RipTen Videogame Blog » Niko Bellic

RipTen Asks: If You Could Be Any GTA Character, Who Would You Be?

Aaron Alexander — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 03:30:47 +0000

It’s time for RipTen Asks, a gathering for the video game enthusiasts who have opinions about things. Video game-related things!

This week, we take our question to the wild streets of the Grand Theft Auto franchise. From Vinewood to Liberty City and everywhere in between, the GTA series has often had memorable characters that help keep the story and world feeling both interesting and entertaining. But if you had to pick just one character to be, who would you choose?

Be it the Hawaiian-shirt sporting Vice City Kingpin ‘Tommy Vercetti’, the constantly stoned South Central San Andreas socialite ‘Ryder’ or even the travelling child molester ‘James Pedeaston’, the GTA universe has quite the colorful cast. Let us know just which character you see yourself as by selecting an option in the poll, or let us know if we’ve missed out your preferred choice!!

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Be sure to check out our last RipTen Asks: What’s Your Favorite Final Fantasy?!

RipTen’s Guide to Becoming a Typical Video Game Protagonist (For Men)

Ripten Staff — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 03:00:56 +0000

By RipTen Contributor Justin Carter

At some point, we’ve all wanted to be that bad ass character in a video game. After all, who wouldn’t want to perform death-defying stunts, kill people in exotic locations, and get to nail the hot babe at the end of it all? If you wanna get started, here’s what you need.

1. A Checkered or Tragic Past

The best video game protagonists are usually men who are running away from something or have a tragic event looming over their heads that they refuse to let go of. Critics and gamers love characters like John Marston, Sam Fisher, and Kratos not just because of what they do, but also because of the defining moments that solidify them as great characters. For you newcomers, being betrayed by someone you called your friend or leaving a person to die are your best bets at the moment. Amnesia also works – so feel free to hit yourself in the head with something.

2. Be a Decent to Attractive-Looking White Male

Take a look at most of the memorable video game characters from the past ten years. Never mind those forgettable races, like blacks or Asians. Women!? Pfffft, their only job is to start out hostile and then gradually fall in love with you, man! It also helps if you have some sort of visible scar somewhere. Hair and clothing are optional. Age isn’t that big a deal either, but early 20′s to mid 30′s will make it more likely for you to get picked up. Exceptions may be made for CJ from San Andreas and the Cole Train – if they ever give the brother his own game.

3. Take More Bullets to the Body Than Physically Possible and Still Survive

What are these round, silvery things that attempt to penetrate your rock hard abs? Haha, foolish mortals! All you have to do is hide behind something for a few seconds and you’ll be good as new! Whereas most normal people would go to a hospital and get the wounds stitched up and bullets plucked out, you just concentrate behind a crate and those wounds will vanish all on their own! It also helps if you can inexplicably operate all sorts of heavy weaponry even though you’ve had no prior military training.

4. Be Voiced by Nolan North

Who voices Nathan Drake? Nolan North. Desmond Miles? Nolan North. The Prince of Persia? Nolan North. The examples are endless, and you should have the pleasure of owning his voice as well in your upcoming epic saga. His voice can go from cocky to melodious to raspy in the blink of an eye, and it’s perfect for whatever type of character you want to end up as. However, if you’re a heavy smoker you may also want to consider David Hayter.

5. Near the End, Hint Towards a Sequel

Doesn’t matter whether or not you get it, just do it. Have the bad guy mysteriously come back to life, a plot-related device go missing, stumble upon a time machine, something!! As long as you hint toward further adventures, you’re sure to get a sequel in the near future. Look at games look Psychonauts and Brutal Legend, even they’re getting sequels in a few years and Tim Schafer is pretty much broke!

6. Get Betrayed by Someone at Some Point in the Game

Ok, this one is pretty much crucial to your staying power. Best friend, female accomplice, that guy who talks to you about the weather, just bet your awesome healing powers that you’ll end up with some trust issues by the time everything’s said and done. For maximum emotional impact, be sure to try and turn them back to your side so they don’t die; on the off chance that does work, be sure to bring up their betrayal constantly, because they’ll just love that.

7. Wear Some Sort of Headgear

It’ll make you look rough and seem like you’ve been on the dark side of the streets at some point. Whether it’s goggles, shades, a cowboy hat, a bandana, or even a space marine helmet, just find something that you can wear on your friggin’ head frequently – And do not under any circumstances – ever – take it off. If you do, they won’t show your face until you put it back on.

So, there you have it. Follow these 7 easy steps and you’ll be well on your way to becoming the video game leading man of your dreams!!

Stay tuned for, “RipTen’s Guide to Becoming a Typical Video Game Protagonist (For Women)”

Grand Theft Auto IV as a First-Person Shooter?

Garrett Hartman — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 13:44:11 +0000

Ever wonder what it would be like to terrorize the streets of Liberty City from a first-person perspective? Wonder no longer. Thanks to a mod created for the PC version, you can experience it yourself.

From this new perspective Liberty City definitely looks more alive. Minute details are more visable as even the inside of a Burger Shot looks impressive while weapon fire effects are closer, thus more noticeable. It’s obvious from this youtube video that combat and driving are more challenging.

Instructions on how to mod can be found on the original youtube page. Definitely a refreshing and new take on a classic game that warrants another look at Liberty City.

GTA4 DLC Release Confirmed for Feb. 17th

Dan Landis — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 06:58:13 +0000

Earlier today, Rockstar confirmed that the much-talked-about downloadable content for Grand Theft Auto IV would be released on February 17, 2009, exclusively for the Xbox 360. The DLC will be titled ‘The Lost and Damned’, and it won’t star Niko Bellic. Details follow.

The DLC will feature a new character named Johnny Klebitz, a member of the gang you’ll likely recognize called ‘The Lost’. Rockstar’s vice president of creative development, Dan Houser, had the following to say:

“Johnny is a very different character than Niko, with a very different background. I can’t go into too much detail on the story, because we try not to give away too much plot before the game is released. But I can say that the story will show you a different side of Liberty City.”

“The story is not directly impacted by decisions you took in the main game, but tons of details and mysteries from the main story get explained, so it will add a lot of color to the main story. We feel like we’ve only scratched the surface in terms of the depth and detail.”

As previously stated, the DLC is expected to hit Live on February 17th of next year. Analysts predict it will end up in the $15-$20 price range. I personally predict that I won’t buy it.

Source: USA Today

Niko Bellic May Not Play Role in GTA IV DLC

Chad Lakkis — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 22:38:33 +0000

At ComicCon ’08 GameTrailers had the opportunity to catch up with the voice behind Niko Bellic, Michael Hollick. Geoff Keighly prefaced one of his questions by stating that Rockstar has been very tight-lipped about the upcoming DLC, adding that no one knows what to expect. Michael responded by saying “neither do I.”

In the interview, Hollick gave the impression that he had yet to be approached by either Rockstar or Take-Two for involvement in what has been speculated to be some sort of continuation to the overarching story of GTA IV.

Pressing for information, GT TV asked “If Niko was going to be in it, you haven’t done his voice for it yet — would it be fair to say that?” Hollick confirmed that he had yet to do any voicework for the DLC, stating “it’s fair to say that.” You can see the segment in the video below at the 9:30 mark.

The GTA IV DLC has been shrouded in ambiguity since its very announcement. It’s been 4 months since the release of the game, and we haven’t heard so much as a snippet of news regarding downloadable content. The trend continues, this time courtesy of Leipzig Games Convention where Microsoft said, “In autumn there will be news from Liberty City,” followed by a mouthful of marketing mumbo jumbo.

In essence, we continue to wait.

We can also take what Hollick said and extrapolate it into a conspiracy theory of sorts. In an interview with The New York Times, the voice actor stated that he was happy with the opportunity to have worked on the Rockstar title, but went on to discuss the amount paid to him and the lack of royalties stating:

“…it’s tough, when you see Grand Theft Auto IV out there as the biggest thing going right now, when they’re making hundreds of millions of dollars, and we don’t see any of it. I don’t blame Rockstar. I blame our union for not having the agreements in place to protect the creative people who drive the sales of these games.”

Could it be that his candid response upset the Rockstar Gods? If this had been virtually any other medium, be it acting or singing, Hollick would have found himself swimming in a pool of money. Instead, he was paid $100,000 for 15 months of work. Another possibility, is that the actor was approached by Rockstar to do additional voice work, asked for a higher rate of compensation or a cut of the action on the DLC, and was told to go pound sand.

Of course, Hollick’s response to GameTrailers could have just been “Niko speak” for “no comment”. It wouldn’t be the first time that a figure has fibbed a little to maintain the cover of a top secret project.

Source: Gametrailers, CVG, The New York Times