Update: Apparently, this particular blending mystery was solved a while ago -- however, Tom Dickson promised us a free Blendtec blender if we brought it up again. We apologize for our unquenchable thirst for outrageously overpowered kitchen appliances.
Considering that Blendtec's doomsday device has already proved its ability to obliterate bricks, fake diamonds, small buildings and many large breeds of dogs, it should come as no surprise that (spoiler alert) it can chew through a copy of Grand Theft Auto IVwith ease. What is surprising is host Tom Dickson's incredibly short fuse -- apparently, when something provides him with the smallest amount of displeasure, it finds itself on the business end of the appliance's screaming blades. For the sake of Tom's children (who likely have perfect grades and manners out of fear of a liquefying punishment), we remind the charismatic host that with great blending power comes great blending responsibility.
Between the comprehensive in-game map, the GPS-imbued minimap, and the TomTom-esque functionality of certain vehicles, we've yet to misplace ourselves within Liberty City's digital boroughs. Still, if you find yourself lost whilst playing Grand Theft Auto IV, we guess this Liberty City map application (mapplication?) using the Google Maps interface would come in handy.
A number of user contributions have already been made to the map, showing the location of hidden items, easter eggs, pigeon locations, stunt jumps, and yes, even hookers, whom we assume were fitted with GPS locaters by trained prostitute handlers before being released back into the wild. It makes for a useful cartographical companion for those with a laptop near their console of choice -- if you don't mind ruining the fun of exploring the nooks and crannies of Rockstar's intricately crafted metropolis for yourself, that is.
Comedy starved night owls are probably already aware of the attention that Rockstar's latest crime drama has received on the late night entertainment scene. We chuckled at the Daily Show's coverage of the game's midnight release, but thoroughly LOLed at Conan O'Brien's previews (embedded after the jump) of the toned-down version of Grand Theft Auto IV(if only Stephen Bishop's classic "It Might Be You" really were available on Liberty City's airwaves).
However, we didn't truly board the ROFLcopter until we saw the above skit from The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson (the former unitesticled boss on "The Drew Carey Show"). Perhaps it was the visit from "Saturday Night Live" veteran Tim Meadows that made it our fave, or perhaps it was their subtle send-up of the criticism the game has endured due to it's adult content. On that note, if there's anything funnier than the actual media coverage of Rockstar's mature blockbuster, we've yet to see it.
The seven-page, five-thousand word review (and accompanying video review, after the jump) praises the game's art style, the immersive backdrop of Liberty City, the "Oscar quality" story and the "refined" gameplay. The enamored reviewer even commends some of the quirky extra features included by Rockstar, such as Niko's multipuropse cellphone, or the in-game use of alcohol: "You don't have to drive drunk," the reviewer exclaims, "but it's fun to give it a try." Great, now we can look forward to public backlash towards the game's DUI-endorsing write-ups, as well.
We're vehement followers of the logic that if something sounds too good to be true, it usually is -- still, in cases like these, that doesn't stop us from wishing and hoping hard enough to make our noses bleed. The latest, Microsoft-endorsed, Grand Theft Auto IV special edition issue of Computer and Video Games magazine suggests that the 360 DLC is to the perfect scoring GTA IV as "Vice City or San Andreas were [to] GTA III," and later, in simpler terms, "Rockstar is clearly hinting at new downloadable cities" for the title.
While this infinitely awesome feature might be technically and fiscally possible, we must keep a firm grasp on our cynically-tinted monocles until official confirmation arises. Still, it's tough not to wonder what cities Rockstar could build knock-off replicas of to add to their latest title -- perhaps an Atlantic City clone? A geographically-appropriate rendering of New Jersey? A mock-up of the bustling metropolis of Mud Lick, KY? The possibilities are endless!
EuroGamer reports that a patch released five days ago, which intended to fix the issues in the Xbox 360 version of Bully: Scholarship Edition, may have caused more problems than it resolved. Reported problems include freezes, along with audio and graphic glitches. Rockstar explained that the issue is with older consoles, but EuroGamer states its (relatively new?) office Elite locks up.
We're still waiting to hear from Rockstar about what's really going on, but the company seems to have locked itself in the teacher's lounge and refuses to come out. So, what's the word on the virtual streets? Are people still having problems with their copy of Bully on the Xbox 360?
A patch for Bully: Scholarship Editionhas been released on Xbox Live in lieu of the "broad worldwide announcement" expected today. But what does it fix? We don't know for sure, and various readers have reported the technical problems are either not fixed at all or in some cases worse. We've contacted Rockstar for more information. If you've downloaded the patch yourself, feel free to give your impressions below.
While it doesn't take a soothsayer to guess that Grand Theft Auto IV is going to make quite a splash in the pool of a number of family watchdog organizations when it's released upon the world come April 29 -- Dan Houser, Rockstar's VP and writer for GTA IV, recently said in an interview with Yahoo! News that he expects the fumes of controversy to waft especially thick and heavy over this particular chapter in the GTA franchise.
Why, you might ask? What could be worse than territorial gang violence, drug trafficking, or poorly rendered depictions of consensual sex between two adults? Houser explains -- the studio will definitely be hearing about certain gameplay elements, such as drunk driving, and the inclusion of current-gen advancements in video game strip club technology. Well, duh -- if a space marine and his azure-skinned concubine can't tastefully bump uglies without a media explosion, we doubt an in-game visit to The Booby Trap will be overlooked.
After yesterday's announcement stabbed us in the face with a shard of glass, we've had some time to get used to the idea that Rockstar's Manhunt series is making its new-gen debut on Nintendo's heretofore soft and cuddly Wii console (alongside current-gen PSP and PS2 releases). The mind is a scary place to get stuck, as we did last night while trying (unsuccessfully we might add) to fall asleep. You see, we were preoccupied with all the horribly grotesque ways we imagined killing people (virtually, of course!) with the Wiimote. Hallucinations set in around 3am and we saw (did we?) rows of bespectacled Canadian programmers sitting in a crowded conference room, surrounded by empty pizza boxes and whiteboards covered with poorly spelled ideas. Ideas like: stabbing, bludgeoning, cleaving, slitting, choking (with optional nunchuk assist), and nunchuck ... ing. There were other ideas scribbled out: purple nurpling, hugging, arm wrestling ...
If those visions of horror didn't whet your appetite, try Rockstar's Manhunt 2 teaser, embedded after the break. Yeah, our favorite part is when the announcer says "This product is not yet rated" too. Something tells us this one's not getting a T.
Get ready to wave goodbye one last time to all those specious misconceptions that the Wii -- thanks to its unique name, diminutive size, and first-party mascot -- is a children's system. Rockstar Games, who've always had a penchant for controversy, just added a gasoline-soaked two by four (with nails in it) to the "do video games teach kids to kill" bonfire, announcing that Manhunt 2, the sequel to last generation's ultraviolent snuff film-slash-video game, will be released on the PlayStation 2, the PSP and the Wii -- with nary an Xbox 360 or PS3 announcement in sight.
The PS2 and PSP versions are being developed by Rockstar London, their newest studio, in conjunction with Manhunt series creator Rockstar North (Grand Theft Auto) while the Wii version is being handled independently by Rockstar Toronto (The Warriors). We're going to be hearing a lot more about this one.
Take-Two reports that Rockstar co-founder Terry Donovan has left the company. Donovan, who served as managing director, reportedly took a one-month leave, after which he decided not to return. Rockstar noted that Donovan would not be replaced; instead his responsibilities would be divided up among several other employees.
"Sam [Houser] and Dan [Houser] is the leadership now, along with Gary Dale. The roles have been filled," affirmed a Rockstar representative. Dale recently joined Rockstar as the new COO.
Despite a strong first month in sales (estimated at 250,000 units worldwide) that was backed by critical acclaim, Bully's popularity at retail has quickly dwindled. Wedbush Morgan Securities Managing Director of Research Michael Pachter projects Bully will peak around 800,000 units sold; generating roughly $24 million in revenue. While that might sound rich, Pachter calls it a wash for Take-Two. "I would NOT expect a sequel," Pachter emphasized to GamePolitics.
If Jimmy Hopkins' video game career is indeed one and done then it would go against Rockstar's standard practice (presumably encouraged by Take-Two). The developer has always molded its titles into series; The Warriors being the only Rockstar game that has yet to be revisited* (sequels to Manhunt & Red Dead Revolver are in the works). At the very least, we would expect Bully to be ported to PSP.
With controversy having cooled, Capcom has reached a deal with Rockstar to localize, publish, and distribute the PlayStation 2 version of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas in Japan. The release is scheduled for January, a full 27 months after the game's initial debut in North America. What's with the delay? Guess car jacking and gang banging doesn't move units at quite the same pace in Japan.
LA Noire, Rockstar's latest, takes you out of the role of a late 20th century street thug breaking laws in locations as exotic as Liberty City, Vice City, and San Andreas, and dumps you into the role of a detective, solving "a series of gruesome murders" in a gritty black-and-white, 1940s Los Angeles.
LA Noire looks like the videogame love child of James Ellroy's Hollywood noirs, like LA Confidential, and the classic chiaroscuro of films like Double Indemnity. Toss in an open-ended city (Team Bondi, the developer, did work on The Getaway), some cinematic storytelling, and you've got something that certainly sounds like it follows the GTA formula. Let's call it Grand Theft Auto: Noir City. There's no gameplay on display here, so we're not sure if this is what we can expect the finished product to look like (it seems doable), or if this is just a "target render."
Noire is a next-gen title without any platform loyalties announced just yet, though some majorsites seem to think it's been confirmed for the PS3. But with Grand Theft Auto dropping its long-standing exclusivity, like many other next-gen titles, the lack of a console name on the official site may be sign of an impending exclusivity mystery, ala Assassin's Creed.
Rockstar has unveiled L.A. Noire, a period piece developed by Team Bondi, a new Australian studio founded by Brendan McNamara (The Getaway). Set in 1940's L.A. (before the freeways), L.A. Noire explores a series of gruesome murders through the eyes of, we assume, a detective.
We've eyed a 37-second teaser, which sweeps through an eventless urban street scene, while a horn whines a sleepy jazz tune. We suspect, like The Getaway, Noire will be less open-ended than GTA and will rely on cinematic elements to keep gamers interested. While billed as a "next-generation" title, Rockstar has not specified platforms.
