Rockstar's mega hit Grand Theft Auto IV has been on a long roller coaster over the last 8 months since its release. At least in terms of its Xbox Live Activity Ranking.
Yesterday, a six-year old boy stole his parents' car after missing his school bus. The ingenious lad was determined not to be late for school and figured breaking several laws was a fair exchange (I'm sure that makes sense for children ages 6 to...I don't know, 48). When questioned, the boy said he was able to pull off his heist through knowledge he gained from video games.
Circuit City Stores Inc. this week price cut select titles for Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360 in a new game sale.
"There's already been a lot of blog entries and forum posts devoted to what makes Grand Theft Auto IV such a special game, but as our pick for Game of the Year, we obviously feel that a lot of it certainly bears repeating."
Here we are then, the final installment in our Top 50 Games of 2008. It's worth reiterating once again that the list is not intended as a definitive rundown of the 50 best games of the year, but instead reflects votes cast by our staff and contributors based on the games they have played and enjoyed.
Daily Star writes:
Retailer Amazon.com on Thurs. discounted select titles for Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360 in a new game sale.
Two of the more amazing records from Grand Theft Auto 4 and Guitar Hero 3 are being included in the book's memorable moments of 2008 section.
Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. today announced that it has established a new incentive compensation program for the Rockstar Games label that is primarily based on a profit sharing arrangement, and at the same time has entered into new long-term employment agreements with members of the creative team of its wholly-owned Rockstar Games publishing label. The new employment agreements have an initial term ending on January 31st, 2012.
Gamedaily.Biz writes: "Take-Two Interactive announced today that it has launched an incentive compensation contract with the Rockstar Games label, affirming Janco Partners analyst Mike Hickey's recent prediction. Additionally, the publisher announced long-term employment agreements with key members of Rockstar's creative team, including Sam Houser, Dan Houser and Leslie Benzies. The personnel under this contract are responsible for series like Grand Theft Auto, Bully and Manhunt."
You might remember Image Metrics from 'The Emily Project', which went viral over the Summer and made quite a few jaws drop (video below). The company provides its technology for known players like Digital Domain, Sony Computer Entertainment and Rockstar Games, which it partnered with for making Grand Theft Auto IV look more realistic than previous versions of the best-selling game.
The first trailer for GTA IV: The Lost and Damned has been released by Rockstar along side 12 new screen shots that give clues to what this Xbox 360 exclusive content will hold in store for gamers this upcoming February
Live at the SpikeTV Video Game Awards, the winner for best game of the year was just announced. The title for 2008 now belongs to Grand Theft Auto IV. Among the nominees, GTA4 also won Best Action/Adventure Game, Gears of War won Best Shooter, Metal Gear Solid 4 won Best Graphics and Best Original Score, Media Molecule won Studio of the Year, and Fallout 3 won Best RPG.
Over at the Xbox.com page for the Grand Theft Auto IV DLC "The Lost and Damned", Microsoft have posted three new screenshots for the add on as well as a little blurb confirming what we already know:
The economy may be tanking, but Time magazine spared no expense on its annual year-end awards for 2008. This week, the news magazine delivered its verdict on the top 10 biggest happenings of the year, spanning 50 different categories. And as in years past, games were party to the proceedings.
THIS WEEKEND, FRI DEC 12th through SUN DEC 14th Play Midnight Club Los Angeles and Grand Theft Auto IV online all weekend to challenge Rockstar at their own games and then go to Rockstar Games Social Club for chances to compete for limited-edition Rockstar gear and prizes. XE has a full run-down of all the events.
Santa Claus is back and that is also a nice moment to see what the game was popular during the search for gifts goedheiligman in the Netherlands. Besides Call of Duty World at War for all platforms is also Mario Kart for the Nintendo Wii and Grand Theft Auto for the PC very popular.
The software tie ratio for Grand Theft Auto IV is the "highest it has ever been" for the franchise, Take-Two chair Strauss Zelnick said during the UBS Global Media and Communications Conference.
MCV writes: "Take Two's chief executive Strauss Zelnick is satisfied with the company's performance during Black Friday, but warned that healthy sales at this point do not guarantee success in December.