GTAIV launches down under

Australian gamers have long become used to the fact that tardy release schedules often result in games being released here weeks and even months after they become available overseas. But in a rare occurrence, one of the year's biggest titles became available for Aussie consumers before the US and European release (albeit by only a day). Grand Theft Auto IV went on sale nationwide tonight, with hundreds of stores across Australia opening their doors for midnight launches.

With the game receiving a global release date of April 29, time zone differences meant that Australian gamers were some of the first in the world to lay their hands on Rockstar's latest opus, with thousands of gamers nationwide lining up at retail stores overnight. At the EB Games stores in Sydney's city centre (in Pitt St Mall and Galleries Victoria), more than 100 people gathered, while more than 200 waited outside EB Games' Bondi Junction store. At GAME's Broadway location, more than 70 gamers were lined up to grab their copy of Grand Theft Auto IV. The EB Games at Broadway had more than 40 people braving the night's chill to purchase the game.

A quick poll by GameSpot AU of people waiting in queues at several Sydney retail locations found that the number of people buying PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions was split fairly evenly, with no one console coming out as the clear favourite. Retailers also reported that the PS3/Xbox 360 sales split was close. Last week, several Australian retailers were reporting that the PS3 version was ahead in terms of preorder numbers.

Click here for more pictures of Australian retailers visited by GameSpot AU overnight.