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.
Grand Theft Auto IV is being questioned as whether or not it is too big for its DLC to be successful. A game that clocks in at 20+ hours is a rarity when most games pull in the six to eight hour mark. GTA IV is one of the rare time consuming games left on the market. There was a lot to do in Liberty City, not to mention all of the mindless roaming, side missions, and the main story line to tackle. Was it really all too much for gamers to handle?
I never finished GTA IV. I didn’t finish it because I never really got into the game. The story never really grabbed my attention. It certainly was not due to the games size. However, prognosticator extraordinaire Michael Pachter believes that the size of the game is to blame for the less than stellar sales of the downloadable expansions:
“Ben’s right that the DLC disappointed, but I suspect that the reason is that GTA games are so massive that a substantial majority of the GTA audience hasn’t finished the core game, so they don’t feel especially compelled to buy the DLC,” Pachter said.” — VG247
Review scores for The Ballad of Gay Tony were high. Everything I read on this DLC was positive and pointing to a must own DLC pack. Was it advertising that just didn’t work? Was it the fact that gamers really didn’t finish the core game and saw no point for the DLC?
I just have a hard time swallowing the fact that the game was so big that people just didn’t finish it. Perhaps it was due to GTA IV losing its shock factor that caused gamers to not finish this game.
What say you reader? Did you finish GTA IV? Did you get the DLC packs that have come out?
GrE writes, "Grand Theft Auto IV is being questioned as whether or not it is too big for its DLC to be successful. A game that clocks in at 20+ hours is a rarity when most games pull in the six to eight hour mark. GTA IV is one of the rare time consuming games left on the market. There was a lot to do in Liberty City, not to mention all of the mindless roaming, side missions, and the main story line to tackle. Was it really all too much for gamers to handle?…"
According to internal Activision estimates, Modern Warfare 2 made $550 MILLION in just five days. That makes MW2 the best selling entertainment product in the history of the universe. It shattered the five day worldwide movie ticket sales record of $394 million set by Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince, and the five day video game sales record of $500 million set by Grand Theft Auto IV.
The real question on everyone’s mind is how will Activision spend their new cash loaf? They have some choices:
Look, I know that $550 million is a lot to spend frivolously, but hey, that’s just five days worth of cash – there’s still an entire holiday season’s worth of money coming in, so go ahead Activision, splurge – you deserve it.
GB writes: "Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony is not just an excellent addition to the game; it could easily stand on its own as a full retail title."
