News for April, 2007

Friday, April 27, 2007

Grand Theft Auto IV Preview in Official PlayStation Magazine

Posted by Adriaan at 14:09. Category: General

Two weeks ago, we reported that the Official PlayStation Magazine will feature an exclusive GTA IV preview with new shots and info in their upcoming issue.

OPM UK

Today that issue has reached the homes of a few lucky subscribers in the UK, who were kind enough to share with us the contents of the preview, containing an interview with Dan Houser and a few new screenshots. For your convenience, we have summarized it in an easy-to-read bulleted-list:

  • The main character, Niko Bellic, is in his mid-thirties "on the run from a dark past". He's not customizable as it was possible in GTA: San Andreas, but you'll be able to style him with different outfits. The reason for this is that after they got Niko's physics and look "dead right", it was difficult implementing features that will allow the customization of his body.
  • The borough, Staten Island, was not added to the game because the team decided that it would not be a fun location to play in.
  • Missions are more realistic, longer, varied, and will have multiple possible outcomes.
  • R* is still deciding whether bridges will be used to cordon off certain areas. Dan states that it's not a block for block recreation.
  • This time round they're trying to make Liberty City feel more fluid, and there not being any "dead spots" or "irrelevant space" as you drive through it.
  • There's no more loading screens when crossing islands or entering interiors; certain interiors are see-thru and you can move through them seamlessly.
  • The mob will be featured in GTA IV, just not as lead characters.
  • "Virtually none" of the characters from the previous games are returning, and a lot of them are dead anyway according to Dan.
  • More side-activities are promised, and pedestrians and traffic flow is different depending on the time of day.
  • Pedestrians are a lot more intelligent, realistic and diverse, using mobile phones, cash machines, eating snacks, reading news papers and interacting with each other through laughter, threatening remarks etc.
  • Your mobile phone can be used to set up deals or arranging ambushes - you can call the shots. More on this promised later.
  • Driving and shooting is more organic, fluid, and precise.
  • Despite earlier rumors, the game isn't trying to be photorealistic, but things such as artificial intelligence and the behaviors of pedestrians reacting to things such as a weapon being pulled out in front of them has been worked on a lot.
  • As stated before, there isn't any planes, but players will be able to pilot helicopters. The reason being that there is not enough room for flying, and crossing the map will be too fast this way. One airport is confirmed to be in the game.
  • The goal of GTA IV is to make the city look more populated than anything else people have seen before in a game like this.
  • Houser states that no-one has attempted to recreate a location of this size, and with so much detail, ever before.
  • The use of Sony's SIXAXIS controller for the PlayStation 3 has not yet been decided on.
  • As expected, there's no more pop-ups of buildings and trees as we've seen in the past.
  • Work on the game started right after the release of GTA: San Andreas in November 2004.

Thanks to Adds! Discuss this at our forums.


Monday, April 23, 2007

Game Informer's GTA IV Q&A - the answers are in!

Posted by adamcs at 22:17. Category: General

Last week, Game Informer invited GTA fans to ask questions about their recent experience at R*. Game Informer's Andrew Reiner, the only journalist so far to have seen Grand Theft Auto IV in action, promised to answer as many of your questions as he can. The answers are in...

(Interesting points: There are no airplanes in GTA IV, but flying remains a big part of the game. This means you will be able to fly helicopters. Niko can also climb telephone poles, it seems.)

  1. Kobe Asks: I heard that you can’t fly in Liberty City anymore. What is up with that?! Flying is one of my favorite parts of this series!

    This is incorrect. There are no airplanes in the game, but flying is still there. One means of this is the helicopter. As Dan pointed out, this is just one city and a plane really doesn’t fit into that very well for gameplay. Flying is still very much a large part of the game.

  2. Did you see any female pedestrians? Are there any good looking chicks?

    Sigh.... Truth be told, I’m curious why anyone would want to know this. Is this really one of the top questions? If my memory serves me correctly, I don’t recall myself thinking “man, that chick is banging” or “I find myself strangely attracted to this game”, but I can confirm that there are female pedestrians in the game. There’s a ton of ‘em, too. They shop. They talk. They even wear clothing.

  3. Did you see some indication of seasons (winter, summer, spring...)?

    Sadly, the demo that Rockstar presented was only about 15 minutes in length. Time of day definitely progresses, but whether it progresses throughout an entire calendar year remains to be seen.

  4. How is the AI? Are the enemies smarter? Can they find cover?

    This is another area that Rockstar is keeping under wraps at the moment. I can, however, tell you that I saw a truck driver swerve onto the sidewalk right in front of where we were walking. This strange little incident also took the Rockstar representatives by surprise. It almost looked like the driver was drunk, but then again, he could have just been in a hurry too.

  5. Is it possible to climb on a ladder?

    I didn’t see Niko climb a ladder, per se, but I did see him ascend a telephone pole to get a bird’s eye view of Liberty City. He didn’t climb up it like a gorilla, however. He simply pulled himself up on the series of rungs on the pole. This feat was actually quite impressive. You could clearly see his weight transfer from side to side as he moved up the pole.

  6. Can you speak with other pedestrians on the street?

    Niko seemed to have other things on his mind than talk with pedestrians. The people we passed, however, were very vocal.

  7. Chester Asks: What was the first mission in the game, and what was you first word when you saw this new game?

    I didn’t get to see the first mission in the game, but if I had to guess, I would imagine it would have something to do with the taxi stand that Niko’s cousin runs. As for my first word…I can’t print it here, but I did follow it up with “Oh my God!”

  8. Matt Asks: Did it seem to you like Liberty City was an authentically sized city? A problem that I had with San Andreas was that you could drive to a coast in two minutes. Do you think it will be different this time?

    Great question. In terms of scale, it definitely feels more like a realistic city. It feels you are traversing New York City. As you’ve seen in the trailer, there are a number of ways to traverse this massive area.

  9. We didn't see any boats in the trailer, what can you tell us about them?

    Dan wouldn’t go into specifics on this one, but the only type of vehicle he said that wouldn’t be in the game was the airplane. So this should point to boats still being a part of the GTA experience.

  10. What can you say about the graphics quality? Can you compare the trailer to the game, is the trailers quality better or worse?

    Rockstar is still putting polish on the graphics. The demo I saw was definitely a step up from the trailer…which is kind of ridiculous given how great it looked already.

  11. Can you buy properties like you could in Vice City?

    Again, no specifics were given, but Dan did say that this isn’t a game of real estate, or from rags to riches. I wouldn’t be surprised if you eventually do find new places to call home, but it sounds to me like properties might be handled in a different way – perhaps tied to moments in the story.

  12. Will there be girlfriends like in San Andreas? If yes, can you marry them?

    What is with you people and your woman-related questions. Yes, there are girlfriends. I forgot to ask if you could marry them.

  13. Zhooles Asks: Unusual vehicles. Will be there any and if will, name them please.

    Rockstar wouldn’t reveal anything in the demo, but strange vehicles are very much a part of the GTA experience. Dan said that much of the game revolves around Niko. I have a feeling that the choice of the vehicles does as well.

  14. Aaron Hall Asks: Rockstar have said that the cars in GTA IV will have all new physics to them and the camera will be closer to allow a better driving perspective of cruising Liberty city and seeing more detail on the cars.Could you please elaborate on the experience of driving best as possible and what’s new to the experience? Thanks.

    From what I was shown, the only new element was breaking the window of the car to get in. The animation for this was awesome, and something I wish I had seen more than once. The car I saw was newer in make – which was evidenced in both the beautiful crimson sheen and suspension that handled pot holes and variances in the road with ease. Now, I only saw one car, but it really did have that new car look to it. It’ll be interesting to see how Rockstar handles the shocks and struts for other vehicles in the game.

    If I had to give a comparison, I would say that the new camera angle positioning is more like Midnight Club now. It’s closer, allowing the player to see more of the minute detailing on the car, and also lower, allowing you to see more of the horizon and verticality of the city.

  15. Alex Sheridan Asks: As far as the surrounding area of Liberty City goes, what can we expect to see in things such as countryside relative to San Andreas?

    From what I am told, you will not see countryside like you did in San Andreas. I wouldn’t be surprised, however, if the expanded content that Rockstar is planning through Xbox Live will offer new areas to explore. I can definitely see them adding a fifth borough to Liberty City, but outside of this, anything is possible.

  16. Have you seen members of any mobs in the game? If yes, which? Is new Liberty City a detailed copy of NY, or just is looking like it? Are there houses enterable without loading?

    I didn’t see any mob members, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t there. Rockstar didn’t reveal everything to me. There’s still a lot of the game that remains blanketed in mystery. It is GTA, however, so I would be shocked if a mob or two or three weren’t involved. As for your second question, Liberty City is modeled after New York City, but it isn’t a copy, per se. As Dan pointed out in the magazine, the real world isn’t fun. You can’t just throw in the city and expect gameplay to emerge from that. There are certainly recognizable parts to it, but the gameplay comes first.

  17. Sacha Asks: Will characters from earlier GTAs appear in the game?

    Rockstar wouldn’t say outright, but from the smile that Dan Houser gave me, I would say there’s a good possibility of crossover.

  18. Bobby Swansom Asks: Will the player have to go to the gym and eat right as in GTA:SA?

    It doesn’t sound like Niko is the sort of person who does a lot of working out to staying in shape. From this, don’t expect him to have to work out to stay slim. As for eating, I doubt we’ll see him doing that, either. The one thing I am not sure of is whether or not he can get haircuts or buy clothing.

  19. J Asks: Is it true that there's no load time?

    I didn’t see one load in the entire demo, and this included visiting two interiors at different points on the map.

  20. Marcus Asks: What was the phone like?

    The graphic for the phone wasn’t finished just yet, so I won’t go into the detail on that, but it seemed that the interface was very simple in design and easy to use. Truth be told, it looked like a real cell phone. We just have to see if it drops as many calls as a real phone.

  21. Brenny Asks: Is it still the same three cars over and over again like previous games we've seen?

    I’m not sure which GTA you’ve played, but I have always had more than three cars to choose from. There’s a good chance you’ll see more taxi cabs than usual, but if anything, there should be plenty of rides to choose from.

  22. Gary S Writes: How are the graphics and how far is the draw distance in the game ?

    The visuals are tremendous and easily some of the best I have seen. What’s scary about this statement is that Rockstar North is still improving upon the visuals. There’s little question that it will be one of the best looking games come this holiday. As for the draw distance, I didn’t see one building, car, streetlamp, or pedestrian pop up. The framerate was also incredibly smooth and the lighting really couldn’t have been much better.

  23. Isaac "Sculay" Hussain Asks: Will there be a Xbox 360 Demo?

    Rockstar hasn’t announced anything yet, but I have a feeling most people will pick this game up whether they play it in advance or not.

  24. A Canadian Asks: I just wanted to know when GTA IV for Xbox 360 will be in stores in Quebec, Canada.

    Nope. Rockstar specifically told me that Quebec is the one location on earth that won’t be getting GTA IV. Actually, I have no idea. Call your store to find out.

  25. Matthew James Asks: Compared to previous GTA titles, how big is GTA IV?

    I already talked a lot about the city, so I will answer this question like it is being asked about the length of the game itself. I asked Dan this, and he said it should be comparable to all the other GTA games, but they don’t know exactly how long it is since the game is still in development. In other words, you’ll still be able to vest hundreds of hours. The multiplayer component, which is still a mystery, could greatly expand the time you spend with it too.

Digg this!


GTA IV Fan Video 'GTAQATSI' Released

Posted by Adriaan at 03:53. Category: General

Right now as far as GTA IV news updates goes, we're going through a real "calm before the storm". Stay tuned though, the next magazine preview that we know of will come from OPM that goes on sale next week, May 2nd, in the United Kingdom. To keep us busy until then, Jordan from our partner site, PlanetGTA, released yet another Grand Theft Auto video.

You might remember a few weeks back he released the GTA Wii Trailer as an April fools joke, which in fact did fool a few people. Since then, he's worked on something much bigger than that.

Most of you will probably not know that the song used in the first GTA IV trailer is from the 1982 documentary film Koyaanisqatsi, with the actual song composed by Philip Glass. To view a segment of the film, view this YouTube video.

Based on Koyaanisqatsi, the GTA video follows this concept and uses footage from previous Grand Theft Auto titles to recreate this portion of the film. Here's the description...

How do you convey to someone the dramatic leap between the old GTA games and GTA IV? What do you do if you want to be as effective as possible? What do you do to give people the maximum visual possible experience and take it to the next level?

The first trailer for Grand Theft Auto IV contained a song called 'Pruitt Igoe' from the 1982 film KOYAANISQATSI. The style of the trailer mimicked the 'Pruitt Igoe' portion of the film. The aim of the following video is to recreate that portion of the film using GTA III, Vice City and San Andreas.

Now, onto the actual video. There's an array of links where you can get this from, also be sure to check out the discussion topic on our forum over here and leave a comment if you like.

Download Links: Game Trailers, Google Video, YouTube and PlanetGTA (720 x 480)
Discussion: GTAForums


Friday, April 20, 2007

Liberty City will [NOT] be a lot bigger than you think

Posted by Adriaan at 00:44. Category: General

When I saw this earlier today I decided not to post about this, but since then it made a popular trip around the web, including popular gaming blogs and social news website Digg.com.

While GamesRadar brought us news today of another upcoming magazine preview on GTA IV - Play in the UK - they posted another article on how large they think the map would be by plotting landmarks seen in the trailer and screenshots, as well as ones they presume to be in the game, on a real world map using Google Maps.

GTA IV Google Mapped

Now, obviously anyone would know that the actual game map wouldn't be as large as they show it to be, right? And if they had to do the same with San Andreas and Vice City they'd end up with much larger maps than the actual ones seen in the games?

We figured it's pretty self-explanatory and decided not to post, but seeing popular and reliable blogs posting this and not spotting this clear mistake, as well as making its way to Digg we thought that we'd put this up for the misinformed. Obviously the Liberty City seen in GTA IV is a scaled down version of the actual New York City map, moreover they're making it more unique as they did previous GTA games, and not modeling the city of New York here.

For a more accurate representation of Liberty City in GTA IV, albeit just Algonquin (Manhattan), take a look at this map made by Tibatonk on our forums.

Games Radar Google Map's GTA IV: Read Here
More accurate version: View here

(Good thing they didn't do this in 2004, seeing as though San Fierro has a landmark based on something on the other side of the world. Now that would've been a map!)


Thursday, April 19, 2007

GTA VI in Next Month's PLAY Issue

Posted by adamcs at 15:40. Category: General

Oops?

PLAY

Source: GamesRadar


Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Game Informer GTA4 Q&A

Posted by adamcs at 19:07. Category: General

Game Informer’s Andrew Reiner (the only journalist so far to have to played Grand Theft Auto IV) is accepting questions about his experience, and he will do his best to answer as many of them as possible. From the GI site..

"We're gearing up for a huge Game Informer Unlimited, and we’re betting you have a lot of questions about the May World Exclusive Cover Story about Grand Theft Auto IV. There’s only one person at Game Informer that has actually seen the game in action, and that’s Game Informer’s Andrew Reiner.

"So what do you want to know about Rockstar’s latest creation? Ask Reiner! We’re not going to guarantee Reiner will be able to answer all of your questions, but he’s going to try!

"Send an e-mail to [email protected] with all of your Grand Theft Auto questions, and we’ll have a list of questions and answers in the May 2007 edition of Game Informer Unlimited (which launches Monday, April 23rd).

"Feel free to add your name, age, and location if you want to be credited with your question. If you want to be anonymous, that’s fine too! Just let us know.

"All of the Ask Reiner About Grand Theft Auto IV Questions will be cut off at 5pm CST on Thursday, April 19th. What are you waiting for? Send all of your Grand Theft Auto IV questions to [email protected]!

Remember he can only tell us about what he saw, so don't waste your time asking about multiplayer or whether there will be a PC version etc, because he doesn't know. Thanks to Jordan from our partner site for the heads up. Discussion as always is at our forums.


Saturday, April 14, 2007

GTA IV Real-World Comparisons

Posted by adamcs at 02:02. Category: General

How well does Liberty City compare with the real world? At our forums, there is a thread titled "Laying out Liberty City", where members such as Tibatonk are attempting to compare buildings shown in the trailer with their real-life equivalents, and draw up a map based on their findings. We have been working hard over the past few days to compile a list of all the visual comparisons in GTA4, and this is what we have managed to come up with.

Astor PlazaAstor Plaza
Astor Plaza Comparison (click to see more)

Remember that you can register free at our forums, and contribute your own findings to this topic.


Tuesday, April 10, 2007

GTA4 World Premiere Preview Reaches Subscribers

Posted by adamcs at 14:21. Category: General

The May issue of Game Informer (which has a 10-page Grand Theft Auto IV world exclusive preview) is beginning to reach the homes of subscribers. See GTAF for more details.

"One of our biggest goals early in development is that it should feel different than any other game. It shouldn't be 'Oh, here's a really good looking but stiff character.'"
- DAN HOUSER, VICE PRESIDENT OF ROCKSTAR GAMES

Full Summary of the Preview

  • The protagonist's name is Niko Bellic - an Eastern European immigrant who has come to Liberty City to live the "American Dream." The game is set in Liberty City in 2007, but it is bigger than the Liberty City we saw in GTA III.

  • The GTA 4 equivalent of the Statue of Liberty is called the Statue of Happiness, and DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) is known as BOABO (Beneath the Offramp of the Algonquin Bridge Overpass).

  • Game Informer
  • In Grand Theft Auto IV, Rockstar have recreated 4 of the 5 boroughs in New York, as well as part of New Jersey. Broker is the GTA IV equivalent of Brooklyn, Manhattan is now called Algonquin, Queens is now Dukes, the Bronx is Bohan, and New Jersey is Alderney. The map is smaller than San Andreas, but considerably more detailed. No countryside or desert, we are led to believe.

  • Pedestrians are far more realistic in GTAIV than in previous GTA games - they sit on benches, smoke cigarettes, read books and generally act like any real pedestrian would in the middle of a street.

  • The screenshots in the preview are not representative of the final quality of the graphics, Rockstar insist. The game will only look better as the release draws closer..

  • Niko was persuaded to move to Liberty City by his cousin Roman, who claimed to be living a wonderful life there with two beautiful women, fifteen sports cars, and lots of money etc, but he was infact telling a lie in order to hide his own failures. Roman is the only person you know in Liberty City at the beginning of the game, and he becomes one of your major connections at the start. Niko is a tough character whereas Roman is friendly. Roman is heavily in debt and a lot of people are after him - he needs Niko's support. They are constantly bickering.

  • The demo (which was played on Xbox 360) begins with Bellic standing inside of the taxi depot, which Roman operates in the borough of Broker in a converted industrial garage. Roman works at a cluttered desk in a shabby environment, and at this point the graphical improvements are extremely evident. Bellic walks to a brownstone house in Broker, where he pushes open the door and pulls out a pistol. The living room however, is not occupied. He then moves onto the kitchen, which he also finds to be empty. He pushes his way through the back door and smashes the window of a red four-door car using his elbow. The broken glass falls onto the street and onto the seat of the car, as Bellic unlocks it from the inside. He hotwires the car and sets off to his next destination. The camera angle behind the car is closer to the vehicle than in previous GTA titles, which enables more detail on the car to be seen. After selecting a radio station, Bellic navigates to a section of the BOABO arriving at a dockside with a terrific view of the city skyline. Pigeons can be heard in the sky, and waves can be heard rustling in the water. Bellic then pulls out his cellphone which has options for Phonebook, Messages, Organizer and Camera on it's LCD screen. He selects Phonebook, and he is then presented with another set of options: City Contact, Docks Friend, and Cab Contact. After a brief conversation he informs the reciever to meet him at the docks.

  • As Bellic walks, you can feel the weight behind each step he makes. Variations in the terrain cause realistic changes in the walking animation. The physics have also improved and character movements are more realistic.

  • In previous GTA games you were like a slave because you had to constantly take orders from people when doing missions. There is still an element of that in Grand Theft Auto 4, but you can also choose how you want to spend your time, for example "I want to hang out with him and her. I want to hang out with this guy because he always has fun things to do." Call him up and maybe you can hang with him. Maybe he'll answer. You have a lot of choice over what you want to do.

  • In GTA 4, Rockstar is giving its players more freedom, more choice, and more sense of control over their destiny - the structure of GTA4's storyline is quite different to it's predecessors as it can be told in a number of different ways. You can talk to people in person, by cell phones, and there are a bunch of other ways of giving the player information. In general it's a different experience, with new ways of interacting with the characters and the game world.

  • Rockstar consulted crime experts and ex-policemen when making the game, and they learned that being a criminal is a lot harder these days than it was during the 80s and 90s (for example) and they have tried to reflect this in the game. This means you can expect to see a lot of people getting arrested - the police are a heavy presence in Liberty City.

  • There are no planes in GTA IV because there is only one city, and Rockstar want the game to seem realistic. That means there will be no rollerblades, no unicycles, probably no jetpacks and indeed no planes. Rockstar are giving choice and variety which feels right for the character. However there will be motorbikes.

  • Rockstar North is approaching the recruitment of voice actors in a different way. This means that we will probably hear less familiar voices in GTA 4, as R* are looking for voices which suit the attitude of the characters, and are not just looking for big names. A similar approach is being done with the soundtrack - Rockstar are looking for great music which works with the 2007 Liberty City.

  • After an initial load sequence, the game will never load again. Not even during exterior-interior transitions (and vice versa).

  • Both versions of the game (Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3) will likely be identical, but the Xbox 360 version will have exclusive downloadable episodic [sizeable] content. Rockstar have now spent over 3 years developing the game, and Dan Houser compares the leap from GTA III to GTA IV, to the leap from GTA to GTA III.

  • GTA IV will have multiplayer, but it's not going to be a massively multiplayer online game, says Dan Houser. They are trying to make something that is interesting, fun, progressive and which goes along nicely with the single-player game.

We'd like to thank demologik for providing all of this information on our forums. Discuss the contents of the preview at our forums and remember to digg this!


Saturday, April 07, 2007

OPM GTA IV Preview Coming Soon

Posted by adamcs at 15:42. Category: General
Preview Coming Next Month

Yesterday, one of the users at our forums informed us that the upcoming issue of Official PlayStation Magazine (OPM) will have a massive feature on GTA IV, which will go on sale in the United Kingdom on May 2nd.

We contacted OPM's editor Tim Clark to clarify that this is not simply a feature on last week's trailer, and he confirmed that we can expect to see brand new exclusive GTA 4 screenshots and info, so if you are able to find this magazine in your area, be sure to pick it up. Stay tuned as GTA4.net will provide a summary of the preview and a roundup of all the new details as soon as we get our hands on it.


Another (Possible) GTA IV Soundtrack Leak

Posted by DigitalD at 01:21. Category: General

The local evening post gazette from Lancashire has published an interview with a musician called Kurgan Merrick. Among his listing of future projects, he mentions that he has been contacted to record a song for "the latest Grand Theft Auto game" soundtrack.

"I was contacted by someone who has heard my songs on the website. They wanted a track they could use on the car radio as people are driving round the game."

This is the second leak so far concerning possible music for the next GTA, with the first being the band Breakdown, as mentioned in a previous news post. Rockstar remains predictably tight-lipped when it comes to any discussion of the Grand Theft Auto 4 soundtrack. Make of it what you will, and for some samples of the artist's music, visit Kurgan Merrick's website.

Discussion topic is available on the forums.


Tuesday, April 03, 2007

GTA IV set in 2006 or beyond?

Posted by Adriaan at 16:11. Category: General

While vehicles in the first trailer for GTA IV suggests a time period of around ~2005, PatrickW on our forums pointed out something very interesting.

One of the notable landmarks that can be seen in the trailer is the Hearst Tower, which in real life is located at West 57th Street on Eighth Avenue to the south of Central Park. As PatrickW pointed out, this tower was finished in early 2006. Could this be a more clear indication that the game is set around 2006 or beyond? We'll wait for the upcoming preview from Game Informer for more information and bring it to you as soon as possible.


Hearst Tower in GTA IV
Hearst Tower in GTA IV

Related: Wiki, Old Building, Discussion


Monday, April 02, 2007

Forums Overview and GTA IV Tidbits

Posted by adamcs at 11:29. Category: General

Since the release of the GTA IV trailer last week, some interesting topics have emerged on our forums.

  • Some members are attempting to compile a vehicle list based on what was revealed by the trailer. The blue car shown in the second scene has sparked a massive debate over its source of inspiration, and so with people unable to agree on a model, we decided to hold a vote. 20% of voters believe the car is based on an MB SLK 230 Knock-Off, whilst 16% believe it is a VW Golf and 34% believe it is based on an option that was not listed in the poll. The closest model we believe, however, is the MB SL550R, which only 8% agreed with. In some shots, Chrysler 300C-type cars are clearly visible, whilst a Chevrolet Impala is seen in this one. Meanwhile the train - would you believe it - is based on a train. Or so we are led to believe.

  • Laying out Liberty City. In this thread, members including myself are attempting to map-out Liberty City based on the position and shadows of the buildings in the trailer. This map was produced by Bret_HartvsSting, and you can read his [rather in-depth] analysis of the map here. The map below, meanwhile was created by myself.

  • Jordan from our partner site PlanetGrandTheftAuto has produced an extensive shot-by-shot breakdown of the trailer, which he kindly spamvertised posted on our forums. It is being constantly updated with every new piece of info that is found, so if you have any suggestions then be sure to let him know.

  • Will Liberty City be the only city? The immediate reaction following the release of the trailer was one of disappointment to many fans, who expected two or three or possibly more cities in GTA4, or at the very least a city we have never experienced before. Though personally I believe Liberty City will be the only city in GTA 4 (and I'd be happy with that, considering how drastically different it looks to the Liberty City of old) some fans are refusing to rule out the possiblity of a second city appearing in the game. We held a vote which asked "do you think Liberty City will be the only city in GTA IV?" and the overwhelming majority (76%) believe the answer is No. One member, epoxi, spotted a resemblence between the flyUS ads seen in this shot, and the flybe logo which belongs to a British and European airline. Perhaps this could hint at a European-inspired setting, either in GTA IV or in the next GTA? Some members also noticed a number "10" on the artwork released by Game Informer (which digi mentioned on Friday) which resembles the front door at No. 10 Downing Street - home of the British Prime Minister in London, of course. Clutching at straws, maybe? Who knows.

  • Anyone else f*cking glad it's not London? A lot of people were expecting a London-inspired setting in GTAIV, but it doesn't look as if they are getting it. According to a poll we posted, 61% (274 people) are glad that the game isn't set in London, whilst 25% expressed disappointment, and 13% don't care where it is set. The topic has - as you'd expect - escalated into a Britain vs. America debate bickering contest.
Liberty City?
Fan Made Map of Liberty City

To take part in any of these discusssions you must register (free) at our forums and validate your account. Since it began in 2001, GTAForums has accumulated over 140,000 members and over 2,500,000 posts. We look forward to seeing you there.


Sunday, April 01, 2007

GTA IV Wii Announced with Trailer

Posted by Adriaan at 12:31. Category: General

UPDATE: April Fools!

Rumors have been going on the past few months of Grand Theft Auto IV making its way to the Nintendo Wii. Reggie Fils-Aime, President of Nintendo America, has been pushing Take-Two for a Wii port of the game. It seems his hard work paid off, early this morning a trailer was added to the press website of Rockstar Games announcing GTA IV for the Wii. Because the Wii is not powerful enough to render the same graphics as the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions, it seems as though they've gone with the old engine or perhaps an edited version of it.

View Trailer: Game Trailers, Google Video
Discussion: GTAForums


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