Take-Two has sued the Chicago Transit Authority for violating its free speech and contractual rights after the authority pulled ads for Grand Theft Auto IV on the transit system without explanation. Reuters reports that Take-Two accuses the CTA of violating the contract for the $300,000 ad campaign that involved running GTA IV ads around the transit system for six weeks between April and June.

The suit seeks an order for the CTA to run the ads, as well as at least $300,000 in damages. Reuters states the GTA IV posters were removed following a FOX news report on the ads. Now, we're not lawyers (although we do have one writing for us), so we can't say if the CTA violated a basic contract, but Chicago residents should let us know if they see the ads back up and snap a photo.

[Thanks to all who sent this in.]

Using Chicago's street violence as a springboard, the city's FOX affiliate aired a piece about Grand Theft Auto IV ads on the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA). Thanks to the report, all the GTA IV advertising will now be removed.

As GamePolitics points out, the ads do not depict any scenes of violence and it's currently unknown what the CTA's policy is on advertising R-rated movies; the CTA also stopped an ad campaign back in 2004 for GTA: San Andreas. Boston, Denver and Portland, Oregon, have had similar issues with GTA ads on its public transportation system. Ironically, the FOX affiliate promotes alcohol on its website (picture after the break). Wonder how many people died of alcohol related incidents in Chicago this weekend?

[Via GamePolitics]

BBPS has produced an amusing mockery of this coming Sunday's big game -- you know, Super Bowl XLI. No doubt the obligatory 'Madden prediction' is on its way, but for now, let Tecmo Super Bowl tell the tale: 28-24, Bears over Colts. Jim Harbaugh FTW!

Glancing at the newly revealed track listing for Elite Beat Agents instills some sort of inescapable fear of impending doom and cataclysm. There's every reason to suggest that lumping songs from Madonna, David Bowie, Chicago, Cher and Earth, Wind and Fire (ask your parents) onto a single storage medium could run the risk of melting the entire universe into an amorphous puddle of writhing pain. Oh, Ashlee Simpson's on there too. She usually has that effect all on her own.

Chris Kohler at Game|Life has scooped the entire song list for the upcoming DS game -- which, by the way, is the English spin-offy version of Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan!, a music-and-rhythm masterpiece made most memorable by its screen-tapping J-pop tunes, inspired humor and screaming male cheerleaders. Instead of trying to twist the game into a shape more suitable for the Western market, Elite Beat Agents aims to present the same gameplay (insidious spinners included), but with new scenarios, secret agents instead of cheerleaders, and different music. Different here having the definition of fruity and from a strange time.

Discovering how these "college frat party" songs (says the game's designer, Keiichi Yano) match up with the visuals and gameplay will no doubt amuse us to no end, especially when it comes to hits like Y.M.C.A., ABC and (gngghh) Sk8er Boi.

[Thanks, JKTrix. You're the inspiration.]

Tickets are now on sale for the two Video Games Live shows planned in conjunction with Gen Con Indy Friday & Saturday, August 11-12.

After a stop in Philly earlier this month, the VGL tour is moving on to Houston July 14th, Chicago August 5th, and then Indianapolis the weekend after that. More on reserving seats for the Hilbert Circle Theatre can be found on the official announcement page (via the pic to the right or the Read link below).

Judging by the reviews of the Philly show so far, Video Games Live sounds like it could be a lot of fun. If they keep providing public access to Guitar Hero II, they may have sold this blogger on going already. We hope Midwestern gamers not attending the Chicago show can make a pitstop in Indy to keep Tommy's show on the road. So, yeah ... rock on.

See also:

• Official VGL report from Philly (with some local links to boot)
• Video Games Live ticket purchases opened a bit early
• The official page for Gen Con Indy
• PS2 impressions: Guitar Hero II

Are you in Chicago tonight for the big PLAY! concert tomorrow, but weren't willing to shell out $125 for the VIP meet-and-greet at the event? Well, you might be in luck (even if you're not attending), as a few famous folks from the concert will be on hand to sign autographs in Chicago proper for free tonight.

From 7 to 9 PM (presumably Central time) at the Tower Records store on 2301 N. Clark St., Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu, bilingual songstress Angela Aki (who wrote and sang the theme song for FFXII), and Principal Conductor and Music Director of PLAY! Arnie Roth will be signing autographs to promote the world-tour premiere of 'PLAY! A Video Game Symphony' and the CD for More Friends - Music from FINAL FANTASY.

While this blogger is sadly occupied with prior engagements tonight, gamers in the area are more than welcome to mob that Tower Records and cause the store's employees much consternation and bewilderment. If you don't have any imported CDs to sign, however, don't fret: the store's web site claims to have "some awesome Japanese imports available for you to purchase and have autographed at the event." Not only that, Angela Aki will be performing live as well. Score! Anybody wanna tell us how this evening turns out when it's all sung and done?

[Via The Daily Northwestern; image culled from Angela Aki's blog, Nobuo Uematsu's Squenix profile, and Arnie Roth's 2005 interview with IGN]

See also:

• Official page for Tower Clark Street (with details on the signing)
• Ticketmaster site for the PLAY! concert debut tomorrow
• Sonic and Chrono composers to join PLAY! in Chicago

WrestleMania 22 may still be 3 days away, but that isn't stopping WWE Superstars from taking to the virtual squared circle tonight in Chicago.

The fourth annual THQ Superstar Challenge will begin in less than an hour at 6 PM at the House of Blues. It'll be SmackDown vs. RAW on SmackDown vs. RAW with reigning Challenge champ Shelton Benjamin defending his gamer title in a 16-player bracket-style tournament.

If it's too late to snag $20 tickets to the opening WrestleMania weekend event, perhaps you can hang around until tomorrow, when THQ will "announce the next addition to the WWE video game family." Would a next-gen announcement be too much to hope for before E3? And will the Undertaker continue his undefeated WrestleMania streak? Answers to your manly soap opera questions will be coming at ya this weekend.

[Update: It turns out that the new game's already been confirmed--WWE SmackDown vs. RAW 2007 will hit the PS2, PSP, PS3, and even (a non-Sony system for once on) the Xbox 360. 10 "next-gen" screens of the game to hit later this year are also available via the Update link. Thanks, Master X 24!]

See also:

• Official WWE page for WrestleMania 22
• Load time from HELL! PSP game takes its sweet time [SD! Vs. RAW]
  
• WWE sues THQ
• Rumble Roses XX promises hot girl-on-bear action

Former cellmates Nullsleep and Bitshifter have announced plans to embark on a world tour, blasting their blend of bleeps, bloops, and blizzasts from Boston to Brussels and back again.

If you're not an 8-bit believer yet, nothing will win you over except trying it out for yourself. To that end, here are links (1, 2, 3, 4) to some MP3s these torturers of Gameboys, Famicoms and other old-school video game consoles have kindly provided for downloading.

If you like what you hear, check the tour page and maybe even drop a few dollars in the donation bucket to help make it happen.

It appears that PLAY! A Video Game Symphony will be hosting yet another guest from Japan as well as another musical exclusive.

Yasunori Mitsuda, main composer on Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross, and a number of other epic Japanese RPGs, will be attending the opening PLAY! concert in Chicago on May 27th. An "exclusive suite" of his music from the two Chrono games will be featured in every PLAY! concert worldwide.

Mitsuda will join his compatriot Yuzo Koshiro, whose "special suite" of arranged music from the Sonic the Hedgehog series "will be heard live for the first time at the world-premiere." They will engage in a meet and greet with fans--who fork over the $125 needed for VIP tickets--along with Jeremy Soule (The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind), Marty O'Donnell (Halo), and Jason Hayes (World of Warcraft).

[Via 1UP]

Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry is extending the "Game On: the History, Culture, and Future of Video Games" exhibit from February 3rd until April 30th. Containing over 100 games, including classic arcade titles and vintage game consoles, to current Xbox hits, the newly dubbed Game On 2.0 adds even more games to the show (but why play Star Wars Battlefront II in a museum when there's a class Donkey Kong cabinet?). To entice you further, they're also raffling off a PSP every day through February 28.

Chicago has their gaming culture down: when Game On closes—for the second time—it's only another month before the debut of PLAY!, the much-anticipated gaming concert. What's the trick Chicago?

[Via Siliconera]

A public library in the Park Ridge area of Chicago has revealed that it will soon be trialling a video game lending service, representing similar schemes taking place across the world. Starting with a collection 50 games purchased with a requested $3,000 worth of funding, the pilot program will last two year during which time "circulation and patron comments will be measured".

The library is hoping to focus on "high demand" games for PlayStation and Xbox systems in order to draw in a younger demographic. We certainly can't think of a strategy more effective at increasing the number of younger visitors than lending games for free. To deter older gamers that may get word of this scheme, they'll be limiting the collection to "games that are rated E for all ages or T for teens" although there's no strict age limit for lending the games.

So how do you get your local library to start lending games ? Simple, just ask. According to a librarian working at the library, "kids throughout Park Ridge kept coming up to me and asking why we didn't have video games for circulation." We feel very cynical for suggesting it, but we wouldn't be surprised to find that a large percentage of those kids were bribed by gaming moms, dads and older siblings. We'll hold off from judging them, because there aren't many things we wouldn't do for free games!

[Via digg]