Here’s your top 10 retail games for the last week, based on unique users connected to Xbox LIVE across ANZ.

1. Modern Warfare 2
2. Halo 3
3. Assassin’s Creed 2
4. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
5. Call of Duty: World at War
6. Forza Motorsport 3
7. Grand Theft Auto IV
8. Halo 3: ODST
9. FIFA 10
10. Borderlands

This list looks a lot different than last time I posted! Such a great time of year. We get so many awesome games through these holiday months.

- jinx

Schon mal was von Grand Theft Auto gehört? Oder eine XBOX besessen? Nein?
Macht nix. Echt. Spart mir eine Menge Arbeit.

Dann muss ich jetzt nämlich gar nicht erklären, dass “The Ballad of Gay Tony” der wohl ziemlich großartigste Downloadable Content ist, den es bisher zu kaufen gibt. Für weniger als den Gegenwert von 3 Schacheln Zigaretten bekommt man hier eine über 20stündige Kampagne für Grand Theft Auto IV (GTA IV) geboten, deren WTF-Faktor auf einer Skala von 1 bis 10 ungefähr bei 13 liegt.

Die Geschichte dreht sich um Anthony “Gay Tony” Prince, der einzige Unternehmer in der Geschichte von Liberty City, der es geschafft hat gleichzeitig den erfolgreichsten Nachtclub für Schwule UND den erfolgreichsten Nachtclub für Heten zu führen. Dooferweise hat sich Tony (der Robert Downey, Jr. in Aussehen, Acting und Sprache verdächtig ähnlich wirkt) in den letzten Jahren nur noch das Hirn weggekokst und sich zu allem Überfluss bei der halben Unterwelt von LC mächtig verschuldet.

Glücklicherweise hat er Luis Lopez an seiner Seite, hispanischstammiger Nachtclubmanager und Bad-Ass-Mädchen (no pun intented) für alles.

Luis versucht Tony vor seinen Feinden, seinen Freunden und vor allem sich selbst zu schützen und greift dabei im Notfall sogar auf bewaffnete Helikopter und Panzer zurück. Aus dieser Perspektive erlebt man als Spieler das Leben, Lieben und Leiden des Gay Tony mit.

In der GTA-typischen Mischung aus Shooter, Racer und Actionadventure (ja, es IST schwer zu definieren) zicken sich Tony und Luis so unterhaltsam wie Waldorf und Stadtler durch absurde Situationen. Allein wie die beiden mit einem unliebsamen Blogger umgehen ist sehenswert: In einem Hubschrauber, 300 Meter über dem Äquivalent der Freiheitsstatue, wird der Schmierfink geohrfeigt und schließlich gen Erdboden gestossen – erst in letzter Sekunde springt Luis mit einem Fallschirm hinterher und rettet den Knilch, der fortan auf Ewig gute Artikel über Tonys Nachtclubs schreiben wird.

Das diese WTF-Momente nicht nur großartig inszeniert sind, sondern gleichzeitig den Adrenalinpegel des Spielers unter die Decke treiben OHNE bockschwer oder unfair zu sein – das ist ein großer Verdienst der Gamedesigner.

Was mich absolut verblüfft hat: Art, Umfang, Charakterzeichnung, Story – das alles ist auf dem Niveau eines Game-Blockbusters, nicht eines DLC. Produzent RockStar Games packt in diese “Erweiterung” mehr rein als andere Hersteller in drei komplette Vollpreis-Titel. Allein die Tatsache, dass hier nahezu alle losen Enden aus GTA IV zu einem äusserst zufrieden stellenden Ende geführt werden, würde den Kauf als Download (ca. 15 Euro) rechtfertigen. Heck, allein um mehr Brucie zu sehen würde ich 15 Euro bezahlen – und bei TBoGT bekommt man nicht einen weinenden, knutschenden Brucie, sondern sogar seinen großen, noch durchgeschepperteren Bruder Mori.

Der schiere Spass, denn ein total überdrehtes Liberty City macht – insbesondere nach den sehr trübsinnigen Geschichten der Haupthandlung sowie des ersten Add-ons “The Lost and the Damned” – ist unbezahlbar. Die neuen Charaktere (Yusuf “Fucking Cobra with Wings” Amir), die Enthüllungen über die Hauptstory von GTA IV (Diamanten! Museum! Foltergolf! Bulgarin! Mori Kibbutz!) und die vielen, toll gestalteten Kleinigkeiten sind ein würdiger Abschied von Liberty City. Wer möchte, kann sich mit Basejumping, Triple-Rennen (Fallschirm/Auto/Speedboat), Tanzen oder Sex die Zeit bis GTA V vertreiben.

Mei, gut das ich das nicht alles nochmal erklären musste sondern direkt mal die coolen Trailer zum Spiel dokumentieren kann, die wieder einmal fantastische Musik mitbringen. Die folgenden Videos zeigen übrigens allesamt Cutscenes und Gameplay in Spielgrafik der XBOX360, da ist nichts vorgerendert.

Debut Trailer
“I`ve done a deal with the wrong devil, man!”
“Things got a bit crazy and… I somehow lost my pants”
(Musik: Eric Prydz – Pjanoo)

“Episodes from Liberty City”-Trailer
“There wasn´t a girl, bro!” – “There is ALWAYS a Girl”
(Musik: Roxette – She´s got the look)

“Meet Gay Tony”-Trailer
“In my days, gays used to be lonely, needy and lost. Today, there are all in relationships“

“Meet Yusuf Amir”-Trailer
“We build the pyramids, baby!”
(Musik: Busta Rhymes – Arab Money)

“Meet Luis Lopez”-Trailer
“You and meet against the world, bro. And if your brains don´t work, I´ll make the decisions.”
(Musik: Major Lazer & Turbulence – Anything goes)

“Weazel News Breaking News”-Trailer
“Parents demand school closing – claiming public education is socialism”

Armando & Hendique Trailer
“-That´s make you what? A shit grabber?”

The Fizz – Satirisches High Society Irgendwas.

Multiplayer Ankündigung Basjumping Extreme
“Nothing is more extreme than Soda. SODA!”

Princess Robot Bubblegum Trailer
Fernsehserie in GTA IV, “…where radioactive nymphomanic Killer Plants sleep with scarely adult women dressed as schoolgirls”

Yusuf Amir Cutscene: I somehow… lost my Pants

SPOILER! Endscene
“And then you got there?” “- NO. I Waited for the world to come to me.”

Czas na kolejny felieton. Tym razem o przemocy w grach, a raczej moja refleksja, czy nie powinniśmy czasem spojrzeć na gry z dystansu. Bo, jak by nie patrzeć, w grach przemocy jest naprawdę dużo. Felieton jest tylko niewielkim muśnięciem naprawdę skomplikowanej i niejednoznacznej problematyki związanej właśnie z przemocą w grach.

Felieton ukazał się pierwotnie na łamach serwisu GryOnLine.pl / tvgry.pl

I thought we were past this as a nation. “Media family values” champion Jack Thompson was disbarred from the Florida legal system a while ago, and a report from Gamasutra.com says that The National Institute on Media and the Family – NIMF, if you want to mock them – has shut down after 14 years of operation. NIMF has been extremely critical of the video game industry over these past 14 years, giving an annual “report card” of the video game industry, and I honestly feel nothing over them shutting down. They have been completely irrelevant to my life throughout their existence. This organization was never discussed around the dinner table, with praises sung by my parents, or Halo-induced rage from me. I doubt anybody in my family or circle of friends has ever heard of this group. In their 14 years of life, they accomplished nothing, except help draw attention to the “Hot Coffee mod” in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, garnering a boost in sales for Rockstar Games. They have always been irrelevant.

If they’re so irrelevant, why in the Hell am I talking about them? Well, why are all 9 of you asking questions? The answer is this: after seeing the fall of Jack Thompson, and seeing Joe Lieberman become the joke of Congress that he is, I assumed we were past this “video games are evil” kick as a nation. This has been done before, first starting with comic books, then cartoons like Road Runner and Bugs Bunny, then movies like “Natural Born Killers,” followed by television shows like “Jackass,” and finally with video games like Grand Theft Auto and Doom. So, I was led to assume that the video game industry has withstood the onslaught of “family-first” groups that have attempted to stare down so many other forms of media that are “ruining our children and our nation.”

Apparently, I was wrong. On GamePolitics.com, a study was performed by the Swiss groups Pro Juventute and Track Impunity Always(TRIAL) to “raise public awareness among developers and publishers of the games, as well as among authorities, educators and the media about virtually committed crimes in computer and videogames.” In other words, to count how many human rights violations exist in video games, and the consequences that are presented to the player. Shockingly, in the first person shooters with highly cinematic tones taking place in combat environments, there were quite a few violations of the International Humanitarian Law with little to no consequence.

Hold on, you mean to tell me a video game isn’t a realistic portrayal of life? Huh. I thought if I ran over some hookers and the police start chasing me, all I have to do to lose them is get my car repainted for a couple hundred bucks. Even if the cops watch me go into the paint shop. In the car I used to run over the hookers. Just like in Grand Theft Auto. Obviously, children should not be playing these M-rated games. In the end, it falls on the parents to guide their children in the right direction. If they allow their kids to play these games, their needs to be parental guidance involved, instead of relying on “family values” groups like NIMF.

I played some violent video games as a teen, I’ll admit. My parents watched me play some of them. They would ask questions, like “why are you shooting that guy? What’s the reason behind this?” And I would explain to them, and I made sure they knew I could tell the difference between fantasy and reality. I have had “concerned mothers” explain to me that the violent first person shooters I played as a youth influenced me to join the military. Of course, I told them no. The recruiter influenced me to join the Marine Corps, not a video game. In the conversation between my recruiter, my parents, and myself, the topic of video games, guns, violence, or the media didn’t come up once. College money, outstanding training, a secure job, and discipline were the topics discussed. Now that’s influential.

Semper I…don’t wanna die.

The DevilGeek

Unless you live under a rock by now you’re probably aware of the new video game Assassin’s Creed 2. Their ad campaign has been amazing and really one of the best I’ve seen run or a video game since the last Grand Theft Auto release. What you may not be aware of is the Ubisoft the video game developer that made Assassin’s Creed 2 also has a film division. Being the incredibly smart people that they are they went ahead and made a short film that works as a prequel to the story you play in the new game. To say that the short film is good is an understatement because it’s freaking great! The CGI of course is amazing as it was done in house by the people who made the game and that’s also why the story works so well. No need for big name actors here just great transitions, great camera work, great lighting and great acting. Sounds like it would be a Hollywood blockbuster right? It probably would be if they could get a movie like this actually made but it’s highly doubtful because if there is one thing Hollywood loves it’s runing what could be a great videogame to movie adaption(see Max Payne). Anyhow enjoy this short film in it’s entirety above and watch it in HD…fully worth the load time wait. Then go out and get the game and learn all about the Renaissance first hand.

Cheers

The Management

Last time I listed a brief history of GTA franchise showing where it started and where we have come. As I said I am not going to review the games, given that GTAIV was released over a year ago and I have not played any of the expansions to the game there is really no point.

Why has this franchise done so well?

Well like all the best games out there the GTA franchise works as well as it does because it removes you from reality for as long as you wish it too and you can be someone different, and lets face it, who hasn’t want to run around like a madman with a ak…. I mean be someone different but without having to suffer any of the trauma as a result.

The first time I played GTA I knew it was different. For a start the graphics were shit, Ridge Racer came out two years before and had superior graphics. The reason I say the graphics were so shit and feel I can get away with this is because like all the best games out there it proved you don’t need the loveliest of graphics to win an audience over, simply amazing game play and this game had it. It wasn’t a racing game and it wasn’t a FPS, it was something in between and the majority of us lapped it up.

The reason for this I feel was because it was one of the first games I remember where there was no set pattern. What did you have to do in Ridge Racer? Get a mass amount of first places to move on. What did you have to do in Street Fighter? Beat other fighters one by one. In GTA the goal was to move to another island. Not exactly an amazing goal and really very straight forward but its how you did it. Get enough cash together and you progressed. You could do this in one of two ways. Kill people and do very silly things in cars or do missions. You had the choice. Killing people and doing very silly things in cars was quicker. Missions were more honest. You had that choice to make and I think most people may not have done the missions.

For a couple of years this was the main game, top down view and that is how it stayed until GTAIII came alone and suddenly everything changed.

When it was announced GTAIII was coming out in 3d with a real breathing city myself and many friends who were hopelessly addicted to the original GTA thought this would ruin it and take away what was so good about the game to begin with. Thankfully we were proved wrong.

Now you had real people, real storylines, cars that looked amazing, real streets, real parks. In short our minds were blown. It looks crude today but when GTAIII came out it really did change everything. Missions were provided that meant something. Storyline lines felt like they are been scripted by Michael Mann or Martin Scorsese and you could honestly see people like John Travolta or Ray Winston playing parts in the games, in a way this gave credibility to the extent that games have started winning awards, who honestly thought that would have happened 20 years ago?

So, you have realism but again why is this such a big thing? Why did this make the franchise as well as it did? Personally I feel its like movies. You don’t go in to see films Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels or The Godfather because you are a gangster you fo to see them to take a peek behind the curtain to see what that world is like and anyone who says that these games (and or movies though for some reason movies can get away with a lot more without being slapped on the wrist) are the down fall of society and makes people into unstable people who will go around doing this sort of things are just nitwits who need to understand that if someone cannot see the different between fantasy and reality should probably be looked after because they may not be completely there to begin with. I don’t mean that to sound horrible to anyone with any kind of an illness, what I mean is that if a normally “rational” human being has spent half there lives looking after sick people suddenly plays a violent video game and thinks “that’s good for a laugh”, they may not have been entirely sane or rational to begin with.

But that really is a entirely different subject altogether and not one I will discuss now.

I am going to leave it there for now, I didn’t mean this to be a three party article but I have more to say and I realize this is starting to get quite long.

Last month two expansions were provided to Xbox 360 users in one package on the form of Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City.

Being a PS3 owner I have not been privy to this but that is not why I am here, I am not here to bitch of how Rockstar screwed Playstation owners, mainly because it has been done to death and also I intend to get it when I get my Xbox in the new year.

No, what I want to discuss is how after 12 years this series is still going strong. What I will say though is I am not going to discuss the games themselves; it would take too long, just the series as a whole.

As you can imagine with the shear number of games this will be split up so in this part 1 will be the history.

First of all before we go on lets quickly take a look at where we have been and what we have had:

1997 – Grand Theft Auto

Grand Theft Auto is released under the creation of DMA (soon to be Rockstar North) and Take Two Interactive. It is a top down view and would be next to Carmageddon very controversial.

1999 – Grand Theft Auto London ‘69

Essentially the same game but with some extra graphics to indicate it is set in London.

1999 – Grand Theft Auto London ‘61

Essentially the same game but with some extra graphics to indicate it is set in London.

1999 – Grand Theft Auto 2

Grand Theft Auto 2 is brought out, the graphics are improved, an introduction is put in place, gangs are introduced and more islands are produced.

2001 – GTAIII

Grand Theft Auto III (Grand Theft Auto would no longer be referred to by the full title in general but by GTA) , GTAIII was arguably the biggest game in Rockstars history. Not only was it the first game in 3d which obviously had a massive impact but storylines were introduced properly and missions had a point (previously missions were there but you didn’t really care about them) it was also one of the first games that crossed all platforms, Playstation 2, XBox, Windows, previous games had been limited to the Playstation 1 and Windows and occasionally the Game Boy Advance.

2002 – GTA: Vice City

GTA: Vice City. Not an expansion or a sequel to GTAIII but a game that used the engine of GTAIII and became a whole new game in its own right. GTAVC was based in the 1980’s and unlike the previous games with date prefixes  the date did mean something. GTAIII also had no official date attached. it was assumed it was set in a modern day New York City. Vice City had a clear time scheme and a clear location. New stories were brought in and more characters.

2004 – GTA: San Andreas

GTA: San Andreas, based on the same engine of GTA III & Vice City this game was the biggest game made so far. GTAIV is big but not nearly as big as GTA San Andreas, it has never been confirmed just how big the map is in the really world but that it is meant to be huge.  Again, the graphics were slightly improved; more options were provided such as haircuts, tattoos and changing of clothes. Some still see this as the best GTA game ever made.

2005 – GTA: Liberty City Stories

GTA: Liberty City Stories, essentially a expansion but not at the same time. This and VC stories allows you to take the role of someone who was met in the original game and play as that person.

2005  – GTA: Vice City Stories

GTA: Vice City Stories, essentially a expansion but not at the same time. This and LC stories allows you to take the role of someone who was met in the original game and play as that person.

2008 – GTA IV

GTA IV was to quote a phrase “a whole new ball game”, the graphics were the main thing to be changed. A whole new engine was developed to exploit the power of the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and of course the expanding hardware of PC’s that will always change. Of course a new story was developed.

2008 – GTA: The Lost and the Damned

The Lost and the Damned was very much the same as GTAIV and rather like Liberty City Stories, a new story but same engine as GTAIV.

2008 – GTA: The Balled of Gay Tony

The Balled of Gay Tony was very much the same as GTAIV and the same as The Lost and the Damned, a new story but same engine as GTAIV.

Well that is a very brief run down of the history. Next time in Part two I will discuss what the series has done and why we love it.

Wow! “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2″ scored record sales of $550 million in its first five days.

That number just blows my mind! I’m sure that a few of my friends helped raise that total

From Reuters:

The game, a “first-person-shooter” that lets gamers portray elite soldiers hunting down targets in locations ranging from South America to Afghanistan, beat last year’s blockbuster “Grand Theft Auto IV” from Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. which sold more than $500 million in its first week.

Activision did not say how many units were sold in the period. Last week it said it sold 4.7 million copies for sales of $310 million on its first day in the U.S. and United Kingdom alone.

Agent was revealed at Sony’s E3 conference and announced that it will be exclusive to the Sony Playstation 3 platform from prolific developer Rockstar Games in the form of Agent.  Besides a cool looking logo and a simple summary that the game would be a spy story set in the 1970s no other details were given. And of course in typical Rockstar fashion it’ll be quite some time before we see any media or learn new details on the project.

But the sharp eyes at the Superannuation blog have found some interesting info on Agent which shows that the project has been around for awhile. It seems that development on Agent has been going on for longer than we thought as the resume of a 3D modeler lists the game as a PlayStation 2 and Xbox title. The resume also lists the game as a Rockstar San Diego project which is interesting since the game is now being developed by the GTA team at Rockstar North. It’s unclear why development on Agent stopped when it was being developed on the PS2 and Xbox and why Rockstar decided to start things up again on the PS3.

The other interesting piece of info Superannuation dug up sheds some light on a potential environment in Agent.  Once again the info comes from a resume of an Environment Artist who lists his duties on Agent as being part of a team sent to Cairo to capture over 10,000 reference photos for the game.

This info is particularly interesting as it shows that Agent could be an international affair and it may be somewhat ditching the typical Rockstar format of sticking to one key sandbox location. Obviously this may not be the case as the Cairo trip was when Rockstar San Diego was working on the project so who knows what we can expect and what changes have been made since Rockstar North have taken over the project.  So if Rockstar did add Cairo locations in Agent that would be cool and unique due to the landscapes over there.

Just today, I received (what I thought) was my Xbox 360 back from Microsoft’s repair. I waited for it today after getting a notification from UPS. I excitedly signed the electronic notepad thing that you can never get your real signature down on, and took the package in!

I opened it up, and was surprised at the fact that there was a faceplate on it, as I had removed the faceplate (it’s part of sending a 360 in for repair). I read the document that came with it, and I was even more surprised to find out that I had received an entirely new console! They say they wanted to get me my system earlier, though I have the feeling that they were being a little lazy with repairing my original console. Anyway, at least I got it back a few weeks earlier than I expected, and new warranty, and a firmware update, and a months-worth of free Xbox Live Gold Membership (I’d use it if I could figure out why I can’t get connected to the network!). And I could get back to playing GTA IV, one of my favorite games for the 360, and will now be buying Episodes From Liberty City, which includes the two downloadable episodes for GTA IV (remember, I can’t get connected to live. And I want Vice City FM!).

So, that’s it. I guess I’ll be busy playing GTA IV for tonight. Not much else will be happening this week, other than going to Sears this Friday to pick up my new glasses (those were also finished earlier than I expected! How cool!).

-Tony

While kicking back brews and shooting the breeze with my pals, the glow of the TV showing whatever game we’re interested in holds our gaze.  And that’s what it’s all about with us men, so they say.  We’re “visual creatures” allegedly.  Our eyes are too big for our stomachs, and our stomachs are the way to our hearts.  Wait, I got off topic…

Oh, yeah.  During said television events, especially of late, companies have been promoting the hell out of two video games: Left 4 Dead 2 and Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City.

And all I think upon watching these previews is how much more like movies video games are becoming.  I have Unchartered 2: Among Thieves and it’s better than any action picture I’ve seen in a long time (The Dark Knight notwithstanding), and it makes me laugh…

Haven’t we as a public (well I know I have) been bitching about how much movies are starting to look like video games?  I could give two shiitake mushrooms about James Cameron’s Avatar or Robert Zemekis’ A Christmas Carol*, and they’re really no different from the games.  Except for the fact that I partake in one and watch the other… Hmm…

Perhaps men aren’t just “visual creatures” after all… We’re touchy, too.

*I do want to see 2012, and it’s as heavy a CG feast as Avatar.

Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City

GTA Episodes X360

Reviews from Customers

“WOW!!!! All i can say is….. WOW!!!!”
I totally was not expecting a game as cool as this. When i first bought this i knew that these were previous down-loadable episodes, but i definitely was not expecting so much gameplay. All together i’d say the game is either just as long or longer than GTA 4. Lost and the Damned was definitely the shortest but including Ballad of Gay Tony was genius. The missions just kept on coming. Don’t hesitate… buy this! You won’t regret it.

“Awesome – we’re getting back to the heart of GTA”
I, along with many others, was ultimately kind of disappointed with the original GTA IV. The removal of the staple elements of the GTA franchise was not good; the side service missions such as paramedic/fire/taxi, the wee remote control vehicles, the crazy cars along with the mini tracks for go karting, triple stunt points gone, and so on… and of course the loss of the planes. Heck even give me back the dodo R*! It was a big surprise to see all that gone and not a pleasant one. But when playing GTA IV you kind of felt that they had more planned for Liberty City in the future. Maybe that golfing range might be able to be used, that skateboard park might come into play and perhaps we’ll get to ride on the ferris wheel too at some point.

So with the release of TLOD and TBOGT we’re getting somewhere. Now for full disclosure I played The Ballad of Gay Tony through first even though it’s episode two, primarily because I wanted to base jump! And in TBOGT I can see Rockstar finally giving us back some of what they took away. You can indeed now play golf in that floating driving range, you can base jump off specific buildings as a challenge or indeed just buy a parachute and jump off anything you want. Tanks are back too! Rockstar are slowly making LC a more fun sandbox and I hope that continues with the release of more episodes. With regards to these two episodes, well you can’t go wrong. Both are typical GTA fare with varied missions and great story lines. I won’t go into the plots of each – do I need to? There’s some nice cross-over moments in the stories though that will make you smile!

With TBOGT you have specific optional targets to do in each mission such as a time limit or how much damage you take. The nice thing about the way this works are the new very extensive mission checkpoints, something massively lacking from GTA IV. But there’s a penalty for using a checkpoint – if you use a reload then your mission objectives aren’t saved. You can still complete the mission and continue with the story but there’s an actual incentive to replay each one and do better each time. It’s a great game mechanic that satisfies both players who prefer to blast through the game and those who wish to fine tune each play-through. Nice.

It also seems that LC’s code and graphics were fine-tuned somewhat because there’s considerably less little glitches and popups in TBOGT over TLOD and the original. But do install the game to the HD if you buy the disc version regardless of which episode you play.

All in all very satisfied that I got my money’s worth here. I’m now playing through TLOD although I still have some side mission (drug wars) to complete in TBOGT. It took me 18 hours to complete the second episode and I expect about the same for TLOD. So for about a dollar an hour entertainment this hits the mark. If you felt, as I did, that GTA IV was a step in the wrong direction for GTA then I recommend this compilation; GTA is heading back to its roots.

R* should also be commended for not allowing folks to play the episodes without the need for the original GTA disc if you buy the disc version (you’ll need the original if you DL the episodes from XBL). Helpful for those of us who put GTA IV on ebay shortly after completing it!

“One of my favorite games!!”
Im a GTA fanatic I own all their games and this one does not dissappoint. Amozon.com has the best price and with a $5.00 certificate also i cant complain. Great value!!!1

See all detials of Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City

In The Ballad of Gay Tony, players take on the role of Luis Lopez, right-hand man, bodyguard, and all around champion of Tony Prince–the game’s name-sake. The plot of TBOGT is intertwined with the plot of The Lost and the Damned and Grand Theft Auto IV. For example, the game starts off with Luis held hostage during Niko and Packie’s bank heist in down town Algonquin. Later on, Tony and Luis meet up with the Triad leadership just as Billy from The Lost MC is finishing up negotiations, no doubt taking place just before Johnny is ambushed. In fact, the game’s plot is chiefly centered around the diamonds (which Luis steals from Niko and Johnny during the museum ordeal), Grace Ancelotti, and Bulgarin from Grand Theft Auto IV.

Through Luis, players meet Yusuf Amir, a wealthy Arab from Dubai set to change Liberty City through urban planning. You may recognize his name from Grand Theft Auto IV as the “cat” Playboy X attempts to connect with by sending Niko on a mission to quell a Union problem at one of Yusuf’s construction sites. Then there’s Mori, who is actually Brucie’s older, alpha-determined, just-as-psychotic brother. The first exchange between Mori and Brucie is one of the most hysterical I’ve seen in a GTA game. It’s through Mori that I now understand Brucie’s personality, and why I now pity him as a character. Bulgarin plays a more significant role this time around, and players finally learn of his fate while tying up the story with the diamonds.

Compared to GTA IV and the previous expansion, The Lost and the Damned, The Ballad of Gay Tony is slanted less toward drawn out story and character development and more toward crazy antics reminiscent of prior Grand Theft Auto iterations and Saints Row 2. For example, the parachute is back from San Andreas and the missions are more focused on crazy stunts and wild rides, no doubt done in part to make sure players aren’t bored with “more of the same.”

The new secondary activities include an underground fight club that allows players to play with the game’s seldom used melee combat mechanic–it’s better than beating up random bums–as well as a Club Management activity, where Luis plays security in one of Tony Prince’s (Gay Tony) nightclubs. There’s BASE jumping missions using the new parachute mechanic; Drug Wars missions, my personal favorite, where players take Luis and two of his childhood friends, Armando and Henrique, on one of several different expeditions to steal drugs and money from rival drug cartels; and the tri-athlon races set-up by one of the new characters, Mori–these races have you starting off in a parachute, transitioning to boat (try to land on it), and finishing the race in a car.

New weapons include two new sub-machine guns, the P90 and a gold Uzi (full size, not the mini from GTA IV), a light machine gun (M249), C4, a new auto-shotgun with explosive shells making it the definitive anti-vehicular weapon in the game, a new powerful pistol (.44), and a new sniper rifle with a night vision scope. All of these weapons feel overpowered, but this late in the GTA IV experience and with the the crazy slant TBOGT takes away from realism, it works out just fine.

Despite the lighter plot and character development compared to the past two iterations, TBOGT is still very much a modern Houser piece. Luis’s character is the most fleshed out in TBOGT, and I almost feel sorry for him. Sure, he’s a cold blooded killer (what GTA protagonist isn’t?), but he has to put up with a lot of crap. His boss and partner Tony constantly gets the two of them into figural wrecks, forcing Luis to pull both of them out of the fire. His mother does the same with loan shark problems. He gets crap from just about everyone he meets because his boss is gay–and the portrayal of homosexuality in the game is tastefully done, at least in how Tony is written. His brother has essentially disowned him. And he’s being stalked by a crazy one-time hook-up threatening suicide with Luis as the blame. I wouldn’t want to be Luis, but it sure is a blast playing as him.

I’m curious to know what Rockstar has planned next. I’m certainly down for another adventure in Liberty City, but, at the same time I’m getting a little tired of the same setting. The Lost and the Damned allowed players a better glimpse of the somewhat underused Aldernay setting. The Ballad of Gay Tony offers a better glimpse at downtown Algonquin and the nightlife in Liberty City. I’m thinking it’s time for Rockstar to prepare us for our next destination. Vice City or Los Santos, perhaps? No matter where, as long as Rockstar continues on its path of refinement using this engine and realism-over-silliness ethos in its next title, it’ll be no doubt be another amazing experience.

En una reciente entrevista on The Times, el co-presidente de Rockstar, Dan Houser ha afirmado que todavía no han decidido donde trendrá lugar la historia de Grand Theft Auto V, y que antes de entrar en la fase de pre-desarrollo, sería necesario saber cual es la ubicación principal y sus protagonistas.

Houser también ha comentado que el guión de su próximo título podría tener unas 1.000 páginas, y que pese a las críticas, la saga GTA seguirá estando dirigida a los jugadores mayores de 18 años.

Nun ist endlich das passiert, worauf tausende Gamer rund um den Globus händeringend gewartet haben. GTA V wurde nun auf Seiten des Publishers Rockstar Games offiziell angekündigt.

Rockstar Games hat nun jeglichen Zweifel bezüglich einer Fortsetzung der erfolgreichen Grand Theft Auto-Reihe endgültig aus dem Weg geräumt. Wie es der Publisher zuletzt offiziell bekannt gab, arbeiten die Entwickler von Rockstar North bereits tatkräftig an GTA V. Viel könne man zur jetzigen Stunden natürlich noch nicht verraten, da sich das Projekt noch in den Startlöchern befinde, so Dan Houser, Gründungsmitglied von Rockstar Games, gegenüber der britischen Tageszeitung The Times.

“Derzeit werkeln unsere Entwickler am Western-Spiel ‘Red Dead Redemption’, das für den kommenden Frühling geplant ist. Das Spiel hat erstmal Vorrang. Aber trotzdem soll schon gesagt sein, dass auch die Arbeiten an GTA V begonnen haben.”

Die Meldung diene in erster Linie zur Beruhigung der Fans, die aus welchen Gründen auch immer, so langsam an einer Fortsetzung der Serie gezweifelt hätten. So wolle und könne man auf Seiten von Rockstar Games leider noch nicht viele Informationen raus rücken. Dies bringe zur solch einem frühen Zeitpunkt nur die Gerüchteküche unnötig zum Brodeln.

Weder zu den inhaltlichen Details noch zum möglichen Release-Termin des Action-Spiels möchte sich Rockstar Games äußern. Fest steht lediglich, dass sich die Entwickler derzeit Gedanken über die Stadt machen. Eine Stadt, die komplett neu sein wird, so viele Spekulanten und Analysten im Netz. Dan Houser, der bereits bei mehreren Spielen der Grand Theft Auto-Reihe als Drehbuchautor und Produzent mitwirkte, betont, dass das Drehbuch mit mehr als 1000 Seiten das Dreifache der Länge eines kompletten Spielfilms umfassen werde.

Ich werde auf jeden Fall weiter berichten sobald es neue Infos gibt und auch einen ausführlichen Spielbericht bei Release erstellen.

Del creador de Contra vs Duck Hunt, Mortal Kombat vs Donkey Kong y Sonic vs Pac-man.

Nothing is quite as good as a Grand Theft Auto game for blowing off steam. It’s almost TOO good for blowing off steam; so much so that I often find myself blowing off the missions. I usually end up finishing a couple at the beginning and just spend the rest of the time going on rampages. I find that in GTA, you need to go through a bunch of exceptionally easy/basic missions, and then a bunch of hard/frustrating missions before you arrive at the really fun missions where you get to blow lots of things up. Well, those with low attention spans REJOICE! Now you can get both GTA4 expansions on one disc known as Episodes from Liberty City, and since the two games are basically mini-GTAs you’re sure to get to the action much quicker.

Pros

If there’s one thing that made me really dislike GTA4, it was the fact that Rockstar removed a lot of awesome content that we had in San Andreas… Like several weapons and the ability to skydive. Well, Episodes from Liberty City makes up for both of those things; you just have to pay more this time around. First off, the weapons. In Lost and Damned you get possibly the most fun sawed-off shotgun of all time, pipe bombs (glorified grenades), pool cues, grenade launchers, assault shotguns, and automatic 9mms. With the exception of the sawed-off, none of these weapons really blew me away (pun intended). In Ballad of Gay Tony, however, you get some fantastic gear. You get advanced versions of the pistol, sniper rifle, SMG, and assault rifle. On top of that, you can get a shotgun with explosive rounds that can turn vehicles into exploding swiss cheese, sticky bombs (which beats pipe bombs by a landslide), and to top it off a golden SMG. Oh, and did I mention that you can parachute in Gay Tony? With all of these weapons combined, you end up having a massive arsenal that completely makes up for the loss of content GTA suffered between San Andreas and GTA4, and using all of them  on Liberty City’s unsuspecting populace gives new meaning to the word “rampage”.

This paragraph is dedicated to an element I would only consider a pro for Lost and Damned. I really dug the story in LaD; more than I’ve liked any story in a GTA game for awhile. Maybe that’s because bikers are awesome, but I think there’s more to it than that. For one, you feel more attached to the characters because you’re all in the same group. That, and the characters are just interesting. Jim makes for a perfect loyal, best friend-type character. But the one who REALLY shines is Billy, the president of the club who constantly bickers with your character about how the gang should be run. He’s gruff, mean, and possesses an unusually extensive vocabulary… He even invites a guy from a rival gang to participate in a “libation” before shooting him in the head. Anyway, I think Lost and Damned’s story is the best that GTA has seen in years, and that makes Lost and Damned very worthwhile indeed.

Since the last paragraph was dedicated to Lost and Damned, why not highlight one of Ballad of Gay Tony’s good points in this one? Gay Tony is all about the missions. Throughout the course of the game, you’ll parachute off the tallest building in Liberty City, drive around in a car with a tank full of nitro, and steal an unstoppable tank and destroy so much police property that they decide to leave you alone. If Lost and Damned surprised me with its gripping story, Ballad of Gay Tony hooked me with some amazing missions that really made me remember the downside of just going on rampages all the time.

Cons

The good points that I mentioned about both expansions are mirrored by the bad; Lost and Damned’s missions fall short of being tons of fun, and I just couldn’t get into Ballad of Gay Tony’s story. On top of Gay Tony’s less likable characters (except for Yusuf who is awesome), some of the extra content ends up being pretty lame. For one, the club management side-missions basically involve wandering around a club for a few minutes, finding and throwing out a drunk, and getting some random mission where you have to drive somewhere… Not what I imagined when I first caught wind of “Club Management”. Another disappointing aspect of Gay Tony is the dancing minigame, which is boring, too simple, and mind-numbingly easy. Other than that, though, I can’t find many bad things to say about Gay Tony; the rest of the missions are pure GTA goodness.

One thing I’d like to point out about the expansions is that they’re missing the REALLY hard missions. Though I had a little trouble with a couple of missions in Lost and Damned, I do detect an overall lack of challenge in both LaD and BoGT. Usually I’m one to shy away from games that make me want to break my controller against the nearest available surface, but these expansions never even make me half that frustrated. Oh well; at least there are the gang/drug wars, which eventually throw so many enemies at you that it’s very hard -not- to feel challenged; but couldn’t we have had that level of difficulty in the missions as well? Maybe just a fraction?

Here’s the deal

It would be a tougher call for me to endorse getting these if they existed only as downloadable content for GTA 4 (because GTA 4 wasn’t as good) but since they’re also available on a disc of their own I highly recommend them. Lost and Damned and Ballad of Gay Tony come much closer to what I envisioned for what would come after San Andreas, and though they have clearly visible flaws when apart they’re a powerhouse when taken together. Back to back they’re not QUITE as long as GTA4 is on its own, but the gang/drug wars and races should keep you entertained long after all the missions are finished. Mike D. 9/10

The Meaning And Culture Of Grand Theft Auto – Critical Essays – Nate Garrelts

Play-Fighting: Understanding Violence in Grand Theft Auto III – Tanner Higgin

-       Recent games in the GTA series have often been utilized as the primary examples of a trend of excessively illicit and deviant content saturating the medium. In conjunction, many now fear that this content will manifest itself in the player’s behaviour.

-       As James Paul Gee and other theorists now argue, the video game is more than a playful diversion, it is a tool within which incredibly intricate and highly effective processes of learning get exercised.

-       When someone plays a Grand Theft Auto game they are learning something, but how and what they are learning is still, for the most part, elusive.

-       If the proliferation of violent video games is contemporaneous with a drastic decline in violent crime, then why not study those connections too? Regardless of whether players experience more, less, or indifferent amounts of aggression during or after playing, the fact remains that the actual violent expression of this behaviour is significantly reduced outside of the game world in almost all cases. In fact, according to the US Department of Justice, violent crime rates have been steadily declining as games sales have been experiencing enormous growth

-       GTA provides a space for the player to act out and stage a performance of this type of violence in situations which reflect, distort and exaggerate those of real life yet are contained within the safety of the virtual sphere.

-       Gaming is not only a primary space of pleasure for the cultures but a space where performance is more and more a part of the discourse (Burrill)

-       Often lost in the consideration of GTA’s translation of the real world into virtual performance is the satirical critique of society that it engages in. When regarded as a tool to satirize culture, the violence of GTA suddenly seems less dangerous to individuals in society and more dangerous to the mythologies of society

-       To this end the game immerses the player in a carnival of caricature

From Stompin’ Mushrooms To Bustin’ Heads: Grand Theft Auto III as Paradigm Shift – Laurie N. Taylor

-       Popular action based games are often stripped of social relevance and divorced from their potential political and social contents, GTA3’s satirical examination of society presented a needed entry in gaming. Its satires were also important because of their myriad references. The satires did not target one particular group or event, instead acting as an inclusive social satire akin to other popular texts like South Park, with GTA using satire to critique contemporary social structures like the criminal justice system, relationships, contemporary music and capitalistic society.

Everyday Play: Cruising for Leisure in San Andreas – Timothy J. Welsh

-       The industry push to make video games more immersive has, for many producers, meant making games more true to life. Hyper realistic graphics sophisticated real world physics, expansive, fully interactive environments free from the segmentation of load screens and separated levels all serve as strategies for eliminating anything that reminds the audience that they are playing a game. This trend toward immersion through life imitation has also meant the inclusion of common, everyday activities

-       The unique freedom supposedly offered by video games has been a central, and often politicised, issue revolving around the question of who controls whom. From one perspective, when a player picks up a controller, he accepts a design, meaning system and purpose not his own, hailed in the full Althusserian sense. This is particularly true of narrative based, progressive games.

-       The product is more toy than movie, more sandbox than story. Video games are evolving into a grand anti-authoritarian laboratory. – Kevin Parker

-       In regard to the freedom the game makes available for its players, GTA offers players a great deal of activities without restricting play to any particular goal. The game contains a definitive narrative and teleological progression that they player cannot influence

-       Against the backdrop of the everyday, from which video games supposedly transport those engaged in them, GTA immerses its players in a world that resembles the monotonous daily life of modern capitalism but releases them from its pervasive responsibilities, restrictions and requirements

i liked contra mashed up with duck hunt more but still fun