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Posts with tag grandtheftauto

'Grand Theft Auto' Credited With Saving Family's Lives

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Sep 4th 2008 at 11:25AMBreaking News

Grand Theft Auto Save's Family's Lives

Okay, so this is something we don't see every day: A video game (specifically 'Grand Theft Auto,' of all things) is being credited with helping a teen girl save her family's lives.

The Ottawa Times reports that Audrey Plique, 11, pulled her Streator, Ontario family from the wreckage of their Jeep Grand Cherokee after it went off road, flipped four times, and landed on its side in a ditch. After the Jeep settled, she climbed out through the shatter rear window, and then helped free her family members and escort them to safety. She knew from 'Grand Theft Auto' that the car could catch fire and explode after such a serious accident.

Whether or not the whole car exploding thing was an actual possibility (see 'Mythbusters' exploding gas tank episode) is debatable, but young Audrey is certainly a hero.

This is good news for 'Grand Theft Auto,' given some of the blame the game has received for copycat murders in places like Thailand, which, ironically, announced this week that it was banning five games it considered too violent ('GTA IV' has alrady been pulled from store shelves there). [From: The Times via Shacknews]
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Parents Fear 'Grand Theft Auto' More Than Porn, Beer

by Dan Reilly, posted Aug 13th 2008 at 9:01AM

After their poll revealed that parents fear sex more than violence in video games, a new survey by WhatTheyPlay.com shows that adults worry more about their children playing 'Grand Theft Auto' than watching pornography or drinking beer.

The poll asked parents about which behavior 17-year-old kid at a sleepover would concern them most. From over 1600 respondents, 49% chose smoking marijuana, 19% said playing 'Grand Theft Auto', 16% said porn, and only 14% went for beer.

Cheryl K. Olson, co-author of 'Grand Theft Childhood,' believes this is because video games are the most alien to adults out of the options. "Parents we spoke with in focus groups often bemoaned the fact that they didn't know how to use game controls - and felt unequipped to supervise or limit video game play," she says. Of course, parents don't want their children drinking alcohol, but that's a more familiar risk."

We can only imagine how they'd react to their children playing the "Hot Coffee" scene from 'GTA: San Andreas' while enjoying a joint and a Bud. [Source: BetaNews]
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Thailand Stores Pull GTA Games After Copycat Murder

by Tim Stevens, posted Aug 5th 2008 at 2:19PMBreaking News

GTA Series Pulled from Thailand StoresThe 'Grand Theft Auto' series has stirred up no shortage of controversy since 'Grand Theft Auto III' dropped back in 2001. Mothers Against Drunk Drivine (MADD) wanted it pulled from shelves here in the U.S.. Then, of course, there was the whole 'Hot Coffee' debacle that actually did result in the game's sales being suspended for some time. Now, the games have been pulled from store shelves in Thailand in response to a recent brutal murder apparently inspired by the series.

An 18-year-old fan of the franchise attempted to rob a cab driver with a knife. When the cabbie struggled, the student stabbed him and attempted to steal his cab and drive away. He was caught while trying to pull out of an alley with the wounded driver still in the back seat. The 54-year-old victim later died, and the 18-year-old is now facing death by lethal injection for his crime, which he indicated was an attempt at replicating the virtual crimes he committed in the games.

For now, the series remains unavailable across the nation, though naturally we're more inclined to blame the person holding the knife than the game he was playing. [Source: Yahoo News, and The Daily Mail]
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Hidden 'Grand Theft Auto' Sex Scene Still Earning Legal Attention

by Tim Stevens, posted Jun 25th 2008 at 4:50PM

Hidden Grand Theft Auto Sex Scene Still Earning Legal AttentionIt's been about three years since the so-called 'Hot Coffee' scandal rocked the gaming world; a hidden sex scene in 'Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas'. It was the cause of an uproar from parents all the way up to Hillary Clinton, and, of course lead to the inevitable lawsuit. Now, as millions have moved on to enjoy 'Grand Theft Auto IV,' it seems that only lawyers still care about the infamous scene.

There's a class action lawsuit on the books against the publisher, Take-Two Interactive, that is supported by lawyers who planned to make a windfall $1.3 million in legal fees representing those customers who lodged complaints against the game. However, only 2,676 actually joined the lawsuit, and with most just getting a payout of $5-$35 and a replacement copy of the game, Take-Two is set to only have to pay out about $30,000 to settle the suit (plus make a $860,000 charitable donation). This means the lawyers leading the suit are charging 40-times the amount they have won their clients!

Seems all is well in the U.S. legal system. [Source: The New York Times]
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GTA IV Voice Actor Gets No Cut of Rockstar's Take

by Tim Stevens, posted May 28th 2008 at 4:33PM

Voice of GTA IV's Niko Bellick Got Robbed (Figuratively)
By now, the thick accent of 'Grand Theft Auto IV' main character Niko Bellic is ingrained in the minds of millions of gamers worldwide, having listened to him preach, threaten, and complain for hours on end. The game sold $500-million in its first week alone and another $100-million in its second, but would you believe voice actor Michael Hollick, the voice of Bellic, gets no share of that? He earned a (relatively) measly $100,000 for his 15-month stint in a recording studio, and no matter how much more the game sells, won't see another dime.

Hollick's union, the Screen Actor's Guild, has no special rules for rates regarding video game voice-over work, so he got paid the standard wages for a day's recording, roughly $730. If he had instead been doing work in an animated movie he would have also gotten a cut of residuals, meaning a small chunk of that $600-million would have been his. Hollick is pushing for updated rules regarding payments for video game-related work, though hopefully they won't have to strike to get it. [Source: Yahoo! Games]
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Grand Theft Auto 4's Liberty City -- a Side-By-Side Comparison With NYC

by Terrence O'Brien, posted May 14th 2008 at 4:01PMBreaking News

GTA IV's Liberty City, Side-by-Side with NYC

We all know that the setting for GTA IV, Liberty City, is supposed to be New York. But unless you've spent most of your time in the game staring at the scenery instead of wreaking havoc, you may not have noticed how spot on of a recreation Liberty City is. Thankfully, Flickr user Matthew Johnston has cobbled together a set of side-by-side comparisons showing off certain structures and locations in Liberty City that bare a striking resemblance to certain real world structures.

Johnston's gallery focuses primarily on Liberty City's version of Manhattan, but there are plenty of real life structures and locations in the outer buroughs too. In the meantime check out some of the choicest comparison shots below. [Source: Matthew Johnston's Flikr, Via: Geekologie]

Gallery: GTA IV Comparison

  • St. John the Divine
  • Rockefeller Center
  • World Trade Center
  • Times Square
  • Morgan Stanley and Crowne Plaza
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Engadget HD

'Grand Theft Auto IV' Sets Sales Records With $500 Million In First Week

by Richard Lawler, posted May 7th 2008 at 10:44AMBreaking News

Amazingly, prerelease estimates of a $400 million first week for the latest edition of Grand Theft Auto turned out to be low, with publisher Take-Two trumpeting a 6 million unit, $500 million debut.

GTA in HD isn't without controversy however, with reports of overscan issues on older HDTVs (we've experienced it, with the last number or letter in mission descriptions sometimes running off the screen), and the PlayStation 3 version of the game not quite meeting our 720p expectations (although some say differences in textures and lighting more than make up for it).

Being "only" 640p didn't stop previous record holder Halo 3, and looking at the numbers, it appears that Rockstar has made the right moves as well, although we're sure some will wait for the inevitable PC version to run the game in as high a resolution as possible. [Source: Take-Two Interactive via Joystiq]
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Conan O'Brien Re-Imagines 'Grand Theft Auto IV' As a PG-13 Game

by Tim Stevens, posted May 5th 2008 at 11:15AMBreaking News


If you've spent any time at all with 'Grand Theft Auto IV' since its release last week, you know that it's not exactly a kind and cuddly game. Conan O'Brien noted the same thing and in response has envisioned what a PG-rated version of the game might look like. See for yourself in the video above. Whether you love or hate the game, you have to agree that this, um, friendlier version isn't particularly appealing, though it is pretty hilarious! [Source: YouTube, via Joystiq and GeekSugar]
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MADD Wants 'Grand Theft Auto IV' Sales Stopped

by Tim Stevens, posted May 2nd 2008 at 9:03AMBreaking News

MADD Wants GTA IV Sales StoppedWith each subsequent release of the 'Grand Theft Auto' (GTA) series there is always a stir of controversy, with various concerned groups trying to ban the games. The recently released 'GTA IV' is no different, and the latest group to take issue with the game is Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). The group takes issue with the driving aspects of the game -- specifically, the parts of driving that take place after main character Nico has had something to drink.

That's right, they don't care about shooting people, stealing cars, running down police officers, soliciting prostitutes, or any of the other fanciful and felonious things you can do in the game. They're worried about the drunk driving, and are calling on Take-Two, the game's publisher, to stop sales of the game. For its part, Rockstar, the game's developer, said this:

"For the same reason that you can't judge an entire film or television program by a single scene, you can't judge 'Grand Theft Auto IV' by a small aspect of the game."

We would tend to agree, and think that the MADD folks would have a lot more to be worried about if they actually played the game. We did, and we think it's fab -- but it's definitely not for young, impressionable types. [Source: AOL News/AP]
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Grand Theft Auto IV to Support 16 Online?

by Tim Stevens, posted Oct 17th 2007 at 10:46AM

GTA IV = XVI Player Online?Despite its famed open environment full of people, the 'Grand Theft Auto' games have been solo experiences. Sure, the PSP games had limited multiplayer, and there have been modifications of the PC games that let you meet some friends online, but none of that has really impacted the core gameplay. That may be poised to change with the upcoming installment, 'Grand Theft Auto IV.' Rumor has it that the fourth installment of the violent sub-culture franchise will offer sixteen-player online multiplayer, which should make for a cracking good time.

More importantly, online play is said to be "more than just the usual deathmatch mode." Deathmatches are where players gang up on each other and try to be the last man standing. Other games, like 'Halo 3,' have found plenty of success offering cooperative gameplay, where multiple gamers work together as a team to play through the game. Could we see something like that in 'GTA IV?' Here's hoping. Developer Rockstar should certainly have enough time to get it right, having delayed the game from an October release (as in now) to some unspecified date in mid-2008.

From Joystiq

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'Grand Theft Auto 4' Game Delayed

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Aug 3rd 2007 at 2:11PM

GTA 4 DelayedBad news for fans of criminal mayhem and excessive violence -- and bad news for Sony and Microsoft. 'Grand Theft Auto 4' has been delayed until mid-2008, a substantial push back from its initial October release date.

Sony and Microsoft were counting on the game to help boost sales of their game consoles during the holiday season. Now the Xbox and PlayStation are without a blockbuster, and share holders were skittish as publisher Take Two's stock price fell 16% on news of the delay.

From GameDaily via The BBC

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The Best Video Games of the Week

by Joshua Fruhlinger, posted Jul 9th 2007 at 7:01AM

The Bigs baseball
We'll be at E3 this week -- that's the media summit for the people who make the games (not us) to meet with the people who write about the games (us) to get us all excited about what's coming out in the next year for you. It's really not as complex as it sounds -- just look for some hands-on updates of all the games you can't wait for, and some you didn't even know were coming out. In the meantime, here are some games you may want to check out this weekend:

'The Bigs'
If you're not a big fan of 40-minute games, watching pitch counts, and flipping your way through endless pages of franchise mode, 'The Bigs' may be the baseball game your looking for. This is no baseball simulation -- it's baseball on steroids (in a good way, not in a controversial way). A turbo meter allows you to throw 110MPH pitches that leave jet-like contrails, collisions at the plate look more like WWE matches, and home runs turn baseballs into fireworks. Plus, mini-games for both batting and fielding will keep you occupied when you don't have the time (or desire) to play 5+ innings.

'The Darkness'
We spent a good week wit this new shooter/sci-fi/supernatural/New York City crime drama experience, and we're quite pleased. It's a perfect combination of shooting, sneaking, storytelling, and straight up gore. While this one is suitable for only the most mature of gamers, it's a rewarding experience that gamers should definitely give a go. So if you're over 18, check this one out -- we're pretty sure you won't be disappointed.

'Grand Theft Auto IV'
For those of you jonesing for a return to Liberty City, your wait is almost over. In the meantime, Rockstar Games was nice enough to put up a new trailer for the upcoming sandbox crime craziness. Salivate over next-gen graphics, a huge setting, and what appears to be some seriously improved game mechanics. We can't wait.

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