, it probably won’t be the Year of the FPS again!

For what it’s worth, I’m banking on my very first pick (Year of the Free-Roamer) to be the right one. What about you, dear readers? What do you think will define the world of gaming in 2008?

You’ve been waiting all week for it, now you’ve got it. Here’s your first look at the brand new 2-minute trailer for Grand Theft Auto IV. Click through for the video.

Animation and general “feel” are classy as always, the lighting and scale are equally amazing. It looks a tad rough around the edges, but that never stopped any GTA game from being terribly fun. Still not sure where the “Move up, ladies” part comes in. There are indeed ladies, and they’re moving in various questionable ways (including up), but the theme of the trailer seems once again to be Niko’s acclamation to his new life on American shores.

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The delay of Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto IV video game for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 has fans and fanboys everywhere in an uproar. You can’t browse a video game website without running into something related to the delay. Whether it has to do with rumors of a refund regarding the exclusive downloadable content deal (which cost Microsoft 50 million) or as we are about to discuss, the many finger pointing articles being published across the web.

Some sites are entertaining the notion that the PS3 is the cause for the delay, with individuals such as industry analyst Michael Pachter stating that it is his belief Rockstar is struggling with development on the PS3 console. According to an interview with Gameindustry.biz, Pachter was quoted saying the following:

“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,”

“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,”

Food for thought? Sure, but far from a direct source and certainly unconfirmed. Rockstar has been developing GTA content for Sony since the PS1 so we aren’t buying this excuse. On to the next possibility …

Playstation 3 fanboys are outraged, screaming “it’s Microsoft’s fault” — and maybe it is. In a recent interview with GamePro.com, Microsoft Game Studios Corporate Vice President, Shane Kim was asked about a rumor that Grand Theft Auto IV would not be compatible with the Core system because the game may require a hard drive. Kim responded:

“No, we want to support all of the Xbox 360s, otherwise it becomes very confusing. We really want to avoid that as much as possible.”

GamePro then followed up by asking how the company (Microsoft) would respond if Rockstar demanded the use of hard drive to play the upcoming GTA IV. Kim responded:

“We get to make the call on who gets published on our platform … [inaudible] we’d push back on any publisher saying things like that.”

This was all the PS3 faithful needed to hear. They were now convinced that the finger should in fact be pointed towards Microsoft and not their beloved PlayStation 3. What do we think? Well, we believe that the blame may be Microsoft’s, however not for this reason. Which brings us to our next possibility …

There was a rumor floating around over two months ago that Rockstar may delay the October launch of GTA IV due to an announcement made in May that Microsoft would be releasing Halo 3 at the end of September. In a “note to investors” industry analyst Michael Pachter (now that name looks familiar) was quoted by GameDaily.com saying:

“We believe that it is possible that the company will choose to ‘throw in the towel’ on FY:07 by shifting the release date for Grand Theft Auto IV by a few weeks, increasing the losses incurred this year and improving the company’s prospects for FY:08,”

“We believe that a two-week delay would provide a reasonable gap between the launch of Halo 3 and the launch of GTA IV, and would actually help sales of both games,”

The rumor was denied by Rockstar, stating that the game was still on track for an October release. Fast forward a few months and Halo 3 is still slated for release on September 25th, however fans looking to take control of Niko Bellic on both the 360 and PS3 consoles will be forced to wait until Q2: 2008.

So where do we stand? It is our belief that the delay has nothing to do with a lack of hard drive in the 360 Core System or the supposed development issues on the PS3, instead we believe it has everything to do with the release of Halo 3.

That said, we guess you could say it is Microsoft’s fault indirectly — however, if this is in fact the reason for the delay, angered fans should be pointing their fingers directly at Take Two Interactive.

We have all come to love the quirky SNL like in-game Grand Theft Auto radio commercials over the years. Below is a list of a few that will be broadcasted over the virtual air waves in this year’s release of GTA 4. Check em’ out.

From the people who brought you the Domestobot, we proudly present El Comercio Roboto! It’s the robot of the future… from south of the border!

‘Politicians may demand illegal aliens leave the country, but I want a Mexican gardener I can ogle!’

El Comercio Roboto! He can mow the lawn, if you know what I mean! Comes with six different attachments!

It’s a half robot, half radioactive plant destined to take over the world. Only one 15-year-old school girl can stop it… by sleeping with it [Japanese]. Princess Robot Bubblegum and the horny radioactive plant, in all good manga stores soon!

Simon and Nigel have long dominated the art world in Europe, and now there’s an incredibly retrospective. Back in the 1970s they proved that owls were sexual, by having sex with them. Then in 1987 they went wild in America with their coffee table art book called The Anorexic Gimp in Wonderland. It’s been none stop incongruity since!

Now these middle-aged twin transsexuals are photographing themselves re-enacting famous atrocities from history dressed as gorillas! Once you see Hitler portrayed as a gorilla, it’ll explain the war in a way you never imagined. It is truly shocking!

Are you ready to live the real estate dream? Whether you’re new on the market or an old hack we’ll take your dream to the limits of prestige in a spacious loft or an outstanding penthouse! It’s a 500-square ft glass-coated box in the sky! With windows that won’t open and a doorman that masturbates in your bed while you’re at work! Only three million dollars! Only three blocks from the ghetto! Apply now!

‘What kind of loser journalist are you?!’

‘You know, you make me shiver the way you look at me, like I shiver in the bath looking down at the urinal, and I say ‘man that’s a lot of men’s hair’, and then I say ‘Maurice, you are a fat ball of testosterone – you are massive!’

‘Eww!’

‘Is it just me or is it just this angle?! What was she talking about? My little boy got the job done! But you know what? I’m drifting. The fact remains they are the same thing; for the working man, too much work. For the fat cat, and in your case a very thin and sexless, nicotine-stained cat, too many regulations. The working man wants spare time, spare money…’

Sometimes the family wants that Italian taste without those tiny Italian portions, that’s why you should come to El Dentes – all the mama-mia you can eat! It’s Italian food like you’ll never get in Italy. That’s because it’s an American theme restaurant! So the portions are huge, and the food tasteless and unhealthy. We’ve got a special linguine with Cheesy Poof sauce!

‘Hey, when you’re at El Dentes everyone’s like family! A hyper, macho, food-obsessed, alcoholic family just like min!’

El Dentes – we’ve got more of what you love and less of what you don’t. Like more calories and fat, and a lot less taste and nutrients! That’s why it’s El Dentes! All the mama mia you can eat!

Source: CVG

According to an earnings call transcript with Take 2’s CFO Lainie Goldstein, Microsoft has spent a total of 50 million dollars acquiring downloadable content for the upcoming GTA IV title.

“The first 25 million is for the first episodic content package that ’s supposed to go out and that is in March of ’08. That’s why it moved into current because it’s in the next 12 months. The second 25 will be for the second episodic, the episode, and that will be later in fiscal ’08.” – Laine Goldstein.

A copy of the complete transcript can be obtained online by visiting this link.

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• A Rockstar keychain for the safe deposit box keys.
• A limited edition Rockstar duffel bag.
• Never-before-seen production artwork from GTA IV in the “Grand Theft Auto IV Art Book”.
• Selected soundtrack CD from Grand Theft Auto IV, featuring new material from top artists, only available on this release.
• A specially packaged version of the game for either PS3 or Xbox 360.

Limited pre-orders for the special edition of GTA IV are being taken now. The game and everything listed above will retail for a cool $89.00 in North America … hardly a “steal”.

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