Following today’s release of Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City on Games for Windows – LIVE, Microsoft has revealed a special offer for PC gaming fans of the Grand Theft Auto franchise. For a limited time only, gamers who download Grand Theft Auto IV from Games for Windows – LIVE’s Games on Demand service will benefit from a specially reduced price.
Mike Kebby writes
"Good day to you there, how are you this week? Well I hope.
I just want to remind you all that our PSP Favourites promotion will be ending today, so you don’t have that much longer to take advantage of those crazy prices, just a mere matter of hours in fact. Speaking of which, if you have an eye on bargains, then please step over to the stall and check out the latest batch of Special Offers with Gravity Crash, Prince of Persia Classic and James Cameron’s Avatar:The Game amongst the shiny wares I have for you .
I’m sure most of you are aware that this week we finally get the much anticipated episodes for Grand Theft Auto IV, The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony onto the store…exciting, I’m sure you’ll agree (they will be available on Friday morning not the usual Thursday publish)."
It’s sale time here at Games for Windows – LIVE…we’re extending the sales into April, so gamers can STILL take advantage of INCREDIBLE limited-time deals!
This is the big one, folks: to celebrate the release of The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony on Games for Windows – LIVE, we’re offering Grand Theft Auto IV for 50% off (that’s just $14.99!), from 2:00 A.M. PDT on Tuesday, April 13, all the way until 5:00 P.M. PDT on Monday, April 19. Don’t hesitate…take advantage of this great deal today!
2K Games have been known as strong supporters of the PlayStation 3 format in the past. Having brought conversions of two highly successful Xbox 360 titles, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and BioShock, to the PlayStation 3’s belated party, as well as continually supporting the format with every title in recent years having hit both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 simultaneously (aside from the various DLC and retail releases of additional content for Grand Theft Auto IV, of course). However, the latest retail pack appears intended to be offered to Borderlands fans exclusively on Microsoft formats.
RockstarNetwork.net reports: "Rockstar just announced that GTAIV is now available for Games on Demand. Check out the press release below. You can download it from On Demand for only $29.99! If you haven’t got a copy of it yet, now is your time to buy!"
GameZone’s Stefanie Fogel writes,
"These days, it seems like everywhere you look, video-game characters are flaunting their pixellated private parts. Whether it’s a giant topless Cleopatra in Dante’s Inferno, a congressman flashing the full monty in Grand Theft Auto IV’s The Lost and the Damned, or the copious amounts of side cleavage in both Dragon Age: Origins and Mass Effect 2, sex and nudity in games have become more prevalent over the last couple of years. And while the industry has seen its fair share of controversy over its increasingly racy content, one has to wonder: Is sex in video games becoming more acceptable?"
After a year of patiently waiting, Playstation 3 and PC owners will finally get the extra episodes from Rockstar’s blockbuster, Grand Theft Auto IV. Both episodes, The Lost and the Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony will be available in disc format and as downloadable content on the Playstation Store and Games for Windows on March 30. The retail copy, which has both episodes on one disc, will be share the title of its Xbox 360 counterpart, Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City
When it was announced that Rockstar had signed a deal with Microsoft to bring the episodes to the Xbox 360 alone as a timed exclusive, gamers worldwide were extremely disappointed. Gamers understand the premise of competition, but many of us are starting to grow up (or are now getting old in the case of this writer) and our fanboyism is waning. We’re starting to not care about exclusives, because we feel that it hurts the industry as a whole when companies pay for exclusivity. Rockstar did what was prudent for them at the time. When Microsoft comes waving a wad of cash in front of you, it is hard to resist. Nevertheless, the episodes are on their way now, and Sam Houser, president and co-founder of Rockstar Games, is excited for us all.
It’s been a long time coming, but we are proud to finally deliver Episodes From Liberty City for the PC and PlayStation 3,” said Sam Houser. “We appreciate the patience of our PlayStation 3 and PC fans worldwide, and we look forward to putting the games in your hands this March.
Sharing: It’s Win/Win
We are happy to announce the much anticipated release of Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Games for Windows® – LIVE on March 30, 2010. For the first time, PlayStation 3 and Games for Windows – LIVE players will have the opportunity to experience the last two thrilling chapters of the Grand Theft Auto IV saga.
The two action packed episodes will also be available for download on the PlayStation Network and Games for Windows® LIVE on March 30, 2010. Each episode boasts the same detailed and immersive Liberty City we all know and love. Games for Windows – LIVE players can enjoy 32-player multiplayer matches and an advanced video editor, and all fans will have the chance to once again listen to the dulcet tones of Liberty City Radio.
The Lost and Damned is a dark trip through Liberty City’s seedy underbelly as outlaw biker, Johnny Klebitz, fights to keep his gang together as a rift in the gang’s leadership threatens to tear the brotherhood apart. In The Ballad of Gay Tony, players explore Liberty City’s high-end nightlife as Luis Lopez, struggling to balance the temptations of money and vice against loyalties to family and friends. Both episodes feature a slew of new vehicles and weapons, and each episode adds new activities including cage fighting, gang wars and BASE jumping.
GamePro: "2009 sure went by quick, eh readers? It feels like only yesterday that we were sticking the boot into the most overrated games of 2008 (did Grand Theft Auto IV really come out two years ago?) Before we know it, it’ll be 2010’s turn. We’re putting our early bets on Gran Turismo 5, natch — provided it actually comes out this year. But we digress…"
With Christmas fast approaching, pretty much everyone has initiated a holiday sale of some sort. As usual though, Steam has outdone them all, heavily discounting games like Mirror’s Edge ($4.99), Grand Theft Auto IV ($7.49) and S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Shadow of Chernobyl ($1.99).
Those games are just the daily specials, which are scheduled to expire approximately 36 hours from the time of this post. Valve plans to continue offering special deals into next year.
In the meantime, you can save 50 percent on Ubisoft’s entire catalog, 33 percent on the 2K Games catalog, and 66 percent on the Unreal Deal Pack. You can find the complete list of available savings here.
