IGN have posted the second part of their huge feature which began on Saturday, which looks at the making of Grand Theft Auto IV. This time it's 9 pages long, and they talk to Dan Houser and Aaron Garbut about various aspects of the gameplay including multiplayer and downloadable content. Be sure to check it out along with the 5 new screenshots they have added to their gallery.

New screenshots at IGN (5 in total)

Link: IGN: GTA IV: Pushing the Limits (and Part 1 if you missed it). Thanks to chris76 for the heads up!

In other news, a reminder from R* that tomorrow (April 1st) is the deadline for all entries in the Liberty Swingers Season Ticket Sweepstakes. For more information, and to enter the contest, go here.

Approximately two months ago, I pitched an idea to the rest of the staff here at GTANet: we should make a podcast. It took a few weeks to get underway, but we finally got around to recording our first episode. (It was crap.) So we gave it another try... and it was better. Now we're going even further with the third episode of the GTA Network's official podcast, the GTA Netcast.

From here on out, we'll be broadcasting the recording session live over USTREAM.TV once a week. (The regular audio-only podcast will then be released the following day (give or take) after editing and cleanup has been done.) Thanks to the live stream, you'll be able to listen to us in real time, all while watching little ol' me host the show from my apartment. Fun stuff, eh?

Check out the GTA Netcast channel on USTREAM.TV to join in on the conversation and become part of the GTANet podcast! Don't forget to check out the GTA Netcast topic on GTAForums, while you're at it.

Thanks for checking out the broadcast! We'll be posting up an edited version of the podcast ASAP. Cheers!

According to MCV, Grand Theft Auto IV has been rated 18 in the UK by the British Board of Film Classification. If the report is true, it would come as no real surprise, as all of the previous Grand Theft Auto games were rated 18. Confirmation is expected to appear shortly on the BBFC website.

Link: MCV.co.uk (thanks to devil_spawn666 for the info.)

The latest issue of Australian magazine ZOO contains photographs of one of their journalists playing GTA IV on a large TV screen. As expected, the HUD is minimal, and the only thing that's permanently visible is the radar. The radar is surrounded by two semi-circles representing health and armour. Everything on the radar is translucent except for the roads. Things like weapons and wanted stars only appear when you are changing weapons or when you obtain a wanted level, we presume.

The latest issue of ZOO has a short preview of GTA IV.

Thanks to Amunication and GOURANGA!! for posting this information at our forums.

Three new [official] GTA IV illustrations have emerged on GameWallpapers.com.

Full-size wallpapers available at GameWallpapers.com

Thanks to nevermikel from the forums for bringing this to our attention.

IGN got an opportunity to interview Dan Houser (Rockstar's VP of Creative) and Aaron Garbut (Rockstar North's Art Director) about the making of Grand Theft Auto IV. You can read the first part of the feature now, which contains 11 pages in total. It discusses the origins of the storyline, the creation of Niko Bellic, the new dynamic relationship system, and lastly the setting - what went into building Liberty City.

Aaron Garbut and Dan Houser

"The fundamental other change, it's difficult to talk about this because people get very confused about what we're saying and to think it's multi-branching... There are plenty of sections of the story when you manipulate outcomes and have choice over the outcome as the player, some of which fundamentally change the story, but it's not like there's 10,000 different options because, again, that wouldn't make sense for the character, where he is in the world because he's fundamentally being pushed around by more powerful people. But you have plenty of good points where it makes sense logically, in terms of the choice you're given and narratively, you get to make choices and that's kind of a fun twist on a GTA game."

- Dan Houser

Some other interesting points are mentioned, for example Houser says that New York was chosen as the setting because Rockstar had never "tried" to do New York before. He states the previous Liberty City was only loosely based on New York, and contained elements from other cities on the East Coast such as Boston and Philadelphia. The primary aim of GTA III (according to Houser) was to create a 3D world and not to create an accurate representation of New York City - which is what they're trying to do now with GTA4.

The second half of the interview will be released on Monday and covers the gameplay aspects of GTA IV. Thanks to raooul_duke for the heads up.

Link: IGN: GTA IV: Building a Brave New World

The Rockstar webmaster has just sent over some additional screenshots from the montage near the end of trailer 4. These aren't direct captures from the trailer - they are the original high-resolution screenshots. Enjoy:

View the rest of the 'Additional Screenshots' in our gallery (10 in total).

More about the soundtrack...

Hot on the heels of the Rockstar Games Social Club announcement comes further news of its functionality. Rockstar Games has joined forces with Amazon to provide a music download service for the Grand Theft Auto IV soundtrack.

Any currently playing track in the game can be 'marked' for future reference, by means of the personal assistant / mobile phone gadget in Niko's possession. As we have highlighted previously, the mobile phone will be one of the main ways of keeping contacts and receiving missions in the game. A dial at any time to the number 'ZIT-555-0100' will return the title of the track that is currently playing. Users registered in the Social Club network will also receive a link to download the track, free of DRM protection, from Amazon.com.

Never failing to secure smashing soundtracks for their games, Rockstar has clearly been able to pitch an online music store concept to its recording label partners. Generating cash flow after the initial purchase of the game in this manner definitely constitutes "an innovative new revenue stream for artists." (Ronn Werre from EMI Music) We expect there will also be a soundtrack CD sold separately, as has been the case with previous Grand Theft Auto titles.

Source: Yahoo!

The fourth and final GTA IV trailer, called "Good lord what are you doing?" (AKA "Everyone's a rat") has been released over on the official website. Head over there for the HD version and other downloadable formats. You can also view a collection of stills in our screenshot gallery.

In addition, Rockstar were kind enough to send us this exclusive screenshot from the new trailer. Thanks guys!

Discuss your thoughts on the new trailer at our forums. Remember that registering is entirely free. GTA IV is only just over a month away!

To coincide with the release of GTA IV, Rockstar will be launching a brand new website called the Rockstar Social Club. Registration for the club opens up on April 15th (mmm, tax day here in the US..), and it will apparently feature all kinds of multiplayer leader boards and stat tracking.

On top of the standard multiplayer ranking stuff, a press release sent out by Rockstar lists the following features.

• LCPD Police Blotter - A virtual map and tracker of single-player criminal activity logged in Liberty City from the aggregated data of millions of connected players - showing the most dangerous areas of town, most commonly used weapons and more.
  
• The Story Gang - This special single-player leaderboard recognizes players who complete Niko Bellic's main story arc of Grand Theft Auto IV - The leaderboard ranks players according to the total amount of playing time it's taken to complete the story, as well as a historical rank by who has completed it first. Members of this club will receive special online widgets and merit badges marking all of their in-game accomplishments.
  
• The 100% Club - Watch to see who will be the first to complete 100% of the game. The first ten people to be identified on the Social Club as reaching 100% will be sent an ultra-rare commemorative 'key to the city' to mark their accomplishment. In the future, the 100% Club will then carry a historical leaderboard showing rankings of who has completed 100% of a game in the shortest span of playing hours.
  
• The Hall of Fame -- This area will dynamically recognize those singularly elite players who have reached the top of the hill on various statistical leaderboards, and will also contain a personal awards display of special in-game landmarks and successes in Social Club competitions.
  
• The Liberty City Marathon -- A ranking of special physical milestones achieved in the game - from the amount of miles walked, driven, or swam - to the number of bullets fired and stunt-jumps jumped. There will be additional special marathon-based competitions in the future from this area as well.

Hat tip to 1up.com.

Rockstar have sent us the screenshots that featured earlier this month on EvilAvatar and MTV. You can view these screenshots - in addition to over 200 other screenshots - in our gallery.

Click here for more GTA IV screenshots.

Thanks Rockstar!

Tonight's new trailer (titled "Good lord, what are you doing?" AKA "Everyone's a rat") will go online at 10 PM GMT (6 PM EDT) on the official GTA IV website. This will be the final trailer before the game is released next month.

In other news... this month magazines got to preview GTA 4 multiplayer, and now the online press are getting their turn. The UK websites will visit R* HQ on April 3rd to play it, and the articles will be posted [probably] around a week or two after that. From what we understand, all the media folk will be competing against each other, so it's IGN versus Kikizo versus CVG versus GameSpot versus a bunch of other sites. Who will come out on top?! Erm, find out soon I guess. Thanks to Kikizo for the heads up.

Discuss your expectations for the new trailer here.

Official Xbox Magazine (USA) has a new seven-page GTA IV multiplayer preview in its latest issue. The preview contains two new pieces of artwork, and eight new screenshots. Here are some points worth mentioning from the preview:

GTA IV Multiplayer. Click here for more screenshots.

• Jeronimo Barrera, a senior developer at Rockstar, says it takes testers playing 4 hours a day "a good 2 weeks to get through the whole single-player game."
• Rockstar's Steve Hahnel says the ambition of GTA IV is the reason the game was delayed. Multiplayer was one of the main things responsible for the delay. Gameplay needed to be balanced, and "an authentic Liberty City had to be created for 16 players to explore and destroy simultaneously."
• In multiplayer, as stated previously, the host gets to decide on a number of options such as weather, vehicle types, spawn location, etc. The host also gets to decide if auto-aim can be used.
• Health, armour and cash pickups are available during multiplayer. The cash determines your online rank - from 0 to 10. Kill people and steal their money to boost your online credibility.
• You can wander anywhere during multiplayer, but if you die you will respawn in the area that the host has set.
• You can't play as Niko during multiplayer, but you can create your own character (male or female) using different clothing.

Thanks to MONGOOSE 360 for the information! As always, you can discuss this info at GTAForums.

Xboxworld.nl has a new multiplayer preview online, with eight new screenshots in total. They have also uploaded twenty-one screenshots which featured recently in magazine previews. You can see all of these screenshots in our gallery. There doesn't appear to be any new details in the preview itself.

Thanks to ArcticMoon on the forums for the heads up.

PLAY Magazine

UK-based PLAY Magazine is the latest magazine to get their hands on Grand Theft Auto IV. They have an eight-page multiplayer preview in their latest issue. There are no new screenshots, but there are some interesting (mostly minor) new details:

• Multiplayer can be accessed via your mobile phone during single-player. Select the 'Multiplayer' option and from there you can select game types and send invites for your friends to join you.
• The host can control things like time of day, vehicle classes (specifically for GTA Race mode), weapon types, traffic, the location of the match, the weather type and choose whether the game will feature police or not.
• As mentioned previously, you can customise your online character. You start off with basic modifications such as sunglasses, hats, tops, trousers and so on, but the more you play the game, the more options you unlock.
• PLAY Magazine saw a random pedestrian spraying graffiti on a shop. Pedestrians now have purpose. There are more unique moments.
• Each game mode can support differents numbers of players, with 16 being the maximum. Click here for a summary of the eight game modes which PLAY got to experience.

Be sure to pick up a copy if you see one, it's well worth the read. Thanks to DeeperRed for the info.

And in other news, be sure to check out our new Music page, which details all of the game's radio stations that we know about so far.

With just six weeks until the game comes out, the guys over at GamePro are getting a little worried that there haven't been any "real" screenshots..

The newly released screens by way of the game's official website seemingly depict cut sequences only, as have other images released so far.

...

It is common practice in the video game industry to promote the best-looking game shots, which are almost always pre-rendered cut scenes. Though usually, in-game shots are also released as a game's launch date nears.

Pre-rendered cut scenes? Umm, guys, I hate to break this to you, but GTA hasn't used pre-rendered cut scenes since the little slide shows between levels in the first top-down game. Everything you see in the screenshots is rendered by the game engine. In fact, half the screens are gameplay; they just disable the HUD and use a cinematic camera angle to make them look pretty.

But, yea, it's a good thing Rockstar only shows the game to Authorized Journalists like this, right? After all, we wouldn't want any idiot fansites starting insane rumors about things they don't understand..

And in other news, the Florida Supreme Court has sanctioned our old friend Jack Thompson. After Mr. Thompson filed mountains of strange filings (complete with cartoon kangaroos and porn), the Court issued a show cause order asking him to explain why they should allow him to keep abusing the system. It seems they weren't satisfied by his response though, and have now barred him for filing any suits himself. As such, if he plans another stunt to block the release of GTA IV like he did with Bully, he'll have to hire another lawyer to represent him. Good luck with that.

On top of that, there's a Florida Bar trial under way where they will decide whether to revoke his license to practice law altogether. Given that his antics there are nearly as odd as his courtroom shenanigans, the outcome is likely to be similar.

R* have updated the official GTA IV website with new music details, new wallpapers and a brand new selection of screenshots, which you can now see in our gallery. Here is the full list of updates:

• Music section - K109 The Studio.
• Music section - WKTT Talk Radio.
• Screenshots section updated - 18 screenshots (5 brand new, 13 appeared in magazines before).
• New wallpapers - Action series.
• Rockstar Recommends: April NYC Music Events Series.

See all the new screenshots in our gallery (18)

Don't forget there is a new trailer coming next Thursday (March 27th) called "Good Lord, What Are You Doing?" (AKA "Everyone's a Rat"). Discuss all the new information and the upcoming trailer at our forums. Registering is fast, free and easy, and allows you to instantly reply to any topic on the forums.

Link: Official Grand Theft Auto IV Website

With little more than a month remaining before the launch of Grand Theft Auto IV, the game has reached yet another major milestone on its road to release: a proper rating. Earlier today, the ESRB officially dropped the "Rating Pending" emblem with the all-too-familiar "M for Mature" badge of honour.

For the sake of comparison, we've compiled a handy listing of all Grand Theft Auto ESRB ratings, from Grand Theft Auto straight through to Grand Theft Auto IV. Nothing like a bit of nostalgia, eh?

EvilAvatar.com (anyone ever heard of this site? No, neither have we :-( ) have a new exclusive GTA IV screenshot over at their forums. It shows Niko on a bike riding through the Liberty City subway.

Portuguese magazine Bgamer is the latest magazine to preview Grand Theft Auto IV. Most of the information is already known, but there are one or two points worth mentioning:

• You can search "by photo" on the LCPD computer, using photos taken on your mobile phone.
• The other islands are blocked off initially due to a "terror threat".
• The magazine asked R* if there are any Portuguese communities in Liberty City. R* told them to drive to an area in North Alderney, and when they arrived there were various Portuguese flags and posters.
• When a car alarm is triggered, police units in the area will be aware of it.
• R* confirmed that car customization is not possible in GTA IV.

Thanks to uni @ GTAPT for the info.

German magazines MAN!AC and GamePro have new previews of GTA IV in their latest (April) editions. Most of the information is old, but they did manage to reveal there is a radio station in the game called Beat 102.7, which is certainly new to us. Thanks to GTA-Xtreme.de for the info.

Perhaps this is one of the stations we will learn more about when Rockstar Games update the "Music" section of the official website on March 20th?

Related Link: GTAForums Topic.

US retailer GameStop are running a GTA IV contest beginning on March 24th, which involves four grand prize winners receiving a trip to New York City (where Liberty City is based on) and a chance to win $10,000. Go here for more details.

Related Link: GTAForums Topic.

In anticipation for the extensive coverage we expect to see within the next few weeks, we've decided to launch our Multiplayer section a tad earlier than planned. This section of the site is currently a mixture of both confirmed details and speculated details; as time goes on, however, we'll build up the Multiplayer section to be much more thorough and complete.

We have also added a new(ish) screenshot to our gallery. You may recognize this particular screenshot from our earlier coverage of the Spanish GTA IV pre-release box.

The April 2008 issue of Games Aktuell began reaching subscribers in Germany today. As we told you yesterday, it contains an 8-page preview of GTA IV's multiplayer system, and the front cover contains a new artwork of Roman Bellic's girlfriend "Mallorie".

The screenshots in the preview are the same as those found in PSM Spain, so unfortunately there is nothing new. The information is mostly the same also.

Link: GTAForums Topic.

Rockstar have just updated the "Updates" section of the official website. It appears we have some new stuff to look forward to, including a new trailer...

COMING 20TH MARCH:

• Music Section Update.
• Screenshots Section Update.
• Downloads Section Update.

COMING 27TH MARCH:

• New Trailer: "Good Lord, What Are You Doing?" aka "Everyone's a Rat" (this is the last trailer before the game is released)

Related Link: GTAForums Topic.

The latest issue of PSM Spain has a new article on Grand Theft Auto IV, with 20 new screenshots and the first details on GTA IV's multiplayer system. Here is a list of the new information, which is being updated constantly:

• There are 15 multiplayer game modes in GTA IV. PSM had an opportunity to play 7 of them. The rules of each game are determined by the host.
• Multiplayer supports upto 16 players.
• Your online character is fully customizable. You can alter his race, sex, hair, clothing etc.
• The game modes featured are as follows:
  
  
  PSM Spain has all the first details on GTA IV's multiplayer system.
  1. Hangman's NOOSE
  2. Car Jack City
  3. Bomb da Base
  4. Bomb da Base II
  5. Mafia Work
  6. Team Mafia Work
  7. Deathmatch
  8. Team Deathmatch
  9. Turf War
  10. Cops n Crooks
  11. Race
  12. GTA Race
  13. Deal Breaker
  14. Free Mode
  15. (some other mode?)
• In Race and GTA Race, the host gets to decide which vehicles are involved, and the number of laps to be played. You can shoot and throw molotovs from the window, and even steal your rivals' car.
• In Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch, the host gets to decide whether the police can intervene or not. The host also gets to decide the number of pedestrians, the amount of traffic, and the type of weapons.
• In Cops n Crooks, one team play as cops and the other play as criminals. The cops must stop the criminals from escaping. They can monitor the locations of the criminals on their GPS systems, while the criminals have no idea where the cops are.
• In Mafia Work and Team Mafia Work, you play as one of Kenny Petrovic's mafia henchmen. You must complete hits ordered by the boss (via the cellphone) before your rivals are able to do so.
• A single-player mission called "Hangman's NOOSE" features co-op. You and your friends will be able to escort a mobster, while being pursused by a SWAT team.
• The map used in multiplayer is the same map that is used for single player.

Thanks to nevermikel for posting this information at our forum.

That's all for now. Expect more details soon when Games Aktuell goes on sale in a few days! They will have an 8-page multiplayer preview with new screens (thanks to our friends at GTA-Xtreme.de for the info).

Games Aktuell is due to go on sale shortly.

Word is coming through that the popular German magazine, Games Aktuell, will have the first details on GTA 4's mutliplayer system in their next issue. The issue is due to go on sale on March 19th, so expect more information around them. GTA IV will feature multiplayer game modes called "Team Deathmatch", "Cops n' Crooks", "Deal Breaker", "Bomb da Base" and "Hangman's Noose", amongst others which we hope to learn about soon. We understand that the magazine got to play two of these modes.

Related Link: GTAForums Topic.

Check out MTV's exclusive GTA IV preview, which has two new screenshots:

See more screenshots in our gallery

(Thanks to PlanetGTA for the heads up)

Link: MTV Article, GTAForums Topic.

In an interview with men's magazine KING, New York DJ and hip hop artist Green Lantern shed some light on his involvement with the music scene in Grand Theft Auto IV:

"We sat down and it ended up like a whole radio show. This particular show, there's a little bit of a budget involved. It's not the normal licensed-out music. When you jump in the car, you're going to be able to hear a whole Green Lantern radio show filled with nothing but exclusive music I produced for the game."

Lantern also went on to mention collaborations that will appear in the game, namely Styles P and Uncle Murda (amongst other "surprises" that couldn't be revealed). In regards to specific songs that will appear in the game, Green Lantern noted that a song from Maino entitled "Getaway Driver" will be featured in Grand Theft Auto IV.

As per usual, you can discuss this latest news on our forums.

Kudos to Jordan for catching this.

Rockstar have just sent out a new Hidden Package to the fansites including a Chihuahua Hot Dogs T-shirt and these new screenshots:

See more screenshots in our gallery

Edge Magazine has a new 16-page article on the Grand Theft Auto series, with a large chunk of it devoted to GTA IV. There are at least 6 new screenshots, in addition to an exclusive interview with Sam Houser. Here are some of the points worth mentioning:

Edge Magazine

• In GTA IV there are strip joints and, more unexpectedly, comedy clubs, which have been incorporated in a manner that is "enough to make your head spin." Edge aren't allowed to say anything else about it at this time.
• Jets and planes fly through the airport, and have visible pilots inside them. The tester drove alongside a jet, only to have a 4-star wanted level appear!
• One encounter face-to-face with a cop got the response: "I'm a cop... and you're a dickhead!"
• On the subject of multiplayer... Houser wasn't able to go into much detail, but he did mention being able to get together online in the game with no other goal other than to use it as a meeting place: "I'll meet you in a car and we'll hang and just drive and listen to music, chilling in the car, with your 3D model sat next to me," he says.
• The car paint jobs are noticable from newer cars being gleaming and spotless, to old cars being rusted and dull.
• Bulletholes and dirt are permanent on cars.
• Interior walls can be greatly damaged, "ripping chunks out of the plaster with gunfire."

Among the new pics is a wireframe development shot of Hove Beach/Firefly Island, and another shot of the same scene fully rendered. Very cool indeed.

Thanks to noxiousd for posting this info at our forums.

Two new screenshots of GTA IV have appeared on a pre-order box in Spain. The first shot shows Niko being arrested by two cops in Hove Beach, while the second shot displays an awesome aerial view of Algonquin at night, with the Empire State Building at the focus. The photo (posted at our forums) unfortunately isn't very clear, but we will try to obtain better copies of the screenshots as soon as possible.

Thanks to nevermikel for bringing this to our attention. You can discuss the new screenshots over on our forums.

Rockstar have updated the official website with new screenshots, music info, and various features to whet your appetite before next month's release. Here is the full list of updates:

• IF99 International funk music, hosted by Femi Kuti.
• Vladivostok FM Post-communist community radio to rock the Eastern Bloc.
• All-new videos, featuring hard-living Irish-American Patrick "Packie" McReary and a message from the LCPD's recruitment division.
• Scenes from Burger Shot, one of LC's most ubiquitous fast-food chains.
• Celebrity news that matters from Our-Own-Reality.com
• Find out how much you know about Liberty City, with the History of Liberty quiz.
• Learn more about the BitterSweet mobile device. Be everywhere. And nowhere

See all the new screenshots in our gallery (21)

Check it out: rockstargames.com/IV

FHM (a UK magazine) has a new screenshot of Grand Theft Auto IV in their latest issue. The new screenshot shows a car (at night) going over a ramp, and being tracked by two helicopters. Thanks to Torchwood (from the forums) for the info.

The latest issue of PSM also contains new screenshots, which are part of a three-page hands-on exclusive preview. The first screenshot shows Niko in a subway shootout, and the second shot is very similar to this scene from Trailer 3. Thanks to Chargr and Mavros for the info.

The April issue of OXM (Official Xbox Magazine) contains a new preview of Grand Theft Auto IV, along with one new screenshot. The screenshot shows Niko in a black suit, holding a rocket launcher, and standing next to a blown-up car. The only new point mentioned in the preview is that painted yellow lines adjacent to safehouses (in dense areas such as Algonquin) serve as garages. "Park your car there and it'll remain there indefinitely," the magazine says. Everything else in the preview has been seen/mentioned before.

Keep an eye on this topic at the forums for all the latest updates. Thanks to DC88 for providing the info.

A new GTA IV artwork has emerged on the Australian Xbox website:

Unfortunately this is the only size we have available at the moment. Discussion (as always) is available on the forums.

Taken from Kotaku:

"Found at the corner of Spring and Canal in Manhattan today by reader Savage6000. Looks like the GTA hype-machine has gone into overdrive. Let's hope the game lives up to the building-sized ads and viral marketing campaigns."

The finished product will look like this.

Related Link: Forum Thread.

There's nothing better than free stuff! Microsoft has just recently launched their Xbox LIVE GTA IV Sweepstakes, which includes four gloriously awesome grand prizes and thousands of not-too-shabby runner-up prizes (all related to Xbox LIVE, of course).

To enter, all you need to do is fill out this entry form and follow the instructions. Don't forget to make sure that your Xbox LIVE account info is accurate before submitting. If your contact information is incorrect, you'll be disqualified entirely. (And that would suck.)

The sweepstakes is open until April 14th, 2008. Winners will be chosen at random on April 23rd. Here's what's up for grabs:

• Four Grand Prizes: Four winners will get a four-day/three-night trip for two to New York City to attend the Xbox LIVE Gold Grand Theft Auto IV Launch Party.
• 100 First Prizes: Custom Xbox 360 Elite console.
• 2,000 Second Prizes: Rockstar baseball bat.
• 5,000 Third Prizes: 500 Microsoft Points.
• 3,000 Fourth Prizes: 1000 Microsoft Points.
• 2,000 Fifth Prizes: 1600 Microsoft Points.
• 5,000 Sixth Prizes: One-month Xbox LIVE Gold subscription.
• 3,000 Seventh Prizes: Three-month Xbox LIVE Gold subscription.
• 2,000 Eighth Prizes: One-year Xbox LIVE Gold subscription.

Now for the less-than-thrilling rules:

To be eligible for entry, you need to be both an American resident -- "legal residents of the 50 United States (includes the District of Columbia)", to quote the rules directly -- and over the age of 18. (You also need to have an active Xbox LIVE account, which should be a given, considering the title of the sweepstakes.)

All of the official rules and regulations of the sweepstakes can be found here, while a GTAForums thread dedicated to this latest news can be found here.

You may remember these WANTED posters that started appearing in Brooklyn near the beginning of the year, requesting information on the whereabouts of Niko Bellic, Little Jacob, and Elizabeta. Well one of those characters has now showed up, on North 5th and Bedford Ave, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn:

Hmm, could there be more illustrations of other characters, perhaps in different areas of New York? This could get fun...

Link: GTA IV Suspects seen around Brooklyn (Thanks to Planet GrandTheftAuto for the heads up.)

US magazine Electronic Gaming Monthly have published a new thirteen-page preview of GTA 4 in their April issue. As we revealed last month, EGM were invited exclusively to Rockstar North's building in Edinburgh, Scotland, and bagged an exclusive interview with Rockstar Games president Sam Houser. There are also three new screenshots in the article.

A few points worth noting:

• Apparently Niko Bellic was inspired by a favourite driver from Rockstar Games' car service.
• There are 14 radio stations in the game, not 18 as was previously suggested.
• Niko is an old soldier who spent time in third-world prisons.
• On the subject of multiplayer, Houser says: "I just like running up to a bunch of players with the grenade cooking in my hands and taking them all out with me." A range of 'standard' multiplayer modes are available, in addition to some which haven't been tried before. Nothing else was revealed unfortunately.
• For the new melee-combat system, Rockstar consulted a UFC master of the Israeli special-forces martial art, Krav Maga.
• When GTA IV was first being planned, Aaron Garbut (Rockstar North's art director) unveiled an enormous map featuring Liberty City surrounded by countryside the size of New York state. This "megamap" seemed the logical step after San Andreas, but R* soon decided to change their focus, and work on creating a larger GTA experience instead of just a larger map.