GTA4 Official Thread of the Aftermath

ATTENTION!!!

*****Please remember to put plot details and such in spoiler tags, and do not link to leaked gameplay vids. They are not allowed on Gamespot.*****

Here is the GTA4 thread, I try to keep it up to date, but if I miss something, let me know!

The official site is up!

Here is the Collectors Edition of the game, it has a soundtrack CD, an Art Book, as well as the bag, and lock box for the game:

New GTAIV Multiplayer Details- Stolen From Tr4nce @ Neogaf

1. Hangmans NOOSE
2. Car Jack City
3. Bomb da Base
4. Bomb da Base II
5. Mafia Work
6. Team Mafia Work
7. Deathmatch
8. Team Deathmatch
9. Turf War
10. Cops N Crooks
11. Race
12. GTA Race
13. Deal Breaker
14. Free Roam
15. unknown

Quote:The host of the game makes the rules, in "Race" and GTA Race" he decides the vehicles and laps, in Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch he decides the number of peds, the flow of traffic, the intervention of police and the weapons. We tried a match, all of us armed with rocket launchers, half of city lighting up. (or somehting like that)

Quote:up to 16 people

Quote:on the screen with jacob it says you can customize characters for multiplayer. sex, hair, clothing...

Quote:You can drive a car or an helicopter with three friends

Quote:Mafia and Team Mafia work, you will play as one of Kenny Petrovics mafia henchmen, competing to complete hits ordered by the boss over your phone before your rivals. In "cops n crooks" A group of players will play as police, other as criminal, the police must make sure they don't escape alive, they can also see the criminals location ont heir GPS while criminals have no clue as where the police are.

Also in the single player mission "hangmans Noose" there will be co-op, the mission you and your friends will be able to escort a mafia man, while ambushed by the SWAT, but it doesn't end there, carjack, turfwar, bomb da base II, free mode, the 100 hours of single player are nothing compared to the 10 years of multiplayer.

HiResDes

Videos

Trailer #1

Trailer #2

Trailer #3

Here is trailer #4.

Here is a TV Spot for the game. Very cool stuff.

Europe commercial

Europe Commercial Analysis
LCPD
Whiz Wireless
The Steinway Beer Garden
Roman Bellic
Manny Escuela
Vlad Glebov
Packie McReary
Phil Bell
Dillante Hybrid

Liberty City Gun Club

Playboy X

new trailer

Singleplayer Previews:

IGN- Combat

IGN- Euphoria Physics

IGN's First Time With The PS3 Version

Massive preview at CVG

Kotaku

Kikizo#1

Kikizo#2

Multiplayer Previews:

Gametap

IGN

Kotaku

Destructiod

Kikizo's

1up

Eurogamer

Gamespot

Reviews:

OXM UK: 10 out of 10

OPM: 10 out of 10

Empire Online 5 out of 5

OXM US: 9.5 out of 10

PSM3(France):20/20

98% from UK mag Xbox World 360.

EGM's reviews are in:

Grand Theft Auto IV - A+, A+, A
Good: World, relationships, story
Bad: Some missions canned, control takes getting used to
PS3 or 360 version: 360 for DLC, PS3 version looks slightly more vibrant and sharp

IGN: 10 out of 10

IGN Video Review

Game Videos sums up the EGM reviews.

1up gives it an A+

Team Xbox gives it a 10

Gametrailers gives it a 9.8.

Eurogamer gives it a 10

Game Informer gave it a 10

Gamespy gave it a 5/5

Gamespot gave it a 10!!!

Radio Stations:

We Know The Truth (WKTT) / Genre: Right wing talk radio
Radio Broker / Genre: Alternative Rock / Sample: Get Innocuous - LCD Soundsystem
San Juan Sounds / Genre: Latin
Integrity 2.0 / Genre: Speech / DJ: Lazio
Tuff Gong Radio / Genre: Reggae/Dub / Sample: Rebel Music - Bob Marley & The Wailers
Liberty City Hardcore (L.C.H.C) / Genre: Punk/Hardcore / Sample: Right Brigade - Bad Brains
Electro Choc / Genre: Dance / Sample: T*ts & Acid - Simian Mobile Disco
Liberty Rock Radio 97.8 / Genre: cIassic Rock / Sample: Turn You Inside Out - R.E.M.
Massive B Soundsystem 96.9 / Genre: Dance Hall
The Vibe 98.8 / Genre: Soul/R'n'B / Sample: Criticise - Alexander O'Neal
International Funk (IF99) / Genre: Funk / Sample: Galaxy - War
PLR - Public Liberty Radio / Genre: Call-in speech
The CIassiccs 104.1 / Genre: Old-skool hip-hop
The Beat 102.7 / Genre: Contemporary hip-hop / Sample: War Is Necessary - Nas
Jazz Nation Radio 108.5 / Genre: Jazz / Sample: Move - Miles Davis
K109 The Studio / Genre: Disco
Fusion FM / Sample In The Hole - Roy Ayers
Vladivostok FM / Genre: Eastern
The Journey / Genre: Ambient/Chillout / Sample: Oxygene - Jean Michel Jarre

GI.Biz is confirming the GTA4 PS3 bundle for Europe.

UK retailer Shopto has confirmed toGamesIndustry.bizthat a PlayStation bundle with Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto IV is due for release in Europe on April 29.

The retailer said that there was some confusion as to who would be distributing the product in the UK – Gem, which has the exclusive distribution contract with publisher Take-Two, or Centresoft, the company that handles distribution for Sony.

"We know for a fact it is coming out in Europe and we are expecting an announcement in the UK any time," confirmed Igor Cipolletta, COO of Shopto.com.

"We are not sure if Gem or Centresoft are distributing it yet, that seems to be the hold up," he added.

The bundle has a RRP of GBP 299 and will go on sale the same day as the release of the highly-anticipated Rockstar game.Gamesindustry

Also Best Buy has a deal going for the 360:

Best Buy has a new offer for people looking to get a 360 and GTA IV, they are giving away 50 dollar gift cards in addition for free.LINK

HiResDes

Rockstar Social Club is live click the link below to sign up!

Rockstar Social Club

Rockstar Social Club will track your stats as you play through the game.

• LCPD Police Blotter- A virtual map and tracker of single-player criminal activity logged in Liberty City from the aggregated data of millions of connected players - showing the most dangerous areas of town, most commonly used weapons and more.
• The Story Gang- This special single-player leaderboard recognizes players who complete Niko Bellic's main story arc of Grand Theft Auto IV - The leaderboard ranks players according to the total amount of playing time it's taken to complete the story, as well as a historical rank by who has completed it first. Members of this club will receive special online widgets and merit badges marking all of their in-game accomplishments.
• The 100% Club- Watch to see who will be the first to complete 100% of the game. The first ten people to be identified on the Social Club as reaching 100% will be sent an ultra-rare commemorative 'key to the city' to mark their accomplishment. In the future, the 100% Club will then carry a historical leaderboard showing rankings of who has completed 100% of a game in the shortest span of playing hours.
• The Hall of Fame- This area will dynamically recognize those singularly elite players who have reached the top of the hill on various statistical leaderboards, and will also contain a personal awards display of special in-game landmarks and successes in Social Club competitions.
• The Liberty City Marathon- A ranking of special physical milestones achieved in the game - from the amount of miles walked, driven, or swam - to the number of bullets fired and stunt-jumps jumped. There will be additional special marathon-based competitions in the future from this area as well.

Rockstar say that additional features will be added to the website following the release of Grand Theft Auto IV, including competitions and challenges. You will be able to register with your Xbox Live Gamertag and/or PlayStation Network ID.GTA4Net

Here are the first in game screens:

Throughout this whole thread there are great screens, but here is the screenshot hall of fame:

I'm going to keep a running tally of the 'GTA is overrated' threads that this game causes.

Overrated Watch 2008:

Yawn at GTA hype

gta 4 is going to be the worst game ever!!!!

Yet another addition to the long line of GTA4 threads...

Saints Row 2 Vs. GTA

Are you serious??? How odes this game get 10!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A game this bad dosen't and shouldn't get the magical 10 points!!!!

boooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

imo

xmen1414

When GTA gets a 10, as someone who wants to get into game design, it really doesn't give me much motivation to try hard and innovate.The_Frederick

GTAIV LEAVE me the HELL ALONE

Damn, this is annoying. I finally remember my password and log back on after being inactive for a month and it happens to be after the release of GTA. I cannot go anywhere without seeing the letters 'G' 'T' 'A'.

I'm not saying it's a bad game or anything, I haven't even played it and it looks awesome but Jesus Christ... this is goddamn annoying.

FoxtrotZulu

I don't really see how people can have tons of fun with open world/sandbox games

Here i go again.... having my own gaming opions.

GTA: Replacing Fun Out of Mission Features with Boring Ones

anyone else disappointed by gta4?

not all that if you ask me.murdamyth

My thoughts on GTA 4..

___________________________________________

Thanks Steel Attack for making such a great banner for this thread!

Great stuff! Found out many bits of information I wasn't aware of.

"Starting tomorrow there will be a barrage of new GTA4 info from all the major sites. I thought I'd put together a thread to contain the madness that will ensue. Feel free to update when you find anything useful."

That's as far as I read but nontheless this is a nice thread

You will not instantly become wanted whenever you commit a crime now, even in public.rragnaar

This was never the case. Your wanted level would appear only if you did a series of crimes in a short span of time. However, the other changes sound awesome and I can't wait for some cop chasing goodness.

Targeting system has been retooled. It has a Resident Evil 4 and Gears of War like targeting system, which is perfect for GTA, to be honest.rragnaar

If he means an over-the-shoulder camera, then Rockstar is simply fusing elements from their own prior games - in this case, Manhunt and San Andreas.

More emphasis on hand to hand combat will be in GTAIV.rragnaar

If it's anything like The Warriors (which I suspect will be the case just like with Bully), it'll be awesome.

You can push people off of buildings.rragnaar

Oh yeah...:twisted:

As the third trailer showed, there is now an emphasis on cover. Kill.Switch and Gears influence obviously.rragnaar

Kill Switch...ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah! Manhunt obviously and to a lesser degree San Andreas.

All in all...easily my most anticipated game of the year. Can't wait to hear more info.

All in all...easily my most anticipated game of the year. Can't wait to hear more info.

UpInFlames

I went through and re-edited Himuro's list to make it more legible, and to remove some of those references to killswitch, gears and such, because I agree with you. Most of the new design elements are coming from Manhunt and The Warriors. Rockstar are the gods of this earth, I can't freaking wait to see more of this game tomorrow.

[QUOTE="rragnaar"]As the third trailer showed, there is now an emphasis on cover. Kill.Switch and Gears influence obviously.UpInFlames

Kill Switch...ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah! Manhunt obviously and to a lesser degree San Andreas.

All in all...easily my most anticipated game of the year. Can't wait to hear more info.

I don't quite remember Manhunt or SA having much of a cover system. You could crouch behind stuff, but that was about it. I think what they're describing here is where your character actually clings to the environment and then you're able to pop out and shoot, blindfire, ect. Tons of games have it nowaday Gears, Rainbow Six, even Mass Effect.

Anyway, I can't fuggin wait. I hope there isn't another delay, I dont know if my sanity could handle it.

I don't quite remember Manhunt or SA having much of a cover system. You could crouch behind stuff, but that was about it. I think what they're describing here is where your character actually clings to the environment and then you're able to pop out and shoot, blindfire, ect. Tons of games have it nowaday Gears, Rainbow Six, even Mass Effect.H3LLRaiseR

Manhunt did all those things, the cover system was critical in the latter action-y part of the game. When Gears of War was first shown, people thought of Resident Evil 4 and Kill Switch, but the system was pretty much identical to Manhunt.

[QUOTE="H3LLRaiseR"]I don't quite remember Manhunt or SA having much of a cover system. You could crouch behind stuff, but that was about it. I think what they're describing here is where your character actually clings to the environment and then you're able to pop out and shoot, blindfire, ect. Tons of games have it nowaday Gears, Rainbow Six, even Mass Effect.UpInFlames

Manhunt did all those things, the cover system was critical in the latter action-y part of the game. When Gears of War was first shown, people thought of Resident Evil 4 and Kill Switch, but the system was pretty much identical to Manhunt.

Admittedly, I haven't played Manhunt in ages so I've probably forgotten.

Thanks for the new info. This worries me a bit:

Missions are far more dynamic now and have a different structure. Many missions start at specific times now, similarly to Shenmue. If a train leaves at 10:00 am and you arrive at 10:01 am, you fail the mission. Missions also happen on specific days. If it's Monday, sometimes you will have a mission that starts on Wednesday. You can obviously do other missions in between or come up with a plan. Rockstar wants to blur the difference between story missions and non story based missions. I do not know what this means.

I do not, and never have, liked any game that dictated when I should perform a specific act at a certain time. If I go to someone asking for a mission, that is at my leisure, but to be forced to hold to a schedule is not cool. Hopefully they will be side missions, or won't hold serious consequences if missed.

GameDaily had an article up on GTA4 that broke the embargo, fortunately GAF stole all the juicy details before they took the article down(stolen news tastes better):

Use Technology to Get Ahead
The benefit of having a Grand Theft Auto in the present instead of the '80s and '90s – new technology. Niko can keep in touch with his comrades by using his cell phone. Tap into the Internet and police computers to locate and identify targets and use the car's GPS system to get where you're going faster. Bonus for jacking nicer rides: they come with voice-enabled GPS systems.

Harder Police Alert System
Escaping the police gets trickier this time around. Once five-oh is on your tail, the search radius in your HUD gets wider and you have to escape. Get spotted by a cop while still inside the radius, the search area re-centers on you and you have to escape again. The good news: big shootouts during missions don't necessarily alert the police to your presence.

No More Character Customization
Rockstar removes the character customization and light leveling up (by eating, working out) that was included in San Andreas and returns the focus to the main character and his climb up the criminal ladder in Liberty City.

Scale Tall Buildings
Since the game takes place in a big skyscraper-filled city, the action will go vertical this time around. Niko will embark on missions that involve riding to the top of a tall building to snipe at enemies below. He'll also be able to commandeer helicopters and land on top of buildings at times. Also, shooting enemies standing on tall buildings or platforms might, if you're lucky, send them into a spectacular dive onto the pavement below.

Control Your Aim
You can aim freely, lock on to targets and all weapons include a zoom function (certain guns will zoom more than others). The weapon selection has been paired down from the ridiculous -- e.g. no more flamethrower, chainsaw – to the more standard rocket launcher, sniper rifles and automatic weapons like an AK-47 and M4 assault rifle.

Hail a Cab
Instead of always jacking cars to get around, you can hail a cab and choose a destination by setting a waypoint on a map, or choosing from a list of predetermined locations. You can either sit and enjoy the scenery, or for an extra fee, press a button to skip the Sunday drive and arrive immediately.

Make Friends
Never underestimate the power of schmoozing, in real-life or in Grand Theft Auto IV. In-between missions, call up your cronies to hang out and build relationships that can lead to say... someone meeting you in an alley with a secret stash of guns. Or, meet your cousin at a bar and then try to drive him home safely after you're well beyond the legal limit (while the in-game camera sways wildly). Nothing builds the family bond like drunk driving.

Yes, There's Multiplayer
Grand Theft Auto IV will have multiplayer, which may include cooperative play in certain areas of the game. No other details have been revealed yet, other than it will involve more than "your standard deathmatch" shootfest.

Granted it is just more details on stuff we already new, but I love the idea of using the internet to find information on your targets.

I do not, and never have, liked any game that dictated when I should perform a specific act at a certain time. If I go to someone asking for a mission, that is at my leisure, but to be forced to hold to a schedule is not cool. Hopefully they will be side missions, or won't hold serious consequences if missed.

Rekunta

The problem I've always found with sandbox games is freedom takes precedence over urgency. I don't know how many times a story in a game such as this has a contact who is stressing that you HAVE to do something right away only to find out that you can drive across the city, pick the car you like, go to the ammo store and get the guns you want...go to that spot that you know a bulletproof vest is and pick that up and when you're all set, you finally mosey on down to the check point where a cutscene kicks in to show you what's been going on while you were wasting time.

It may be the most basic way to force your hand but I think that helps with the immersion factor.

Missions are far more dynamic now and have a different structure. Many missions start at specific times now, similarly to Shenmue. If a train leaves at 10:00 am and you arrive at 10:01 am, you fail the mission. Missions also happen on specific days. If it's Monday, sometimes you will have a mission that starts on Wednesday. You can obviously do other missions in between or come up with a plan. Rockstar wants to blur the difference between story missions and non story based missions. I do not know what this means.

I do not, and never have, liked any game that dictated when I should perform a specific act at a certain time. If I go to someone asking for a mission, that is at my leisure, but to be forced to hold to a schedule is not cool. Hopefully they will be side missions, or won't hold serious consequences if missed.Rekunta

I share your concern, but this isn't exactly new to the series. Prior games also had missions that required you to be there in a certain time.

preview seems spoilerish to me, so i stopped reading it. looking forward to your highlights rragnar.OneWingedAngeI

"You can also use your cellphone as a radio, meaning the soundtrack doesn't have to stop while you're out of your vehicle taking down some targets."

"Once Niko gets a car and loses his wanted level by getting out the range of the police looking for him, you'll be able to access a very cool new gameplay element: the police database, which is accessible via any police car by hitting the left bumper. We watched as Niko entered his intended target's name and was rewarded with a mugshot and their last known address (which you could set on your GPS city map). If you've taken a picture of someone with your cellphone, you can also search the database by photo. Upon arriving to his victim's pad Niko makes his way to the door only to have his intended target run off like a bat out of hell once he realizes Niko isn't there on a social call."

I ****ing love that you can place fake 911 calls to get the police to come to you when you need a police car. This game is going to be 10 times the greatness of any other GTA.rragnaar

that was taken from Saint's Row.

Here is a summary of the missions that were shown:

[spoiler] Characters that are included in this preview are as follows: Niko Bellic, Roman, Brucie, Playboy X, Lyle Rivas and Bell. The following are missions that were shown to the gaming press:


Mission Name: Search and Delete
Summary: Brucie asks Niko to kill an informant named Lyle Rivas, before Lyle has a chance to testify.

* Niko steals a police car in order to access the criminal database.
* After Rivas flees his residence, Niko takes after him in a high-speed chase that shows off the new and improved free-aim "drive-by" targeting mechanic.
* If Rivas escapes, Niko's phone receives a text message allowing him to restart the mission immediately.
* During chases you can enter a chase cam that will reorient the camera to focus on your target, even if he gets out of your line of sight.
* This mission takes place in Broker, and parts of Bohan.


Mission Name: Deconstruction for Beginners
Summary: Niko offers to help Playboy X in taking out a few "union leaders" down at the construction site.

* Niko can now take cover behind anything in the game and engage in more sophisticated firefights than ever before. In addition, he can also blind fire over or around targets.
* Some cover points are destructible, and will degrade if fired upon.
* Targeting improvements include headshots, procedural damage, lock-on targeting, free-aim, and blind fire.
* Repeating failed missions will often result in brand new dialogue strings, which is one of the many ways GTA IV is aiming to keep things fresh and original even on repeated playthroughs.
* Rooftop sniper point helps illustrate the verticality and density that we're aiming for.
* This mission takes place in Algonquin.


Mission Name: Truck Hustle
Summary: Niko gets introduced to Bell through a mutual acquaintance; Niko plans to steal a drug truck from the Triads, and deliver it to Bell's son-in-law.

* GPS navigation in all of GTA's vehicles. Default settings enable GPS speech in luxury cars, but settings can be tweaked to turn speech on or off in any vehicle.
* Rocket launchers and grenades make a return!
* Climbing the truck and shimmying across its roof to the front is one of the many implementations of Natural Motion throughout the course of the game.
* This mission takes place in Alderney...and ends at a somewhat familiar location for fans of GTA 3.


One "friend activity" that isn't really being referred to as a "mission" is when you go drinking with Roman. Niko picks Roman up and heads to a nearby bar to hang out. He will then have to navigate his way back to Roman's apt while (slightly!) impaired.

* You can hang out with friends by giving them a call on the phone, and of course they'll call you too...you can choose to accept or decline their invitations.
* Building friendships will offer Niko some help during his stay in Liberty City (i.e. Little Jacob meeting up to sell him guns!).
* Niko's stumbling is further evidence of the abilities of Natural Motion. These animations weren't mo-capped or drawn by hand...they are the work of the computer software procedurally reacting to stimulus in the world. For example, when Roman stumbles into Niko and they trip over each other...or Niko leaning against the car.


Boats weren't intended to be shown to those that got previews, but you can swim, jack boats and create havoc on the water...Liberty City is a series of interconnected islands after all!

That's all of the mission details from the January 23, 2007 special. [/spoiler]

Kikizo has the best preview so far as far as detail goes. They've done quite a bit of investigative work to figure out the layout of the city, and some things of that nature, they also got to see more of the game based on their descriptions of the water, and the little bit of boating that they got to do.

This just sounds...So ****ing Bloody awesome. The biggest change I like is the Redone combat system to Geow/RE. Kind of wish they just took Saint's Row....But This is about as good ^_^ I'm really excited for this

And its funny...you think after how awesome last year was, We hit another bloody fantastic year. I'm already churing though Kingdom under Fire COD, I have DMC4 and Culdcept Saga next try...same week MErcs 2 comes out. I'm just crying lol

*yawn*

I don't feel very barraged. Not a single video? Bah, maybe I was expecting too much.

One thing I found on GAF is that "2 Minutes real time is now equal to 1 Hour In-Game time. Thus, longer, more fleshed out days." I'm glad they are shooting for a more realistic game. I hope the cops are so realistic that if you drive wrecklessly it'll attract their attention (like in Driver 2) and based on the extent of your crime either give you a ticket or bust you. I think minor charges would make things like driving like a maniac that more exhilerating.

My dream GTA is a real world simulator. Why do that when I can just walk outside and experiance a real world? Well I want respawns :)

All of this sounds really amazing. I really can't wait to get my hands on this, and while I'm not too keen on the missions at specific times and days thing, I doubt it's anything major. I'm really excited about this._Dez_

[QUOTE="_Dez_"]All of this sounds really amazing. I really can't wait to get my hands on this, and while I'm not too keen on the missions at specific times and days thing, I doubt it's anything major. I'm really excited about this.rragnaar

[QUOTE="rragnaar"][QUOTE="_Dez_"]All of this sounds really amazing. I really can't wait to get my hands on this, and while I'm not too keen on the missions at specific times and days thing, I doubt it's anything major. I'm really excited about this.EazyB

[QUOTE="rragnaar"][QUOTE="_Dez_"]All of this sounds really amazing. I really can't wait to get my hands on this, and while I'm not too keen on the missions at specific times and days thing, I doubt it's anything major. I'm really excited about this.EazyB

Maybe I'm thinking too much of it being like Shenmue in the sense that if you missed your opportunity for a specific mission, then you're forced to wait it out until the next time.

That's really just a worst case scenario for me, I really doubt they would do something like that. I just want to play the missions whenever I feel like it and not have to worry about punctuality, but it I can definitely see it being more immersive and real.

This is true to a point, the missions for Joey Leone in GTA3 require you to come buy his shop of during business hours, but you never had a situation in any previous GTA game like the ones in GTA4 where you are told by someone to meet then on a certain day at a certain time to do a mission.rragnaar

Ehh, I still don't like the idea, just reminds me of some of the missions in Oblivion where you have to meet so-and-so and such-and-such time which always led to get there early and wait so you don't miss it and have to wait another full day to do it again. GTA has always crafted a since of urgency by giving you time limits, "get here in 5 minutes" and if they want to change that text to, "get here by 8:00" and have the timer count up (your clock) then it's simply a visual alteration. I don't see it adding anything that hasn't been there.

Kikizo has the best preview so far as far as detail goes. They've done quite a bit of investigative work to figure out the layout of the city, and some things of that nature, they also got to see more of the game based on their descriptions of the water, and the little bit of boating that they got to do.

rragnaar

the map must be wrong, i mean why would they switch around Queens and Brooklyn while keeping everything else reletively real.

NEW YORK - "Grand Theft Auto IV" will be the biggest entertainment experience of the year and make its players feel like immigrants newly arrived in America, according to a developer working on the game.

After showcasing a nearly complete version of "Grand Theft Auto IV" on the Xbox 360 to MTV News for an hour and a half earlier this week, Rockstar Games Vice President of Product Development Jeronimo Barrera talked about how delays have shaped "GTA IV," how the game handles sex and violence this time around, and more.

"I don't see anything being bigger in 2008 in any entertainment," Barrera said as he sat on a black couch in Rockstar's demo room, proudly sporting a white T-shirt with a large "IV" printed on the front. "We think it's that big, and we just have to get the word out."

What Barrera and the development team that handles the game in New York and in Scotland-based Rockstar North are promising is the king of open-world games. Rockstar Games popularized the go-anywhere, do-anything open-world genre with "Grand Theft Auto III" in 2001. This new game is intended to be the next leap. "We don't want anybody else to raise the bar for a genre that we created and that everybody else ripped off," Barrera said. "So we definitely want to shock not just the players, but the industry. I'm not talking about shock value. I'm talking about just how big it is and just how many crazy, bananas things you can do in the game."

"GTA IV" was initially going to make its splash in 2007, when it was scheduled for an October release. Now it's projected for release in the next few months. "We're definitely releasing it by ... the end of the second quarter," Barrera said, referring to the February-to-April time frame that "GTA" publisher Take-Two Interactive denotes as its second financial quarter.

And the delay, Barrera said, makes the game stronger. "We wanted the time, and I think we made the right choice. It was very difficult to make the choice because everybody wanted it. But we thought, you know, what with that extra bit of time, it's just going to be that much better and there will be more systems out."

"GTA" games haven't missed their announced release dates before. When the delay was announced in August, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick told investors that "the reason it is being delayed is almost strictly technological problems - not problems, but challenges." Barrera offered a little more detail to MTV News this week: "It's really no surprise to anybody that the PS3 was definitely a contributing factor to that. Now, we're neck and neck. That's not an issue anymore. But back then that was something we were taking into account. That's not to say there's anything wrong with the PS3 version. It's awesome. They're both identical."

(PlayStation 3 owners may feel that Barrera's comments get them out of the woods, but some Xbox 360 owners have had a tech concern of their own. In a follow-up to MTV News' interview with Barrera, a Rockstar rep alleviated the concern, stating that the Xbox 360 version of the game, as occasionally had been rumored, will not require a hard drive.)

The portions of the game that Barrera and a controller-wielding Rockstar spokesperson demonstrated for MTV News earlier this week looked and appeared to play like earlier "GTA" games but with significantly refined controls and graphics. Nevertheless, Barrera said that much hasn't been shown and that the creators' goal is to hit players with "surprise after surprise."

This is a different kind of "GTA," he said. "This is the story of an immigrant, and we feel that this world is so real and has so many details that you are the immigrant. The player is the immigrant. So you're kind of coasting along with [protagonist] Niko [Belic] in sort of a way that hasn't been done before in our games. The pacing is different. We're not giving any of that away yet, but it definitely sets up the story and the mood ... in terms of the choreography and the flow of this game, I think there's something really special there that we haven't quite done with other games that I think are going to surprise a lot of people."

But for gamers who only want to cause havoc, the game will offer that and the standard amount of weapon-unlock cheat codes.

What about sex? For better or worse, the biggest surprise to many people about the most recent console installment in the series, "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas," was the unfinished interactive sex scenes left deep within the code of the game discs and accessible to hackers. That's not coming back for the new game. "Are we going to have a 'Hot Coffee' situation?" Barrera asked aloud. "Absolutely not." But the game will have romance. Unlike Rockstar's recent schoolyard game, "Bully," the main male character won't be able to get involved with other guys, but straight relationships will continue. "Yeah, you can go on dates," Barrera said. "Obviously it's a mature title and there's human relations. That's a natural thing."

Violence in the game may feel a little different this time. "The way that we're telling it takes a different tone," Barrera said. "Niko's background is that he comes from a war-torn country. And he's brought over with the American dream. But it ends up being almost as violent as a war-torn country. There's a bit of message going on in there." The game will be as violent or nonviolent as the player wishes to make it, he said, though there was no indication in the demo that the game could be played without killing anyone. What Barrera did indicate, though, is that the game's developers have heard the players who complained that recent "GTA" games didn't allow the same freedom to problem-solve in different ways that the earlier installments in the series did. "The missions you saw today were pretty straightforward action missions, but there are some missions that have half-a-dozen ways to beat it."

Barrera wouldn't talk about the game's multiplayer modes, its music or the planned downloadable bonus content for the Xbox 360 version. Much of the game just isn't being shown. He did shoot down the prospect of a free trial version of the game: "We usually don't do demo." And while not offering an estimated length to the game, he said, "I find this game - because of the detail and trying to explore every single bit - that this is a much richer experience than anything we've done in the past." He said the new game has been designed with at least one eye on the message boards and other fan reaction. Rockstar is aiming to please and to keep its fans busy. "People are going to play this game for a long, long time," Barrerasaid.

^^

Great interview Des. It sounds like, as much as anything, they wanted the install base to be bigger on the PS3 before releasing it. I'm sure the tech was a problem too though.

^^

Great interview Des. It sounds like, as much as anything, they wanted the install base to be bigger on the PS3 before releasing it. I'm sure the tech was a problem too though.

rragnaar

I don't know if the tech was any more of a problem than the 360 version which they had to design with the Core install base in mind...The guy is hard to read.

Ha! This game is getting released four days after my birthday. I hope they come out with a collector's edition. I will be all over it. juradai

It is getting a ridiculously awesome collector's edition. :D

[QUOTE="juradai"]Ha! This game is getting released four days after my birthday. I hope they come out with a collector's edition. I will be all over it. rragnaar

It is getting a ridiculously awesome collector's edition. :D

Get the **** out of here!:o

It looks as though I might have to take a lone out to pay for it. Nevertheless, I am a sucker for collector's editions.

^ OMG! That thing is so awesome, I may have to get that too, I always end up wanting the soundtrack for these games and I have a feeling this one may be as good as Vice City's!

Anyway some pics I were gonna post, that may or may not have been posted:

rest of the gallery

HiResDes

Oops I crapped my pants! WOWSERS!

"We don't want anybody else to raise the bar for a genre that we created and that everybody else ripped off,"HiResDes

This guy reminds me of Itagaki. I like him.

Get the **** out of here!:o

It looks as though I might have to take a lone out to pay for it. Nevertheless, I am a sucker for collector's editions.juradai

It'll cost $90. But surely you don't want that ugly keychain...I can take that off your hands if you want...after all, what are friends for...hard sacrifices...