Joystiq

PlayStation Plus gets free Malicious, cheap Grand Theft Auto

David Hinkle — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 23:45:00 EST

This week's free North American PlayStation Plus game is Malicious, a third-person action game in which players defeat an eclectic collection of bosses and pilfer their powers.

Meanwhile, the Spring Fever sale event continues for PlayStation Plus with a series-wide sale on the Grand Theft Auto games, including recent PS2 Classics GTA 3 (for under $5) and GTA: San Andreas (for under $8).

PlayStation Plus gets free Malicious, cheap Grand Theft Auto originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 15 Apr 2013 23:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rockstar drops Grand Theft Auto playlists on Spotify, iTunes

David Hinkle — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 13:30:00 EST

Rockstar has released the soundtracks for its most recent Grand Theft Auto games onto Spotify and iTunes. Sadly, just the tunes from Grand Theft Auto 3 and every entry since are here - none of Rockstar's zany commercials or satirical talk radio stations.

The only place to get the full soundtracks still is through Rockstar's box set releases; however, if you want to just listen to the ads, you can point your browser to The Advertising Council.

Rockstar recently revealed the box art for Grand Theft Auto 5, due on September 17 for Xbox 360 and PS3. Even though over 100,000 have signed a petition calling for a PC port, Take-Two has not announced Grand Theft Auto 5 for the PC at this time.

Rockstar drops Grand Theft Auto playlists on Spotify, iTunes originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 12 Apr 2013 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GTA: San Andreas gets Dec. 12 PSN launch date from PS Hong Kong [update: confirmed!]

Jessica Conditt — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 16:30:00 EST

PlayStation Hong Kong offers another shred of evidence that Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is indeed making its way to PS3, listing the game as a download with a release date of December 12. San Andreas was rated by the ESRB for PS3 this year, as was Vice City and Grand Theft Auto 3. GTA 3 launched on PSN as a PS2 classic in September.

The Grand Theft Auto games are infiltrating a few new devices recently, topped off with Vice City's launch on iOS last week. Meanwhile, Grand Theft Auto 5 fans are scoping out yet another platform for that game's launch, with a petition to get it on PC.

Update: The PlayStation Blog confirms San Andreas will be released on PSN as a PS2 Classic on December 11.

GTA: San Andreas gets Dec. 12 PSN launch date from PS Hong Kong [update: confirmed!] originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 09 Dec 2012 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Backup singer loses lawsuit against Take-Two over GTA: San Andreas

Mike Suszek — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 12:00:00 EST

Michael "Shagg" Washington, supposed former Cypress Hill backup singer (though the band denied any affiliation), lost his 2010 lawsuit against Take-Two Interactive and Rockstar Games over alleged use of his likeness in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Wednesday. Washington claimed he met with the game's developers in 2003 to discuss his troubled youth and "street life." He first learned of his resemblance to the game's "CJ" character six years later, leading to the $250 million lawsuit.

The California appeals court upheld the ruling in favor of Take-Two, in which the judge said the "plaintiff is relying entirely on CJ's physical appearance in the game, but that appearance is so generic that it necessarily includes hundreds of other black males." The lack of evidence in whether Take-Two actually used Washington's likeness, in addition to a failed test for insufficiently transformative use, led to Washington losing the case.

Backup singer loses lawsuit against Take-Two over GTA: San Andreas originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 03 Nov 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas rated by ESRB For PS3

Sinan Kubba — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 09:15:00 EST

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas now has an ESRB rating for PlayStation 3, following in the footsteps of PS2 siblings GTA 3 and Vice City. Curiously, the ESRB also re-rated Vice City for PS3, maybe feeling the need for a nostalgic revisit in light of its 10th anniversary and arrival on iOS and Android.

With GTA 3 recently releasing on PSN as a PS2 Classic, it's not a great leap to suggest we'll see Vice City and San Andreas do the same in the future.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas rated by ESRB For PS3 originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 29 Oct 2012 09:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Listen to a whole bunch of new (old) ads from GTA games

David Hinkle — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 16:30:00 EST

Sure, lots of folks have fond memories of beating hookers to death and zipping around in a Banshee in GTA 3, GTA: Vice City and GTA: San Andreas. But the real star of those games were the commercials, hilarious ads that you can now relive thanks to Rockstar.

Like, who can forget the private sensual secret radio advertisement for the thriller Twilight Knife? Having trouble letting go of that deceased pet? Well, you don't have to thanks to Pet Stuffers! And if you're having problems dealing with the day-to-day grind, retreat into the blood-filled playground of Commemorative Miniatures.

Listen to a whole bunch of new (old) ads from GTA games originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 07 Sep 2012 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Grand Theft Auto 3 and GTA: Vice City rated by ESRB for PS3

Alexander Sliwinski — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 08:53:00 EST

The ESRB has rated crime epics Grand Theft Auto 3 and Vice City for the PlayStation 3. Considering the blockbuster third entry in the series is available on iOS and Android, word of it coming to the PS3 isn't the craziest news we've heard about the classic title in recent memory.

The third entry in the GTA3 series, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, still doesn't have a PS3 listing from the ESRB, so we aren't sure if it's just cruisin' in later for a drive-by or part of what's likely Rockstar adding the two other games to PSN for digital distribution. Of course, if you own a first-gen PS3, your system is backwards-compatible and should have no issue playing the original PlayStation 2 discs (chances are you already own them).

Grand Theft Auto 3 and GTA: Vice City rated by ESRB for PS3 originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 23 Jan 2012 08:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GTA: Vice City, San Andreas iOS ports 'very possible'

Griffin McElroy — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 13:25:00 EST

If you prefer the vibrant, jewel-toned streets of Vice City or the gritty, decidedly not-jewel-toned avenues of San Andreas to the trappings of Old Liberty City, you might have your fancy tickled by Rockstar soon enough. The developer, which recently showed off its iOS port of Grand Theft Auto 3, recently told Digital Trends that, though it might be a "technical challenge," similarly mobile versions of GTA: Vice City and GTA: San Andreas are "very possible."

That's the kind of can-do attitude that made Rockstar the top-flight development studio it is today. Well, that and the secret deal that Dan Houser made with the devil back in 1999. Oh, right, breaking news: Dan Houser made a deal with the devil back in 1999. We forgot that wasn't common knowledge!

GTA: Vice City, San Andreas iOS ports 'very possible' originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 28 Oct 2011 13:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Grand Theft Auto Classics pack on Steam sale

Ludwig Kietzmann — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 04:00:00 EST

If you thought Rockstar's crime saga began with the illicit exploits of Niko Bellic, your thumb may have obscured some vital roman numerals when you last picked up a Grand Theft Auto box.

We'll just avoid boxes entirely and point you to Steam's ongoing Rockstar Weekend sale, which now has the Grand Theft Auto Classics pack for $7.49 (a discount of 75% off the regular price). The pack contains top-down classics Grand Theft Auto and Grand Theft Auto 2, along with sandbox giant Grand Theft Auto 3 and its follow-ups, Vice City and San Andreas. The deal's making a quick getaway tomorrow, so don't wait too long if you prefer your virtual violence vintage.

Grand Theft Auto Classics pack on Steam sale originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 17 Apr 2011 04:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cypress Hill backup singer suing Rockstar and Take-Two over GTA: San Andreas (seriously)

Ben Gilbert — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 10:07:00 EST

When you think of Cypress Hill, you probably don't think of riding bicycles around the mean streets of Rockstar's fictional "San Andreas." But perhaps that's where your mind should go, argues backup singer Michael "Shagg" Washington, who's suing the developer (and its publisher, Take-Two Interactive) six years after the game's release. Washington claims he met with Rockstar in 2003 "to talk about street life for the [then] upcoming game," including a description of his "troubled life in his youth" and specifics about "how the teenagers in his gang rode around on bicycles."

IGN got its hands on a copy of the suit, which explains that Washington didn't see San Andreas in action until this past July, when his nephew was playing it. "The plaintiff had never seen the game. He did not own or play video games," the complaint admits, further explaining, "Upon examination of images of 'CJ' and comparison to his photos from that year and other evidence, it became clear that Rockstar had stolen his image and never paid him."

For Washington's claims, he's asking for 25 percent of Rockstar's profits from San Andreas -- approximately $250 million. Take-Two, unsurprisingly, says the case "is completely without merit" and the publisher "will vigorously defend itself in the matter."

Cypress Hill backup singer suing Rockstar and Take-Two over GTA: San Andreas (seriously) originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 09 Dec 2010 10:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GTA 3, Vice City and San Andreas start a crime wave on Macs

David Hinkle — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 00:00:00 EST

Would-be hoodlums looking to jack some fools need not feel encumbered by their personal computer platform any longer: Grand Theft Auto 3, Vice City and San Andreas are now available on the Mac.

Continue reading GTA 3, Vice City and San Andreas start a crime wave on Macs

GTA 3, Vice City and San Andreas start a crime wave on Macs originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 13 Nov 2010 00:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Steam offering a whole lotta Grand Theft Auto for $7.50

Griffin McElroy — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 03:00:00 EST

If you've got a handful of change and a heart full of deviancy, you may want to perk up your ears -- for this weekend only, Steam is offering the Grand Theft Auto Classics collection (which includes GTA I - III, Vice City and San Andreas) for $7.50, or 75 percent off the bundle's standard price.

Continue reading Steam offering a whole lotta Grand Theft Auto for $7.50

Steam offering a whole lotta Grand Theft Auto for $7.50 originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 05 Nov 2010 03:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Grand Theft Auto 3, Vice City and San Andreas pack coming to Mac

Griffin McElroy — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 10:59:00 EST

Filed under: Weird But True, Opinions, New In Pop Culture

In a recent Q&A session on Rockstar's Facebook page, the developer responded to a query about Mac support with terrific news for fans of the company's last-gen titles. "Look for the long-awaited release of the classic Grand Theft Auto Trilogy (Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas) for Mac -- most likely later this year," Rockstar confirmed.

The Q&A promises that a proper announcement will arrive soon. Until then, we suggest you start planning your crime spree as soon as possible!

Grand Theft Auto 3, Vice City and San Andreas pack coming to Mac originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 10 Sep 2010 10:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Take-Two sending out Hot Coffee settlement checks

JC Fletcher — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 14:30:00 EST

If you went through all the trouble of traumatizing yourself by unlocking the Hot Coffee stuff in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas ... cha-ching! Take-Two, owner of publisher Rockstar, has started paying out the settlement for the class action suit filed in response to the discovery of hidden sexual content on the disc. Depending on what kind of documentation you submitted, you're due an amount between $5 and $35 -- or, for those of you who sent your first-edition discs in, a new copy of the game. Which, we'd imagine, is worth quite a bit less than $35 these days.

The settlement website notes that "All those who filed claims for benefits prior to the May 16, 2008, deadline will receive those benefits prior to April 15, 2010." Which means you can start planning where that $5 is going to go right now. Perhaps a nice cup of coffee?

[Via Kotaku]

Take-Two sending out Hot Coffee settlement checks originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 30 Mar 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PSA: Fable, other Xbox Originals are 'Deal of the Week'

Alexander Sliwinski — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 12:15:00 EST

This week's Xbox Live Deal of the Week finds a few Xbox Originals at a 33 percent discount (sounds so much more substantial that way). As previously noted, the promotion includes the original Fable for 800 ($10), along with Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas at the same $5 discount.

Before you impulse buy, make sure you aren't interested in next week's Deal of the Week, which finds all of Fallout 3's DLC (Operation: Anchorage, The Pitt, Broken Steel, Point Lookout and Mothership Zeta) at 400 ($5) apiece. Broken Steel is a must-have for the level cap increase, but all the packs help deepen the already epic game.

PSA: Fable, other Xbox Originals are 'Deal of the Week' originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 15 Mar 2010 12:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NPD: Wii Play is best selling 'game' of all time in the US

David Hinkle — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 14:00:00 EST

If there's a statistic measuring how well a game sold, you're likely to find Wii Play lingering in it somewhere. It's not only been the best-selling game of 2009, but also just recently made itself known as the top seller for the last decade. Now, according to NPD data (via GameSpot), the software-hardware hybrid has claimed another throne: top-selling non-PC US game ever.

It's a pretty prestigious list and while no exact figures are listed (save for the bundle's October performance, selling a whopping 11.1 million units in that month alone), the other games listed should give you an indication of just how many homes Wii Play has invaded. Taking second place is Guitar Hero III, the first game to earn $1 billion in revenue, followed by Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. The others in the top ten are generally expected, including Activision's other $1 billion earner, Modern Warfare 2 (notable because, damn, that was fast!), along with a pair of other Call of Duty games. Head over to GameSpot for the full list.

NPD: Wii Play is best selling 'game' of all time in the US originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 20 Jan 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wii Fit may surpass San Andreas sales, Wii Play is top selling 'game' of the last 10 years

Alexander Sliwinski — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 19:30:00 EST

Wii Fit is on the verge of becoming the second-highest selling "game" in the US of the last 10 years. IGN reports on NPD data, revealing that Wii Fit has reached 7.9 million sales, passing by Grand Theft Auto: Vice City's 6.9 million and creeping up quickly on Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas' 8.25 million units. The only thing ready to kill Wii Fit's momentum is Wii Fit Plus, which will replace the previous version at retail.

Some out there are probably ready to argue that Wii Fit should not be counted among other games. Yeah, those folks are going to pitch a fit about the top seller: Wii Play. The controller-bundled "software" holds the crown, having reached 11.1 million sales. We can't wait to see how the Vitality Sensor does.

Wii Fit may surpass San Andreas sales, Wii Play is top selling 'game' of the last 10 years originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 13 Oct 2009 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Take-Two (finally) settles with investors for $20m over 'Hot Coffee' losses

Randy Nelson — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 18:30:00 EST

Take-Two has settled a class action lawsuit filed against it way back in 2006 by investors claiming the publisher intentionally hid the infamous "Hot Coffee" content in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas in order to avoid an "Adults Only" rating from the ESRB. According to the original complaint, once the content was discovered (Take-Two originally claimed it wasn't actually on the disc) the game was reclassified to "AO" and company stock dropped, costing the plaintiffs a whole lot of beans. The suit also claimed that Take-Two provided misleading investor guidance, leading to more plaintiff losses.

According to Take-Two, class members will receive a share of a $20.1 million settlement. (Investors had originally demanded a jury trial and an undisclosed amount to cover their losses, attorney fees, etc.) In a prepared statement, Take-Two chairman Strauss Zelnick said, "We are pleased to have reached this settlement, which represents another important step forward for the Company." Not as pleased as the plaintiffs are, we bet.

[Image credit: Kanko]

Take-Two (finally) settles with investors for $20m over 'Hot Coffee' losses originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 01 Sep 2009 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas an Xbox Original

Justin McElroy — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, Action

You may think you're a big tough guy in Liberty City, but you don't know nothing about the streets. On the streets of San Andreas, danger's around every corner, you spend a surprising amount of time on bicycles and you can get fat in like an hour ... like really fat. It's no joke in the SA, it's for real.

If you think that, unlike b****es, you can hang with the streets, you have your shot: Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is now an Xbox Original, available for 1200 MS Points ($15). Just don't blame us when the fire department has to carry your tubby ass out of your house with a forklift. That's the streets.

Update: San Andreas will be available on Xbox Live Marketplace starting Monday, October 20, 2008

[Thanks, Harith]

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas an Xbox Original originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 16 Oct 2008 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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