Rockstar Games have announced that GTA IV will be arriving on the PC on November 18th and 21st in North America and Europe, respectively. Hurrah!
New York, NY – August 6, 2008 – Rockstar Games, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), is proud to announce that Grand Theft Auto IV will be arriving on the PC on November 18th and 21st in North America and Europe, respectively.
"We are very excited to be releasing the PC version of Grand Theft Auto IV," said Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games. "The whole team is dedicated to bringing an amazing gaming experience to the PC. The game looks and plays beautifully on PC and we can't wait for people to play it."
Developed by series creator Rockstar North and set in Liberty City, the latest installment in the enormously successful Grand Theft Auto series features a painstakingly detailed and life-like city for players to explore; a rich, immersive narrative experience; an original soundtrack highlighting the cultural eclecticism of Liberty City; and newly expanded multiplayer just for the PC.
GTA IV Announced on PC!
New GTA 4 PC details revealed in The Game Machine
Well it has been over a month since anyone last saw anything new on the PC version. However it appears the Italian magazine "The Game Machine" has had a sneak peak and revealed some new details :-
The replay editor will record the last 30 seconds of gameplay. Once the video has been saved you can use inbuilt software in GTA 4 to add special effects and change camera angles. You will also be able to add audio tracks from the official soundtrack of the game (no word on whether you can use your own MP3's). Once your video is done it can then be published on Rockstars Social Club site so others can watch it.
The GPS and map have been beefed up, thanks to the mouse it is now just point and click. However Rockstar have added the ability for you to mark locations, make notes and add images. That should make hunting those pesky pigeons a bit easier.The other important bit of information is that Rockstar have managed to improve the game streaming, thanks to the power of the cpu in modern PC's. This means less of the "same car syndrome" in which you would see lots of the same car you are driving. The magazine is also claiming that there will be more pedestrians and vehicles visible in the PC version
Social Club Update: Viral Infection
After first being announced in July, Social Club's "Viral Infection" zombie feature is now finally available at Rockstar Social Club. Here is the description from Rockstar:
There is a virus sweeping through Grand Theft Auto IV turning many unsuspecting players into Zombies. If you’ve seen the special Zombie-with-yellow-briefs player skin running around during Grand Theft Auto IV multiplayer, then you may already know that the virus can be contracted in any and all multiplayer modes and is spread when an unsuspecting player kills someone who has the infection (note that the infected don’t necessarily have to be wearing the Zombie skin, some show no symptoms!). The signs of infection are: access to the zombie skin and having the Achievement “Let Sleeping Rockstars Lie”. With the all-new Viral Infection feature at the Rockstar Social Club, members can now see whether they are currently infected, the number of total global infections and the number of infections in the last 24 hours. Digging deeper, Social Club members can also browse a color-coded world map tracking the spread of the infection worldwide, including breakdown for all 50 US States. Click here for the Viral Infection feature.
A few benefits of the PC version of GTA 4 uncovered
A Czech gaming site recently had the pleasure of being some of the first to see the PC version of GTA 4 in action.
Perhaps more so than GTA 3, playing GTA 4 on the PC is going to have a more benefits not found in the console versions of the game. For starters, the greater capability of the PC will allow gamers to play GTA 4 at up to 2560x1600 resolution, with higher quality textures.
GTA 4 PC will also have an improved movie-recording feature that will allow for movies to start recording up to 30 seconds into the past. So if you just pulled off a crazy quad-car flip trick by accident, you can pause the game, rewind, and record it.
A new multiplayer mode is also coming to the game, but Rockstar hasn't let any more details slip regarding this feature.
GTA 4 Sales Top 10 Million
Sales of the blockbuster title continue to exceed Take-Two's expectations.
Take-Two has announced that as of August 16, 2008 over 10 million units of Grand Theft Auto IV have been sold through to consumers.
The publisher, in its third quarter financial report, noted that net income for the quarter was $433.8 million, compared to $206.4 million for the same quarter of fiscal 2007. Third quarter sales were led by GTA 4 - Take-Two points to Top Spin 3 and Civilization Revolution as also performing well.
The huge sales of GTA 4 have also helped the publisher turn a net loss of $58.5 million in Q3 fiscal 2007 into a profit of $51.8 million in Q3 fiscal 2008.
GTA 4 is expected to continue to sell and will be boosted by the November PC release.
PS3 GTA IV Update Data 1.01 Released
A patch has been released for PlayStation 3 users of Grand Theft Auto IV. You will be prompted to download the update the next time you load GTA IV whilst being signed into the PlayStation Network. While download and installation is required to continue playing the game; totaling 18 MB, it shouldn't keep you away for too long.
As for content, the patch addresses certain online issues related to GameSpy's servers being overloaded. Not surprising, considering the sheer number of those playing the game.
Rockstar Games has released a GTA IV patch for Playstation 3 today that prevents GameSpy’s servers from being overloaded and therefore reduces the impact on those servers that were causing the game to stutter and lock up. We continue to monitor the performance of the game both on and offline and will provide further updates as necessary. We want to assure everyone that, together with our hardware partners, we continue to strive to give our fans the best possible interactive entertainment experiences possible. This update will ensure that everyone will experience Grand Theft Auto IV the way it was intended. We apologize for the inconvenience this has caused.
Results so far appear to be mixed, if discussion on our forums is anything to go by.
GTA4 dot net Lives!
Welcome to the newest version of GTA4.NET - we hope you like the new design, which was long overdue to say the least. There are still a few issues relating to Internet Explorer 6 that we hope to resolve over the next few days, but meanwhile check out some of the new content we have added:
Random Character Encounters.
GTA IV Friends & Girlfriends
High-End Assassination Missions.
Stevie's Text Message Car Thefts
Desktop Wallpapers.
We will continue to add new content over the coming weeks, and most of that content (including the present content) will be integrated with an interactive map at some point. Remember to register at our forum if you haven't already.
Social Club Update - Social Club Update - The Millionaires Club Launch
Rockstar Games today launched the Millionaires Club - "recognizing and celebrating all of the wealthy seven–figure Grand Theft Auto IV players at the Rockstar Games Social Club." Millionaire status is determined by totaling all of the money you've ever earned in single–player–mode from completing missions, winning races, doing vigilante side–jobs, and fortuitously picking up ‘dropped’ money in the street.
If you would like to see just how rich your fellow Millionaires are, you can mouse over each for a quick glimpse of their lifetime single–player money earned. With three leaderboards ranked by who’s become a Millionaire first, who’s done it quickest, and who is the richest in the City.
And also coming soon to Social Club... the Viral Infection "zombie feature." Sounds interesting, more info coming soon we're told.
Brian - Third (and final) Encounter
The third (and final) encounter with Brian becomes available one week after the previous encounter. Meet him on the corner of Montauk Avenue and Dillon Street during the morning. In the cutscene, Brian reveals that he has entered a rehabilitation program, and "step nine" of the program involves making amends with those he has harmed. Take Brian to the dealers on Asparagus Avenue so he can pay his debts. The dealers aren't satisfied, however, and they turn on Brian with a baseball bat. Take out the dealers and protect Brian, and then drive him back to his apartment to finish the mission. Brian pays you $500 for your assistance.
Brian - Second Encounter
The second encounter with Brian begins at Crockett Avenue in Hove Beach, near the first safehouse in Broker. Brian has developed an unhealthy drug addiction since your previous encounter, and he wants you do him a favour by taking him to Masterson Street where he can collect "the biggest rock in the world." Afterwards, take Brian to his apartment in Wappinger to conclude the mission. The reward for successful completion is $200.
Brian - First Encounter
The first encounter with Brian is unlocked after the mission "It's Your Call." Meet Brian at Iroquois Avenue, next to Roman's cab depot in Broker. There is no action involved in this first encounter, it simply serves as an introduction to the random characters, so all you have to do is watch the cutscene. Brian gives you $100 at the end of his little speech. Money well earned, eh?
Random Characters
There are fourteen "random characters" in total, and they each become available at different stages during the storyline. These characters are represented by the green male and female icons on the radar, and approaching them will trigger a cutscene. These characters are mostly minor characters that featured briefly during some missions, but who didn't have a huge part to play in the story. Completing all of the random character encounters contributes 5% towards 100% completion of the game. You can find a map of all their locations on the in-game internet by visiting "whattheydonotwantyoutoknow.com."
Multiplayer patch released by R*
Rockstar Games has released patches today for both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of GTA IV, which address a number of multiplayer connectivity issues including freezes during certain modes, continuation when players leave matches, and bugs within races and race lobbies.
Here is the full list of issues which have been addressed:
Fixed an issue where players were unable to enter or exit vehicles in GTA Race.
Fixed an issue where scripted vehicles were causing games to unexpectedly crash.
Improved reliability and frequency of PS3™ online leaderboard updates.
Fixed a rare hang some players encountered when moving from a Race or GTA Race lobby into gameplay.
Fixed a hang that would occur when players were switching teams during the countdown in the lobby.
Fixed an issue where players were able to get ridiculously high scores from Cops 'n Crooks matches.
Changed GTA Race and Race so that the last player remaining always receives a reward of $250.
Fixed an issue where spectating players would prevent the game from finishing.
Fixed an issue where players were unable to spectate in Round 2 of Cops 'n Crooks games.
Changed countdown timer in lobby so that it no longer resets when new players join a game.
Changed the kick option so that kicked players are no longer brought back to single player.
Catch me if you can!
For this game, you can have a small amount of players, but the more the merrier. Police should be turned off for this game. Head over to the airport. Split up the players. Half should get helicopters. Half should be in cars. The objective for the players in the helicopters is to blow up and kill all of the players in the cars. The players in the cars should try and stay alive as long as possible. Keep track of the time that the players were alive for! Once they are all dead, switch sides. See which team can stay alive the longest, without leaving the airport.
I had a blast with this! We had some intense firefights, and it is definitely a challenge for the players in the car! You might want to grab a fast and durable car that can keep you going beforehand. You u might want to use the planes as some shelter from the helicopters!
Party Bus
For this game, you want a good amount of players. Anyway from 6 players to 16 players is great. Make sure that you have police on for this session. You will want to stockpile on weapons before hand. Head over to Star Junction. In Star Junction, there are about 6 or 7 buses parked on the side. Pack everyone in one or two buses, and get ready. Once you are in motion, just start shooting everything and everyone in site. Have everyone get a ton of stars.
You will have a ton of fun just plowing through roadblocks! In no time, everyone should get 4 stars. You can drive around the whole island of Algonquin and still have the bus in good condition. It is a beast when it comes to police chases! In our playtime with this game, we counted over 30 cop cars all within close range of the bus. You will have a blast with this game!
The End Story End GTA 4
The following article is for players who completed the game. Rockstar Games kept their word in that the game will not end in one specific way, but that there will be varried ways dependant on what you choose to do near the end of the game. As you'd expect, the following article contains spoilers. So don't read on if you didn't complete the game yet.
The two different ways that the game end is not all that different, but they involve different characters and certain people die if you go one way, whereas other die another way. This is not a mission guide, but merely a rundown of the events taking place at the end of the story line of Grand Theft Auto IV.
Near the end of the game, Jimmy Pegorino will call you up and ask that you come see him at a Strip Club. He wants you to partner up with your adversary Dimitri and engage in a drug deal. Things have not gone so well with Dimitri in the past, he is after all the man who burnt down Roman's business and apartment in Broker. So naturally Niko is hesitant on what to do.
You'd think that Roman would still be furious about this, and would encourage Niko to not go ahead with the deal, but he actually wants you to go forward with it. He'll speak with you on the phone telling you that it would be the best option, especially given the money involved. He even sends you a text message telling you that if you do this deal, you can use this money and maybe fly up to Vice City some time.
On the other side, Packie's sister Kate does not want you to go forward with this deal. She says that you don't need the money, and you should remember the negative behavior that Dimitri exhibited towards you in the past.
So from here you have two options to take: the "Deal" option in Alderney - which will start the mission "If the Price is Right", or the "Revenge" option - which will start "A Dish Served Cold". The former of which is what Niko encourages of course, and the latter what Kate does.
Grand Theft Auto 4 -GTA4
I wouldn’t mind a little more detail as well. I started a thread over at PC Gamer magazine’s forums about just this very topic–why hadn’t anyone ever pressed Rockstar about the PC version of GTA IV:
http://www.pcgamer.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=38965
I’m not familiar with your site but this looks to me like the first time anybody has gotten this much detail in a quote from Rockstar before. Can you lend us a little more specificity as to the quality of your source?
When I emailed Rockstar about this issue, this was all I got:
Thanks for the email. Unfortunately, since we haven’t announced plans for any possible PC version of Grand Theft Auto IV, I’m afraid I don’t have an answer for you. Stay tuned to the Rockstar Games official website for details on all of our upcoming game announcements.
Cheers,
Rockstar Games
GTA IV For PC Very Doubtful
Okay, who here isn’t crazy for GTA IV? Seriously. 360 fans running a muck about it and their DLC with PS3 fans going crazy over finally playing one of the most anticipated titles to date. Even the PC crowd is joining in on the action and asking about when it’s likely GTA will come for the PC (e.g. 12 months+).
We hate to ruin the party for all the PC hopefuls out there, but Rockstar’s Nick Hersh, one of the associate producers, has something to say and you might want to sit down for this:
As for GTA IV coming out on the PC, that’s very doubtful as we currently have no plans to develop for the PC. We could only focus our efforts extensively on so many consoles at once, and PC might not see the light of day.
And the music stops. The DJ’s headphones pop out at the PC party crowd as the record warps a bit back. It’s dead silent. Nobody move.
GTA4 - Your Thoughts
It's been about 3 weeks since Grand Theft Auto IV was released, and in that first week almost every single gamer had the same thoughts on their mind: "This game is the greatest piece of video gaming software ever made!", but we want to know how everyone feels now.
A lot of people have completed the story and a fair few have already achieved 100% completion, so we'd like to hear your own personal opinions now that you've spent countless hours with the game.
Does it still make you wet yourself with excitement when you play it? Are you becoming bored of it? Do various things really piss you off? Does the multiplayer just not appeal to you? Is there enough stuff to do once you've finished the main story? Do you wish something else was in the game? Get it off your chest and post in this topic on our forums so we can find out exactly what GTA fans really think of Grand Theft Auto IV.
Game Details
Keeping friends and dates happy means spending time with them and doing things that they enjoy, and all of them have different personalities. Some friends like to join you for minigames such as tenpin bowling, pool, or darts, whereas others prefer to go out for a meal, get drunk, or take in a show. Of course, dates are much fussier than regular friends, and their opinions of you are influenced not only by whether you pick them up on time, where you take them, and whether you try your luck when dropping them at home, but also by a number of much more subtle factors. Dates will comment on stuff like the car you drive, how you drive it, and the clothes you wear. They'll even notice if you wear the same outfit two dates in a row, though not all of them will be bothered by it. The rewards that you get when another character likes you enough vary depending on who it is. Without wishing to give away specifics, befriending a lawyer can prove useful if you're having trouble with the cops, for example, and having a nurse on your friends list can literally be a lifesaver.
You'll keep in touch with your dates, friends, and some of your enemies using another of GTAIV's great new features: a cell phone. It's hard to believe that something as simple as a cell phone could add so much to a game like this, but it's implemented so well that it's hard to imagine leaving any of Niko's safe houses without it. If you've ever used a cell phone in real life, you'll have no problem operating this one and, given that it's controlled using only the D pad and a single button, it's easy to call up acquaintances and take calls even while driving. There's no unwieldy conversation system to deal with; you simply choose which friend you want to call, what you want to talk about (it could be work, a fun activity, or asking for a favor) and then, assuming that he or she answers the phone, the conversation plays out. Incoming calls are even easier, though they occasionally come at inopportune (or amusing) times; hearing your cell-phone's signal interfere with your car radio is the least of your worries when you consider the possibility of a date calling you while you're with a prostitute or embroiled in a gunfight with the Mafia. Incidentally, new ringtones and visual themes for your phone can be purchased via the in-game Internet, which is typical of the incredible attention to detail that you'll come to take for granted as you play.
To give you some idea of just how much thought has clearly gone into the crafting of GTAIV, even the act of stealing a parked car, which is still achieved by pushing a single button, can now result in any number of different things happening. If the door is locked, as is often the case, Niko will smash a window with his elbow or his foot to get inside. Once inside the car, he may need to hot-wire it to get it started; you can speed up the process slightly by using the shoulder buttons on your controller. If the car has an alarm, it'll sound for several seconds and cause the headlights to flash on and off as you drive away--practically begging any nearby cops to come after you. Stealing cars with drivers and/or passengers inside opens up lots more possibilities, the most amusing of which is someone (possibly you) getting an arm caught in a door and dragged along as the vehicle speeds away.
Most of the vehicles in GTAIV, like those in previous games, have very loose handling that makes it easy for you to perform Hollywood-style U-turns, skids around corners, and the like. You can play through most of the missions without ever violating a traffic law if you really want to, but you can get away with (and will have a lot more fun) driving like a lunatic, provided that you don't collide with any police vehicles or mow down too many pedestrians. A neat touch when driving with the default camera view is that the camera, which is positioned a few feet behind the rear bumper of the car, centers on you rather than on the vehicle, effectively offering the vehicular equivalent of an over-the-shoulder view. When you take the control of something sporty, the camera also positions itself much closer to the ground, which adds to the sensation of speed.
The vehicle handling is difficult to fault, regardless of whether you're in a sports car, a garbage truck, a motorcycle, a speedboat, or a helicopter. However, while driving, you might notice one odd quirk that has been a constant ever since GTAIII: When taking the controls of certain vehicles, you'll suddenly notice a lot more of the same vehicle on the roads. It's not a big deal, and it isn't detrimental to the gameplay, but it's a little jarring if you get into one of the more unusual vehicles in the game--for example, the equivalent of either a Ferrari or a pickup truck--and suddenly find that the city is filled with them. That particular quirk is pretty common in some of the multiplayer modes as well, though you'll likely be too busy keeping an eye out for other players to take any notice when you venture online.
Getting online in Grand Theft Auto IV couldn't be easier. You simply select the multiplayer option on your cell phone, choose which type of game you want to host or join, and then enter a lobby and wait for the game to start. You won't be getting bored staring at a list of names while you're waiting, though, because when you enter a lobby you actually enter an online version of Liberty City in which you and up to 15 other players are free to do anything. There are weapons scattered all over the place to ensure that things don't stay too friendly for very long.
There are more than a dozen different multiplayer modes to choose from, and although some of them are variations on similar themes, there's certainly no shortage of variety. As the host of a multiplayer session, you also have the freedom to greatly customize all of the game types with variables such as friendly fire, police presence, weapons sets, traffic levels, radar functionality, and many more. You can choose where you'd like your game to take place as well, considering that many gameplay modes can be played either on a specific Liberty City island or across the entire map.
Even conventional 16-player modes such as Deathmatch and Race feel quite different than anything that you've played before. And in addition to those, there are objective-based games in which you're tasked with completing missions similar to those in the single-player game: a team-based Cops 'n Crooks mode, a Turf War mode in which teams compete for control of territories, a carjacking mode, three cooperative missions that support up to four players, and more. With the right group of people, there's no reason why you can't have a lot of fun with every single mode that's available. We experienced a few frame-rate issues and lag that caused other players and their vehicles to jump around the screen at times, but for the most part GTAIV's online play is a real treat. One especially neat touch is that, as a passenger in a vehicle being driven by another player, you can mark waypoints on the GPS system for your driver using a map that tracks the locations of other players and objectives.
If you're wondering about differences between the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of Grand Theft Auto IV, the truth is that there aren't many. The PS3 version can only be played after a mandatory install that takes around 10 minutes, and its load times are a little shorter and less frequent as a result. The visuals, which don't always hold up to close scrutiny but are impressive during typical gameplay, are comparable and feature the same quirks (shadows that flicker, for example) on both consoles. Likewise, the audio, which can take a lot of the credit for why Liberty City feels so alive, is exceptional regardless of which console you have and how many speakers it's hooked up to. True to form, GTAIV's soundtrack has plenty of great licensed songs and, unlike other games we could mention, it doesn't force the artist and track information down your throat with pop-up windows that detract from gameplay. However, if you want that information, you can simply dial up a song-recognition service on your cell phone and, after a few seconds, receive it in a text message. Genius.
In case you haven't guessed already, Grand Theft Auto IV is a game that you simply have to play. The single-player game, which you can still play long after you complete the story, is the series' best by far, and the multiplayer features are good enough that you'll likely have no problem finding people to play with for many months to come. The minor flaws that you'll experience are no more difficult to overlook than those in previous GTA games, and they're greatly outnumbered by the features that will impress and surprise you anytime you think you've already seen everything that the game has to offer. There's lots to see in Liberty City, so you'd best get started.