NEW YORK, Dec 02, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Rockstar Games, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc., announced today that Grand Theft Auto IV for the PC is now available for purchase at retail outlets nationwide and for digital download on Steam.
“We are very proud to be releasing Grand Theft Auto IV for the PC,” said Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games. “We have taken our time to ensure this version of the game is not just a quick port, but a perfectly tailored experience for the PC. We hope the PC gaming community appreciates all of the innovative features in the game. Grand Theft Auto began on the PC and we have tried very hard to ensure this version was worthy of that heritage.”
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Reportedly, the New Xbox Experience, features more than what was desired. Reports have been popping up of users having their Xbox 360’s suffer freezing, red rings of death, and system errors after installing the new GUI. Apparently, Penny Arcade was not immune to this as well, having their Xbox 360 rendered useless upon attempting to view a friend’s list:
So I grabbed the new Xbox dashboard last night. My least favorite new feature is the one were it locks up my box when I try and look at my friends list. Then I have to restart and it freezes again. Then I do that about seven more times before I throw my controller and play WOW. I liked how in the old Dashboard I could use it without it breaking my Xbox. Maybe that’s just me.
Rockstar Games has announced that the first of two pieces of Downloadable Content for GTAIV, which will be exclusive to the Microsoft Xbox 360, is - barring any delays - set to launch on February 17, 2009 worldwide via Xbox Live.
According to GameSpot (via USA Today), this will be no small DLC. Instead, this will introduce a brand new protagonist named Johnny Klebitz, a member of the biker gang known as “The Lost”. It will also leave behind the clone of Manhattan and move onto a clone of New Jersey, effectively introducing a brand new game. Reportedly, Niko Bellic will also make an appearance.
“Johnny is a very different character than Niko, with a very different background. I can’t go into too much detail on the story, because we try not to give away too much plot before the game is released. But I can say that the story will show you a different side of Liberty City,” Rockstar Games Vice President of Creative Development Dan Houser told USA Today.
Players will also be treated to new vehicles, weaponry, multiplayer modes, and an entirely new soundtrack. These new additions, however, have not yet been detailed.
On the heels of the NXE launch, Bungie, developers of Halo 3 is warning users against performing a full install of Halo 3 to their Hard Drives. According to Bungie, Performing a Full Install of Halo 3 will actually increase load times, resulting in the exact opposite of the desired effect.
On the Bungie official website, Bungie Chief Caching Officer Mat Noguch posted a detailed explanation as to why it would not decrease load times:
The Xbox 360 HDD has a section for games to use called the utility partition. Games can use this section for whatever they want to; Halo 3 uses the utility partition to cache maps as they will load faster off the HDD than off the DVD. As a side note, the utility partition can be deleted when other games are played. This is why maps can take longer to load when you play another game in between various Halo 3 sessions. (As was the case with Halo 1 and Halo 2.)
So when Halo 3 runs, if a HDD is present, we copy maps from the DVD to the utility partition (on the HDD). Think of it as an on demand install of Halo 3 to some scratch space on the HDD. Halo 3 doesn’t actually know where it’s running from, so it always assumes it’s running from a DVD. This is an unfortunate consequence of new features (namely, install to HDD) being added to the Xbox 360 after Halo 3 shipped. And as a result, it means that even if Halo 3 is already installed to the HDD, it will still copy maps to the utility partition.
Los Angeles – Nov. 20, 2008 – Film, television and video game composer Garry Schyman has created the original music score for the newest installment of the Destroy All Humans! video game series. Developed by Sandblast Games (THQ Inc.), Destroy All Humans!® Path of the Furon™ is set in the 1970’s and the game’s score is inspired by music styles from that era. Schyman’s musical influences for DAH Path of the Furon include classic 70’s film scores by Lalo Schifrin, Jerry Goldsmith and Roy Budd. The DAH Path of the Furon score was recorded with a live symphony orchestra as well as brass band, flute soloist, saxophone soloist and wah wah guitar performed by “A-list” musicians in Hollywood.
“The idea for DAH3 was to continue the approach set in DAH1 and DAH2 as though I was a film composer writing in that period,” said Composer Garry Schyman. “Of course wah wah guitar is slathered throughout because it was so ubiquitous and influential. Personally this is my favorite of the three DAH scores. I love this style of music!”
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IRVINE, Calif. - November 20, 2008 - Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. today announced that World of Warcraft®’s second expansion, Wrath of the Lich King™, has sold more than 2.8 million copies in its first 24 hours of availability*, making it the fastest-selling PC game of all time. This eclipses the previous record of nearly 2.4 million copies sold in 24 hours, set in January 2007 by Blizzard’s first World of Warcraft expansion, The Burning Crusade®. Wrath of the Lich King was simultaneously released in North America, Europe, Chile, Argentina, and Russia on November 13; Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand on November 14; and South Korea and the regions of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau on November 18.
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November 19, 2008 - Alienware and Bigfoot Networks have teamed up to deliver the next generation online gaming desktop PC for the holidays. Gamers can now order an Aurora™ Online Gaming Edition QuickShip Desktop configured with the Killer NIC™ K1 , a network card that reduces lag and delivers smoother, more responsive online game play. The online gaming PC will ship within 48 hours after payment confirmation and validation, and is priced at $1899.
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Nintendo - November 17, 2008 - The ever-growing library of games on the Wii™ Shop Channel truly offers something for every gaming occasion, as seen in this week’s new additions. Want to settle in for a few single-player laughs? Check out the latest hilarious Strong Bad adventure. Socializing with friends? Target Toss Pro: Bags lets you play with as many as 15 of your pals. Gathering with family? Even your grandparents can enjoy the arcade classic SPACE INVADERS®. And the side-scrolling action of FORGOTTEN WORLDS™ provides a wickedly fun diversion for solo gamers and fantasy-loving groups alike.
Nintendo adds new and classic games to the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time every Monday. Wii owners with a broadband Internet connection can redeem Wii Points™ to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week’s new games are listed after the jump.
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London, UK - November 17, 2008 - Fonix Speech, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Fonix Corporation (OTC BB: FNIX), and Ubisoft announced today that the highly anticipated Tom Clancy’s EndWar, now available at leading video game retailers, features Fonix VoiceIn technology for its voice command interface. EndWar, initially available in US and UK English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Japanese, Russian and Polish is available for both the Microsoft Xbox® and the Sony PlayStation®3 computer entertainment systems. A PC version in the same languages will launch in Q1 2009.
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CHICAGO - November 16, 2008 - Midway Games Inc. today announced that Mortal Kombat(r) vs. DC Universe has arrived on store shelves throughout North America and is available for purchase for the Xbox(r)360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, and the PLAYSTATION(r)3 computer entertainment system. The standard edition is available for a U.S. suggested retail price of $59.95, and the Kollector’s Edition is available for a U.S. suggested retail price of $69.95. Cultural icons collide for gamers and comic book fans alike as the eagerly anticipated face-off between heroes, anti-heroes, villains and vigilantes is unleashed in unmistakable Mortal Kombat style.
Some of the most popular characters from the DC Universe, like Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and The Joker, go toe-to-toe against Mortal Kombat favorites, including Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Liu Kang, Sonya and more. Featuring a brand new fighting system and unique intertwining storyline written by top comics writing team Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray, Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe combines spectacular multi-tiered fighting environments, such as Metropolis or the Batcave, with a compelling line-up of fighters to challenge and master.
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